Nice high quality doesn’t have to come back at a excessive worth; a mantra 1More continues to perpetuate every time it releases new headphones or wi-fi earbuds. What makes this all of the extra compelling is that the corporate doesn’t skimp out alongside the best way.
The SonoFlow Professional HQ51 are a major instance of that. It is a pair of over-ear headphones following up on the earlier SonoFlow, which proved themselves as critical upstarts in their very own proper as one of many finest headphones underneath $100. You do make sacrifices when paying lower than $100 however you stretch out each greenback right here towards some actual worth every time you employ them.
The corporate already had a powerful basis to work with from the earlier SonoFlow, which explains why the Professional HQ51 bears such a powerful resemblance. Other than shade variances, every part else is in the identical place, from the hinges to button placement. They fold up precisely the identical manner, although these show simpler to put into the included case as a result of there are not any indents inside. There’s extra room for cables, too.
Protecting it acquainted
On the headphones themselves, 1More makes use of what appears like the identical leather-based for the ear cushions and headband. This can be a good concept, given how delicate and cozy it was the primary time round. The reminiscence foam inside additionally feels plush with out constraining your head over longer listening classes. It additionally helps that the headphones are light-weight, with good hinges for the ear cups. Match is so subjective, however these ought to really feel nice.
Granted, they might not come off as all that thrilling simply taking a look at them. The corporate selected to not make any aesthetic adjustments aside from the black and blue shade variants. The SonoFlow Professional HQ51 aren’t flashy, although that hardly makes them ugly. They simply haven’t got a selected design trademark, except you rely the Louboutin-style purple interior ear material a pleasant contact.
I’ll say, off the bat, that I might watch out about utilizing these headphones for runs or exercises. They do not have an IP score, so with none official water resistance, you are taking an opportunity each time you sweat whereas carrying them.
For those who’re keen to do this, you could like that there are bodily buttons for all controls right here. The NC button cycles between energetic noise cancelation (ANC), transparency, and turning each off. Quantity buttons do the apparent, however you can even maintain Vol+ to return a observe or Vol– to skip one. Press the ability button as soon as to play/pause or reply/grasp up a name. Double-press it, and your cellphone’s voice assistant will get up.
Sounding above their weight
I discovered it attention-grabbing that 1More went into launching these headphones with some boastful claims. Merely suggesting {that a} pair of sub-$100 cans might ship decrease complete harmonic distortion than Sony’s WH-1000XM5 is a attain. The final concept for any pair of headphones is larger THD means extra distortion within the audio sign, which impacts sound high quality.
Slight variances are arduous to measure for many ears, so do not look into that an excessive amount of right here. I’ve no possible way of verifying 1More’s declare apart from testing each headphones and coming to the conclusion that I am unable to detect any audible distinction with regards to distortion ranges, particularly.
This declare comes primarily from the brand new 40mm diamond-like carbon drivers 1More put within the SonoFlow Professional HQ51. It additionally has one thing to do with the very fact they help the LDAC hi-res Bluetooth codec.
Total, sound high quality is excellent—higher than the earlier SonoFlow. The largest distinction to my ears is the mids, reflecting a stability that does proper by the stable bass and treble you get from the Professional HQ51. You may hear this just a bit extra with hi-res tracks from streaming companies like Tidal, Amazon Music, and Qobuz, although you will additionally catch the advance with extra compressed audio from Spotify and different sources.
LDAC help is not there by default since it’s worthwhile to flip it on within the app underneath the Shortcuts menu. Observe that doing so means you’ll be able to’t have spatial audio on, so that you’re pressured to decide on between them every time.
Regardless of throwing some shade at Sony, 1More’s finest transfer is delivering the sort of sound many will in all probability agree with. Resonant, with good bass and crisp highs, their efficiency out of the field nonetheless does not inform the complete story.
As earlier than, the 1More app provides you an EQ with 12 presets plus the choice to create your personal. The Studio preset is a flat curve, which represents 1More’s default tuning for these headphones. You will get fairly inventive right here as a result of it is a 10-band EQ for extra exact tuning changes — one thing not typical for cheaper headphones. Testing each the presets and your personal customized ones is value your time as a result of they’ll actually change what sort of sound you get.
As earlier than, the 1More app provides you an EQ with 12 presets plus the choice to create your personal.
ANC and transparency have a job to play right here as effectively. Chances are you’ll discover that turning each off (in a quiet place) permits somewhat extra of the mids and highs to come back out. I did not discover instantly however my ears sensed a distinction. Not that utilizing noise-cancelation is unhealthy. Audio sounds nice with it engaged.
As for the act of truly canceling background noise, do not count on Sony or Bose-level silence right here. That would not be a good expectation anyway however I can inform you these do a stable job coping with low-frequency sounds. Nothing groundbreaking, thoughts you, simply higher than you may count on for headphones on this worth vary.
It is truly the passive isolation you get from the comfortable match that helps loads. ANC augments that and makes for a pleasant mixture if you’re attempting to not hear what is going on on round you. Transparency is ok if you do, even when there’s nothing all that stunning about it in comparison with the earlier SonoFlow headphones.
Calls and different options
Wired playback is an choice when you want it. 1More features a 2.5mm-to-3.5mm cable for such a goal. You lose out on the ancillary options if you do, and you might have to boost the amount extra typically whereas listening that manner. It appears like a miss provided that different budget-friendly headphones have managed to a minimum of go away some entry.
For cellphone calls, you should utilize the headphones both manner as a result of the cable has an inline microphone. Once more, you will have to follow Bluetooth if you would like extras whereas speaking, just like the onboard mics drowning out a few of the background noise to listen to callers higher. In my checks, callers did not level out any main points, although in addition they did not lavish reward on name high quality, for what that is value.
The SonoFlow Professional HQ51 help multipoint connections to remain paired with two units concurrently. Right here, too, you will have to allow the function first underneath the “Experimental Options” menu underneath Settings. Toggling it on reboots the headphones, so preserve that in thoughts if you want it.
Unbelievable battery life
The SonoFlow Professional HQ51 are rated at as much as 100 hours with ANC off. Depart ANC on, and you may go as much as 65 hours. Each figures are simply ridiculous in a great way. Whereas they’re based mostly on default quantity ranges and with out another notable parts thrown in, like LDAC or spatial audio, you’ll be able to relaxation assured these cans will play for a very long time earlier than you hear a low battery warning.
I had them for weeks earlier than scripting this overview and solely needed to cost them as soon as. I might hear for hours and barely see the battery proportion drop. No matter what options you employ or quantity you favor, energy consumption is not one thing it’s worthwhile to fear about right here.
And when you do, a five-minute fast cost may give you as much as 10 hours of playback (ANC off), which feels sort of mind-boggling.
Headphones value each greenback
The 1More SonoFlow Professional HQ51 really feel like a cut price, plain and easy. For $100 (or much less, given 1More’s routine reductions), you get over-ear headphones that not solely outperform their worth but additionally serve discover in opposition to some that price double the worth. You are not getting over-ears able to unseating the flagships among the many finest wi-fi headphones, however that is not the purpose.
These headphones are a giant worth proposition in that they ship greater than you may in any other case count on. Nice sound enhances the stable function set and seemingly infinite battery life. While you’re merely seeking to get the fundamentals proper, the SonoFlow Professional HQ51 offers you all these and extra.
Unbelievable worth
The 1More SonoFlow Professional HQ51 headphones can play for as much as 65 hours with noise cancelation on, solely including to the wonderful worth add you get with them. Their nice sound will preserve you listening to all of the content material you like.
