Hey.
Despite the rapid development of the wireless headphone segment, traditional, wired solutions remain the most common, affordable, and, to be honest, all other things being equal, they have sound quality that is not yet available to their wireless counterparts.
Yes, a lot depends on the quality of the components, materials, the calculated design, the type and number of emitters and other things, but the main limitation that does not allow wireless headphones to be equal in quality to wired headphones is the very wireless module in which the loss of quality occurs.
Today I have a representative of a not very common group of devices on the test – a wired hybrid headset 1more Triple Driver In-Ear Headphones.
I'm still very interested in who is responsible for the names of the products in companies. I have a suggestion for these people – add 7 or 10 more letters and numbers to the product name to make it sound even more impressive.
The headset is positioned as a universal device for listening to high quality music and any genre. That is, according to the manufacturer, we have in front of us an omnivorous device capable of equally high-quality reproduction of everything, from classical music to electronics and alternatives. Let's see if this is so.
But before that – a few words about the characteristics, appearance and configuration.
Device characteristics
Are common
- Manufacturer: 1MORE Shen Zhen Acoustic Technology Co., Ltd.
- Type: wired, in-ear (plugs)
- Drivers: 2 armature and 1 dynamic
- Cord length: 125cm
- Interface: 3.5mm miniJack
- Microphone: yes
- Weight: 18g
- Packing size: 165x215x40 mm
- Set: headset, air adapter, clip, hard case, 8 sets of replaceable ear pads, instructions, sticker.
Sound
- Hi Resolution AUDIO: yes
- Power: 5mW
- Impedance: 32 Ohm
- Sensitivity: 98dB
- Frequency response: 20-40000Hz
Packaging, appearance and materials
A large, solid dark brown box is protected by a black dust jacket with a picture of headphones on one side and characteristics on the other.
The box itself is dark brown, velvety to the touch, has a magnetic clip on the side and looks more like a book.
On the inside, some features of the headset are shown, as well as an explosive diagram showing the internal structure of the headset. All this is done in the style of the artist's notes and sketches and looks interesting.
Let's trust this scheme and won't disassemble the headphones (at least not yet).
Inside the box, under a transparent plastic lid, there is a headset and all the rest of the contents of the box, which can be immediately examined without taking out.
As you probably already understood from the section with characteristics, the headset has a rich package bundle, which, in addition to the traditional set of papers and replaceable ear pads, includes a hard black case with red stitching around the perimeter, five pairs of replaceable silicone ear pads and three pairs of so-called foams. as well as an air adapter so that the headset can be used in conjunction with a multimedia system on an airplane or connected to old laptops that do not have microphone and headphone inputs.
As for the case, it is solid, tough, comfortable and has a magnetic latch. But what is bad about this case is the classic, old-school Chinese smell of 'leatherette leather goods from the Middle Kingdom'. This smell disappears over time, but it is better that it was not there initially.
Otherwise, there is no nagging about the case – it is convenient, roomy and will allow you to keep the headset even in an overflowing backpack or bag.
The adapter turned out to be a handy thing, since one of the laptops in the house is just an old model with separate inputs for the microphone and headphones. With the adapter, the headset remains complete, including the remote control and microphone.
Thanks to the three emitters located inside, the headphones seem large and bulky at first glance. Adding these impressions and metal, which mainly consists of the headphone housing. However, this impression is misleading – despite this size, the headphones sit comfortably in the ear, but more on that later.
The headphones are made in the form of a cone, tapering towards the outside and ending in a cylinder with a pattern in the form of concentric circles at the ends.
Painted areas of the body and legs successfully dilute the appearance of the golden 'richness'. In the same place, in these areas, on the one hand, the designations of the right and left earphones are in large print, and on the other hand, the name of the company. The side markings are clearly visible in all conditions.
The only thing missing is a tactile tubercle for defining the sides by touch. But if you remember that the remote is on the right side, that's not a problem.
Quite thick sound guides are covered with metal sulfur filters. In addition, there is some kind of these filters on the ear pads themselves.
The headset cable has two different sections. The part from the L-shaped connector to the divider is hidden under a black Kevlar braid with a blue dotted pattern. And yes, the plug is L-shaped here, which pleases.
The section from the divider to the headphones is devoid of Kevlar braiding (there are Kevlar threads inside) and has a fine rib texture, which makes the wire feel thinner and softer than it actually is.
Such a wire is often found on Sony headphones.
Judging by the impressions from two weeks of use, the wire is strong, reliable and should not break.
In addition, the wire does not tan in the cold, remaining elastic (tested in a freezer at -18 degrees Celsius).
But, like any in-ear headphones, the wire has a slight microphone effect. Here it is smoothed with Kevlar braid and not as obvious as it could be. It seems that the metal of the case also matters, which dampens vibrations.
Traditionally, for most headsets, the playback control is located on the right earphone wire.
The remote itself is neat, small, with narrow edges and no sharp edges. Thanks to this shape, it does not cling to clothing and does not interfere with the process of wearing. There is only one microphone hole, on the back of the console.
I would also like to highlight the buttons. Despite their low profile and small size, they proved to be very comfortable and informative, with a crisp ride and a soft click. And thanks to the two raised edges on the central button, the finger always clearly feels where the button is, without having to look at the remote control and think about whether you groped that button or not. For the remote control five. I liked it very much.
In general, if we talk about the quality of workmanship and assembly, the headset produces an extremely pleasant feeling. Monolithic, solid construction. Nothing dangles anywhere, does not creak or rustle. Everything is as it should be with a metal product – soundly.
In terms of the overall experience of the headset, these two weeks are mostly positive emotions. I also caught myself thinking that all this time I used the headset very carefully, which usually does not happen with headphones. Apparently, this was influenced by the design and materials, which set you in a leisurely mood and detailed, measured actions.
I don’t know what the reason is, in neat use, or in the quality of materials, but during use the headset did not get dirty and did not receive any scratches or damage.
In addition, despite the unusual shape of the massive headphones, no discomfort was found when wearing. Does not rub, does not press, and fits well in the ears.
Noise isolation is not bad, but depends on the correct selection of ear pads.
Another feature of the headset is the presence of expansion holes in an unusual place – at the outer joint of the body parts.
Thanks to this, at a high volume, the headset plays outside, and others can find out about your musical preferences. Of course, not in the same way as in the EarPods, but still it is worth remembering in public places – not everyone likes to listen to other people's music.
As for the headset, there are also no complaints. None of the interlocutors complained about the quality of voice transmission. Only after I said that I was using a headset, and asked to listen, did they say that the sound, maybe a little deaf, or harsh, or rude. But given that everyone had different epithets, I attribute this to an attempt to give a socially expected answer – since they ask about jambs, they need to be heard.
But at the same time, the headset does not cope very well with the wind – it blows out, and in the wind you have to hold the microphone close to your mouth, covering it with your hand.
But these are all characteristics and description. Now let's talk about the main thing – about sound.
Sound
For testing, a Galaxy S8 smartphone with an activated dedicated DAC was used as a sound source.
As content, Spotify streaming service with premium account and maximum quality, as well as a set of test sounds from Prime Test CD # 1,2 / FLAC.
As a player – PowerAmp.
Equalizers are set to zero.
The sound seemed very smooth to me. It is difficult to find another word, since it is exactly smooth, without embellishment and deliberate protrusion of certain frequencies.
Thanks to the reinforcing radiators, the clarity and transparency of the middle and top is felt, and thanks to the dynamic radiator, the low frequencies are not lost.
The transparency and crystal purity of sound, which many perceive as dryness, have not gone anywhere.
Another word that fits the description of the sound of this headset is balanced.
In this regard, the headset can be called a studio headset to some extent. There are no enhancers or any particular sound pattern that the engineer thought is good.
I liked the headset, first of all, because they did not decide what sound I would listen to, what accents to place, etc.
Thanks to this, with the help of equalizers, it is possible to customize the sound for yourself, to place accents where you want.
If you listen to a headset without regard to this nuance, the sound may seem a little bland, and after others, especially dynamic headsets, this first time makes you better listen in search of accents characteristic of other headsets and headphones.
Conclusion
On the Russian market, this model can be purchased for 5,000 – 5,500 rubles.
Among the main competitors can be called the Sony XBA-A1AP, which, at the same cost, has two, not three emitters and at the same time has more pronounced low frequencies.
I have had multiple experiences with hybrid headsets before, and have varied from neutral to excellent. In the case of this headset, I really liked its sound. It's a shame that I stopped using wired headsets and switched to wireless audio. If not for this circumstance, then, perhaps, I would have acquired it for myself.
The author thanks the Ulyanovsk branch of the X | STORE store for the device provided for review.