Today, we take a look at 1MORE’s current flagship over ear headset, the 1MORE SonoFlow. The SonoFlow is Hi-Res Audio and Hi-Res Audio Wireless certified, featuring a sound presentation professionally tuned by four-time Grammy award-winning sound engineer, Luca Bignardi. This headset supports LDAC, 1MORE’s QuietMax noise cancellation technology, and a whopping 50 hours of use with ANC active. Originally priced at $99.99, the 1MORE SonoFlow Wireless Active Noise Cancelling Headphones are currently on sale for a discounted $59.99.
Let’s dive into the 1MORE SonoFlow Wireless Active Noise Cancelling Headphones, offered in Black, Silver, and Blue, to see what you get for this very approachable price point.
1MORE SonoFlow Headphone Specs
| Model | HC905 |
| Driver Type | 40mm Dynamic Driver/D |
| Codecs Supported | SBC, AAC, LDAC |
| Headphones Weight | 250 g |
| Dimensions | 170 × 192 × 82 mm |
| Battery Capacity | 720 mAh |
| Charging Time | 80 minutes |
| Playtime(ANC Off) | 70 hours |
| Playtime(ANC On) | 50 hours |
| Speaker Impendance | 32 Ω |
| Bluetooth Range | 10m(Open space) |
| Bluetooth Version | Bluetooth® 5.0 |
| Bluetooth Protocols | HFP/A2DP/AVRCP |
| Input | 5 V = 1.1A |
| Working Temperature | 0℃ – 45℃ |
| Frequency Range | 2.400GHz – 2.4835GHz |
Build and Comfort
A purchase of the 1MORE SonoFlow Wireless ANC Headphones comes with a USB-C to USB-A charging cable, a hard shell carrying case, and a 3.5mm cable for wired use.
The 1MORE SonoFlow house 40mm drivers that sport a DLC (diamond-like-carbon) composite diaphragm and soft PET film. The DLC diaphragm focuses on delivering clear detailed sound while the PET Film devotes itself to the presentation of the bass. The High-Res Audio presentation is then reinforced by the LDAC codec, producing a lossless transmission rate of 990kpbs.
The headset features protein leather earpads with similar soft cushioning for the headband. The headset is quite flexible, allowing you to fold it flat for around-the-neck wear or fold into itself to fit into its included carrying case.
On the right cup, you have volume controls, a 3.5mm jack, a power button, and an “NC” button for toggling between the headsets main three listening modes. The power button controls the headset’s power when held down. However, the same button, when tapped, manages the playing and pausing of media as well as phone call handling. Similarly, the volume buttons also have dual purposes. Holding volume down triggers “next track” while holding volume up triggers “previous track”. The headset’s three listening modes are ANC (active noise cancelation), Pass-Through, and “Off”, where off plays your media without either of the other modes being active.
The left ear cup houses the headset’s USB-C power port. Speaking of power, the headset sports a maximum battery life of 70 hours of continuous playback with ANC inactive. With ANC active, that maximum playback time sits at a still impressive 50 hours. Although, it should be mentioned that these lifespan ratings are based on non-LDAC usage with the headset playing at 50% volume. Should you find yourself in a pinch, five minutes of charging will quickly give the headset five hours of playtime.
The 1MORE SonoFlow sports a basic and sleek build that gets the job done. Headset controls are easy to manage and become accustomed with. Best of all, the SonoFlow’s light 250g weight coupled with its leatherette cushioning make the headset a pleasure to wear. I would use the headset in non-stop five-hour listening sessions without feeling a pinch of wearing fatigue afterwards. It is a basic but effective build for a $99.99 headset, let alone a $59.99 one. So, as far as builds are concerned, the 1MORE SonoFlow did not disappoint.
Features and Performance
Outside of the SonoFlow’s onboard controls, the main assortment of the headset’s features is accessed via the 1MORE Music companion mobile app. When you start up the app for the first time, you are greeted with a product quick guide that introduces you to the headset’s onboard controls.
Using the app, you can toggle the various listening modes, access preset EQ’s, create your own custom EQ’s, and activate the LDAC high-definition codec. You also can manage firmware upgrades and access a selection of soothing sounds to relax to.
The 1MORE Music app is pretty basic and easy to use, giving you access to the kind of options that you would expect from any wireless headset out today.
When it came to performance, the 1MORE SonoFlow was quite impressive. As I do with any headset that offers LDAC, I turned on LDAC from the moment I saw the option. With the SonoFlow’s very long battery life, I was not at all worried about the somewhat increased power drain that using LDAC tends to lead to. From there, I tried out the various EQ presets that come packaged within the app, starting with the default sound presentation, Studio. Here are the EQ’s that stood out the most.
Studio (default) – Studio does a pretty good job at giving you an even sampling of the high, mid and low ranges. Percussion comes in clean, instrumentals are vibrant, and the bass has a very nice presence without being too overbearing. As a “default” preset EQ, Studio gives you a very nice representation of the kind of sound quality that the SonoFlow can offer. If you never changed the SonoFlow’s EQ settings, this EQ produces a nice sound presentation that you can live with.
Bass Reducer – You pretty much get the same presentation that Studio gives you with the low ranges almost fully removed from the presentation. Having tried as many headsets as I have, I can say that this was the most potent version of a canned bass reduction EQ that I have experienced. If you hate bass, then this is the EQ for you.
Bass Booster – As its name suggest, this boosts the bass significantly. Despite being boosted, the bass still stays at a level that is not at all overbearing.
Acoustic – This EQ boosts the instrumentals, while strangely making the overall volume of the sound presentation feel noticeably louder. This seems to be the only EQ that somehow changes the volume of the sound being played.
Vocal Booster – This EQ boosts vocals as its name implies, yet it does so while taking away from the bass. It does not take away as much bass as “Bass Reducer”, but it is effective at letting vocals have the focus.
Hip Hop – To my surprise, this was my favorite preset EQ for the SonoFlow. This EQ gives almost as much bass as Bass Booster, yet it gives you much cleaner percussion and nice vibrance to the vocals. While many of the packaged EQ’s do much to give focus to vocals, instrumentals, and bass, this was the only EQ that gave me the emphasis on the percussion that I wanted. As I favor bass and percussion, this was the EQ for me. This was the EQ setting where I felt I experienced the best that the SonoFlow had to offer.
1MORE’s QuietMax ANC on the SonoFlow is very effective. With audio at just 65% volume, even the loudest of backgrounds are drowned out well by the noise cancelation. I had the chance to truly experience the SonoFlow’s ANC in a busy bar. I tried to squeeze out some work, hours before the Superbowl. While the occasional loud yelling could be heard here and there, it was still pretty muffled. As such, I was more than impressed with the results, as the ANC did a great job at keeping me focused on my media.
Meanwhile, Pass-through worked about as well as I would expect from a “transparency mode”, giving me a good amount of audio awareness of my surroundings. I was able to enjoy my music while maintaining my attention to subway announcements and street traffic.
Neither of the listening modes gave you an option for adjusting their level of intensity. You only have the choice of activating either mode or having both off. Nevertheless, each mode got the job done without affecting the sound presentation coming from the SonoFlow’s drivers.
When it comes to call quality, the SonoFlow’s beamforming mics do a good job at focusing on the wearer’s voice during calls. Call participants on the other end mentioned that they could hear the occasional vehicle driving by whenever I handled calls outdoors. However, the SonoFlow’s focus on my voice was so prominent that those background sounds never distracted others from my speech.
Lastly, the battery life of the SonoFlow is probably one of the best I have experienced in an over-ear headset to date. While a 70-hour usage time with ANC off is eye-opening, it is the 50-hour lifespan with ANC active that really stands out here. You can spend eight hours a day, using the SonoFlow with ANC active, and the headset will still last into the next week. Topping off that no-nonsense battery life is the SonoFlow’s fast charge feature, which gives you five hours of listening from only five minutes of charging.
As far as performance is concerned, 1MORE’s SonoFlow Wireless Active Noise Cancelling Headphones give you a quality experience which blows past its already modest price point. Top marks all around.
Final Thoughts
Even if the 1MORE SonoFlow headset was still priced at its original $99.99, it would still be a headset that outperforms its price point. Now at $59.99, you have a headset with a clear and solid sound presentation, impressive proprietary ANC, and a laughably long battery life on a single charge. If you are looking for a pair of basic wireless ANC over-ear headphones for a bargain price point, you will get that and more from the 1MORE SonoFlow headset.
Check out the 1MORE SonoFlow Wireless Active Noise Cancelling Headphones for yourself by clicking here.
