Three times the drive

1 More triple driver in-ear headphones. By Marcus Wong.

byMarcus Wong October 2016

1 More triple driver in-ear headphones. By Marcus Wong.

AT A GLANCE

FREQUENCY RESPONSE 20-40,000 Hz

DRIVERS Two balanced armature drivers, One dynamic driver

IMPENDANCE 32 ohms

WEIGHT 18g

PRICE $209

Gary Hsieh, 1 More co-founder and chief executive has said that the company’s strategy is to offer “premium quality audio devices at mid-range prices”, and that certainly seems to be the case with the 1 More triple driver inear headphones (E1001).

Made of lightweight aluminum alloy, the E1001 features a classy two-tone black/brushed gold finish with angled ear tips. The cable is enameled copper wrapped around Kevlar fiber that’s further enhanced with a braided layer of nylon for tangle resistance. It’s 1.25m long with a typical Y-design, and there’s a three button in-line remote on the right side that works with both iOS and Android.

Triple drivers are the key technology with these headphones: two balanced armature drivers that work together to produces highs up to a reported 40kHz, and a third separate dynamic driver which is made of aerospace-grade metal housed in two layers of PET, for greater bass and midrange. This brings the low end down to 20Hz, and they’re reported to have a top end of 40kHz.

We put the E1001 through a range of genres in our testing, and found that overall, they performed well in almost every genre. Vocals are nice and clear, with the headphones demonstrating a great ability to bring out details in the midrange and in the high trebles.

For example, listening to a recording of Spanish Harlem by Rebecca Pidgeon, we were impressed at the vocals. There was good clarity and weight, with just enough separation from the instruments behind. The piano and shaker parts in particular were nicely handled.

Our one complaint would be that the bass is a little tight. This piece in particular opens with a double bass solo, and this seemed to lack the body and resulting decay that we’re used to hearing, taking away from the performance somewhat.

On our formal test tracks, we found that the headphones performed best on Tiesto’s Elements of Life. A relatively speedy track, this played well to the strengths of the headphones, and showcased its imaging capabilities. The more intimate soundstage of the E1001s also worked well with this piece, enveloping us in sound. However, at $209, it’s not exactly a budget option.