1MORE SonoFlow Review

Sound quality, comfort, and battery life are easily the best aspect of buying 1MORE SonoFlow. On the other hand, they’re rather average. Read the review for details.

1MORE SonoFlow are relatively affordable noise cancelling headphones with premium features. You would expect most of the latter to come from high-end products. And some of them work pretty well.

Sound quality is a star of the show, especially for $100. Battery life is also a standout, with up to 70 hours of playtime (without ANC).

Also, you can enjoy insanely soft pleather earpads and good quality mic, which ensures that the person on the other side understands you.

You also get an LDAC Bluetooth codec for Hi-Res Audio and a slightly above-average Bluetooth range.

But not everything is as peachy. For example, active noise cancelling and the ambient sound mode are average at best. More on that later.

What else is there to like or dislike about 1MORE SonoFlow? Who are these wireless headphones for?

Find all the answers in the full review below.

Sound

1MORE SonoFlow have a pretty balanced sound out of the box, with good detail retrieval but a lack of air. Custom EQ resolves most of the issues.

1MORE SonoFlow Sound Comparison

Learn how to understand sound comparisons.

Finally, I had a chance to hear headphones tuned by a Grammy-winning producer that don’t sound entirely off.

While they have a modest bass boost and some peaks and dips throughout the mids and highs, you’ll enjoy a smooth, inoffensive sound straight out of the box.

1MORE SonoFlow cost under $100. And for that price, they already sound pretty darn great. If you like quality music on the go, you shouldn’t hesitate to buy.

That said, you’ll still have to do some EQ-ing to make their sound even closer to natural.

1MORE SonoFlow Frequency Response

Bass: Slightly boosted but well-controlled

The “Default” EQ preset has a slight boost in the low end. The elevation is primarily in the sub-bass region, so it doesn’t bleed into the midrange.

Consequently, the bass remains controlled and punchy. It’s also decently tight, which will make rock and metal fans very happy.

Reducing the bass by applying custom EQ makes it slightly tighter and more controlled. That’s especially evident in bass guitars, which sound less muddy.

Midrange: Natural albeit slightly recessed

For the most part, the midrange sounds natural, with some deviations from the neutral target response.

However, dips around 600-800Hz and 3kHz make the sound less impactful and dynamic. For example, there’s some clarity missing in the vocals, and electric guitars lack some of their bite.

Fortunately, you can breathe some life into the sound with provided custom EQ. After doing so, you’ll enjoy a very natural sound performance.

Treble: Missing energy and extension

The only thing adding higher frequencies some energy is that small peak at around 8.5kHz.

However, that’s not enough to bring up the finer details in the highs that would make the sound more interesting.

Boosting the treble with custom EQ helps bring the sound back to life. It adds some air and energy to string instruments and cymbals.

The latter are nicely shimmery but could be more detailed. There’s texture and resolution missing.

Furthermore, the soundstage feels smaller than with some in-ear headphones. While the sound isn’t super intimate, you don’t get the sense of music playing in a room around your head.

On the other hand, the imaging works well, accurately placing the sounds around the sound field. And, you get excellent instrument separation.

Using custom EQ, you can tune the 1MORE SonoFlow almost perfectly. However, it’s the technical performance that’s holding these headphones back.

Especially in the treble, where you don’t get that lovely shimmer and texture that some more premium headphones can provide.

What about wired mode?

Among other things, 1MORE SonoFlow also support wired mode via a 2.5mm audio port. However, headphones have a terrible sound in this mode.

For some reason, the bass is completely loose and muddy, while the mids and treble get even more recessed than in default Bluetooth mode. Thankfully, the battery is long enough so that you don’t have to use the wired mode.

Furthermore, the 2.5mm port is located on the wrong side (an overwhelming majority of wired headphones have the cable on the left earcup).

Comfort & Fit

1MORE SonoFlow have incredibly soft and plush earpads, offering hours of comfortable listening sessions. In contrast, their fit and stability are only suitable for regular use and commuting.

The first thing you notice when you take 1MORE SonoFlow out of the case is the softness the earpads. They’re made of smooth pleather that feels like nothing you’ve ever felt. It’s that soft.

Accompanied with decently thick memory foam, you shouldn’t experience earache even during long listening sessions.

Earcups are oval-shaped and fit your entire earlobes. While the cups aren’t that deep (your ears will touch the foam covering the driver), that wasn’t an issue. At least for me.

Of course, after a year or so of constant use, when the earpads stiffen up, you might start getting some earaches.

Regarding stability, 1MORE SonoFlow are only suitable for regular use and commuting. Basically, you can’t shake your head too much.

The clamping force is relatively light, so even slightly shaking your head causes over-ear headphones to move around.

Consequently, if you’re looking for your next gym partner, you might want to look elsewhere.

Durability

1MORE SonoFlow have a decent build quality with all-plastic construction (except for the headband) but come in a protective hard-shell carrying case.

The SonoFlow are almost entirely plastic, from earcups, frame, and earpads. Only an aluminum plate inside the headband adds some rigidity and flexibility.

Despite that, headphones are put together with minimal tolerances, so they feel pretty well made. They do rattle a little when shaken, but not as much as Anker Soundcore Life Q30.

Speaking of Anker, 1MORE SonoFlow share some design similarities with the latter. They have a similar frame, while the earcups resemble Bose headphones.

Going back to durability, the earpads are soft and smooth, excellent for comfort, but are likely more prone to crack. And what’s worse is that you can’t replace them with new ones.

Therefore, make sure to treat the earpads and headphones properly to extend their life.

One of the standard features among consumer headphones is their foldable design. That and the swivel action enables you to store them safely inside a carrying case without taking up too much space.

The exterior also looks like Anker’s case, but it’s completely different on the inside.

There are clear indicators of where to put each earcup, with 3D molding that prevents headphones from bouncing around inside the case.

And since the case is hard-shell, you can easily toss it in the backpack or luggage without getting your headphones squished.

Battery

1MORE SonoFlow blow the competition out of the water, with 61 hours and 29 minutes of battery life with ANC enabled (in our test). On top, they charge really fast.

1MORE SonoFlow Battery Comparison

It’s always pleasant to see headphones performing better than advertised. And that’s especially the case with the battery life in 1MORE SonoFlow.

While they advertise 50 hours of playtime with ANC, our test showed:

• 61 hours and 29 minutes at 50% volume

That’s more than 10 hours more than what the manufacturer is promising, which is outstanding. With regular use, you can expect to use 1MORE SonoFlow for an entire week before having to recharge.

It’s worth pointing out that 1MORE SonoFlow aren’t the loudest, meaning you have to raise the volume by a stop or two to match other headphones’ volume. Consequently, you get lower battery life.

Furthermore, having such an impressive battery life with ANC is awesome since headphones sound better when you leave ANC on.

On top of that, headphones support fast charging:

• You get 5 hours of battery life for just 5 minutes of charging

Ports: USB-C port

Features

1MORE SonoFlow pack many helpful features like ANC, Transparency mode, companion app, custom EQ, and Soothing Sounds to help you relax and fall asleep.

These headphones come with features you would otherwise expect from more expensive products.

You get ANC and transparency mode, which I’ll cover separately. The main set of features is hidden in the 1MORE app.

In there, you can switch between EQ presets (apparently tweaked by an award-winning sound producer). After the latest app update, you can even make your custom EQ.

Furthermore, the app has the “Soothing sounds” feature, which is present on all 1MORE products but doesn’t work that well.

Unfortunately, you can’t play around with controls, as headphones use physical buttons with specific labels (no touch gestures like on Anker Soundcore Life Q30).

Custom EQ

The last 1MORE app update brought the custom equalizer: EQ (there were only EQ presets at the beginning of my testing).

While choosing the “Classical” preset already offers good results, you can further improve the audio performance with this new custom equalizer.

It offers 10 frequency bands with up to 3dB increase or decrease. That gives you decent control over the sound, and it doesn’t change its volume or introduce distortion.

Soothing sounds

As mentioned, this feature is present on other 1MORE products as well. It offers various every day sounds like rain, winds, nature, etc.

While it sounds like a nice feature to use for relaxation, its execution could be better.

Sounds play around the 7-second loop with a distinct ending and beginning, which puts you out of the zone and irritates rather than relaxes you.

Here’s an audio example of what I mean:

Microphone Quality

Call quality on 1MORE SonoFlow is clear and consistent regardless of the loudness of ambient noise.

1MORE SonoFlow Microphone Test

In perfect conditions, headphones can pick your voice clearly, although you can sound thin. Nonetheless, you remain perfectly understandable throughout the call.

Furthermore, microphones display a similar performance when the ambient noise gets louder. Your voice is slightly more distorted but not overly so.

To sum up, you can use 1MORE Sonoflow to make calls in all situations and expect good results.

Noise Isolation

1MORE SonoFlow have somewhat thin earcups, resulting in relatively average passive noise isolation.

To achieve good passive noise isolation, headphones need thick leather earpads and thick, possibly dampened earcups.

While 1MORE SonoFlow have decently thick earpads, the earcups sound rather hollow when knocked on.

Consequently, there isn’t much dense plastic to block the outside noise from coming in.

Therefore, if you want to avoid using active noise cancelling, playing some music is the only way to overpower louder background noises.

Do 1MORE Sonoflow have sound leakage?

1MORE SonoFlow leak a little bit of sound. That can be troublesome in a quiet library, but less so on public transport. Unless you listen to your music at max volume.

Noise Cancelling

1MORE SonoFlow have a modest ANC that lets through a bit too much noise for a pleasant traveling experience.

1MORE SonoFlow Active Noise Cancelling Test

Active noise cancellation has become a norm in headphones and earbuds under $100. However, only some excel at the task.

The SonoFlow have a decent ANC performance, which isn’t quite on par with the competition (Anker Soundcore Life Q30) or even their true wireless offers (1MORE ComboBuds Mini).

Unfortunately, headphones don’t do that well with low-end hum, passing through some of the engine rumble.

The latter is something that might turn off frequent travelers who want peace and quiet during a flight without playing music.

In general, the SonoFlow reduce all frequencies equally. But that’s not the most optimal when it comes to ANC.

That said, I still recommend leaving the active noise cancellation on since it improves audio quality.

What about ambient sound mode?

1MORE products tend to boost a narrow frequency spectrum to only pass through human voices.

However, the result is a very bright and thin audio boost that is almost unpleasant to listen.

Therefore, if you want to speak to someone next to you, it’s better to take the headphones off your ears.

Bluetooth

1MORE SonoFlow have a stable Bluetooth connection and decent range, on top of offering LDAC audio codec for lossless audio transmission. Also, mobile gaming shows minimal lag.

These headphones use Bluetooth 5.0, ensuring a stable connection when your transmitting device is nearby.

Moreover, the Bluetooth connection range is slightly above average, although you will experience some hiccups.

In my indoor test, the headphones first stuttered when I passed the second brick wall (at around 40 feet or 12.1 meters) but continued working.

That was right until I passed the 50 feet mark (or 15.2 meters) when the headphones stopped playing music.

Compared to other wireless gadgets, 1MORE SonoFlow perform slightly better than the rest. Still, the more expensive Apple AirPods Max and much cheaper TrueFree F1 can do even better.

One thing worth mentioning is that for headphones to support multipoint, you have to first enable the feature inside the app. It’s hidden under the “Experimental features.”

How to pair 1MORE SonoFlow?

1. Headphones enter the pairing mode every time you turn them on, but they don’t connect to a device. You can hear a beeping sound indicating headphones are ready to pair.
2. You can also force them to pair with another device but turning them on and continue holding the power button for 5 seconds or until you see a small white LED flash.

What Bluetooth Codecs Do They Use?

1MORE SonoFlow use a standard SBC, an Apple-friendly AAC, and a high-quality LDAC Bluetooth codec for Android users.

The latter is a bit of a surprise, considering the price. Especially since manufacturers have to pay a fee for implementing special audio codecs, such as aptX or LDAC, raising the product’s price.

While you probably won’t hear any distinct difference with or without LDAC (high bitrate audio makes sense in headphones with much better resolution and detail retrieval), I still left it enabled.

See how to enable LDAC in our dedicated Bluetooth codecs article, where you can learn more about codec’s pros and cons.

Is There an Audio Lag?

There’s virtually no lag when watching video content on social media and YouTube. It also doesn’t matter if you have ANC or not.

On the other hand, there is a split-second lag when playing mobile games. However, that will only agitate the most demanding gamers.

Should You Get 1MORE SonoFlow?

There is a lot to like about 1MORE SonoFlow, especially considering their price of $100.

They’re an excellent choice for budget-oriented audiophiles who want something on the go for a pleasant listening experience.

Furthermore, SonoFlow are a decent choice for people who hold phone calls, at home or outside, and want reliable call quality.

Lastly, these headphones have a fantastic battery life, lasting an entire trip without recharge.

On the flip side, 1MORE SonoFlow aren’t ideal for gym-goers due to the lack of a sweat-resistant IP rating and looser clamping force. Frequent travelers will also want a more effective ANC.

If you are okay with slightly worse sound quality and a bit more rattle due to inferior build quality, Anker Soundcore Life Q30 cost less and have more effective ANC and ambient sound mode.

How do 1MORE SonoFlow compare to the competition?

1MORE SonoFlow Alternatives

Anker Soundcore Life Q30

1MORE ComfoBuds Mini

Edifier W240TN

What’s in the Box?

• 1MORE SonoFlow Bluetooth headphones
• Carrying case
• USB-C charging cable
• 3.5mm to 2.5mm audio cable
• User manual

Specifications