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 haha. For all tests, I used an Apple iPhone X. 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 typically required period -- we put the 1MORE Stylish True Wireless to the tests. All tracks are high bitrate AAC or LAME encoded MP3s.
I have to admit testing these earphone and evaluating them accurately was challenging. I had to swap constantly between the Philips Upbeat True Wireless SHB2505 to really listen for the difference. I also used one of my favorite headphones, the V-MODA Crossfade II Wireless, to calibrate my ears before and after the tests to ensure my auditioning results were correct.
To start off, the sound character of 1MORE Stylish True Wireless has a mostly neutral sound signature with a very slight V for a hint of enhanced punchiness. This means it is more neutral than the Philips Upbeat True Wireless SHB2505. I also found the Stylish True Wireless to be smoother than the SHB2505 -- the SHB2505 sounded a bit harsher overall.
To put this into perspective, let us break it down into the "big three", which is the bass, midrange, and treble. The bass of the 1MORE Stylish True Wireless is boosted just above neutral, but remained very controlled so it never sounded overwhelming. I found the bass 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. I found the thickness to be moderate and the sound to be decently warm with acceptable saturation, richness, and smoothness. There is a slight enhancement on the upper midrange for increased vocal clarity like the SHB2505. The treble is also boosted just above neutral as part of its V shape profile; which remained clean, clear, and sharp in pretty much every scenario I have tested these earphones in. The tightness and immediacy were good, but the 1MORE Stylish True Wireless does not have a whole lot of energy or brightness in this realm. Wetness and crispness can be increased along with better depth, but in the grand scheme of things, the treble is pretty good and a bit better than the SHB2505 in my opinion.
One thing the 1MORE Stylish True Wireless suffers from, and this is no different than the Philips Upbeat True Wireless SHB2505, is a mostly narrow soundstage in both depth and width. The 7mm dynamic drivers with titanium composite diaphragms found in the Stylish True Wireless are a bit better than the SHB2505 when it comes to soundstaging, but the difference is not big enough to impress.
Closing off with the auxiliary auditioning results, the imaging of the 1MORE Stylish 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 was 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 was decent. Detail was 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 was clean across the range; generally speaking, you will not be disappointed in these areas with the Stylish True Wireless.
The 1MORE Stylish True Wireless are closed in-ear monitors and comes with four different sized sleeves and three different sized O-hooks for maximum compatibility. The earphones had a good fit in my ears and sound isolation was decent whether you are taking public transit or flying on a plane. As I have mentioned on the previous page, when I am running or skating, 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 Stylish True Wireless does not have background hissing noise when turned on, which is a pleasant surprise 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 X. The microphone worked decently well in calls. My voice came out very reasonably clear and even when there was a moderate amount of background noise, the person on the other side of the call had little problem hearing me.
The company estimates the battery to last around 6.5 hours on a single charge at 50% volume. I got 7 hours and 24 minutes at 50% volume from my tests, which considerably exceeds the rated specifications. The rated wireless range is about 10 meters, and from my tests, this is quite underestimated. I tried walking over 80m away from it, line of sight, and I could not get it to lose signal. During normal usage on the train or bus, I have never experienced any wireless inconsistency issues paired to my Apple iPhone X.
Overall, I am quite pleased with the audio performance of the 1MORE Stylish True Wireless. I thoroughly enjoyed them and I actually use them as my daily driver, even though there are lots of room for improvement in the soundstaging department.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Hardware
3. Subjective Audio Analysis
4. Conclusion
