ZDNET’s key takeaways
- The 1More’s SonoFlow SE headphones supply a no-frills listening expertise, specializing in nice sound, consolation, and battery life.
- At $55, the SonoFlow SE headphones have a 70-hour marathon battery, delivering all-day listening for a small value.
- You will not get any high quality noise-canceling tech, and the bodily button controls might not be ultimate for some.
A good pair of headphones can price you tons of of {dollars} if you would like deluxe options, akin to supreme noise cancellation, fancy audio modes, long-lasting battery life, and extra. And let’s be sincere — many individuals aren’t keen to spend that a lot cash on one piece of tech that they solely use a number of hours a day.
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1More’s newest launch provides to its over-ear headphones line with the 1More SonoFlow SE headphones. The SonoFlow SE differs from its predecessor, the 1More SonoFlowin a number of methods, slicing again on audio high quality, noise-canceling, and different stylistic options in lieu of affordability.
So, are you able to discover a good pair of headphones for lower than $60? I believe you may, however it is best to mood your expectations. Here is how the Sonoflow SE fared throughout two weeks of testing.
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1More SonoFlow SE headphones
These budget-friendly headphones ship sturdy sound high quality and lengthy playback instances at an inexpensive $55 price ticket.
The Sonoflow SE’s sound high quality is nice, however its power will depend on your listening quantity. For instance, after I listened to Sampha’s Suspended at a low quantity whereas using on the subway, the sound got here out tinny and hole.
The extra refined notes of the music did not totally ship on low-to-medium quantity, because the decrease frequencies of the music failed to face out. Nevertheless, you do get lovely and strong sound at increased quantity ranges, because of the 40mm dynamic driver contained in the ear cups. Whereas listening to Sampha’s Solely at the next quantity, the complexities of the artist’s voice got here by way of stronger, the bass grew to become extra profound, and the background vocals and instrumentals shimmered.
I attempted out the headphones in numerous environments, from quiet workplace areas and break rooms to loud subway automobiles, and I discovered the energetic noise cancellation (ANC) not as efficient in noisy environments.
On the subway, the place you’d ideally need the clanging noise of equipment to be muffled, I might hear practically each sound outdoors of my headphones with noise cancellation on, and fidgeting with the ANC button produced negligible outcomes.
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The Sonoflow SE headphones are light-weight and really comfy, however their construct high quality is much less sturdy than your costlier choices. I wore these headphones for a whole workday, freed from any head, neck, or ear pressure.
At over 70 hours of playback, the battery life is long-lasting, and if that you must replenish your depleted battery, 5 minutes of charging provides 5 hours of playback. Once you flip the headphones on, a voice will announce the headphones’ battery standing, which is useful for those who do not need to entry the app for battery life stats. I wore these headphones on the workplace, and it took a number of lengthy workdays earlier than I acquired the battery right down to 50%.
The button controls to show the headphones on or off are finicky, as they’re all located proper subsequent to one another. As an alternative of a button for pausing and taking part in audio, it’s important to press the facility button, which took me a while to get used to.
I discovered it’s important to press the facility button for 3 seconds to show the headphones on and as much as six seconds to show them off. I’ve generally unintentionally saved the headphones powered on longer than I wished due to this counterintuitive function, successfully draining the battery.
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I voice-recorded myself to check out the microphone capabilities. Once I performed the recording again, I sounded a smidge muffled and metallic. I would not suggest these headphones for those who’re planning to participate in lots of voice calls or Zoom conferences. However for pure consolation and music-listening functions at a terrific value, the SonoFlow SE headphones work properly.
ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation
The 1More Sonoflow SE headphones are the reply for anybody in search of an honest pair of inexpensive headphones. In case you’re in search of a pair of uber-budget-friendly headphones that promise nice sound and lengthy battery life, the 1More Sonoflow SE headphones are for you. However bear in mind, for $55, you are getting what you pay for, plus just a little extra in some classes.
If you’d like sturdy noise-canceling options for an inexpensive value, these will not reduce it. The noise cancellation does not ship, and so they’ll depart you inclined to interruptions in noisy environments. I can see these headphones being a terrific workplace companion if you do not need your costly headphones to go away the home.
However if you would like a pair of comfy headphones that may final you a few days earlier than even considering of recharging, the SonoFlow SE headphones are worthy of your consideration.
