Closer Examination, Build Quality and Comfort

Due to extensive similarities between the 1MORE's Triple Driver BT and the Dual Driver BT ANC In-Ear Headphones, I'll rehash some of the stuff I wrote in the Triple Driver BT review and point out the differences in a couple of key areas. Of course, all the following photos are of the 1MORE Dual Driver BT ANC.


Much like the 1MORE Triple Driver BT, the Dual Driver BT ANC In-Ears are based on a popular neckband design, which I personally prefer to the ear pieces being connected by a thin wire with a built-in remote control, and even to not having a cable connecting the ear pieces at all. The idea is to have the wire that connects the ear pieces loop through a thick, easily bendable silicone band, which we can then put around our neck, sort of like an open necklace.


I find this approach very practical since the neckband is light and comfortable—so much so that I can easily forget I'm "wearing" it. When I want to stop using the headphones, I can simply pull them out of my ears and let them drop on to my chest without having to worry that they'll fall to the ground, get stepped on, or are lost. You'll never be as carefree with "fully wireless" headphones, which are incredibly easy to misplace and require you to carry their charging case around in your pocket. Some might consider the neckband design to be a faux-wireless one, but that's not a correct way of looking at it. Not having a wire between your pocket (phone) and your head (ears) is incredibly freeing. Once you get used to it, you'll be hard-pressed to ever go back to using a traditional, wired pair of headphones.


The controls are located on the left side of the neckband. Here, you'll find an oval button with edges that can be pressed to control the volume and a round multipurpose button. By pressing the latter once, you can pause whatever is currently playing or answer/hang up a phone call. If you want to decline a phone call altogether, you'll simply hold this button. Double-clicking it will make you jump to the next song, while triple-clicking it takes you to the previous song (or the beginning of the one currently playing).


Two more controls are found on the upper edge of the left side of the neckband. The front one is a power button you can hold for 3 seconds to turn the headphones on or around 5 seconds to turn them off. 1MORE's official website claims that a single press of this button will activate your phone's voice assistant but as of the time of writing, this feature still hasn't been implemented. Behind the power button is a lever that controls the active noise canceling, which didn't exist on the Triple Driver BT (both the lever and the ANC as a feature). When this lever is set to the left, its default position, active noise cancellation will be turned off, and the Dual Driver BT ANC In-Ears will behave like ordinary wireless headphones. The ANC is activated by pulling the lever towards the left end of the headband. That action is accompanied by a short beep played through the headphones. If you repeat it, you'll hear two beeps. Those two beeps indicate two levels, or strengths, of ANC. Pull the lever in the opposite direction and it will stay there, and "Passthrough Mode" will be activated. In Passthrough Mode, the built-in microphones pick up the ambient noise and deliver it through the headphones. This can be extremely useful for when you're using the 1MORE Dual Driver BT ANC in an environment where you want to be aware of what's happening around you. For example, I found great use for it when walking my dog around a nearby lake crowded with cyclists. I was able to hear when they came up behind me and rang their bells, even over music playing quite loudly, and had plenty of time to pull my wandering dog close to me. This is just one example of where Passthrough Mode can be useful; perhaps, you'll want to use it to talk to someone without taking the headphones off, or not get run over by a streetcar while wandering the streets of an unfamiliar city. All of the buttons are pleasantly clicky, and the variations in their shape make them very easy to locate and use without looking.


The USB-C charging port is hidden behind a small plastic door. This is the only part of the 1MORE Triple Driver BT In-Ears that struck me as somewhat finicky and potentially problematic in terms of construction quality, and the same is the case with the Dual Driver BT ANC as well. The door is held in place by a small piece of rubber, which could in time wear out and leave you with an open hole. The headphones will still function normally, but their pleasant aesthetics will undoubtedly degrade. I'm not saying this will definitely happen; over the course of over six months I spent with these headphones, everything held together perfectly. Just be aware of it being a possibility.


The two speaker drivers (per ear piece) are encased in a metal alloy. Both the build quality and design are on a high level. I actually prefer the earpieces of the Dual Driver BT ANC In-Ears compared to the aluminium ones of the Triple Driver BT, even though they don't feel as luxurious. Here's why: they have built-in magnets, which means they stick to each other when close to each other instead of freely dangling around your chest.


Even though they're oval and not round, the ear pieces fit inside the ear canal comfortably without being prone to falling out at all. Should you have any issues with the fit or the quality of the seal, you'll be able to use the provided silicone holders available in four different sizes. I didn't feel the need to even when using the Dual Driver BT ANC In-Ears for running.


In case you aren't perfectly happy with the stock ear tips, comfort, fit or performance-wise, there are three other replacement ear tips you can try on. All of them are made of silicone and come in three different sizes: 10.5 mm, 12.5 mm, and 15.5 mm. The Triple Driver BT in-ears came with a heftier bundle—there, we had a grand total of eight pairs of replacement ear tips, both silicone and foam ones.


Also provided in the box are two cables. One is a standard USB-C cable used to charge the built-in battery. The second is actually a USB-C to 3.5-mm audio adapter, which you'll use when you want to establish a wired connection to the sound source. This is something you might want to do if you own a high-quality DAP (Digital Audio Player) since its DAC and headphone amplifier will in theory offer better performance compared to what you can get by using the headphone's own electronics. Unfortunately, the headphones can't be used in wired mode if the battery is empty, which would be a much more useful feature of the optional wired connectivity. When the battery runs dry, the music stops regardless of how they're connected to the sound source.

Battery Life

Depending on your preferred listening volumes, the 1MORE Dual Driver BT ANC In-Ears will offer you between 6 and 7 hours of playback. As they support fast charging, 10 minutes of charging will provide them with enough juice to last for another 3 hours. A full charge (0-100 %) takes about an hour. You can check the remaining percentage of the battery in the Bluetooth settings of your smartphone at any time. You'll also get notified about it by a female voice through the headphones themselves. The virtual lady won't tell you the exact remaining percentage but rather gives you a more general "Battery high", "Battery medium" or "Battery low, please charge" notification.

Microphone Performance

Between the Play/Pause button and the volume button is a built-in pinhole microphone. It does a solid job of transferring voice during phone calls and making it decently understandable to whoever you're talking to, which is essentially its only purpose. You can listen to the microphone sample below. I've also added the 1MORE Triple Driver BT microphone sample, which essentially sounds the same.