Page 3 - Subjective Audio Analysis
Reviewing audio devices require extensively trained ears and lots of experience. Even for audiophiles, it may prove challenging at times to obtain an accurate evaluation of a product without a thoroughly familiar product to use as a simultaneous reference. While I am not going to even try to claim that I am the only trustworthy or best reviewer for sound, it is fact that most computer review sites have editors who are insufficiently trained in reviewing audio equipment. Give them practically anything and all you will read about goes along the line of "good bass, nice midrange, awesome treble, really clear sound, 10/10". While there are many knowledgeable audio reviewers at various respected online media outlets, they are by far the minority.
As I have mentioned in my past audio reviews, there are really no true objective measurements for sound quality. As the reviewer, however, I will put it through a series of subjective tests to try to come up with the most objective rating possible. Yes, it sounds like a paradox. For all tests, I used an Apple iPhone 12 Pro. This is a device that requires no introduction and will reduce its potential to be a limiting factor in our auditioning.
After over 50 hours of break-in time -- well above typical required time -- we put the 1MORE ComfoBuds Z True Wireless to the tests. All tracks are high bitrate AAC or LAME encoded MP3s.
To start off, I really appreciate the 1MORE ComfoBuds Z True Wireless' fast pairing speed, since it starts the process right after you open the case lid. Once I put them on, I noticed the sound character of ComfoBuds Z True Wireless was something I have not heard before. Many earphones have varying degrees of a V-shape frequency response for enhanced punchiness, but these ones are the inverse of it even in the Music listening mode. This means the lower and upper frequencies are dampened, which, while unconventional, seems appropriate for sleep-oriented earphones to help you calm down. For this section, I have completed all the tests in the Music listening mode. The Soothing profile further dampens the lower and upper frequencies compared to the Music profile.
To get into the technical details, let us break it down into the "big three", which is the bass, midrange, and treble. The bass of the 1MORE ComfoBuds Z True Wireless is lighter than neutral by design. It is far from being punchy and has noticeably less bass than the ColorBuds as aforementioned. For the bass that are present, I found it to be consistently deep, round, and solid in the music I listened to. Its consistently smooth and defined low frequencies are well-articulated.
The midrange was good overall with its natural sounding output, being very similar in this region as the ColorBuds True Wireless. I found the thickness to be moderate and the sound to be decently warm with acceptable saturation, richness, and smoothness. There was a slight enhancement on the upper midrange for increased vocal clarity.
Like its bass, the treble was also reduced below neutral by design. The treble, where it exists, is clean, clear, and sharp in pretty much every scenario I have tested these earphones in. The tightness and immediacy were acceptable, but does not have a whole lot of energy or brightness in this realm. Wetness and crispness can be increased along with better depth, but given the context of these earphones, it makes sense to tune them in this way, because high energy sound will not help you sleep.
One thing the 1MORE ComfoBuds Z True Wireless has room for improvement in, and this is no different than pretty much every pair of true wireless in-ear monitors I have tested, is a mostly narrow soundstage in both depth and width.
Closing off with the auxiliary auditioning results, the imaging of the 1MORE ComfoBuds Z True Wireless was realistic, staying mostly faithful to the original production or recording. The layers were produced with a great amount of detail. The resolution is good across the range, as it picked up most things in a quality encoded track. In complicated and messy situations, these earphones managed to retain small details well. Deriving from this, the frequency separation is decent. Details were well reproduced thanks to its clear and defined output. The entire spectrum was a smooth gradient with no immediately apparent banding effects, making it sound cohesive. The sound is clean and smooth across the range. Generally speaking, you will not be disappointed in these areas with the ComfoBuds Z True Wireless.
The 1MORE ComfoBuds Z True Wireless are closed in-ear monitors and comes with four different-sized sleeves for maximum compatibility. The company promises passive noise canceling for noise reduction of up to 24dB. The earphones exhibited an excellent fit in my ears and sound isolation was good regardless of the environment I was in. As I have mentioned on the previous page, when I am running, these do not lose its seal easily. It has never come close to falling out of my ears no matter how hard I tried either.
The 1MORE ComfoBuds Z True Wireless does not have significant background hissing noise when turned on, which is great because this a common problem found in wireless earphones. In terms of lag, I did not notice any significant delay. Audio appeared to be properly synchronized to videos I was watching on my iPhone 12 Pro.
The company estimates the battery to last around 3.5 hours on a single charge at 50% volume over Bluetooth Low Energy. I got 3 hours and 12 minutes at 50% volume from my tests, which came in very close to the rated specifications. The rated wireless range is about 10 meters, and from my tests, this is underestimated. The maximum line of sight distance I was able to get, measured by a LIDAR device, was 27.2m. During normal usage, I have never experienced any wireless inconsistency issues paired to my Apple iPhone 12 Pro.
Overall, I am quite pleased with the overall experience of the 1MORE ComfoBuds Z True Wireless. They are super lightweight and very comfortable, having probably the best form factor I have seen in any pair of true wireless earphones I have ever tested. However, do keep in mind these earphones are designed, made, and tuned specifically for the purpose of helping you sleep better. This means they do not come with a microphone for calling and the unique sound signature is not for everyone.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. A Closer Look - Hardware and Software
3. Subjective Audio Analysis
4. Conclusion
