Sound Impressions
Bass
The low end of the SonoFlow, with ANC disabled, is on the top side of being ‘bass light’. This performance in quantity remains the same in wired mode without ANC active. This means that the stock version of the headphones without ANC on is relatively lacking in the low-end quantity.
However, that changes when the ANC is active. Bass quantity takes a steep bump upward and hits much harder and more deeply. I then rate the SonoFlow as bass moderate and enjoyably tuned. Without it active though, that is lackluster.
With wired mode, bass quantity takes a nosedive but the purity factor remains the same. With wireless mode and a plethora of 1More app-based EQs, the bass can significantly outperform the wired mode bass quantity while retaining the same general fidelity factor.
Quality and overall fidelity for the price are good, nothing great. The texture, or lack thereof, is the category that is bothering me the most. This is a one-note bass headphone that doesn’t change no matter what source or what type of files I am using.
The SonoFlow has solid bass, and moderately deep-reaching, but it doesn’t continue to rumble on tracks and during movies that I know there is currently some explosive rumble onset. The SonoFlow is not geared for excellent bass depth and response anyway, so it doesn’t surprise me.
Midrange
The SonoFlow midrange is mildly forward and thankfully lacks a severely recessive flare, as most budget models out there seem to toss in their products.
The midrange is vibrant and engaging, and the upper mids are enjoyable and lack a nasal tendency that I find refreshing. The midrange is so tough to get right, you can make it or break it if you aren’t careful.
Glad to see they were careful, as the experience promotes a sense of coherent vibes that do not feel artificially injected. The mids are not forced, they are not bloomed and overly large, or oddly cavernous feeling.
Placement is important and this is a generalized placement, for sure, and one that will play nice with most genres and usages.
Podcasters might love this because the vocal experience doesn’t slam or hit hard, so I can see those who like YouTube and content creation enjoying this model just for the comfort and midrange sleekness it offers.
You can notice this clearly when you disable wireless mode and run off normal 3.5mm wired instead. The vocal experience thickens up and becomes denser, and more coherent. In wireless, that drops off and there is a preset EQ dedicated to fixing this, or at least attempting to fix it in the 1More Music App.
Gamers though, I think single-player gaming modes will be fantastically received in the community with this model. This is a budget headphone that plays better than most gaming headphones for double to triple the price.
But it is in online FPS and sound location usage that this headphone isn’t suitable for. Pinpoint accuracy is not a strong suit, but if you love single-player or non-placement sound-oriented online gaming, this is a great pick.
Treble
The top side of the SonoFlow is a smidgen bright, and not what I could call reserved. The peaks are actionable, meaning they are engaging and fun, offering a good amount of physical slam without being an annoying piece of hardware that I want to toss out the window.
While in wired mode, the headphone performs nicely for the price but takes a step off base when referencing anything treble-oriented in Bluetooth mode.
It again does have some preset EQs in the app that can help out, and you can of course use source-based EQ in apps like Hiby Music or Foobar2000 to make alterations, but the tone and texture of the treble change drastically when swapping between wired and not wired.
The fun factor while staying relatively smooth is also hard to get right and I think they did a good job with that here. The upper mids and the lower treble areas are most often nasal and wonky in budget-tier headphones, but the SonoFlow doesn’t seem to have that problem.
Despite the difference in wired vs non-wired, I still enjoy the treble tone and presentation on both routes. It is a pleasure to listen to for short durations of time.
The top side is enjoyable, but I do admit that after some hours it can get fatiguing. The slam factor is a step past moderate, so expect some good sense of physicality to the experience. Engaging factors are plentiful here.
Soundstage
Imaging is relatively basic and offers just okay width and height factors. Lacking a sense of depth, similar to the FiiO EH3 NC I mentioned briefly earlier. This is not the headphone for you if you want an expansive sound field. It is, though, more than coherently set up in physical attributes.
The SonoFlow staging width is pretty good and the height is just fine also. Depth is fairly good. For $99 though, I am not going to complain.
This isn’t an AD900X, it’s a budget ANC headphone so I am not going to strip points off for that relatively average imaging prowess that is offered on this model.
Synergy
Bluetooth Performance
The SonoFlow performs admirably in fully wireless mode vs its wired mode, thanks to the BT 5. and LDAC decoding capability. The quality of the experience is excellent for a $99 wireless headphone.
In comparison to something like the Yamaha YH-E700A ($287) wireless headphones, this SonoFlow ($99) isn’t that far behind. It’s the tactility that comes with the newer wireless models found in this current generation that impresses me the most.
Not long ago, most, if not all Bluetooth headphones lacked a sense of heft and tonal coherency vs their wired counterparts. Meaning, the physical substance factor of what we’ve come to know as Bluetooth in headphones, simply felt thinner than we needed it to be.
This SonoFlow is a great poster boy for how good budget Bluetooth can sound and how far the technology has been pushed in the last 2 to 3 years.
Wired Performance
Going wired and at 32Ω, the 1More SonoFlow does not need nor benefit in the slightest from any expensive sources that output more power. As a matter of fact, I love the XRK portable amplifier via wired mode more than I do the more expensive TempoTec V6 portable player by itself.
By this, I mean I strap a portable player like the HiBy R2 + the XRK amp and I enjoy that sound in tone way more than what my more expensive amps and sources end up sounding like with this headphone.
Grab a small and lightly powered amp if need be and call it a day. You won’t hear much of a difference between a budget set and a very expensive one.
Since the SonoFlow is slightly warm sounding and leaning toward musically engaging, it is not well suited for neutral or cold setups in your source or amplifier.
This is not a generalist headphone in wired mode. It is more well-suited for usage with slightly warm music sources or amplifiers and performs a bit too harshly on the treble with clinical treble products out there in the audio void.
Select Comparisons
FiiO EH3 NC
The FiiO EH3 NC feels thicker in the substance factor, but also lacks the bright treble the SonoFlow offers. It is almost like someone flipped a switch off on the FiiO, lacking quantity and a top side entirely compared to the SonoFlow. The FiiO is also equally as comfortable in the pad experience.
The ANC on the SonoFlow is much better than the FiiO though. One can easily tell that the world dims much more with the SonoFlow than it does on the FiiO. The bass on the FiiO hits harder in stock mode and wired mode.
There are usages I will opt for with the FiiO and not the SonoFlow. But there are some other areas of listening I want the SonoFlow for that the FiiO EH3 NC cannot compete with. Pick your poison type thing.
Cleer Alpha
At the $200 level, the Cleer Alpha is a SonoFlow on steroids. More bass, and more physical impact, but also a less cohesive and coherently smooth experience that is abundant on the SonoFlow.
The SonoFlow is much lighter and much more comfortable. The Cleer is heavier, bulkier, and more fatigue-prone in fit. The Cleer sounds purer across the board, but it is also more physical, and engaging, with a bass boring on tactile. The SonoFlow is much softer and easier to listen to for long periods.
Yamaha E700A
The E700a is almost three times the price of the SonoFlow, yet there are often times when I vastly prefer the SonoFlow for any relaxation needs. Heck, I take the SonoFlow into the tub with me to chill out for a while, due to the superior comfort factor and a softer appeal in tone.
The Yamaha is on the analytical side in tone, while the SonoFlow is more in the middle, not quite warm, not cold. True, like the Cleer BT headphone, this Yamaha feels purer and cleaner across the board, but it is also lacking the smoothness factor that is abundant in the SonoFlow.
On top of that, the Yamaha is larger and bulky, not nearly as light as the SonoFlow and the Yamaha also clamps a fair bit, which adds to the fatigue factor of discomfort.
Our Verdict
Hey look, the 1MORE SonoFlow retails for $99 and sometimes lower already it seems. This is a top pick for casual audiophile listening on the go without breaking the bank. I’m sure most will love it.
The SonoFlow is cheap and fun, without going too far into being overly warm annoyingly grating, or sharp-sounding.
The ANC features are lovely with strong app integration and excellent battery life. If you run in wired mode though, the experience sounds quite different, so be prepped to offset that with a warmer-than-usual source player and you’ll have a great time.
1MORE SonoFlow Specifications
- Headphones Weight: 250 g
- Dimensions: 170 × 192 × 82 mm
- Battery Capacity: 720 mAh
- Charging Time: 80 minutes
- Playtime (ANC Off): 70 hours
- Playtime (ANC On): 50 hours
- Speaker Impendence: 32 Ω
- Bluetooth Range: 10m (Open space)
- Bluetooth Version: Bluetooth® 5.0
- Bluetooth Protocols: HFP/A2DP/AVRCP
- Input: 5 V = 1.1A
- Working Temperature: 0℃ – 45℃
- Frequency Range: 2.400GHz – 2.4835GHz
