1MORE EVO review

Considered its flagship model, the 1MORE EVO is a stylish pair of true wireless earbuds. Offering multiple active noise cancelation (ANC) modes, two different types of transparency modes, and an onslaught of EQ presets, read on to find out if the 1MORE EVO has what it takes to be your daily driver.

Editor’s note: this is the first version of the article. Updates will follow as the market changes.

What’s it like to use the 1MORE EVO?

The 1MORE EVO earbuds arrive in a matte white charging case. Unlike some other designs, this charging case features a flat bottom with a gel-like grip, which allows it to stand upright rather than lying flat on its back. The USB-C charge port is on the back, and a single LED on the front shows you the case’s charge level.

Overall, the 1MORE EVO earbuds have a reasonably elegant look. The touch control panels have a shiny, polished ceramic finish with bronze accent rings. However, they sit pretty deep into the charging case, which leaves little to grab with your fingers when taking them out. In colder weather, I had difficulty getting enough grip on them with my fingertips to remove them fluidly.

Once out of the case, you can see the size of these earbuds. They’re pretty significant, and while this helps with passive isolation when wearing them, if you have smaller ears, you may have fit issues with the 1MORE EVO. These earbuds also feature an IPX4 water resistance rating, which means they’re suitable for cardio and gym use.

As big as these earbuds are, I had no issues with them staying in place or the seal breaking while using them, but after a couple of hours of consecutive use, I began to feel some mild discomfort due to their size and needed to take a break from wearing them.

How do you control the 1MORE EVO?

You control the 1MORE EVO via touch controls, and while you get a chime when cycling through listening modes, there is no auditory cue to let you know a playback command has been registered. Playback controls are customizable, but you are limited to only four custom commands offered in pairs, and split between two actions. You’ll need to prioritize which ones you want to assign and leave the rest to control via the companion app.

For example, assigning “Play / Pause” and “Volume – / Volume +” means no physical “Previous / Next Track” control, or assigning “Play / Pause” and “Previous / Next Track” means no physical “Volume – / Volume +.”

It’s worth noting that the long-press and phone call controls are set in stone and cannot be modified. Below is a breakdown of how I set up our test model.

The earbud’s default listening mode is “ANC Off.” Long-press the touch control area of either earbud to cycle through ANC (strong) on, Transparent, and ANC off. The other ANC modes, Mild, WNR (Wind Noise Resistance), and Adaptive, are only selectable via the 1MORE Music app.

Should you use the 1MORE MUSIC app for the 1MORE EVO?

You’ll need to download and install the 1MORE Music app to control the 1MORE EVO earbuds completely. As mentioned, with 1MORE limiting assignable controls, you must use the app to access the rest of its features.

You’re provided with four levels of ANC (Strong, Mild, Wind and Adaptive) and two transparent modes, passthrough and Voice Enhancement. 1MORE provides you with 12 different EQ presets, or you can take the reigns and dive into the 10-band graphic EQ.

Here, you’ll also find access to firmware updates and the ability to modify some of the earbud’s default settings, like Smart Playback, 1MORE’s version of “wear detection.”

How do the 1MORE EVO connect?

The 1MORE EVO connects to your device via Bluetooth 5.2 and supports AAC, SBC, and LDAC codecs for higher bitrate listening. It also offers a multipoint connection, allowing you to switch seamlessly between two devices.

How long does the 1MORE EVO battery last?

With ANC on, the 1MORE EVO provided 5 hours and 14 minutes of playback in our standardized battery test — just shy of its advertised 5.5-hour battery life. By this measure, you should be able to get close to the advertised 20 hours of playback time with charging case top-ups.

How well do the 1MORE EVO block out noise?

While the 1MORE EVO is not among our picks for the best ANC earbuds out there, it does a decent job of blocking unwanted environmental noise. A secure fit helps reduce high-frequency noise through passive isolation, and the strongest ANC setting is enough to take out the low-end rumble of the bus during commutes to the office — not to mention the abundance of noise from the landscapers outside my window while working from home.

The mild ANC strength is suitable for office use when you want to finish some work without completely ignoring your co-workers, and the WNR (wind-noise resistance) setting is actually quite effective when cycling with the 1MORE EVO.

How do the 1MORE EVO sound?

The 1MORE EVO provides a relatively decent sound for the casual listener, which can be customized via the companion app’s 10-band graphic EQ.

Multi-Dimensional Audio Quality Scores (MDAQS)

The chart below shows how the sound of the 1MORE EVO was assessed by the Multi-Dimensional Audio Quality Score (MDAQS) algorithm from HEAD acoustics.

Our virtual panel of listeners rate the timbre relatively high, and with an overall score of 4.5, it’s safe to say that most listeners will enjoy the default sound of the 1MORE EVO earbuds. Though there’s some shortfall in the distortion and immersiveness scores, there doesn’t appear to be anything objectionable enough in the sound to torpedo most peoples’ listening.

Reviewer’s notes

Listening to Red Barchetta by Rush with the stock “Studio” setting engaged doesn’t quite deliver the sonic excitement from the power trio I’m used to hearing. The lack of low-end response is noticeable on Neil Peart’s kick drum and floor toms grooves, not to mention the insufficient treble frequencies dulling down his intricate cymbal work. While there is decent separation and clarity when it comes to Alex Lifeson’s guitars, some of the after details in his heavily modulated tones aren’t quite replicated, especially during the solo.

Don’t let the preset EQ names fool you; they’re worth experimenting with. While you probably won’t find yourself using the Podcast or the Bass reducer preset, engaging the Electronic preset helped bring up the low-end and details in the treble frequencies I was missing out on while using the Studio preset. This was especially noticeable and provided a much more full and enjoyable listening experience while listening to heavier progressive metal tracks like Car Bomb’s Fade Out or The Grand Conjuration by Opeth, both of which have relatively polished and layered productions.

Selecting the Hip-Hop preset had a similar effect, but the guitarist in me enjoyed the additional mid-frequency bump the Electronic preset provided. This allowed any lead line or solo to sit up front in the mix nicely. Of course, you always have the option to dive into the 10-band graphic EQ to fine-tune these earbuds to your liking.

Objective Measurements

The chart above shows the frequency response we measured for the 1MORE EVO’s default mode (Studio preset). It’s not great. While it briefly aligns with our headphone preference curve in the mid-frequencies, the low frequencies are hardly boosted, and there are a few random exaggerated dips in the high end. It’s not exactly what we like to see, but as mentioned, thankfully, you can make your personal adjustments via the graphic EQ.

Can you use the 1MORE EVO for phone calls?

The 1MORE EVO earbuds can be used for phone calls, Zoom meetings, and FaceTime sessions, and in ideal conditions, the performance is clear. Take a listen to our various samples below:

1MORE EVO microphone demo (Ideal conditions):

Should you buy the 1MORE EVO?

Suppose you’re not concerned with the lack of physical control options and limited combinations, and you’re okay with experimenting with EQ presets or at least comfortable enough with a graphic EQ to make your own; in that case, the 1MORE EVO is a suitable pair of everyday earbuds for commuting, casual listening, or hitting the gym.

They’re undoubtedly stylish and more upscale-looking than your average pair of earbuds; however, if you’re looking for more of a “plug and play” set of earbuds that don’t rely on a companion app to make them sound better, plenty of other options on the market for sub-$200 earbuds exist.

What should you get instead of the 1MORE EVO?

For less money, the Creative Aurvana Ace 2 ($149.99 at Amazon) wins a few style points and is worth a look. These earbuds offer a slightly better battery life than the 1MORE EVO earbuds, feature dual-driver system with xMEMS speakers, and they support Bluetooth 5.3 codecs such as LC3, LE, and apt-X Lossless via Snapdragon Sound. The Aurvana Ace 2 also offers a companion app with a 10-band customizable EQ for those who like to tweak.

You might also want to consider the Nothing Ear ($149 at Amazon) earbuds at that same price point. These earbuds also offer a sleek design, quality ANC, support LDAC and LHDC Bluetooth codes, have customizable touch controls, and, once again, better battery life than the 1MORE EVO earbuds, around 8 hours off a single charge.

Frequently asked questions