INTRODUCTION

   Even though i don't really enjoy using headphones/earphones while at home or at the office (limited awareness is not my thing) i do use them a lot when walking long distances (in this case i prefer hear-through wireless models since again awareness is obviously important), using public transportation and right before i go to sleep (helps me relax). So even though it's far from a priority for me I’m always interested in testing new models, not only in order to see what's out there but also to see just how much the audio segment of the electronics market has improved. 1MORE made ripples in the audio market a few years back and after reviewing several of their models today with me i have their latest Penta Driver In-Ear Headphones P50.

   1MORE specializes in acoustic design and development, smart software, and wearable audio products. Born with a profound mission to deliver superior audio quality at consumer-friendly prices. Additionally, 1MORE's products have received multiple industry and design awards including prestigious CES Innovation awards, RedDot, iF Design awards and other major industry accolades.

   For the Penta Driver P50 IEMs 1MORE has used 5 tiny drivers in each enclosure (more specifically an DLC - diamond like carbon - driver in charge for low/bass, 2 planar drivers in charge of mids and 2 planar drivers in charge of highs) that feature a frequency response of 20Hz-40kHz (Hi-Res certified) with 32Ohm impedance, 105dB sensitivity and a rated power of 5mW. Needless to say, just like all past models by 1MORE the Penta P50 is once again tuned by Grammy award-winner sound engineer Luca Bignardi so i am looking forward to see what he's accomplished with them. Other features include enclosures with 45 degree nozzles for optimal fit, gold plated MMCX connectors and a 1.25 meter long high conductivity OFC (oxygen-free copper) cable with an in-line MEMS microphone. So, time to see what the latest Penta P50 IEMs by 1MORE are really capable of.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

As usual 1MORE uses a black and gold box to ship the IEMs the front of which has a large product picture right under their logo and next to its main features.

The box opens up like a book and so on the right side the magnetic clip has the company name on it.

Moving on the left side we find the main product specifications.

The product specifications and features are printed at the rear of the box in multiple languages.

As mentioned earlier the box opens up like a book and so on one side, we find some product drawings while on the other we see the product under a clear plastic cover.

Along with the Penta P50 IEMs inside the box 1MORE has also placed a carrying/storage pouch, 7 eartip pairs, 3.5mm to USB-C adapter, support paper with 2D barcode, warranty information paper and the user guide.

THE PENTA P50

The 3.5mm to USB-C adapter is something we don't see nearly as much as we should nowadays so kudos to 1MORE for including it.

1MORE ships the Penta P50 with 4 sets of silicon eartips (plus 1 already mounted) and 3 sets of foam eartips.

The front side of the Penta P50 IEMs is glossy and has the 1MORE logo on it (each earpiece weighs just 3.5g).

Left and right markings are placed on the interior both where the MMCX connectors attach to the enclosures and the enclosures themselves right next to the vent holes.

Multi driver IEMs is something 1MORE has been doing for many years now and the Penta P50 is clearly among their most advanced models to date.

Three buttons (volume up, play/pause/next/previous/answer call/end call/decline call and volume down) and a MEMS microphone and placed on the in-line controller of the OFC cable.

At the end of the OFC cable, we find a gold plated and angled 3.5mm plug.

Worth pointing out is that the OFC cable weighs 14g and is tangle resistant.

For this review i mostly used the M15 and R7 music players by FiiO.

CONCLUSION

   When 1MORE arrived in the market a few years back their models just made sense which is why it didn’t take long for others to follow. Today the market has more players and so models like the Penta P50 may fly under the radar of potential buyers. I’m saying this because they actually deliver good detail and crispness in both mids and highs, sufficient (and warm for the most part) bass for most music genres and a wide enough soundstage that tricks you into believing they cost more. Fit is also very good and as of quality although certainly not the best (I do prefer the metal alloy enclosure of previous models) it’s just what you’d expect from its price range. The removable MMCX plugs were the obvious choice by 1MORE for their top of the line model and as for the MEMS microphone although not quite perfect it does get the job done (noise cancelling could be better).

   Right now, the Penta P50 In-Ear Headphones by 1MORE retail for USD118.79 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 172.97Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de) a price tag which is all but excellent on the other side of the Atlantic (over here, not good). Overall, even though the Penta P50 is not what I was hoping 1MORE was going to release after a somewhat noticeable “silent” period (perhaps a high-end model just like the old days) it’s actually very good at what it was meant to do and that’s why it gets the Golden Award.

PROS

- Good Build Quality
- Overall Audio Performance (Mids / Highs / Bass)
- 5 Driver Design (DLC / 4 Planar)
- Good Fit
- Detachable Plugs & OFC Cable with MMCX Gold Plated Connectors
- 8 Pairs of Eartips & 3.5mm To USBC Adapter
- Price (USA)

CONS

- Price (EU)