Amazing 3D sound - 1More AERO earphones test

1More made a big splash with its new earphones, it was worth trying.

Introductory

I was once again in the fortunate position of being the first in Hungary to try out a new gadget, in this case the new earphones from one of my favorite manufacturers, 1More.

When the manufacturer asked me for the test and told me what product I had to test, I thought they were sending some ultra-light earphones. I associated it with the name AERO, but as it turned out later, I was wrong.

In this case, AERO wants to refer to the airy sound and 3D sound image, thanks to which listening to music with the new earphones really feels like floating in front of the stage. It's unusual, but it feels really good.

Packaging and exterior

1More no longer surprises you with its packaging. I don't think it could get any better than that. It would be more damaging if, say, the box were covered with leather, but that would really be unnecessary. A hard, high-quality cardboard box with a magnetic lid is more than enough.

When you open the lid, you get the usual sketch-like figures, as if the designer had sketched what he thought the earphones and the docking-charging box should look like. The graphics set the mood.

In the box we find the dock with the two earphones inside. Underneath, in a smaller box, there are plugs of different sizes, together with the one on the ear, we get 4 sizes. Apart from that, we only need the Type-C cable and a description.

1More AERO is the shape I like more. I prefer the ears that have a small stem to the ones that end in a bigger ball. Of course, this is a matter of personal taste, but because of this, I was more than happy to pop the AERO out of the dock in the first place.

The dock and earphones are perfect in terms of material selection and assembly as you would expect from 1More. You can't get involved in anything related to the exterior!

Paper form

1MORE AERO uses Bluetooth version 5.2, which only supports AAC and SBC, not aptX and LDAC. This is a bit of a disadvantage compared to more serious solutions, but fortunately, as usual, the manufacturer assembled the AERO with extremely high-quality 10-millimeter DLC dynamic drivers, which strongly compensates for the lack of two HD modes. In its materials released to the press, the manufacturer highlights the material of the membrane, which is called Diamond-Like-Carbon (this is DLC), i.e. diamond-like carbon.

DLC coating is not a new thing, it has been used for years as a membrane coating for high-end headphones and earphones. Manufacturers are constantly experimenting with different materials, because a good membrane must be stiff, have a low mass, and must also have good damping to absorb unnecessary movements that occur during vibration.

Apple, for example, has already used wool-coated paper for the hump in the middle of the membrane, and the rest of the membrane around it is made of composite polymer. But in addition to such interesting solutions, manufacturers are also experimenting with all kinds of materials, from leather to metals, such as DLC. The stiffness of DLC exceeds the stiffness of many metals, it is similar to diamond in other characteristics, so it is very hard, has very good wear resistance, and what is even more important, its corrosion resistance.

According to the descriptions, the DLC diaphragms have a particularly clear sound, and their precision sound reproduction characteristics are very good. Especially in the middle and high ranges they sound sharp and extremely clear, in the case of bass tones, due to the properties described above, the movements are fast and precise, so the sounds are dynamic and free of distortion.

Of course, the earphones have active noise reduction, and as we are used to from 1More, this is a highly variable solution. The QuietMax™ ANC Technology system uses 6 microphones (3-3 per side) to monitor the amount of noise entering the ear canal and, of course, the noise of the outside world as well. The manufacturer points out that noise filtering can reach 42 dB.

Of course, the noise filtering can be used in several levels (ANC Strong / ANC Mild / Adaptive Mode / WNR Mode / ANC Off), and there is also a dynamic mode, with the latter, as the name suggests, the headphones automatically adjust the noise filtering mode and level depending on the ambient noise .

Of course, we also get Transparent mode, in which case the earphones let some of the ambient noise in, so that the earphones don't completely isolate us from the outside world. It is definitely important to point out that 1More's solution is much more flexible than the solutions of competing manufacturers, where ANC can be turned on or off.

1More AERO gives 5-7 hours of playback time on a single charge. The former is understood with active noise reduction, the latter without. The charging and docking box can fully charge discharged earphones three times. Of course, we also get water resistance, namely IPX5 rating.

I left the most interesting item for the end, which is called Spatial Audio, or Térbeli Audio in Hungarian. A similar solution already existed for Apple AirPods, but unlike them, Dolby Digital, Dolby Atmos 5.1 or 7.1 channel recording is not necessary to create spatial sound, simple stereo sound is sufficient.

Thanks to the built-in gyroscopes and the head-tracking 1D algorithm, 3More AERO is able to detect our head position (also referred to as Dynamic Head Tracking Technology) and adjust the direction of the sounds in real time, simultaneously with the movement.

It's definitely this last feature that makes me glad I got to try the 1More AERO.

Specification

Application

If you want to take advantage of all the capabilities, you have to use the program, so this is not a solution that is only there to tell you from your phone (also) controllable. From here, you can switch noise reduction profiles or choose from a plethora of pre-programmed audio images.

You can see the filling of the ears per page and you can also see the filling of the filling box. I really loved this, it’s good to know how long I can use it for longer, it’s not that it just goes silent one day.

The ANC switch can be found under the charges. By choosing this, a new menu will appear, here you can choose from 4 ANC versions. Next to ANC is the Transparent mode switch, followed by the ANC function switch.

Under Custom Settings, you can set what happens when you touch the tab. I would like to make two comments on this.

The first is that we can turn off the voice assistant, which I'm glad I never use, here I can program another function in its place. The other is that there is no option for the earpiece to touch it once and do something (the music stops, starts, gets quieter or louder, etc.).

There will definitely be people who hate this, and people who love it, I'll tell you why. One of the most annoying things about touch-controlled earphones is that if you accidentally touch it (for example, you're brushing your hair, putting on sunglasses, etc.), the music stops, skips to the next track, gets louder or quieter, i.e. something happens that you didn't want. . Since there is no one-touch function, this will not happen, which is good!

However, it’s so good when it’s a light touch and you’re already coming to the next track or turning off the music. Well, it won't be like this here, at least two touches have to happen.

So decide if it’s good or not. I think it's more good and just a little bad.

The next point, Smart Loudness, is good for 1More AERO being able to automatically compensate for the missing parts of low and high sounds, so we get a full experience even at lower volumes. The amount of compensation can be adjusted using a slider.

The next menu item is Sound Options. During this time, you can choose from the 12 pre-programmed studio sounds, or adjust the sound image yourself. In the latter case, a 10-channel equalizer will help us.

I already wrote about Spatial Audio above, we don't have to configure it, we can only turn it on or off.

At the very least, there is an option to update the firmware.

In the new version of the software, the location of the Soothing sound menu has changed, it is placed "behind" the 1More logo in the upper right corner. There are relaxing background noises under Shooting sounds. The sound of rain, sea noise, wind, etc. etc. etc. Lots of sounds to choose from if you just want to turn your brain off. I can tell you from experience that anyone who does brain work will find it very useful, sit back for 2-5 minutes, turn on some music, and relax. Just don't fall asleep!

In the menu below the logo, there is Burn-in, which allows you to "burn out" the earphones, here you can turn on the one-player-multiple-earphones mode, here is the Quick guide, which teaches you how to use the earphones, and approx. that's all the application is.

Experiences

Comfort

Let's start with comfort. I have no problem with that. I myself use the 1More Comfobuds Pro, which are essentially the same as the AERO in terms of size, weight, and design. You have to choose the right size silicone earplug, and with a little exaggeration, you can walk around for weeks, so that the earplugs will be in your ears and won't bother you.

As I wrote above with the materials, there is no error with the assembly. The docking bar is not small, and due to its shape, it fits comfortably in the front pocket of my jeans and does not press on my thighs. When I open the lid, the earphones do not fall out, but the magnet is not so strong that removing them from the box is a problem.

Battery, operating time

I'd say I've tested it, but I haven't. I just didn't get to the end. I had the earbuds in my ears a lot, but I don't listen to non-stop music and I don't make phone calls 0/24. During the test, I did not manage to drain the earphones enough to drain the dock as well.

Of course, when I wasn't using it, I always put it back in its box, which then recharged it again. According to the manufacturer's data, the battery of the charging box and the earphones is approx. It allows 28 hours of use if ANC is not turned on, if we turn it on for approx. We have 20 hours at our disposal. I say I never turn off ANC, because why would I turn it off.

I didn't write it above, but it's important to mention that the charging box supports Qi wireless charging, which is another major red point for 1More AERO.

Phone calls, noise filtering

I had AERO in my ears practically continuously for a few days. Unfortunately, there is no metro or tram in our area, so I could only try the noise filtering in the car, bus and on foot.

If I want to write briefly, the noise filtering is comfortable and pleasant. With some earphones, users complain of dizziness due to the strange damping, I did not experience this.

By switching the noise filtering modes, not only the amount of sounds changes, but also how much of the high (or deep) sound we will hear, so it might be worth trying the different modes. For example, to reduce wind noise in strong winds. The dynamic mode worked for me, it is efficient enough and it is convenient that I don't have to switch between modes.

The Transparent mode also works well, although here too it can be observed that some of the sounds are muffled or almost completely absorbed. Now, for example, as I'm writing the article and War Of The Words is playing in my ears, the sound of the keyboard is completely different when I'm typing than without headphones.

Of course, I made more than one call with the headset. They didn't complain on the other end, it didn't matter if I called on the street or in a closed place. I also heard the other party clearly and intelligibly in all cases, so there is no excitement here.

Spatial audio

It won't be easy for me, but I'll try to put into words the feeling it's like when I turn on the surround sound.

As I wrote above, multi-channel sound is not necessary to get surround sound, but it does not matter what we listen to with surround sound. The effect is stronger in some music and less in others. For example, quite strongly with symphonic music, which is why I'm still listening to War of the Worlds.

What is the effect? Well, when I turn it on, it feels like the space around me is expanding. I can't describe it any other way, the sound will have an extension, a depth.

Imagine the matter as if the music were a plain A4 sheet of paper stretched out, say, 30 centimeters from your face. If you turn your head, the page turns with you, the stereo sounds the same. This is normal stereo sound. When you turn on Spatial Audio, you start by bringing the two edges of the sheet of paper closer to each other, and a wave form forms in the middle of the sheet, the peak of which moves away from your face. If you turn your head, the top of the wave does not move in space, it does not turn with your head. Well, approx. this is what you feel happening to the sound when you turn on the function.

You close your eyes and you will feel a bit like you are floating in front of the stage. The effect is greatly strengthened by the fact that if you turn or even just tilt your head, the direction of the sounds changes, the stereo effect does not turn your head. If you turn your head, the center of the stage will not turn with you, it will remain in the original place.

The interesting thing about this is that if you are, say, on the street and walking, the center of the stage does not stay at one point forever, in which case the direction of the sound adapts to the direction of the walk. I hope it's understandable, I can't really describe it any other way, the headset detects that you just turned your head or turned a corner.

I really like this thing, I think this "stunt" adds a lot to the enjoyment of the music.

Sound quality

1More has long been known for producing great sound for its price range, and this is no different. I wouldn't say the quality is brutal, the experience we get is simply very good, very balanced and very pleasant.

The earpiece's sound is pleasantly warm, rather strong in the quality of the low and middle tones, a little weaker in the highs. This does not mean that one of the bands is lacking, it simply means that the detail and resolution are close to perfect in the lower and middle bands, while this detail decreases a little at the top.

The vocals are wonderful, whether male or female. It speaks beautifully clearly and intelligibly from the middle, as it should. In contrast, the instruments are a little less distinguishable from each other. The sound image is also pleasant, although I wouldn't dare to call it exceptionally good.

Meanwhile, War of the Worlds ended and I switched to the Rocky Horror Picture Show. 🙂

Of course, I tried it with different kinds of music, and in general it brings the quality of the 1More Comfobuds Pro I use, or just falls short of it. This is important because I usually recommend this for listening to music in this cheap category.

Summary

1More AERO turned out to be great headphones. Not outstandingly good, not insanely good Hi-Fi headphones, but a very good, very consistent performance solution. It provides warm and dynamic lows, a great, in my opinion, exceptionally good midrange, brilliantly intelligible vocals, and a slightly less detailed high range.

Phone calls and noise cancellation are great. The sound quality is perfect, I really liked the dynamic ANC, but in general the active ANC functions worked very well.

The real novelty of AERO, the spatial effect, or as it is called in English, Spatial Audio, is a great thing, it adds another level to the enjoyment of music. As I wrote, it is not worth using in all genres. I didn't say that it's definitely worth turning it on for games, the feeling of space and the direction of the sounds give a big advantage in shooting games, but also sometimes in a simple car race.

All in all, the 1More AERO turned out to be a great earphone (I didn't expect anything else), which is worth the price, especially since we get a 18 euro discount on the price until November 20th as part of the introductory promotion.

If you want to buy it, I can recommend Amazon for now, but here you can choose from the German, French, Dutch or Spanish site:

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.de/dp/B0BB2N1VZX
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B0BB2N1VZX
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.nl/dp/B0BB2N1VZX
Amazon ES: https://www.amazon.es/dp/B0BB2N1VZX