It can get pretty exciting around here when we receive something that relates to something we’ve covered in the past that made Editors’ Choice. We can get pretty selective about what we allow into the list of winners for good reason, and 1MORE’s wired triple driver in-ear headphones pulled it off nicely. Now, we have here their new wireless version, the Triple Driver Bluetooth In-Ear Headphones (E1001BT).
With our expectations pretty high, we dove right into the box the very moment it arrived to test them out. These new in-ear headphones make use of the “around the neck” design, as it has a band that runs around the back of your neck with wires and buds that reach out on both sides.
The band is thin and flexible allowing it to adjust to anyone’s posture and size, and features a silicone coating around the flexible section so that it offers a firm grip as well and doesn’t slide around much. They aren’t bulky or heavy by any means, and they feel natural around the neck.
The left end of the band contains your microphone and controls. There is a power button that you hold down to turn them on and off with. There is a volume rocker that does nothing but control volume, and a multi-button below it that is marked as play/pause that also controls the music track (next or previous) if you double (next) or triple (previous) click it. The small hole between the play/pause and the volume rocker leads to the microphone so that you can use these to take calls. This is where the play/pause button continues to function as you can single-click it to answer an incoming call (and again to disconnect), or press and hold it to decline the call.
The very tip of that left side contains a little hatch you can pop open using your fingernail, revealing a USB Type-C connector for charging them with (cable is included).
Performance
This is where 1MORE shines in the spotlight once again. Although they don’t match up perfectly to their wired counterpart (doh), they do deliver a solid performance, making them quite competitive within the >$130 range. Since the launch price will be $199, I think it places the headphones in a comfortable spot although a tad bit higher than we’d expected.
It is quite common with Bluetooth headphones to not perform at the same standards as wired solutions, due to the fact that Bluetooth compresses audio to transmit it wirelessly. We all know what happens when you compress a WAV file or similar to an MP3, and this is kind of similar. Thankfully with the latest Bluetooth protocols, this issue is not as troublesome thanks to larger pipelines for transmitting data through and side-loaded technologies/features like LDAC (a codec created by Sony that allows data to transfer up to 990 kbps and up to 24bit/96khz). In some cases now, the difference isn’t as noticeable as you can almost use the term “lossless” (that should come in the near future, most likely in the next version of the protocol). For now, we have a “lossy” transmission, which means some data is lost, but you might not even notice it.
In this case, there is around a 15%+ loss in range compared to the wired triple drivers (this is based on what we hear between the two). The number is pretty low and if you’ve never listened to the wired model, the thought probably wouldn’t phase you and you’d most likely be thinking that these are some of the best in-ear headphones you have ever listened to. So, we have a balance in the force.
Really the only difference we can see is slightly less range in the mid-highs/highs at times, but the mids beyond that and lows are fantastic and pretty spot on to the wired model. In fact, with these, you get a little more within your lows, which adds a lot of warmth to what you are listening to. All of this is assuming you have best fit them to your ears using the provided tips. You want to make sure you use the largest size possible to get a nice tight fit to capture those lows with (just don’t go so tight that it causes any discomfort). Myself, I found the 13mm tips to work best (every ear is different).
Side Note – Comparison breakdown: If you are looking for a good range and nice warm lows, these wireless triple drivers would be a great match for you. If you like close to the same warmth but a little more range, then you want the wired triple driver model. If you want slightly less warmth than that but even more range, then go with the wired quad driver model.
These headphones make use of Bluetooth 4.2 and LDAC to deliver the audio at 660 kbps. They clearly have wiggle room for improvement when it comes to LDAC’s data threshold (990 kbps), but there might be a reason for this only they know about during development. Knowing this, you should match them to a device that supports the latest Bluetooth protocol (4.2 to 5.0) if you want to get the most out of them. Most of the latest modern devices should support this just fine (ie, Samsung’s Galaxy phones featured 5.0 as of the Galaxy S8/S8+). We tested them against devices that supported earlier protocols and it typically led to muddy results (noticeable loss in range). So if you buy something that supports the latest, make sure you match it to something that does the same else you have created a weak link in your setup.
Moving on…
When first turning on the headphones (holding down the power button), you are greeted with a power-on message like most of today’s Bluetooth headphones, only these also include a short/fun little “1MORE” jingle that I can’t say we have heard before.
Within seconds you are connected and ready to listen. We found that distance is about average when it comes to in-ear headphones. Their specs point out 30 ft and this seems to be right. You will get a little more if there are no walls or objects in the way.
Due to the balance these have, like their wired counterpart, they can be matched well to just about any style/genre of music. This makes them a great “all of the above” solution when it comes to consumers looking for something that sounds good.
As mentioned, they seem to have a little more lows noticeably on certain tracks which add a little extra warmth and fullness to what you are listening to. Once again, you might find yourself taking them out of your ears to double-check that these are earbuds that you are listening to, and not losing your mind. Again, not as much so as the wired model, but still enough to leave that lasting effect. For a comparison, when it comes to actual speakers, If you find yourself listening more to Klipsch reference speakers vs B&W or Paradigm, these headphones will be great for you (I hope that makes as much sense to others as it does in my own mind).
They sound pretty good for taking calls. About as good as a phone conversation can get I guess. Both parties can hear themselves just fine and there are no noticeable discrepancies when using the headphones during a conversation.
Battery life, like distance, is around average in our experience. The specs promise up to 7 hours of use, where we have seen wireless buds that can deliver over 10 in other situations (8-10 with certain models that feature active-noise cancelation). So there isn’t anything special to brag about there.
Finally, there is no water resistance to these sadly. You’ll probably see this on the next round of model(s), but for now, you won’t be splashing around near the pool with these. At least, not if you want to hold onto your awesome investment. Sadly, when it comes to wireless earbuds, we find ourselves almost expecting some level of resistance due to the popularity of such specifications and the common uses of wireless earbuds (jogging outside, working out at the gym, or relaxing near the pool/spa, etc). This did affect our opinion ever so slightly–just enough to point this out.
What’s in the box?
This is another variable that 1MORE typically nails the spotlight with. They want to make sure that you get the most out of your experience with their headphones, thus they tend to provide a lot of accessories to help you achieve this. Most notably is how many tips they provide with their in-ear models. Like most of their other options, the wireless triple drivers come with 9 (nine) tips to help you get the best fit. Typically, you only see 3-4 pairs at most with other brands.
As mentioned, they do provide the USB cable for charging them with, albeit it is another one of those short little cables that don’t give you much space between them and whatever you have them plugged into. Thankfully, if you find this a problem, USB Type-C cables are becoming more common these days and you might have a longer one lying around already (if not, hit eBay and find one for cheap).
There is a small drawstring-style bag that you can slide them into while you are traveling. This way you can throw them in a case or bag without anything tugging at their cables (and you can include a few accessories like the USB cable).
Finally, there is some documentation and a sticker to seal the deal with. The manual walks you through everything you need to know and you will find yourself losing it pretty quickly as you probably won’t read it more than once (there’s no rocket science here).
The new wireless headphones will be launching soon and will be available on places like Amazon.com (see link below).
Tuned by Luca Bignardi
These headphones were tuned by Grammy award-winning sound engineer, Luca Bignardi. Luca is an Italian engineer who has been mixing albums for a handful of artists since 1979. He has his own recording studio and has worked with names like Andrea Bocelli. You can learn more about Luca in the following video or via his website here.
Our Conclusion
Another solid win for 1MORE as the wireless triple driver headphones prove to be another great solution when it comes to performance. They are quite comfortable when around the neck, including for long hours, and they should get you through an average day (listening to them on and off throughout the day). As long as you have a modern device to connect them to that supports the latest in Bluetooth protocols, these sound fantastic. Although they don’t quite live up to their wired counterpart, they do come decently close. So if wireless is a must-have feature for you, then these are a great place to start as they will eliminate most other models you might run into.
| Buy on Amazon | |
Our Rating | Average Price* $199.99 |
*Average price is based on the time this article was published
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Specifications:
- Model Name: E1001BT
- Type: Wireless In-Ear
- In Line Control: Yes
- Microphone Included: Yes
- Talk Time: 7 Hours
- Music Play Time: 7 Hours
- Speaker Impedance: 32 ohms
- Wireless Range: 30 ft
- Bluetooth: Bluetooth V 4.2
- Bluetooth Protocols: HFP, A2DP, AVRCP
- Connector Types: USB-C (Charging)
- Weight: 42.5 g
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