1More Triple Driver On-Ear Hi-Res Headphones Review

A Closer Look and Performance

The latest headphones from 1More have to be some of the best made in their respective price range. Even Sony, Sennheiser and B&O  make some very odd design choices in this price range. Plastic finishes, very niche designs. What’s 1More have is a headset that looks like it could take a direct strike from an anti-tank gun. However, it still looks elegant, stylish, and they’re surprisingly light too given their milled metal housing.

Titanium or Gold?

On the back of the driver, you’ll find a durable metal frame and window section, allowing you to see some of the inner workings of the mighty triple-driver design. The mixture of finishes looks great too, and while you can get it finished in titanium, they also make a lovely rose gold finish too, so you can find something that suits your taste.

The drivers feature a soft leather padding on the ear cups. It doesn’t look that deep, but it’s very comfortable.

It’s large enough to cover your ear, without being a full around-the-ear design. Furthermore, it’s designed to keep the driver as close to your ear as possible, without feeling intrusive.

Adjustable Fit

The headband is extendable for a more comfortable fit, and it’s pretty robust too. I normally find some slack in folding headsets, but this one locks into place like a Winchester rifle and has a reassuring clunk when it snaps into place.

The folding design is obviously meant to be practical for storage. However, combined with the pivot mounts for the ear cups, the general movability of the drivers does help secure a more comfortable fit. We’ve worn them around the office, walking around an airport, and on a long-haul flight from London to Taipei, and back again.

Not once did comfort seem to be an issue. They stay well planed on your head, without feeling like they’re a burden or overly tight. I do prefer complete around the ear designs, but I certainly can’t complain about this slightly more compact design.

Premium Cables and Connections

The attention to detail is on point. From the separated Y-split cable, driving each earphone on its own jack. This is rather than running a compromisable signal over the headband through a thin cable. A nice touch, and one that’s sure to keep the enthusiasts happy. I also find it balanced the headset. If you tug on the cable, both drivers pull down, rather than one, meaning the headset doesn’t go lopsided on you.

Powerful Sound

The sound quality is really something to behold. Given that these are pretty affordable in the audiophile world, one would assume the can’t compete with headsets twice their price. You would be mistaken for thinking that. 1More are making a statement here, and it’s a big one. Their triple driver design may sound like a bit of marketing banter, but it delivers the goods in a big way.

The main 40mm driver handles the midranges and a bit of the low end. This means it can really push the detail and the mid-range hard. Crank the headphones through a desktop amp and DAC and we just could not get them to distort. They’ll go louder than I would dare put to my ear; with the right amp of course. Even through a mobile device, they’re pretty punchy, and our Samsung S9+ and iPhoneX (with the courage adaptor) let the headphones shine.

Hi-Res Audio

The bass diaphragm works wonders too. Offering to go as low as 20 Hz there’s no shortage of low end here. However, it’s not overdriven bass-heavy audio; like that on say, Beats headphones. It’s clear and true. Listening to Black Metal, the speed of the driver’s attack is impressive, and the sound doesn’t muddy the chugging guitars at all. The ceramic tweets sing its heart out too. Delivering audio way up to 40000 Hz. That’s way beyond what most music is mastered to and what people can hear, but either way, it has no trouble reproducing studio quality audio.

Huge Soundstage

The most breathtaking thing is the soundstage. It’s vast and feels like you’re in a dedicated music room with your favourite high-end speakers around you. You can pinpoint each instrument in the mix as if you were in the studio with the band. The same follows through to watching movies. You get that big cinema sound. The bass is only big when it’s meant to be, and the musical score of Interstellar had the hairs on my neck standing up. The dialogue cuts through like lightning, crisp and details, and again, those exceptionally detail mids and that large soundscape really throw you into the scene.

Movies, Music and Gaming!

Gaming isn’t lacking either. Playing some of the better-mixed games like Skyrim (especially with some audio mods), Rise of the Tomb Raider, even Overwatch with Dolby Atmos Headphone enabled. All of it sounded just too good! The downside is there’s no microphone, just headphones. I don’t play online with a mic anyway, so I’m not missing out, but for single player gaming, you just can’t beat the 1More headphones.