Performance

The first impression when you get the Triple Driver Over-Ear on your head is that these are pretty much around-ear headphones due to the size of the pads and dimensions of the ear cup. The pads do seal a bit against your ears, but consider these somewhere in the middle. To start off with, we hooked these up to our trusty O2+SDAC DAC/amp and ran through the usual suspects, and it was immediately clear that the Triple Driver Over-Ear adheres to the same house tuning as the in-ears we have tested from them. There is plenty of bass with a gentle roll-off into sub-bass territory, coupled with a somewhat warmish-sounding midrange.


Compared to the MK802, this is a completely different beast. The Triple Driver Over-Ear delivers much more bass with a new type of physicality to it, not totally unlike what you get with the Nuraphones. As expected, the bass goes quite deep and has a pretty big bump that is pretty consistent with the tuning of the Triple Driver In-ears. The bass is a bit special; it sounds a little mushy, but does so without interfering with the lower midrange. It might just be some distortion at low frequencies, perhaps originating from the inclusion of a passive driver, but it is pretty hard to put your finger on. This could also be why the bass has a bigger feel to it. The oddity is confined to the deeper bass, perhaps from 120 Hz down, so it is not a major issue, but definitely a feature of the design.

The midrange is where the Triple Driver Over-Ear really pick up the pace. It is really detailed, giving a good sense of space despite being a closed back, and incredibly comfortable to listen to for even extended periods of time. The midrange is not super flat, but even so, it does not sound unnatural. Vocals are clear, and the positioning is consistent for sound sources. Its soundstage is wider than on the MK802, and you also get a sense of being in a bigger space with the Triple Driver Over-Ear. There is still not a lot of depth in the image, but it is not bad for a pair of closed-back headphones.

Tuning-wise, 1MORE has gone for a design where the 2-3 kHz area is quite a bit down compared to the rest of the midrange. This suppresses sibilance in bad recordings, but also makes some instruments fade away. You generally lack a little presence with guitars and smaller drums, but it is not a major problem. If you listen to a lot of crunch guitar, you might be a little disappointed with this pair of headphones.

The high-end is generally good. It is a little aggressive around 4–6 kHz, but generally pleasing to listen to. With the frequency response, you get a little too much high-hat shimmer and a tad too little upper midrange power. Treble extension is really good, and the upper end of the high-end is well behaved. The top end from 6 kHz up sounds like it is right where it needs to be. It is not as neutral as with a lot of in-ears, but for the form factor, it is more than fine.

Comfort is pretty good. These headphones do get hot when you wear them, but they do a pretty good job at not making your ears hurt. The headband is well padded and distributes the pressure well.