INTRODUCTION

   Although i tend to avoid using headsets and headphones/earphones during the day when I’m alone at home or at the office (many things can happen when you're not really aware of your surroundings) the exact opposite applies when I’m working out or I’m on the go since time only seems to fly when listening to music. This is also how i test all the headphones/earphones that make it here so as you can imagine under certain scenarios (like when in crowded places or riding on the subway/metro) features like active noise cancelling/cancellation (ANC) can be extremely useful. 1MORE has released quite a few noise cancelling headphones/earphones over the years but today they just announced the successor to one of their best models to date (Dual Driver BT ANC - review here), the Dual Driver ANC Pro Wireless Headphones.

   1MORE specializes in acoustic design and development, smart software and wearable audio products. Born with a profound mission to deliver superior quality audio at a consumer-friendly value, 1MORE has shipped 38 million headphones globally in over 25 countries in just the past 4 years. 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.

   Just like several of the models 1MORE has released to date the Dual Driver ANC Pro (EHD9001BA) also uses the same neckband design (flexible metal wire covered with soft silicone) which many people seem to enjoy using and others, well not so much. So if you belong in the former category you'll be happy to know that not only is the Dual Driver ANC Pro IPX5 certified (effectively waterproof) but it also features two drivers in each earphone, a large 13.6mm dynamic driver (titanium composite diaphragm) together with 1MORE’s proprietary balanced armature driver (the resulting frequency response is 20Hz-40KHz with 32Ohms resistance - once again 4 time Grammy award winning Luca Bignardi has tuned this model). Perhaps the biggest improvement over its predecessor however is the addition of hybrid ANC, a technology which makes use of a dedicated DSP processor and two high-precision microphones (located both inside and outside of the earphones) in order to catch both environmental and in-ear noises. The Dual Driver ANC Pro actually offer Wind Noise Resistance (WNR) along with 3 different levels of noise reduction (off/up to 35db/up to 20db) which you can use depending on the amount of ambient noise where you're at. Other features include Bluetooth v5.0 connectivity, support for AAC/SBC/Hi-Res LDAC codecs, both wired and wireless use, magnetic earbud covers, playback controls and a 160mAh lithium-ion rechargeable battery pack which gives the Dual Driver ANC Pro up to 20 hours of music playback (while using the AAC codec at 50% volume and with ANC turned off - 17.5 hours with SBC and 8 hours with LDAC). So, let's move forward with today’s review and see what the brand new Dual Driver ANC Pro is capable of.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

1MORE has once again used the same box that has a product picture at the front right next to the main product features and beneath their logo.

A magnetic clasp is located on the right side and has the 1MORE logo on it.

Printed at the rear of the box are some words about the product just over the main features and specifications lists.

As with previous models by 1MORE the front of the box opens up to reveal both the product itself and some product drawings.

Inside the box you will find the Dual Driver ANC Pro Wireless Headphones, carbon-like PU carrying pouch, USB-C to 3.5mm cable (wired use), USB-C charging cable, piece of cardboard with 7 sets of silicone ear tips (4 are ear secure ones), 1MORE sticker and the user manual.

THE DUAL DRIVER ANC PRO

One of the things I’ve always liked about 1MORE is that they bundle numerous silicon ear tips.

The color theme 1MORE chose to use with their newest model is black and red so thumbs up from me.

1MORE has placed their logo on the exterior of both angled earphones (at the base you can also see the opening right beneath the feedback microphone).

Each earphone features magnetic rear covers (past those covers are the feedforward microphones responsible for ENC - environmental noise cancelling).

Large engraved left and right markings are placed on the interior of both earbuds.

As with previous models the controls are all located on the left side/arm of the neckband.

I could point out to all the functions these controls are for but i think that the above marketing picture by 1MORE can explain them even better.

The USB type-C port (used both to recharge and use the headset in wired mode) is located at the end of the left side/arm and is covered by a plastic cap.

CONCLUSION

   When I reviewed the Dual Driver BT ANC model late last year, I really thought 1MORE had done a very good job with active noise cancelling. It certainly wasn’t on par with the Hybrid ANC used in the much more expensive models by one of their competitors (always according to specifications sheets) but still it was very good in filtering out ambient noise without distorting audio (at least not to a noticeable degree). The Dual Driver ANC Pro was launched with a single goal, to “bridge” the gap between 1MORE and their competitors by releasing a model with equally good specifications, including an hybrid ANC system second to none (here you can see a quick specifications comparison between the Dual Driver ANC Pro and its primary competition, the Quietcontrol 30 by BOSE and the WI-1000XM2 by SONY) and it achieves exactly that, even in extremely noisy areas such as the subway. Things are very good in terms of audio quality as well with very accurate mids and highs and a good amount of bass. Unfortunately audio levels are not nearly as high as I was hoping and so if you really enjoy listening to your favourite tracks at high volume the Dual Driver ANC Pro may fall short in that area (since I haven’t used any of the other two models in that comparison chart I have no way of knowing if that also applies to them). Battery life is also very good and although certainly nowhere near to the advertised numbers still at full volume with ANC off and using LDAC (FiiO M11) I was able to come very close to 6 hours of use while with ANC on that dropped to just under 5 hours.

   1MORE officially just announced availability of their Dual Driver ANC Pro Wireless Headphones and so you can currently find them for a price tag of USD149.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 161Euros inside the EU (Amazon.co.uk). This is roughly a 20-25% price increase compared to the previous Dual Driver BT ANC model which is well justified based on the number of improvements 1MORE added/made in the new model. Not having tested the main competition of the Dual Driver ANC Pro Wireless Headphones means I can’t say for sure whether or not these are the best in their category but they do offer an excellent price/performance ratio and that along with the number of available features secure our Platinum Award.

PROS

- Build Quality (Metal Enclosures / Flexible Silicone Neckband With Metal Core)
- Audio Reproduction / Sound Stage (Detailed Mids & Highs)
- Hybrid ANC (Active Noise Cancellation)
- Codec Support (SBC/AAC/LDAC)
- IPX5 Certified
- Available Controls
- Wired & Wireless Use
- Battery Life (Up to 20 Hours)
- Bundle (Carrying Pouch / 7 Sets of Ear Fittings)

CONS

- Design / Size (For Some)
- Volume Levels (For Some)