1MORE EO323 Dual Driver In-Ear Headphones with In-line Microphone and Remote (Multi-unit)

Dcipar81

New Head-Fier
Pros: Price, Neutral sound, easy of listening/musicality
Clarity without sibilance
Cons: No detachable cable
*Slightly* Slower bass decay than I would personally prefer.
First review

About me:

I have been critically listening to music for ~20 years and studying it more thoroughly for ~15. I have played in a few local bands, been an assistant in a studio, been to more shows that I can count (both local bands and big name concerts) and listen to music at every opportunity I can get. I do not make a ton of money so my budget is always limited. I am a firm believer in getting the most for your dollar.

Thoughts on sound and frequency responses:

My idea of an ideal sound signature, be it mastering techniques or the end result coming from your speakers or headphones may be a little unconventional. While I do find it necessary to look at frequency response graphs and technical specifications, I believe the “correct” sound comes from a accumulation of personal experiences with a given instrument or song. For example, I have heard DAC’s that represent the sound of a piano very well *to my hears* because over the course of a lifetime I have created an idea of what a piano sounds like. Of course, not all pianos sound the same, and therefore it is only what my idea of what a piano sounds like. Similarly, I have heard headphones that can recreate my idea of what a certain song sounds like. This is why I use particular songs to review equipment; songs that I have heard a thousand times on many different types of media and equipment. Like most people, I would have to send away to NASA to calculate the number of times I have heard “Come Together” by The Beatles. Between cassette tapes, CD’s, Early pressing vinyls, car stereos, multi thousand vintage home stereos, mp3 players, loudspeakers, the ceiling speakers at the Wendy’s down the street I think I have created a certain idea of how this song sounds. When I listen through a new piece of equipment, I have a pretty solid of idea of what I’m supposed to hear. Everybody has their own songs like this.

On to the 1More Dual Drivers:

I will, for the most part skip packaging and accessories as anybody who knows how to use google can figure that out, except I will comment about quality in hand.

The packaging is smaller than I expected, but it packs everything you need to have an enjoyable unboxing if that’s your thing. The headphones are wrapped around dense foam and they include a little plastic clamshell box that holds the extra tips and ultimately you will use to hold your headphones.

Everything feels nice enough, especially for the price (remember, we’re closer to $50 than $100).

It is important to note that these do not have a detachable cable.

Build Quality / Fit:

From the connector up, the right angle jack is sturdy with a TRRS tip. The first part of the cable, before the Y-split is a Kevlar reinforced material that feels premium, albeit a little thin. The individual cables to each ear feel less premium and have yet to relax on my set, leaving some slightly awkward hangs, but I suspect this will resolve itself within the next week or so.

As for fit, this is HIGHLY SUBJECTIVE. Each person’s outer ear, as well as inner ear canal biology is different, so what fits or doesn’t fit for me may not apply to you. I feel fit and comfort are so subjective they should almost be left out of a review, but for the sake of it I will note that I had a little trouble finding a perfect seal combined with stability with the included tips. However, like most people, I have about 1.6 billion different tips laying around in my desk and was quickly able to find something that worked.

For the duration of the review I will be making notes based on the included large tips that provided the best seal for me. Ultimately I went with a pair of mediums that had a slightly rougher feel to them and stayed in my ears a little better without too much pressure.

Sound:

As I mentioned before, sound is so very subjective and my opinions and notes will likely differ from another’s, especially due to the way sound waves of different frequencies travel differently through a given person’s ears.

For my personal comparisons I will be using songs that I am familiar with and compare details about how those songs sound on equipment I’ve had for a while, including a schiit modi/magni stack into some AKH K7xx, Sennheiser HD6xx, JBL 5 and 8 inch monitors and my Andrew Jones tower speakers. These are my reference points. All songs are .wav or .flac of varying sample rates, all >= 48khz.

Because the Thinksound 1MORE IEMs would be in the budget bracket it is important to pair them with other equipment in their class. I will be using three DACs, a GGMM A1 portable USB dongle, a FIIO Q1mkii and a Topping NX2s. Each has their own sound signature that I’ve noticed, but this isn’t a review of them, so I will as briefly as possible tell you how I’ve noticed each “colors” the sound.

GGMM A1: tiny usb powered device introduces noticeable hiss with no music playing, but ultimately sounds way above it’s price (~$40). It is capable of 192/24 playback and for it’s price has a good soundstage, instrument separation and neutral signature. If anything it adds a little punch, or slam, to the bass, but is not overly warm by any means.

FIIO Q1mkii: The most neutral of the three, if anything a little warm, but very musical sounding. Good speed and definition. Kind of makes my digital recordings sound analogue. A single piano stroke sounds most real on this.

Topping NX2s: Slowest bass decay, yet very musical. Bass is flirting with loose, but at the same time this can add a bit of a natural feel to it. Mids and Highs are slightly pronounced and a little thin. Piano by itself is lacking a little on this, but in a mix the NX2s can keep up with pacing and sounds good for its size.


1More Dual Drivers:

Soundstage:

1More’s have a wide soundstage that competes with IEMs in much higher price range. I prefer their staging and imaging to Rain3’s and FIIO FH1, which both cost a good deal more (90 and 80 respectively) but doesn’t quite reach the range of the FIIO F9pro (which cost closer to $140). For any organic music that’s played by a band (thus excluding electronic and highly produced music) the 1More is … more … than able to create a lifelike listening experience with regards to staging. Leon Russell’s “Out In The Woods” sounds almost scary. Loggins & Messina’s “Angry Eyes” is a treat. Look it up as a reference for Classic blues/folk rock sound stage and imaging.

Lows:

Bass is present and ample, and the 1Mores have a good amount of punch to them, but if anything feel just a tad slow. This was not a problem when using the GGMM or the FIIO because those DACs both introduce a good amount of punch, but the more tame NX2s combined with the 1More’s just felt a bit slow in the bass with slight bleed into other frequencies. Note: Neil Young – Razor Love. Low acoustic notes seem to be a little sloppy with over emphasis and a slower decay, but remember, this is listened to on the NX2s, a DAC that is noted for doing that as well. The GGMM, the most thin sounding of all helped on this track, but it was still a little noticeable.

Mids:

The dual drivers of the 1More are tuned well to handle mids in a warm and natural way. If they felt emphasized at all, I blame my ears or DACs more than anything else. I tend to hear mids and highs more than bass, so keep that in mind. Vocals and guitars seemed present, but natural, especially on the Q1mkii and NX2s. The fact that the DD doesn’t have to handle the whole spectrum really adds to the separation in the higher regions. Note: Vocals on Van Morrison – And It Stoned Me, as well as Crazy Love. The paino notes on Van Morrison – Caravan, are natural, full and warm sounding, as they should be.

Highs:

Again the BA driver really allows this region of the spectrum to shine. Unlike certain other IEMs *cough* F9pro *cough* the 1More doesn’t even scratch the surface of sibilant but at the same time is able to remain extremely clear and detailed. Only in poorly mixed, or very loud, intense music did the clarity begin to diminish in the high region. Regardless, they rarely showed distortion and these instances were few and far between to the point of never really creating a problem unless listening overly critically (which you probably shouldn’t be doing with $50 IEMs anyways…). Again, Loggins & Messina – Angry Eyes shows us how sweet and soft the highs are on the 1More without being recessed. Cymbal and snare hits are present and almost driving without being sibilant and the highest notes on the horns sound sweet and natural.

Conclusion:

Without sounding at all veiled, the 1More dual drivers present a warm and comfortable sound that is in no way fatiguing or unpleasant in any frequency. They are reserved and relaxed, but not so much that they sound “wrong.” They won’t do a bad recording and favors, but they will be able to handle even the highest quality files with ease.

If you’re anything like me and love collecting music equipment and searching for that “correct” sound, these are a must have, especially considering the price. I bought these thinking I would have a pair to carry around with me, maybe be a little sloppy and not really care if they get lost or broken…hurled into a black hole…you know, day to day troubles for IEMs. I had found myself going down the rabbit hole of looking for that perfect sound. Critically listening to each song, sometimes one line in a song over and over on different pieces of equipment and I forgot that music was supposed to be enjoyed. So many of us get trapped over analyzing aspects of a song or equipment that we forget to just sit back and enjoy the music. The 1More IEMs helped me get back to that. Turns out I find myself using these more often than my other IEMs for just that reason. They punch way above their class in terms of clarity while their non over analytical feel make them easy listening all day.
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trivium911

500+ Head-Fier
A little about my myself: I’ve always been interested in music and stereo equipment. Within the last few years I’ve appreciated audio quality over quantity, along with my changing taste in music. I still enjoy some of the same genres I did when I was younger, but now I can enjoy more genres has I keep an open mind and im not influenced by others opinions or music taste’s as I would have been when I was younger. I listen to a lot of heavy metal mike machine head, parkway drive, killswitch engage (mostly at the gym) all other times I prefer modern classical (mostly guitar and violins), to flamenco style guitar, jazz like some Michael Buble or even Sade, Some new age like Yanni, electronic music like Armin Van Buuron aswell as some traditional Spanish music such as cumbia and tango. I can appreciate other genres but I specifically do not care for Rap or top 40 Pop very much, there is not much in those genres and they don’t do anything for me. 
 
Test Setup: Most of the use has been out of my Fiio X1 (at the gym) or the Fiio X3ii for other times at work or while in bed.
 
I purchased the 1MORE EO323’s close to a year ago, and they have been my go to IEM most of the time. I have been using them at the gym to lift weights almost everyday in excess of an hour so they have been used heavily and have a few scratches and dents in the aluminum. They still sound the same as they always have.   
 
Low: Good texture, extends pretty deep and they sound LARGE for IEMS, sometimes you forget you are wearing IEMS rather than over ears. There is a somewhat lean to midbass which may or may not be appreciated on the genres. They sound best out of the X3ii as the X1 tends to overcolor the sound. The bass can be overpowering at times. Again depending on the song. On good recordings, they add the right amount of bass at the right time.
Mids: The mids are really where these shine, combine this with a notch above neutral in the bass department and it creates a warm listen. The mids are very fluid and somewhat forward but yet not in your face, they are slightly further back in the soundstage than some of my closed single BA iems.
Highs: These are defiantly suitable for extended listening sessions or treble sensitive (myself included), there is a nice sparkle at the top but sometimes it leaves you wanting more. Overall the highs are well done and rolled off but with good enough detail to consider these “high resolution”. They are not analytical and designed for entirely and purely music and relaxed listen.
Comfort: These are by far the most comfortable IEM’s I own, the provided tips fit from day one perfectly. They are not the best for using if laying down in bed on the side as they don’t fully go inside the ear, so for some this might be a con.
Soundstage and isolation: These have almost a 3d sound to them which I rather enjoy, not near the level of my sennheiser 598’s but its present. The soundstage actually stood out though, which is above average putting a slight amount of an airy texture on guitars and percussion instruments in some of the songs by Young and Rollins. The main thing to keep in mind with these is they contain a dynamic driver so that means they have a small vent and they don’t isolate aswell as a sealed BA IEM. That said isolation is about average, and could be better for use on an airplane. Im sure if I used comply foam tips it would improve though.
Pros:
-Durable
-Excellent sound quality
-great bass quality and texture
-above average soundstage with a slight 3d effect.
-very comfortable
 
Cons:
-Microphonic’s on the cable can be annoying at times, but the shirt clip helps with that if you are willing to use it
-Elevated bass for some tracks, although not bleeding into other frequencies can be overbearing for some. Nothing a little EQ cant fix though…again also depending on the source.
- Only half the controls work on the x3ii/x1
-Fabric type cable collects dust and dirt while being used from the gym, nothing a little dish soap cant clean up though.
-No detachable cable
 
Conclusion: These can be described as somewhat of a dark signature with light, airy rolled off treble, slightly forward midrange and a notch above slightly enhanced bass which may be too much for some depending on the source. They are incredibly buttery smooth which pair well with jazz and instrumental. They are ok for metal but seem to have to have too much bass for this genre, they still sound good but im sure there are better sounding in the price range for this genre. They also work great for Vocal trance with a very engaging bass. For those looking for neutral detail monsters, these are not it they are designed to sound smooth and airy and are far from harsh. So smooth In fact I bet if Sennheiser produced a bassier 598 in the form of an IEM, these would be it. I would love to try out the triple drivers to compare these, and perhaps I will when they go on sale. I have since retired these from gym use as the price went up since I bought them and im enjoying them too much to have them wear out from constant abuse, I have a set of KZ ZST’s on the way so hopefully this will work in place at the
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Pros: Sound incredibly good. Astoundingly good value.
Cons: The Triple is better and only a tiny bit more money.
1MORE Dual-Driver In-Ear Headphones (E0323) Quick Review by mark2410
 
Thanks to 1MORE UK for the review sample.
 
Full review here http://www.head-fi.org/t/828671/1more-dual-driver-in-ear-headphones-e0323-review-by-mark2410
 
Brief:  1MORE for the ladies.
 
Price:  £79.99
 
Specifications:  Frequency Range: 20-20,000 Hz / Plug: 3.5 mm Gold Plated Color: White With Brushed Gold
 
Accessories:  6 sets of silicone ear tips of various sizes, Magnetic clasping traveling case, Attractive storage case, Quality dual prong airline adapter, Matching shirt clip.
 
Build Quality:  Flawless, I can’t spot any imperfections.  The cable is a little bit kinky but that’s it.
 
Isolation:  Pretty good for a hybrid and thus with a dynamic.  Easily fine for on a bus or out and about use.  Even the odd Tube or flight should be fine.  As always you will then need to use your eyes for noticing traffic, or get run over.
 
Comfort/Fit:  They were perfectly comfy for me to wear up, for hours at a time.  The fit was a bit shallow so I need the big foam tips but then was fine in use.
 
Aesthetic:  Well there are kinda pretty, the white with the almost rose gold is pretty but…… yeah its super girly.  Now that doesn’t really bother me enough to not use but they are certainly not the most masculine of looking earphones.  One for the ladies I think.
 
Sound:  Excellent.  These are stupid good, really they are seriously stupidly good.  They really do show that you don’t need 50 drivers to sound good, these are really super seriously good.  However……. They are just so closely priced to the Triple and while there isn’t very much in it acoustically between them, why wouldn’t you pick the Triple over these?  The only real reason I can find is because you like how these look more.  In terms of the audio these are stunning, the bass is every bit as great as the triple, large but so well controlled and articulated.  It’s impeccably behaved yet well scaled for those who like their bass.  Sure it’s a bit more than there ought to be but so what.  The mids too are sublime, really approaching perfection, maybe a tiny sliver over warmed and creamy.  The treble too could be said to be a little forgiving and polite but at the price, so what, these are amazeballs crazy good.   Their balance and tuning is so brilliantly done, so incredibly good, really these are amazing sounding.  They walk the line of mainstream and audiophile yet are so good that both will love them to bits, seriously good audio and with a bass that will please mainstream listeners too.
 
However, they are just 20 quid less than the Triple and while they are only a tiny bit better and they need driven well for you to really notice it I just don’t see any circumstances other than looks for me to say get these not the Triple instead. 
 
Value:  Super-duper excellent…… but seriously buy the Triple’s instead.
 
Pro’s:  Sound incredibly good.  Astoundingly good value.
 
Con’s:  The Triple is better and only a tiny bit more money.
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ostewart

Reviewer at Sound Perfection Reviews
Formerly affiliated with HiFi Headphones
Pros: Consumer sound, big bass, exciting sound
Cons: Lacking overall finesse and clarity
Firstly I would like to thank 1MORE for sending me this sample for review, I always try to write honest reviews. These received over 50hrs of burn-in, no real differences were noted.
 
Gear Used:
Audio Opus #1 DAP > EO323 (Dual drivers, S silicone tips)
 

 

 
Tech Specs:
Driver: Dual driver (1 BA + 1 DD)
Impedance: 32Ω
Weight: 15g
Frequency Response: 20-20,000Hz
Inline remote with microphone
Sensitivity: 98dB
MSRP: Around £70
 
Packaging, Accessories and Build Quality:
The packaging is similar to the Triple driver model, and looks much better than its price might suggest. You get a matte black box which opens via a magnetic lid, once opened you are greeted by the IEM’s held in a velvet covered foam in tray, next to them you are presented with the carry case. Once you lift this out, you will find the accessories underneath. A very luxurious box for an IEM of this price, the model number and specs are listed on a card outer sleeve that holds the box together.
 
Accessories are plentiful, you get standard silicone tips in: XS, S, M and L, a magnetic hard carry case, a cable clip and also a flight adapter. I can’t think of anything else needed, and all the accessories are well presented and of excellent quality.
 
Build quality is very good the cable is sheathed in fabric up to the y-split, the jack is metal and has good strain relief, the only slight issue I have is where the cable exits the y-split there is no strain relief. The microphone with buttons is plastic with metal buttons, the housing of the IEM’s is mainly metal but also there is a slight lack of strain relief on the entry to the housing. Overall good build quality with some areas that could be improved, but I can see these lasting with some care.
 

 
Comfort, Isolation, Cable noise and Driver flex:
Comfort is very good, these require a shallow insertion which does make them comfortable but they don’t feel as secure as some deeper fitting IEM’s. I usually struggle to get a good seal with many out of the packet IEM’s, but these with the S tips fit me perfectly, I think most people will be able to get a good fit with the provided tips.
 
Isolation is fairly average, due to the shallow insertion and the vented housing, this is good for general usage, but not great if you need extra isolation for noisy commutes.
 
Cable noise is present but it’s not a huge issue, and if you have issues with it they include a cable clip that will reduce the cable noise.
 
Driver flex is not an issue with these.
 
Just to note the microphone works well with good clarity and the remote worked fine with my OnePlus Two android phone.
 

 
 
Sound:
Split into the usual categories with a conclusion at the end:
 
Lows: The lows on these are the part that instantly grab your attention, they are big and full with excellent extension but sometimes can be a little too up front and overwhelming. They have more of a mid-bass boost which adds extra body to the sound, and makes them fun and engaging. Kick drums have good body and hit with real air but do lack a little control and speed in fast rock tracks. Bass guitars shine through on these with excellent tonality and presence, but again can become a little overwhelming. Listen to EDM and these can be a lot of fun, and modern pop sounds great with the bass beat being easy to follow but everything is still there.
 
Mids: These IEM’s have a mild v-shaped sound signature and the mids are not up front or the star of the show, however they are not sucked out the point of sounding bad, just a little less upfront than I usually prefer. I find the mids are lacking a little detail and sound very smooth, this doesn’t cause fatigue, but does mean that any music that focuses on the clarity in the mids won’t sound quite right. They are still present enough to be fun and they are very smooth, but ultimately it’s the lows that steal the show.
 
Highs: Again these have a slight v-shaped sound signature and there is a mild boost in the highs but they do avoid harshness and sibilance. The highs depend a lot on what you listen to, and the speed of the music. On slower tracks and pop they sound fine and are quite up front and exciting without being bright. On faster tracks, I find these to become a little congested and the highs fall behind somewhat. I also find that the highs are actually fairly accurate when they they are present in slower tracks, cymbal crashes and taps all sound real without the metallic sheen most lower end IEM’s have.
 
Soundstage isn’t huge but there are some moments when the highs give you a good sense of space, the sound does get a little congested sometimes and there is not a lot of air around instruments.
Instrument separation is good but again there is not a lot of air to separate everything.
 

 
Conclusion: Well these work well for anyone coming from lower end IEM’s and are looking for a good but not expensive IEM. They are also for people who enjoy EDM, Pop, Rap, Hip-Hop etc... As these have a very likeable and enjoyable sound without any fatigue. They are mid-bass driven which makes the above genres a good match, but for fan of rock there are better IEM’s for the price. I find these a lot of fun to listen to and the average consumer will love the sound these have to offer. An engaging mid-bass, smooth mids, and smooth but present highs.
 
Sound Perfection Rating: 7/10 (good fun and good value, but lacking refinement and detail)
Pros: Deeply satisfying texture laden big bass, smooths over harsh treble, pleasurable unboxing, XS eartips, good assortment of accessories
Cons: Intermittent veil on lower mids, treble roll-off, smooths over some treble detail
1MOREEO323-15.jpg
 
 
 

Acknowledgment   

Thanks 1MORE UK for providing this review sample in return for my honest opinion.
 
1MORE UK has provided a coupon code for the readers of this review to use that entitles them to 20% off all 1MORE headphones on uk.1MORE.com:  MRAUG20.

 

Introduction

I heard about 1MORE from a fellow HeadFier, @canali, who told me I should check out the 1MORE triple driver, so I went searching. The auguries from the interwebs seemed to indicate that it was something worth having a listen to in the sub-$100 bracket. Alas, when I contacted 1MORE to propose a review, the triple driver was in such high demand that there were none available for review.
 
When I searched for 1MORE, I was led to the USA website, who thought a review was a good idea, but redirected me to the UK distributor when I put in my address. I didn’t even know there was a UK website, as it didn’t show up on the top of my Google search, hopefully 1MORE UK will do some search engine optimisation in the near future, as it’s a shame for them if people don’t know that their sales avenue exists. According to the 1MORE representative I’ve chatted with, the 1MORE MK801 and 1MORE EO323 are great introductions to their sound, so I’ll be reviewing both of these offerings.
 
The 1MORE EO323 is currently available for $69.99 from the USA 1MORE web store, and £79.99 from the UK store at uk.1more.com. Web searches will find it for you in other places. You know how to use Google. The prices on the USA and UK website show how shoddy the Brexit vote has made the exchange rate over here, but I’m not understanding the extra £10 on the UK price. Usually you end up with the same price), just with a different currency (i.e. £69.99. There’s VAT over here and exchange rate differences, so that is usually pretty fair. Right now the coupon code below mitigates this price discrepancy, but I think that the price should be lowered on this particular headphone just so they aren’t competing with their USA store.
 
If you are in the UK, 1MORE will be at CanJam London with their full line-up available for listen. The IEM in this review is also in the SHaG draw, so there are lots of opportunities coming up to check out this IEM. 
 
Use your discounts in good health! Hope to see some of you at CanJam. Say ‘hi’ if you see me.
 
There are so many great headphones under $100. I just don’t understand why people listen to garbage now.

 

About 1MORE

According to the Wall Street Journal, 1MORE was founded in 2013 by a handful of former Foxconn executives with an in investment from Xiaomi, one of the largest mobile gear manufacturers in China, among other venture capitalist investments. The company is based out of Shenzen, but has roots in the USA in San Diego—a really nice place to have roots with all the great beer, great food, great culture, great weather and endless beaches—and a distributorship in the UK. The team of folks contributing to 1MORE stretches across the globe. They have got an Italian 4 time Grammy winner contributing to sound tuning in Luca Bignardi, and other folks contributing to business operations in Canada, China, the USA, and Denmark. To say that 1MORE has global reach is a bit of an understatement.
 
1MORE aims to have a global brand to match Apple’s big money monkey, Beats, I say monkey because a monkey could have tuned the ones I’ve heard.
 
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Unlike my experience with Beats—though word is they’ve improved a bit, 1MORE wants to make premium quality headphones at midrange prices, instead of making low quality headphones at premium prices. They have a desire for a premium brand and all that entails, but also want to provide premium quality. Like a good potential mate seen across the room at the party, they want to catch you with their style and keep you with their substance—try not to stop for a beer on your way over to her. They’ve piled up some design accolades over the last few years, but I’m not sure what that means about sound. They have a cabinet full of iF design awards, a couple Reddot awards, a Computex award and a couple other awards for headphones they’ve designed under their 1MORE brand and for Xiaomi (or Mi in some models).
 
Like most sensible people I started falling in love with music as a child. My first portable audio device was a Sony Walkman (the cassette kind) that I got when I was 10 years old (24 years ago).  I listened with the cheap Sony on ears that came with the Walkman until I bought a Koss CD boombox and started listening to UAF College Radio and 103.9 (alternative rock at the time) in Fairbanks, Alaska. I once listened to Louie, Louie for 3 days straight, and I’m not insane—did you know there is a Spanish gospel version of Louie, Louie?
Like political tastes and tastes in friends, my musical tastes evolved through association and then rebellion and experimentation. From the songs of my father (The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, ZZ Top), to the songs of my peers (Dr. Dre, Green Day, Nirvana, Weezer), my tastes evolved, expanded and exploded into the polyglot love that is my current musical tapestry. Like a Hieronymous Bosch mural, my tastes can be weird and wonderful: dreamy Japanese garble pop, 8 bit chiptune landscapes percolated with meows, queer punk, Scandinavian black metal; or they can be more main-stream with minglings of Latin guitar, Miles Davis trumpet, and banks of strings and percussion in the Mariinsky Orchestra. Mostly my audio drink of choice is a rich stout pint of heady classic rock and indie/alternative from my musical infancy and identity formation (the 90s). Come as you are, indeed. Beyond the weird, the wonderful, the interesting and accepted, I’m a big fan of intelligent hip-hop artists like Macklemore, Metermaids, Kendrick Lamar, Sage Francis and Aesop Rock. I even dabble in some country from time to time, with First Aid Kit and the man in black making cameos in my canals.
My sonic preferences tend towards a balanced or neutral sound, though I’ll admit to liking a little boosted bass or treble from time to time. If I have to choose between warm and bright, I’ll choose bright almost every time. A few screechy high notes are preferable to me than a foggy unfocused bass guitar. As my tastes are eclectic, and a day of listening can involve frequent shifts in my sonic scenery, I don’t generally want headphones that try to paint my horizons in their own hues. I need headphones that get out of the way, or provide benign or beneficial modifications. I desire graceful lifts like an ice-dancing pairs’ carved arc, not heaving lifts like a man mountain deadlift.
My last hearing test with an audiologist was a long time ago and under strange circumstances. However, I have heard tones all the way down to 10hz and all the way up to 23Khz using headphones in my collection. Either my headphones tend to have a hole in frequency at 18kHz or my hearing does, because I never seem to hear it. I’m sensitive to peaky treble, and treble fatigue, even when I can’t hear what might be causing it. I do enjoy smooth extended treble. I like deep tight bass and impactful drums, and dislike upper mid-bass emphasis.  I like my vocals crisp, so stay away from Josh Tillman’s voice you nasty upper mid-bass hump.  I like air in the stage, not just cues to distance and height, but the feeling of air moving around and through instruments. Soundstage shouldn’t be just about hearing, I need to feel it. I listen at volume levels that others consider loud (78 to 82 dB), but I just set it to where the dynamics peak. I’m not here to shatter my eardrums. I like them just how they are.
I generally don’t believe in using EQ, not even for inexpensive headphones, especially in reviews. I won’t claim that I haven’t done it, but I generally try to avoid it.
I believe that burn-in can make a difference, but I also acknowledge that there isn’t any measurement that appears to give conclusive proof that burn-in exists. I trust my ears, fully acknowledging that my brain may fill in expected details, may colour my interpretation, or may be subject to its own settling period with a headphone. In my experience, burn-in effects are not as large as proponents of burn-in tend to advertise. I’ve also noted that using white/pink/brown noise, I almost never observe changes beyond 24 hours of burn in. When people tell you that you shouldn’t listen to your headphones until they have 200 hours on them, I think these people need to be ignored. No matter what, you should be listening to your headphones at different stages, right out of the box and at intervals. How can someone observe a difference without baseline observations and follow up observations to measure change trajectories? If you really want to be serious about controlling for effect, you need volume matching, source matching, and tip/pad matching.
I’m a firm believer that cables can make a difference, but I don’t think they always do. When I tried out Toxic Cables line, they were in a bunch of baggies at the Cambridge 2015 HeadFi meet without any labels tell me what I was listening to. The cheapest looking one was the one I liked the best. I was excited that I wouldn’t have to spend much to improve my sound. It turned out that the cheapest looking one was the Silver/Gold top of the line cable. I’ve heard the difference that USB cables can make, from upgrading from the crappy cable that came with my Geek Out 1000 to a Supra USB, and then again when upgrading to the LH Labs Lightspeed 2G with the iUSB3.0. When I picked up a cheap shielded power lead from Mains Cables R Us to replace my standard kettle lead on my integrated amplifier, I heard more crunchy and clearer treble. I switched the leads with my wife blinded and she heard the same difference. I didn’t tell her what I heard and let her describe it herself. But cables don’t always make a difference. When I switched from my standard HD650 cable to a custom balanced cable (Custom Cans UK, very affordable), the sound stayed exactly the same when hooked up via a top tier (custom made by my local wire wizard, @dill3000, out of  silver/gold Neotech wire) 4-pin XLR to 6.3mm converter. Balanced mode made a difference in clarity and blackness of background—this indicates that the amp was the deciding influence, not the cable. Your mileage may vary and you may not hear a difference, but I have.

 

Vital Statistics (specs from manufacturers and distributors)

In this section of my reviews I try to let the manufacturer’s story about their product be told. Manufacturers and retailers always have something to say about their products, some of the time it’s accurate. The review sections will tell whether that is the case here.
 
Here’s what usa.1more.com had to say about the EO323:
  1. Dual Drivers - A balanced armature and separate dynamic driver deliver an extremely accurate listening experience with unsurpassed clarity
  2. Expertly Tuned - by Grammy Award Winning Sound Engineer, Luca Bignardi, to deliver a precise representation of your favorite music
  3. Comfortable Ergonomic Design - the oblique angled ear fittings naturally match your ear canals. 4 sets of included ear tip sizes ensure a proper fit for all
  4. Intelligent Control Technology - in-line controls are compatible with Apple iOS and Android, allowing you to conveniently control volume, select songs, and take calls
 
 
Specifications
 
Drivers
Single BA and single three layer composite dynamic driver (specs not listed)
Frequency response
20Hz - 20kHz
Impedance
32Ω
Sensitivity
98 dB
Rated power
5 mW
Cable
1.25m fixed cable with microphone and in-line control (Android and iOS compatible)
Cable material
Enameled copper wire, Kevlar interwoven for strength
Weight
15g
Shell
Aluminum alloy
 

 

Form & Function

Unboxing experience

The 1MORE EO323 is a very pleasurable unbox. It has a black linen finish box with a tasteful aged handmade paper look center band. It looked so good that I couldn’t bring myself to use the tear strip. The tasteful arrangement doesn’t end with the exterior of the box. Inside we find an equally beautiful presentation. The box is divided into two layers of carefully arranged foam compartments. In the top layer reveals the headphone tastefully winding through a layer of foam like a new minted stream flowing down alpine switchbacks. The magnetic clasp pack-of-cards style case forms the basin at the the lower trailhead. Slide off this layer and we find hidden below in carefully designated compartments the eartips in their own matt black box, the metallic branded shirt clip, adaptors, and the manual and promotional materials. Apparently they’ve won some awards for design. All in all very satisfying—cigarette or gum?
 
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Accessories

The 1MORE EO323 comes with an above average set of accessories portrayed in far more than above average manner. I like the feel of the magnetic clasp box and it looks like something the cool kids behind the endzone when it isn’t a football night (American football) would be sporting in their James Dean button up—I’ll cut you! In use, though I think an letter envelope style opening would be more useful as it would resist cable tangling more. I found that when I put my headphones in the headphone box that extricating them involved whipping out my handy dandy pocket SAS (Special Air Service) survival guide for the knots section. After I got used to it, I got better at not tangling the cable. The case looks and feels impressive, but could use a little better functionality. A cable wrap could prevent this issue of tangling just as easily and maintain the cool kid image of the top opening box.
 
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Similarly, the shirt clip isn’t really useful for any type of shirt other than the aforementioned James Dean button up. If I want to clip it to the outside of my waterproof jacket, it will be pretty hard, and might be damaging to the jacket. The clip is made of metal and might loosen up over time, but I decided to not put that time in—I rarely use shirt clips anyway. Using the shirt clip till it was flexible steel would probably mean that I’ve started to care about my physical health again. Wake me when the nightmare is over.
 
I didn’t ride any planes while conducting this review, so didn’t test the plane adaptor. It looks pretty standard.
 
Something I really liked about these is the small but good array of eartips they come with and the general quality of the tips. I found the tips sounded very similar to my Spinfit tips, which is a nice feat for stock tips, were comfortable, and I was impressed with the assortment of sizes. Many IEMs come with only three sizes and if they contain more than three sets of tips it’s because they have foamies or a different style silicone tip, not because they carry extra small tips. I don’t need the extra smalls, but I have a friend who can’t use most IEMs due having a very small ear canal. Next time I see him, I’ll see if he can use the tips—won’t be long as CanJam London is coming right up.

Build Quality

These are light weight headphones, which enhances comfort, but makes me scared to drop them on cement. They look like jewelry in the ear when you wear them. It’s all that rose gold bling—I like it, it makes me feel like Barry Bonds back when people still idolised him. Let that be a lesson in never letting your head outgrow your massive ego. The plastic is white, but doesn’t appear to be of the staining variety. I’ve been wearing them for three or so weeks and there is no evidence of old Super Nintendo yellowing or disintegration of the outside like on my Soundmagic PL30 IEM. Wax from my ears left no stain so I think this white plastic is going to be just fine. The cable is white and rubberised above the y-split and cloth below with a microphone module in the normal location. The buttons for the microphone/music control worked just fine, but I found the call quality to sound a bit muffled. I don’t use headphones for calls generally, so the sample size was one call—take it with a grain of salt and look for other observations as it easily could have just been a bad connection. The rubberised cable makes fitting over ear easier and feels like it will be resist the griminess that can come with that wearing style.

 

Comfort & Isolation

I found that worn up I got deeper insertion than worn down. Walking along heavy traffic with them worn up I was able to almost completely drown out the sound of cars rushing up and down the main thoroughfare. The oblique angles of the headphones had a nice ergonomic fit that aided comfort and isolation. The cable has a little bit of grip to it that helps it stay firmly on my ear and the extended rose gold metallic strain reliefs help put the cable in the right position to stay in place. The cables aren’t very microphonic, but I did have some microphonics from time to time worn down, nothing major. Worn up or down, these were comfortable and light weight.
 
My isolation was pretty good, but I did have one complaint from a co-worker of some sound leakage. I must have been blasting the crap out of these things. I think it comes down to a bit of veiling that can happen on the lower mids, my reaction I think was to turn up the volume to pierce the veil with the added effect of piercing the silence in the office.

 

Audio quality

I’ve done most of my listening out of my DX50 and my LH Labs Geek Out V2. The V2 is pretty neutral with a nice tonal weight, and was probably my best pairing, though the DX50 is no slouch either. Right now I’m listening out of the Arcam rHEAD fed by the GO V2. Tori Amos sounds pretty good, but a little thick out of the rHEAD, she sounds better straight out of the GO V2. Back to the GO V2.
The bass on these drops really low and has gobs of texture and slam. Decay is generally good with a little bit of tendency towards long bass guitar decay, which isn’t actually inaccurate. Bass guitar notes like to hang on the air. When listening to Massive Attack’s Mezzanine on the long walk home from work (long enough to listen twice) I found myself repeatedly exclaiming how deep and textured the bass drops. Bass on City of the Sun – To The Sun And All The Cities In Between was also really good. Many IEMs that have some bass presence to them do this at the cost of losing bass control. The bass on the EO323 is well controlled for the most part. I tend to like a lean taut bass, but I find myself liking the fullness of the bass presentation here. These aren’t basshead IEMs by any means, but the bass quality is good and quantity is a bit north of neutral, but very satisfying. It’s a moreish bass, very tasty. The bass isn’t without faults, as from time to time a gauzy veil falls over the lower mids depending on proximity in the stage to other instruments of the infringing bass.
 
Drum impact is very good with excellent slam and nice decay. Guitars have nice crispy edges. Vocals do well in general, but some male vocals are affected by the intermittent veil in the lower mids. Testing with Josh Tillman’s lovely voice, I find the EO323 maintain a nice round timbre through Father John Misty – Nancy From Now On. The EO323 has a slightly warm mids presentation, and my preferred tips with it for long-term listening boost this warmth a little. It’s a trade-off but not a Faustian bargain, the soul of the sound is still intact.
 
The treble is not extremely extended and has no audible harshness. On treble, I found myself getting a bit of fatigue, but not due to anything I could hear. There is a frequency in treble that makes pressure build in my ears if it spikes too high. When I switched tips from the stock tips to Sony Isolation tips this little bit of treble fatigue was tamed. I experienced the same fatigue with Spinfits, and Comply foamies made the bass too rich and cuddly for my liking—like a cup of cocoa and a teddy bear. I’ll take my crystal clear water thank you very much. The treble is generally clear and there is enough air in the signature but there is a little bit of treble smoothing and roll-off.
 
Soundstage is about average, but well defined. The headphones keep up fairly well on speed. Dragonforce – Heroes of our time has good definition and speed throughout. Overall it is very good performance. There is excellent separation between treble and mids elements in the stage.

 

Comparisons

All the comparators in this section are roughly in the same price bracket as the 1MORE EO323, so I think the comparisons are fair. I used my GO V2 as the source and listened to the following three tracks, all through Tidal HiFi:
  1. Bjork – Black Lake
  2. Pink Floyd – Money
  3. Massive Attack – Teardrop
  4. Kraftwerk – Kometenmelodie2
  5.  

Fidue A65 (low gain: 80)(£50)

The Fidue A65 is a bit more vibrant than the EO323 with less weight in the lower vocal registers and strings. On Bjork – Black Lake the strings are sharper with a less smooth feel. There is more treble present on the A65. Instrumentation is more airy, with a lighter touch. The EO323 is richer, and with a little thicker sound, making depth less apparent. The A65 has a little bit more noise than the EO323, but I’m not sure this isn’t a subtle detail of the music, as at the intro the noise has shape to it, almost like a subtle whooshing sound. This sound is less present in the EO323. On Money, the A65 is much more forward. The bass is further up in the stage than the EO323 but the EO323 has a more focused, more satisfying bass. Mids have more air on the A65. The sound of the A65 is forward in general. I like the saxophone best on the EO323. On Massive Attack – Teardrop, the A65 is too aggressive. Even after turning volume down I felt like the bass and mids were being shoved down my throat. On Kraftwerk – Kometenmelodie2, the A65 lets the razors flow at your ears. That is what the song does, so it’s normal. The EO323 smooths out some of the sharpy sharpy shivs in the treble, which on this track, I think most people would prefer.

 

RHA s500i (low gain: 80)(£40)

After listening to the A65 and now the s500i, I’m convinced that the whooshing at the beginning of Black Lake was intentional. It has almost a biological rhythm, like breathing. The stage height on the s500i is stronger than the EO323 and the A65. Vocals are less emphasized than either of the two previous IEMs. These have the lowest bass quantity, and the sharpest treble. These are definitely on the bright side, but they don’t feel harsh to me. On Pink Floyd – Money the s500i doesn’t sound quite natural in the intro. The registers and coin drops sound a bit thin. Like ma750, the sax has a bit of edginess in Money. The drums  around four minutes lack a bit of body and impact with the s500i, they also smear a little on details, whereas the EO323 does a better job with drums maintaining fast focus and visceral impact.

 

RHA ma750(low gain: 80)(£80)

Less bass quantity than EO323, with more mids focus. The bass of the EO323 is the best in this class so far. It is just immensely satisfying with impressive impact and timbre—just beautifully done. The ma750 sounds lean on bass in comparison. Bjork’s vocals feel more focused and forward on the ma750. The treble is more emphasized which may be what leads pre-sages the increased soundstage width when listening to Pink Floyd – Money (2011 remaster) on the ma750. Sax on money was a little more edgy and aggressive on the ma750 in comparison to the smoothness of the EO323. The upper registers are more articulate on the ma750 than on the EO323 as demonstrated on Kraftwerk – Kometenmelodie2. Like the A65, the shivs are out but not quite as forcefully as the A65 on Kraftwerk – Kometenmelodie2.

 

Conclusions

These are absolutely beautiful for bass. The bass is deep and textured with plenty of impact without being too forward and aggressive. Mids sometimes have a veil over some vocalists and instruments. Treble delivers enough detail, but you really have to listen for some subtle elements as there is a bit of roll-off and smoothing. I found myself enjoying the presentation of bass guitar, drums, and saxophone most with the EO323 in my comparisons to the Fidue A65, RHA s500i and RHA ma750.
 
Across the IEMs I compared it to, I found it keeping pace for the most part. The IEM isn’t my normal signature, as it has a lot more bass power than I generally go for, but I found myself really craving it. The signature is also smoother in most ways than my standard signature. Those looking for a warm IEM with smooth treble and tightly controlled, well textured, big bodied bass accompanied by sexy smooth saxophone and big drum hits will love the sound of the 1MORE EO323.
 
For the money, you get a very good headphone with good accessories and elite packaging quality. Due to limitations in sound stage and lower detail than I generally prefer, I give these a 4 star rating, but the quality of the bass makes it not far off a 4.5. Others may prefer the smoother sound with less treble more than I do, so what is a minor negative for me may be a positive for others. I have really enjoyed listening to these for the past few weeks.
 
For the finish, Avi Kaplan, Mario Jose, and Naomi Samilton can close this out. It's all about that bass—best Meghan Trainor cover.
 
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leesure

1000+ Head-Fier
Pros: Smooth extended treble, liquid midrange, strong, if a little slow, bass. Great looks. Great accessories included.
Cons: Cable doesn't detach. Can get muddy when played LOUD.
There is just so much craptastic dreck in the <$100 IEM category. You know the sort, right? Sizzly sibilant treble that feels like an ice pick to the brain, recessed blurred midrange, bloated slow bass that bleeds into the lower mids so much that every male vocalist sounds like a bad imitation of Pavarotti. Ugh. I find myself unable to bear another mass-market brand asking me to listen to their 'reference' $99 headphones. The inevitable disappointment is depressing.

So there I was, enjoying the sights and sounds of CanJam SoCal, when David Kellogg of 1MORE headphones came up to me and asked me to audition his $99 reference headphones. I politely declined, citing a meeting for which I was overdue...which was true, but I was happy to have an excuse to avoid more disappointment. I promised to stop by later...hoping to avoid just that.

A day later, after several other polite avoidances, David cornered me and I caved in. I brought out my A&K player and Chord Mojo (connected by Drew Baird's awesome mini optical cable), plugged in the $99 1MORE Triple Driver headphones and prepared for the inevitable Sizzle-BOOM.

It never came.

A little bit about me...I prefer a flat response from my headphones. My two reference IEM's are $399 Noble 4's and $1000 Ultimate Ears Reference Monitors...both as flat as a board and a little bass light.

What I heard coming from the Triple Drivers was so close to my references that I had to take them out to make sure someone hadn't played a joke.

$99? This was anything but the usual dreck. David saw my grin and then dropped the next bombshell. The $99 Triples had a little brother, the $69 Dual Driver. I took a listen to these champagne colored beauties and found them even flatter and more musical than the $99 Triples! It was at this point that I had to ask for an opportunity to review them at length. David complied by giving me a loaner pair to take home and spend more time with.

Disclaimer: I also worked out a deal to do some paid work photographing their whole line. That's why there's been a delay in getting the view done...I never listen to the gear I shoot until the shot is wrapped.

Packaging: the packaging is first rate. I've seen FAR worse on headphones costing 5-times as much. Included were total of four rubber tips in different sizes. If you want foam tips, you'll need to get them yourself or step up to the Triple Drivers. Also included is a nice faux leather case and an airplane adaptor.

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Look and build: I'm a fan of the tasteful champagne gold finish on the phones themselves. The cable is non-detachable and very pliant. The wires themselves are jacketed in a fabric cover from the 1/8" jack to the nicely finished metal splitter. From there to the phones, the wires are jacketed in a rubber sleeve. They are not particularly microphonic. The right cable features an iPhone mic and controls. All in all, an impressive build for $69.

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Listening:

I have broken the Dual Drivers in for about 100 hours of music and did my listening through the AK120ii and Chord Mojo.

Cowboy Junkies, Sweet Jane, Trinity Sessions

I started them with a lay up...sorta. I knew from my initial listening that they would perform well with female vocals, and I was correct. What surprised me was their ability to allow the spacial cues from the 360° mic come through so clearly.


Clannad, a Something to Believe In, The Best of Clannad

Ok, now I wanted something with bass. This track has that and then some. The bottom end was a little slow, but played deep and stayed away from the 'EQ Slider Abuse' that is so prevalent in the category.


Coolio, Fantastic Voyage

Bass, you say? Ok. How about some rap/hip hop. Coolio's homage to the Lakeside classic proved a challenge to the Dual Drivers. The bassline was a bit muddy, especially when played loud. I still enjoyed the track, but needed to back off the volume...which was probably a good idea anyway. :wink:


Donald Fagen, IGY, The Nightfly (24bit 48khz)

The gorgeous cymbals in the intro rang with perfect decay and the hyper detailed production was reproduced with stunning accuracy. How much are these again?


Fleetwood Mac, Dreams, Rumours

Driving bassline...check. Gorgeous vocals...check. Toes tapping...check. Ready to move on to the next track...HELL NO.


Incubus, Wish You Were Here, Morning View

This was another example of where the Dual Drivers (DD's) were a little over-matched. The complicated instrumentation and loads of deep bass left the DD's playing catch up. There was smearing during complicated passages. This again improved when I brought the volume down a bit...which my ears appreciated.


Jack Johnson, You and Your Heart, To the Sea

This is what these 'phones were born to play! Simpler instrumentation, great clean vocals, and quality production.


Kings of Leon, Family Tree, Mechanical Bull

I learned my lesson and didn't try to pump up the volume to ear-bleeding levels and found my next experience with rock music much more enjoyable. The bass was driving and clean, the guitars were distinct in their space and the vocals just plain rocked. More toe tapping...LOTS more.


Led Zeppelin, Ramble On, Mother Ship, vol 1

The subtle details shone through so beautifully. Zero complaints. Seriously.


Lyle Lovett, Church, Joshua Judges Ruth

This album is notoriously sibilant. On cheap IEM's, it's like fingernails on a chalkboard. But not today. The S's and T's were smooth and didn't detract from the great wide imaging. Wait...imaging? As in wide soundstage? Yup. I couldn't believe it either.


Stevie Ray Vaughan, Tin Pan Alley, Couldn't Stand the Weather (24bit, 192khz)

I saved my reference demo track for last. I've used this track to test the limits of the $2,999 HifiMan HE-1000's, so there was no way the DD's could possibly stand up to the dynamics, bass and guitar of my favorite Stevie Ray track, right? While they didn't do it justice the way the HE-1000's did, they certainly didn't fail to step up to the challenge. They are attack and kick drum were palpable and SRV's guitar was sublime.

Conclusion: I forgot an important lesson my father taught me...never Assume. You'll just make an ASS out of U and ME. I assumed there was no value to be had in the under $100 (or under $300 for that matter) IEM marketplace.

I was wrong. (Please don't tell my wife I wrote that)

The $69 1MORE Dual Drivers are musical, neutral, well made and aesthetically attractive. If you're in the market for IEM's, are on a budget and like music, run, don't walk, to buy these. You won't be disappointed.

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fritobugger
fritobugger
I tried the Triple and the Dual in Shenzhen last week.  The build and accessories are nice but I found them both to not be balanced enough for me with too much poorly defined bass and a fuzzy high end.

moedawg140

Grand Master Moe "G"….Don't crossface me, bro!
Ping Pong Champ: SF Meet (2016,2017), CanJams (London 2016, RMAF 2016, NYC 2017, SoCal 2017, RMAF 2017)
Pros: Supple midrange, commendable midbass, brilliantly priced
Cons: The 1MORE Triple Driver overall sounds better to my ears (but the Dual Driver embodies a complimentary signature sound)
This will house the TL:DR version of my full review.  The main version is here: http://www.head-fi.org/t/804049/review-1more-e0323-dual-driver-in-ear-headphone-with-in-line-microphone-and-remote.
 
Taken from the Final summary portion of the full review:
 
"The hybrid earphones are a joy to listen to.  It reminds me a lot of the Puro Sound Labs IEM500, but with slightly more "meat" to the presentation.  Meaning, there is more substantial sound in the bass department and warmth throughout the rest of the presentation.  The entire presentation is smooth, and presents the listener with a sound that is very pleasing to the ear.  If you are not a fan of bass, you may not like these, but to a person that wants quality-sounding bass to an overall smooth and warm-liquid presentation, the Dual Driver is an easy recommendation.  Add in the price of admission, and it’s definitely worth a listen and purchase."
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