1More TWS ANC In-ear (EHD9001TA) Wireless Headphones Review
Initially, the 1More company acquired its fame as one of the partners of Xiaomi, but recently it has been actively developing its brand. Among the most successful products of the manufacturer was the 1More Stylish True Wireless headset, which we talked about in some of the reviews. Thanks to good sound for a wireless solution, original design, aptX support, and other “tricks” combined with a low price, it has gained considerable popularity.
Its successful predecessor inspires the new TWS headset 1More EHD9001TA – this is visible in the case’s shape, for example. However, calling it a “continuation of the line” is unlikely to work – it has received too many significant updates. It is starting from the fact that Stylish TWS had one emitter, while the EHD9001TA had two – dynamic and armature. The second notable difference is, of course, the active noise cancellation system. Also worth mentioning are wireless charging, wearable sensors, smart pause, and new controls, which we’ll talk about below.
At the same time, the price naturally increased, and quite noticeably: at the start, EHD9001TA cost a couple of times more than Stylish TWS. In general, nothing is surprising – the device turned out to be much more “advanced,” and its popularity is growing. But for comparable money, you can buy headphones with similar characteristics from well-known and experienced manufacturers. Let’s see how 1More is ready to compete with them.
1More ANC In-ear (EHD9001TA) Wireless Headphones Review
Specifications
| Drivers | dynamic (∅10 mm) + reinforcing |
|---|---|
| Connection | Bluetooth 5.0 |
| Codec support | SBC, AAC, aptX |
| Control | touch pads + buttons, infrared wearing sensor |
| Battery life of headphones | up to 5 hours (TrueWireless Stereo Plus without ANC) |
| Autonomy taking into account charging from the case | up to 22 hours |
| Headphone battery capacity | 55 mAh |
| Case battery capacity | 410 mAh |
| Charging connector | USB-C |
| Headphone charging time | ≈1 hour |
| Case charging time | ≈2 hours |
| Case dimensions | 81 x 30 x 38.5 mm |
| Case weight | 63.2 g |
| Weight of one earphone | 7.9 g |
| Cost in RF | 12.5 thousand rubles at the time of preparing the review |
Packaging and equipment
All 1More headphones are packed very impressively, and the heroine of today’s review is no exception. It is delivered in a white box made of thick cardboard with a cover that folds back like a book cover. On the inside of the “cover,” there are illustrations that tell about the advantages of the device – we have already seen all this in 1More Stylish TWS, the very similar packaging.
In the closed state, the box is held by a magnet with the manufacturer’s logo printed on it, which in parallel is a rather noticeable decorative element.
The kit includes the headphones themselves, a case for storage and charging, a soft case for it, a set of ear pads and earpieces of different sizes, a USB-C – USB-A cable 40 cm long, documentation and a branded sticker.
Design and construction
The headset looks original and interesting – it received its iF Design Award for a reason. The design turned out to be somewhat less strict than that of Stylish TWS.
The headphones’ ergonomic shape has changed little, but they have become larger and a little heavier – 7.9 g versus 6.2 g. The sound guide is inclined, on the upper side of the case, compensation holes are visible next to it.
The glossy carbon-look finish looks unusual, but not too striking – with the 1More EHD9001TA strict suit, it will look quite organic.
Microphones for voice communication are located at the end of the headphone case; their grille is also painted red.
On the inner surface, there are contacts for charging; infrared wearing sensors are visible in the holes of the ear arches, which ensure the operation of the “smart pause” function.
In the back of the case, there are physical buttons for control, as well as two metal “points” that look like contacts. Their purpose is not very clear – the contacts for charging are in a different place; these elements are not mentioned in the reference device’s description.
Ear cushions and silicone pads with an arc are removable; the user can choose their combination according to the peculiarities of his ear’s structure.
The opening of the sound guide is closed with a metal mesh and has a non-standard oval shape. Accordingly, you cannot use universal ear pads, only “native” ones – fortunately, there are enough of them in the kit. The hole for the internal noise-canceling microphones is visible between the sound tube and the wearing sensor.
LED indicators for charging and operating mode outside the headphone housing are almost invisible when turned off. Stylish TWS has them periodically blinking during use; the new model lacks this feature.
The “egg” shape of the Stylish TWS case was one of the main objects of criticism of the headset – it was impossible to put it in your pocket. The 1More EHD9001TA case, though not the most compact, is quite flat. It is made of anodized aluminum, painted in dark gray, and looks extremely solid. There is a small charging indicator on the front panel; there is a special recess to open the lid.
In the closed position, the lid is held by a magnet and opens with a pleasant little effort. Between the headphone slots, you can see a button to activate pairing mode. It does not protrude above the case’s surface and is even slightly recessed, which protects against accidental clicks.
The headphones are securely held in their slots with magnets; there is no “rattle effect” – the case with the headphones does not make a sound, even if you shake it on purpose. There are no problems with removing the headphones – hook them slightly by the outer part of the case with your finger, for which a special recess is provided, and pull slightly towards yourself.
There is a Type-C connector on the back of the case, which serves to charge the built-in battery.
But the bottom is placed a silicone pad with brief information about the device applied to it. Thanks to her, the case stands steadily on any surface.
There is a small cloth bag in the kit for those who are afraid of scratching a very nice-looking case when carrying it. Well, if there are no such concerns, you can use it to store ear pads and replaceable elements for attaching the headset inside the auricle.
There are two types of ear cushions in different shapes – with a red and black core. And each type in three sizes, there is plenty to choose from.
There are three pairs of replaceable elements for attaching the headset in the ear, plus one more pre-installed on the headphones. Most of them are equipped with a special soft arch that provides additional support on the auricle’s antihelix.
However, customer reviews of Stylish TWS showed that not everyone is comfortable with this arc; for many, even the most compact version causes discomfort. Therefore, this time, the manufacturer put in the kit and an overlay practically without it – only with a very small protrusion.
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Connection
To control the 1More EHD9001TA, there is a special 1More Music application, which we will talk about later. However, you cannot connect a headset through it, after launching it offers to use the standard menu of the gadget – that’s what we do.
The device supports Qualcomm TrueWireless Stereo Plus technology, which allows each of the headphones to connect directly to a smartphone. But for it to work, you need an Android gadget with a processor of at least Snapdragon 855. The thing is not bad – in particular, it allows you to use up the battery charge more evenly. But even without it, everything is fine too: the headphones are defined as two devices, one becomes the master, the second is connected to it. Accordingly, any of them can be used in mono mode.
The headset cannot work with several devices in parallel, which we checked again by trying to connect it to a smartphone and a PC running Windows 10. At the same time, after connecting to a PC using the Bluetooth Tweaker utility, a complete list of supported codecs and their modes was obtained. Everything as promised: SBC, AAC, aptX.
The stability of the connection with the source pleased me: even in “bad places” with a high level of radio interference, where most of the tested headphones start to “stutter,” the 1More EHD9001TA worked stably. At the same time, testing was carried out without using Qualcomm TrueWireless Stereo Plus; with it, everything should be even slightly better.
Management and software
Control is mainly carried out using physical buttons. They are pressed with a pleasant little effort and are located at the end of the case, which allows you to press them without “pressing” the earpiece into your ear. Perhaps this is one of the most convenient and stable working solutions that we have come across. In addition to controlling playback and calls, there is the ability to adjust the volume level, especially nice. With a triple press, you can call the voice assistant.
Double taps outside the case change the modes of operation of the noise reduction system. At the same time, the headphones do not have a touch surface – built-in microphones are used to register taps; this solution is quite popular among budget headsets. All this does not work very correctly, while the modes are “scrolled” one after another: off, medium, and high intensity, “sound transparency” mode. And it is far from always necessary to include the next, more often you need to skip one, or even two.
Taking into account the missed positives, it turns out that to select the desired option, you have to thoroughly knock on the earpiece, which is in your ear at that time – the pleasure is much below average, frankly.
Fortunately, the headset can also be controlled through the 1More Music software, available for iOS and Android devices. Let’s talk about him. As noted above, the headset must first be connected to the gadget through its menu. Well, then we go to the application, which quickly detects the connected headphones. All basic settings are collected on the main screen, clicking on the icon in the upper right corner opens an additional menu, where most of them are duplicated. You can also find information about the device there.
The first step is to look at a brief instruction, which very clearly shows how to properly place the headset in your ear and operate it. On the main tab, you can see information about the battery charge of each of the headphones, and right below it is a slider that allows you to select the mode of operation of the noise-canceling system.
To enable the “sound transparency” function, a separate switch is provided – click on it. The built-in microphones begin to transmit external sounds to the speakers, which is convenient in situations when you need to hear an announcement, answer a question, and so on. But you won’t be able to turn it on quickly – you either have to take out the phone or scroll through the modes using tapes on the surface of the case.
The smart pause function has two options for working. In the first, when you remove any of the headphones, playback is paused, and when you return it, nothing happens. Accordingly, the music starts playing again as soon as the wearing sensor is triggered again. All this works surprisingly correctly and without unnecessary delays.
After launching 1More Music, a notification appeared in the “shutter” with buttons intended to control playback. At the same time, attempts to click on them did not lead to anything – the application does not have its player; it cannot control external ones either.
We even tried to install the 1More Assistant application, which is familiar to us from other tests. It has a utility for “warming up” the headphones, if suddenly someone finds it interesting, and a very nice and nice built-in player. So, they didn’t manage to manage it either. I just had to remove this notification.
As for the rest, the application is quite convenient; it would be great to add an equalizer to it. But you can also use the equalizer in the player – the same 1More Assistant has it and is quite suitable for use.
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Noise cancellation
As mentioned above, the 1More EHD9001TA active noise cancellation system has two modes of operation: medium (Mid) and maximum (Strong). The difference between them is not always very noticeable, but it becomes obvious in really noisy places – the metro, for example. The reason to prefer a more delicate mode may be the feeling of “pressure in the head,” which is faced by a large proportion of users of headsets with ANC. Although, it should be noted that this effect is almost not observed in the Strong mode.
Noise is heard in the headphones when active noise canceling is on. The playing music completely disguises it, but in the pauses between the tracks, it is noticeable. The system’s efficiency would rate as average – not as impressive as that of the flagship models of well-known brands, but strikingly better than that of ultra-budget Chinese headphones.
Naturally, all the features of ANC operation, in general, are present here – low-frequency noise is most effectively suppressed, but people’s voices, for example, will be heard well. In general, the system is not devoid of controversial nuances, but it is more comfortable with it in a noisy environment than without it.
Testing
In terms of comfort and secure fit, the 1More headset is once again ahead of the rest. Of course, if you choose the right mounts and ear pads. And also, look at the instructions for placing in the ear with a slight twisting movement and follow it. If everything is done correctly, this is one of the best headsets for use in the gym: it is not afraid of jogging, jumping, twisting, or strength exercises. But the water protection class is not declared, which is a pity. Experience tells us that it will “survive” a few drops of liquid without any problems, but with some IPx4, it would be much calmer.
When using TrueWireless Stereo Plus, the manufacturer promises up to 6 hours of operation at 50% volume with the “noise mode” off and up to 5 hours when it is turned on. With a normal connection, autonomy is less – from 5 to 4 hours, respectively. In tests with ANC enabled and slightly above average volume, the headphones lasted up to 3.5 hours. Not very much, but quite acceptable, given the ability to charge them for another one and a half to two hours of work in 15 minutes.
If you accustom yourself to put the headphones into the case during pauses in use, you will not have to deal with their discharge. By the way, you can fully charge them from the case 3 times; for the fourth, the resources of the battery built into the case may no longer be enough.
Nevertheless, even according to the most pessimistic estimates, we have a reserve of about 12 hours of battery life – for the whole day, it will be enough, even in the morning, there will be more. The case itself is charged by wire for about a couple of hours. In the case of wireless charging, Qi turns out to be more, and how much more depends on the charger’s parameters.
The quality of the built-in microphones is average, which is normal for TWS headsets: placing microphones near the ear, not the mouth, is still not a good idea. Nevertheless, the interlocutors hear everything well, although they note periodic “dips” in the volume of the voice. The headset copes with suppression of external noise during voice calls more or less confidently – a conversation in a shopping center or near a busy highway does not bring much pleasure, but it is quite possible.
Sound and frequency response measurements
In the promotional materials of the headset, the manufacturer again makes a special emphasis on the fact that the famous sound engineer Luca Bignardi was engaged in adjusting their sound. And again, we are surprised that there is practically no hip-hop or dance music in his portfolio, with which the headphones sound best. On the contrary, he worked with a mass of famous and not so famous musicians. They are as far as possible from these genres, particularly with a number of Latin American and Italian pop artists.
Like 1More Stylish True Wireless, the accentuated low-frequency range attracts attention, which turned out to be quite articulate and dynamic. The bass does not interfere with the reproduction of the middle frequencies – although they are slightly relegated to the background, they sound legible.
The two-driver system made it possible to add a little more brightness to the upper-middle and directly to the high-frequency range. Still, at the same time, the developers managed to avoid the traditional problems of this register – all sorts of “ticking,” “sand,” and other things.
As a result, the sound turned out not at all “even,” moreover – not for everybody. But unambiguously interesting, with a pleasant coloring – Mr. Binyardi tried not in vain. Perhaps, headphones are not suitable for so-called “analytical listening,” but you can get pleasure from music in them. As an illustration of the above, we present the frequency response graph.
We draw our readers’ attention to the fact that the frequency response graphs are presented solely as an illustration to demonstrate the main features of the sound of the tested headphones. It is not necessary to conclude them about the quality of this or that model. Each listener’s experience depends on many factors, from the structure of the hearing organs to the ear cushions used.
Just a little about the sad things, then finish in a positive tone, which the headset deserves. Unfortunately, the inclusion of active noise cancellation seriously changes the sound, and not for the better. The entire low-frequency range perceptibly “falls through,” the mids also partially suffer – the sound is extremely nondescript.
Moreover, this effect does not depend on the ANC operating mode; it manifests itself in full even at low intensity. And if we also remember the noise mentioned above with the “Shumodave” turned on, it turns out somehow not very much. That is, it is quite possible to use ANC anywhere in the metro – given the noise level, it will still be better. But, having come to the surface, it is highly desirable to turn it off.
The frequency response graph in the first illustration is shown against the background of the IDF (IEM diffuse-field compensation) curve provided by the manufacturer of the stand used. Its task is to help compensate for resonance phenomena in the simulated auditory canal and the features of the equipment used, creating a “sound profile” that most correctly illustrates how the listener perceives the headphones’ sound. It can be seen as a device-specific analog of the so-called “Harman curve” created by the Harman International team led by Dr. Sean Olive. Let’s compensate for the resulting frequency response graph in accordance with the IDF curve.
As you can see, the headset’s bass is emphasized, but at the same time, it is very even and “deep.” There are noticeable differences in the middle, to which the headset owes its rather original sound. And, of course, you can’t do without comparisons with 1More Stylish.
Again, everything is very clear. It can be seen that the approach to sound tuning has remained the same, but the addition of an armature driver allowed us to emphasize the mids, which added a sense of volume and detail to the sound of the new headset. If you liked the sound of the 1More Stylish True Wireless, then the sound of the EHD9001TA will surely work.
Conclusion
1More’s headset turned out to be, frankly, ambiguous. It certainly has something to criticize for, for example, for active noise cancellation with a fairly average efficiency, which at the same time negatively affects the sound. Moreover, it is not always possible to turn it on by tapping on the headphones the first time. Again, the activation of “sound transparency” is implemented in such a way that it is easier to simply remove one earpiece from the ear – the wearing sensors and “smart pause” work perfectly.
And yes, as already mentioned in the introduction to the review, the 1More EHD9001TA costs a lot; in this segment, the user has plenty to choose from. But there are not so many models in it that have everything at once – the active noise cancellation system, and wireless charging, and rich equipment, and just a wonderful fit in the ear. Not to mention two drivers and a very remarkable for the considered form factor sounding. From this point of view, the 1More EHD9001TA is more than worthy of attention.
