Today we are going to review the dual-driver headphones from 1More, a brand that’s headquartered in San Diego, California. Now, the good part about these headphones is that they are tuned by Grammy Award-winning sound engineer, Luca Bignardi, but, how well do they actually are in the real world, let’s find out.
Design and Ergonomics
For headphones such as the in-ear ones, there is just one rule that designers go by. The smaller and lighter the unit, the better wearability it offers to the user. 1More dual-driver headphones weigh around 15 grams, that’s quite an achievement by designers who managed to offer an aluminum housing for the drivers in this weight. To enhance durability and longevity, these headphones are paired with a Kevlar core braided cable. Kevlar is one of the most durable yet flexible materials and its use in these headphones surely make great sense. Now coming on to the design of the earplug itself. To provide a comfortable fit, the earplugs are set at an offset angle, it allows for a more precise fit while allowing users to wear them comfortably for long durations.
The Elusive Dual-drivers
The simplest possible explanation for dual-divers is that it has two speakers instead of one, that majority of headphones offer today. It is quite possible to add three or maybe four individual drivers in headphones today, but, it all boils down to the design and bulk that comes with it. 1More has offered a very smart solution for the dual-driver design and these headphones look no different than an ordinary pair of headphones. Well, the secret also lies in their design itself. Instead of going with individually placed drivers firing towards the ear canal, 1More has made use of an intelligent design with the primary driver made using Graphene is located at the very center of the earplug. Instead of adding another circular driver, the designers chose a horizontally placed driver, featuring a balanced armature acting as the tweeter. This design helps minimize distortion to the primary driver and supplements the sound by adding better high-notes. The result is a sweet-sounding symphony, produced by the two drivers. The sound is quite similar to the sound of a bigger, bookshelf speaker. The only difference is that it’s much more personal.
How’s The Sound?
Everything aside, dual-drivers or not, the real benchmark for any audio accessory is the sound it reproduces. To find out the real value of the 1More dual-driver headphones we tested it with a number of tracks to find out the quality of sound reproduction. First up I connected it to my trusty LG V20 phone and played one of my favorite tunes from Hang Massive called Once Again. These headphones at the beginning seemed a bit low in terms of bass reproduction, since the handpans that the Hang Massive guys play have a very subtle and clean bass. Well, it was time to burn these headphones. No, I did not throw them in fire or tried to roast them crispy on the grill, but, instead, I hooked them up to my music player and played a barrage of songs all the way from electro to jazz to white-noise for 24-hours straight. And, sure enough, the burning-in process did help them open up, a lot. The bass reproduction was clearly better, and highs were impressive all through. The next song of choice was Havana and the 1More did a good job there. After having used these headphones for about a week, I’m thoroughly impressed and I concur that with a $10 price drop the 1More dual-driver headphones are worth the money, carrying a price tag of $59.99.
Ready for Your Smartphone
While having two-drivers is great for audio, are there any implications or special requirements for these headphones? For anyone looking to buy these, having this question on their mind is quite obvious. 1More dual-driver headphones come with a rated power requirement of 5mW. Now for any smartphone, producing that tiny bit of power is a piece of cake. Just to put things into perspective, for audio power output the most powerful smartphone was the Apple iPhone 5, and it produced a meaty 32.46 mW of power at peak volume. Smartphones, feature phones, and even the dedicated hi-fi players today deliver similar power output and thus you can safely enjoy your music, using any device without having a specialized need for a headphone amplifier when using these. Another very important aspect to be kept in mind is that these headphones are rated at 32 Ohms. While its higher than most headphones, but, a higher impedance means that you can easily run them with power devices without the risk of ruining them with more power. In addition, these headphones also come with an in-line remote for media control as well as a dedicated microphone to also work as a handsfree. Although the volume control only works with some smartphones, the media control key works brilliantly with every device. For the microphone, I’m neither happy nor sad after using it. It does its job well. Although the one-sided bias helps in reducing the distortion created while the microphone rubs against your clothes, but, it catches a lot of ambient noises.
What’s In The Box
In the box, 1More offers the main headset, a clothespin or a clip and three sets of ear-tips for better customization. Although at this price I would have expected a had case for these headphones, the company only provides a soft jacket for transportation. Nevertheless, you can shell out a few extra bucks and buy one for yourself and trust me you won’t be disappointed.
Buy Now
1More Dual-driver Headphones
Buy Now
1More Dual-driver Headphones
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