Today, we review the 1MORE Sonoflow which is a wireless closed-back active noise-canceling headphone with BT5.0 and LDAC decoding support. It is priced at $99.99.
Disclaimer: This is a sample sent to us in exchange for our honest opinion. Headfonics is an independent website with no affiliate links or status. We thank 1MORE for this opportunity.
To read more about 1MORE products that we have previously covered on Headfonics click here.
Note, that this article follows our latest scoring guidelines which you can read here.
It has been some time since a 1More full-size headphone was on my noggin’. I’ve had some experience with their IEMs in the past such as the Triple Driver and Quad Driver, so finally getting the chance to hear something new and full-size from them was a real treat for me.
Wireless, LDAC, and ANC for cheap? Sign me up as soon as possible, please, and thank you! There can be no counterargument that for the price, the SonoFlow is a bargain and a half.
Over the review process, I found myself reaching out for this headphone, on the go, more and more over time. Comfort, quality, and responsiveness. These are all boxes I had checked off early on.
Tech Highlights
The 1MORE SonoFlow is a wireless closed-back portable headphone with both active noise-canceling and up to LDAC decoding capability via a BT5.0 capable SoC.
It also offers a dual-device connection and clear call support using 5 ENC mics. You also get ambient noise control, app integration, and wired support in case you want to play it a bit ‘old school’ and prolong the battery life.
Proprietary ANC
1More has developed what they call “QuietMax™”, which seems to get the job done fairly well, considering the budget pricing of this model.
I am sure a lot of people are going to try to copy this in the next year or two because it performs very well for such a low cost. I do enjoy transparency mode, which lets you stop the ANC and hear what’s up around you. I like features with this type of capability.
Driver
The 1More SonoFlow uses a 40mm dynamic driver with a DLC (Diamond-like Carbon) composite diaphragm in a closed-back design.
Grammy winner Luca Bignardi has tuned the SonoFlow to his liking and I would like to buy him a beer if we ever meet. He seems to know musicality and fun factors are not lost causes in the audiophile circuit, and that makes me happy.
The headphones themselves are not overly exaggerated on the bass end, but it is firm and can become potent with the right EQ. This is a headphone that slightly leans towards a musical flare in tonality.
Design
The SonoFlow is a closed-back over-the-ear design, fairly lightweight, and very comfortable. In fact, I haven’t seen another headphone like this use these extremely soft leather imitation materials since the FiiO EH3 NC.
Sivga used a similar type recently in the Oriole, but they weren’t ANC headphones. Interestingly again, the more expensive and newer Clear Alpha ANC uses inferior pads than this much cheaper SonoFlow.
The design is highly appealing to me. It is not as large as some other ANC models such as the uber high-end Mark Levinson No 5909, yet it retains a great fit for me without any discomfort.
I give the SonoFlow high marks on the comfort rating. The caliper pressure is fairly light and combined with super plush pads, the headphone ends up being one of the more comfortable sets I’ve used all year.
Isolation
The SonoFlow isolates very well, for the price. For just $99, this is a steal and I suspect this will be a nice option for those who don’t want to spend more on a Bose or Sony variant.
Without the ANC on, the isolation is still pretty good and noticeably better than other closed-back headphones I have that do not have any ANC in them.
Tapping the ANC NoiseMax activation button on the earcup is capable of totally drowning out the sound of bathwater or a shower, and loud box fans, even a TV nearby are significantly dimmed down. ANC ratings are very good for the SonoFlow, impressive even for the price.
Battery
1More cites that the SonoFlow is capable of 70 hours of usage, whereas I have found that number to be a fair bit below the 70 mark.
Still, though, the headphones charge very quickly and will offer a few hours of usage with just 5 minutes or so of quick charge juice. Even 40 hours is an absolutely gargantuan amount of usage in one smaller headphone like this, and I have received more than 40 hours.
The usage cycle seems to depend on which mode I am currently in and what the volume levels are. I would say 40 hours is average with ANC active. And that is magnificent. An 8-hour trip with ANC only degraded the battery by about 20% or so.
App Integration
You can hop over to the Android Play Store or the Apple marketplace and download the 1More Music app. Doing so will unlock a slew of EQ presets and you’ll also want this for access to fast notifications about firmware updates for your 1More headphones.
I am most fond of the Vocal Booster option, which upticks the midrange and lower-treble areas a tad to allow for a more forward and engaging presentation. It does seem to tank the bass quantity a bit, so I usually only use modes like this for YouTube, movies, or gaming needs.
While paired wirelessly, the EQ sets in the app are designed to offset the naturally lacking tone and heft that instantly comes with wireless connections. These tone issues include general physicality and a strong sense of depth.
However, oddly, with active noise cancelation mode active, the bass quality in wireless mode outperforms wired mode, which might be a bonus for owners.
Voice Call Quality
Call quality is average for a $99 tier headphone. Noticeably hiss in the background and a pronounced forwardness on the receiving end were the end result of my testing.
The experience lacks a sense of bass depth in the voice, which instead takes a more crystalline thinness tonality approach. I frequent the app Telegram in voice chat mode often, and I am told that my voice while paired with my phone and this SonoFlow is a typical sound quality that is presented to the ground listening to me.
When I swap to something like the Sennheiser Momentum 4 (3-4x the price of the SonoFlow) I am met with praise for how excellent my voice sounds.
Now, despite that, we should not denounce the SonoFlow at all. At the $99 level, the quality of the voice experience through gaming chat and normal phone calls is just good overall.
Stock Cable
I don’t have too much in the way of thoughts on this. The stock cable is generic and likely not even intended to be used.
One earcup has a 2.5mm port in case you do want to use the wired version 3.5mm terminated cable, but I am not sure why you would ever want that, because the ANC mode enhances the bass and crispness of the experience audibly and the stock wired experience entirely lacks that dynamic.
At this price point, I don’t care what cable is used especially not for an ANC sub $99. Odds are good I’ll never touch it again.
Packaging & Accessories
The 1MORE Sonoflow box is fairly standard, including a nice hard zipper case, a 3.5mm cable, a USB-C charging cable, and the headphones themselves. I do enjoy the way the SonoFlow is smartly folded while in the case to save as much space as possible when on the go.
The USB cable is Quick Charge enabled, testing with a voltage app confirmed it can handle it. Look for a lower-tier older quick-charging device that doesn’t output more than 25w or so.
A small experiment was run, the SonoFlow will not charge any faster with a very high-quality fast charger vs a lower-tier one. They charge the same rate, so just grab a cheap one that puts out like 20w quick charge and save yourself the trouble of buying an expensive brick for that. No need.
5 minutes on quick charge = a few hours of playback, which is excellent. Think about that. Your flight is in 10m and your battery is dead and 0%. You forgot to charge it. Find an outlet, sometimes airports have them on the waiting lobby area seats, 5 minutes gets you a few hours. Amen.
Click on page 2 below for sound impressions and our select comparisons.
