Connection Stability & Battery
Testing Conditions: Android 12 & Snapdragon 865 equipped phone, LDAC codec forced 909-990kbps via dev. options, Sonoflow set to LDAC via 1More App.
1More has never let us down in terms of signal stability in any of their products and their track record in this regard is stellar. Sonoflow offers us a stable signal even when we force-feed it 900+ kbps through Android’s developer options. Impressive. Do note that using LDAC in this configuration and activating ANC at the same time (a.k.a torture) drops the battery life to around 40 hours, which is still crazy good in my book. Apart from that, the device can be fully charged for around 80 minutes and 5 min charge gets us more than 3 hours of playback. If you are an Apple user, you are bound to use AAC codec and you can expect to see much better battery life. We will discuss the impact of the codec on sound quality in the next chapter.
ANC with QuietMax Technology
Sonoflow provides good passive isolation with memory foam ear cushions and comes with QuietMax ANC technology. We have already experienced QuietMax in 1More’s TWS IEMs called the Evo. In Sonoflow, ANC cuts the fan noise of my full-tower desktop PC, which is easily around 35 dB. Although it does not offer as good an ANC experience as Bose’s QuietComfort 45 or Sony’s XM5, which are almost 3 times more expensive, it does a stellar good job for the asking price. On top of that, the Transparency Mode works quite well.
Call Quality
Sonoflow is equipped with 5 beamforming microphones powered by an AI-powered algorithm. The microphones are very good at picking up your voice and as background and human chatter noise increase, your voice is transmitted a little thinner than it should be, but there’s not a huge difference in clarity. Overall I had the opportunity to test Sonoflow for an extended period with both discord and phone calls and I can confidently say that Sonoflow really does a great job here.
1More Sonoflow Wireless ANC Headphones – Sound
1More’s Sonoflow has a slightly warm sound signature with an emphasis on the bass. Before I continue, I’d like to point out that Sonoflow’s sound quality through the LDAC codec is significantly better than AAC. Sonoflow’s 40mm driver is quite capable and the tracks I listened to through Android using the LDAC codec were marginally better in technical aspects than the tracks I listened to through the iPhone. Do not get me wrong here, as someone who uses both two phones (an iPhone and an Android) daily, it’s nothing new that iPhone users in general have codec limitations with wireless audiophile gear compared to Android users, but I’d like to point out that I noticed a bigger difference with the Sonoflow compared to the gear we’ve tried before.
For the price, the Sonoflow is still very competitive, even when used with Apple devices. When I listened to the same track volume matched on Apple and Android with the AAC and LDAC codecs, I experienced first-hand that in AAC, the bass bleeds into the midrange and completely saturates the midrange, making it feel stickier and less resolving. We’ll talk about that more, soon.
Let’s take a closer look at the bass response. The Sonoflow is capable of producing deep and round bass and its bass presentation are slightly emphasized over the rest of the spectrum. This contributes to the fun factor and improves its all-rounder capabilities. The Sonoflow has a signature that can be loved by the masses, it sounds vivid, dynamic, and clean. The midrange of the Sonoflow is a lot thicker via LDAC compared to AAC. The note-weight is presented more realistically through the LDAC codec. The instruments sound authoritative and it is easier to follow them on stage. The headphones have surprisingly good imaging followed by a medium-sized stage, both in width and depth. The instrument separation is impressive through the LDAC for the price. The headphones excel at bass-centric genres thanks to their impactful bass with good extension to the sub-region.
The midbass is a tad too much for my taste and it hurts the PRaT, especially during complex passages with multiple instruments on the stage. The midrange is articulate, the vocals are adequately clean and details are presented well enough. The upper midrange is tuned conservatively and plays well with the rest of the signature without being too smudgy or too forward. The extension is somewhat limited and that hurts the spaciousness feeling but in turn, we get a smoother and warmer presentation that could be liked by the masses. The treble range follows the footsteps of the upper midrange with a smooth presentation that carries adequate detail and offers a limited extension.
This tuning is especially appealing to those who are sensitive to high frequencies, or to those who are first introduced to hi-res audio. Considering that these are more of commute headphones and not for critical listening, it’s not hard to guess why 1More and Luca Bignardi decided on this tuning. Underneath my critical point of view, I would like to reiterate that Sonoflow is a full-fledged wireless headphone that can be purchased for only $80, which is much less than what its competitors are asking for, and that I find Sonoflow incredibly good for the asking price.
In addition, activating ANC has a slight negative impact on sound quality. With the ANC active, note thickness feels a little thinner than ANC-off, and instrument separation feels a little more congestion-prone. The resolution takes a small hit as well, but these do not really matter if you are going to use it in crowded environments where the noise around you will undermine the experience, anyway. If I were to EQ this headphone, I would try -3 dB in the mid-bass region and +2/3 dB in the upper mid and treble to get a more balanced signature.
Last Words
Frankly, we can easily say that Sonoflow has no competitor in this price bracket. It offers a unique experience in terms of features, build, and material quality. Not only that, it comes with a sound tuning that could be well-loved by the masses. It comes equipped with capable microphones and does not disappoint when it comes to ANC performance either. Although it doesn’t please me much in terms of button layout, this is a factor that can be easily overlooked compared to what it offers. It is my pleasure to recommend 1More’s Sonoflow as it ticks all of my boxes and offers a killer price-to-performance ratio.
The 1More Sonoflow is now featured on our Recommended Wireless Buy list where it’s in good company.
Page 1: 1More, Sonoflow, Packaging & Accessories, Design & Build Quality, Controls & App Support
Page 2: Connection Stability & Battery, ANC, Call Quality, Sound Quality, Last Words
