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I get a lot of headphones in for review from brands I’ve never heard of. Most of them are nothing special and some are outright stinkers, but then there are the ones I want to know better. 1More’s Triple Driver in-ear headphone was in the last category, not least because the packaging was elegantly presented and easy to sort out.
The Triple Driver’s beautifully finished aluminum ear pieces and Kevlar-reinforced cable inspired some confidence that this headphone might be able to withstand some abuse. Each earpiece hosts a single dynamic driver, plus two balanced armature drivers. 1More was founded in 2013 and it’s headquartered in Shenzhen, China.
Soundwise, the Triple Driver headphone is full and warm, but nicely detailed. As I continued to listen I really liked what I heard. Midrange tonality next won me over, voices, acoustic, jazz and classical music all sounded natural, a rare feat for a $100 headphone — which is what the Triple Driver sells for.
There’s a sweetness to the sound I find mighty attractive. Then there’s the bass, my Lee “Scratch” Perry dub reggae albums’ low-end went deep enough to massage my eardrums! The Triple Driver’s bass oomph is plentiful and definition is decent enough.
When I compared the Triple Driver with my current favorite under $100 in-ear headphone, the FiiO EX1, the sound was very different. The earpieces of the two designs have a similar shape, but the Triple Driver is finished to a higher standard. The Triple Driver did a better job blocking external noise than the EX1.
The EX1 is much clearer and more transparent, which I like, but when I returned to the Triple Driver the sound was richer, and a welcome change. It was akin to listening to headphones plugged into a tube amplifier, everything was just a little prettier and nicer sounding with the Triple Driver. The EX1’s treble is more exciting, and more accurate, but the Triple Driver’s sound is more of a guilty pleasure. I continued to listen long after I finished taking notes for the review, and that’s always a good sign.
Rather than merely include a bag of jumbled-together ear tips of various sizes and types, the Triple Driver’s eight pairs of silicone and foam tips are neatly mounted on a card, with clearly marked sizes ranging from 10 to 14.5mm. The orderly approach takes some of the guesswork out of selecting the best fitting tip for each ear, especially if your left and right ears require slightly different sized tips. You also get a nice hard carry case to protect the headphones on the go. The non-removable cable has Apple- and Android-compatible controls and mic, the Triple Driver’s impedance is listed at 32 ohms.
1More sent over a bunch of in-ear and full-size headphones with the Triple Driver, so we may be hearing more from this new brand in the future.
