1More Dual Driver ANC Pro Review In-Progress: Great Sound

The sexy new trend in wearable audio these days are true wireless earbuds — and for good reason. When done right, they offer comfort and quality in a bite-sized package.

Still, 1More is living proof that a few wires here and there don’t have to be a bad thing. The company’s new $150 Dual Driver ANC Pro Wireless in-ear headphones, which are available now for pre-order and officially launch May 21, may not have the instant appeal of a true wireless counterpart. But even during the brief period I’ve been able to test them, it’s evident that 1More’s new, efficient headphones will get you where you need to go.

Out of the box

Allow me, for a moment, to gush over the packaging in which the Dual Driver ANC Pro Wireless arrive.

Essentially, the headphones sit in a display case that’s bound like a book, with artistic sketches of the headphones themselves on the inside cover. Competing companies, take note. This is how you make a good first impression.

Beneath the headphones, a smorgasbord of accessories is waiting. Among them are three sets of extra eartips, both a USB-C charging cable and an auxiliary cable, a carrying pouch for the headphones, and various documentation.

After taking the time to find the best-fitting tips for your ears, setup is standard compared to most wireless earbuds. I haven’t had these headphones long enough to speak to how well the built-in Bluetooth 5 technology works, but I can say that I haven’t hit any snags yet.

The 1More Music App pairs nicely with the headphones. You don’t need the app to connect initially, but I would recommend downloading it. The app provides access to firmware updates, control over active noise cancellation, and smart burn-in options. I’ll get to that last part a bit later.

Design

Before I go any further, it’s time to address the elephant in the room … er, ear. From the way the Dual Driver ANC look, it’s clear to me that I would classify these as earbuds that just happen to be tethered to a neckband by a pair of wires. 1More, however, refers to their new product as in-ear headphones, so I’ll use that terminology throughout this review.

The in-ear component of the headphones fits comfortably and securely in my ears and hung in there rather nicely when I decided to audition them during a run around the local park. At the other end of the wire is the silicone neckband, which wraps gently around the neck. The band has buttons for power, volume control, active noise cancellation, and wind noise resistance mode, as well as the option to call upon your preferred voice assistant. They aren’t flashy, but so far, I’ve found them easy to use.

The back of the buds are magnetic, allowing them to clasp together and sit like a hi-res necklace when you’re not using them. That’s a nice design accommodation since the Dual Driver ANC don’t seem like the easiest headphones to stow and go with.

Don’t get me wrong, the neckband is flexible, and it looks like it could withstand some force. The carrying pouch just doesn’t give me as much confidence as, say, a more rigid case would when it’s mixed in with other items in a backpack or suitcase.

That brings me to what I see as an inevitable design flaw with this style of headphone — they just won’t have the portability or ergonomic footprint that so many people have come to enjoy with true wireless earbuds. There’s a lot the Dual Driver ANC can offer between their features, audio quality, and price point. You just have to be able to make do with something a little more prominent in order to enjoy those traits.

Features

The previous model in this series of 1More headphones, the Dual Driver BT ANC, offered a paltry 7 hours of playback time for either calls or music. It was clearly a weak point, and it’s safe to say 1More addressed it.

The new Dual Driver ANC claim 20 hours of battery life without ANC and 15 hours with the feature turned on, as well as a quick-charge feature that enables 3 extra hours with just 10 minutes on the charger. I haven’t had enough time to fully test 1More’s battery life claims, but if the specs hold up, that’s a huge improvement.

The Dual Driver ANC have IPX5 waterproof resistance, giving them protection against jet streams of water from any direction. I haven’t had the chance to get that intense with them yet, but the headphones did make it unscathed through a rain-soaked walk.

In addition to their active noise cancellation capabilities, the Dual Driver ANC also have the previously mentioned wind noise resistance mode, which 1More says is designed to suppress the microphonics caused by wind and keep unwanted distractions out of your listening experience. Weather didn’t want to cooperate with me in the time I’ve spent testing them to this point, meaning I haven’t been able to pit them against any strong gusts to see how the feature holds up. As soon as I’m able to, however, I’ll report back with my findings.

Audio quality

With products like its Triple Driver and Quad Driver in-ear headphones, as well its more recent 1More Stylish true wireless earbuds, 1More has established quite a reputation. In a nutshell, this is a company that delivers quality sound that doesn’t cost a fortune.

The Dual Driver ANC, then, have expectations to uphold. To repeat myself for the umpteenth time, I haven’t listened to these long enough to fully break down their audio chops. However, the early returns are excellent.

These headphones have the name they do for a reason. They’re comprised of a 13.6mm dynamic driver with a titanium composite diaphragm, as well as 1More’s proprietary balanced armature. It’s saying a lot, but if this isn’t the MJ and Scottie of headphone components, they sure come darn close.

In other words, name a better duo. I’ll wait.

Seriously, though, the time I’ve spent listening to the Dual Driver ANC has been quite an experience. In addition to support for audio codecs like SBC, AAC, and LDAC, they expertly navigate between genres of music, digging low for the vibrating rumbles of Lil Nas X’s Panini before climbing for a powerful rendition of Bill Withers’ Lean on Me. As with all the company’s products, the Dual Driver ANC were tuned by Luca Bignardi, a Grammy Award-winning sound engineer, and it shows.

If there’s an issue I have with the sound quality, it’s that I must wait before I can hear the best the Dual Driver ANC has to offer. The headphones’ app has a smart burn-in feature, which essentially plays tones and signals through your buds to “train” them, according to 1More. For the best performance, 1More suggests it could take anywhere from a few dozen to hundreds of hours of burning in to reach the optimum level. Call me impatient, but that just seems excessive.

Noise cancellation

As I said earlier, I’ve yet to put the Dual Driver ANC’s wind noise resistance mode up against any worthwhile elements. I have, however, briefly tested the headphones’ active noise cancellation feature on bustling roadways, and I have a few takeaways.

Products from 1More employ hybrid active noise cancellation, where a pair of microphones in each bud analyze sounds both inside the ear and in the outside environment, then block the unwanted sounds out with the help of a dedicated digital signal processor (DSP). The headphones have two different levels of noise cancellation, mild and strong, that can be chosen with the neckband button or in the 1More Music app.

My trials with the ANC features of these headphones were good overall. White noise with the feature in action was minimal, and they generally did a solid job of dampening most outside noises. I would keep expectations realistic, though. They don’t approach the cancellation abilities that solid over-ear cans can offer, and some sounds will inevitably get through. That’s not really a knock on 1More, but rather a reminder of the limitations of this style of product. They do well within those constraints.

Conclusion

I’ll have to revisit this review after more time listening to these headphones to have a definitive take. But 1More has built excellent, affordable listening devices time and time again in the past, and so far, they’re on the right track once more with the Dual Driver ANC Pro Wireless.

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