Nina Raemont/ZDNETZDNET’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 worth.You will not get any high quality noise-canceling tech, and the bodily button controls will not be preferrred for some.
A good pair of headphones can value you tons of of {dollars} if you need deluxe options, comparable to supreme noise cancellation, fancy audio modes, long-lasting battery life, and extra. And let’s be trustworthy — many individuals aren’t keen to spend that a lot cash on one piece of tech that they solely use a couple 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 SonoFlow, in a couple 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’ll be able to, however it’s 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 robust sound high quality and lengthy playback occasions at an inexpensive $55 price ticket.
The Sonoflow SE’s sound high quality is nice, however its power relies 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 delicate notes of the tune did not absolutely ship on low-to-medium quantity, because the decrease frequencies of the tune failed to face out. Nevertheless, you do get stunning and sturdy sound at greater quantity ranges, because of the 40mm dynamic driver contained in the ear cups. Whereas listening to Sampha’s Solely at a better quantity, the complexities of the artist’s voice got here by means of stronger, the bass grew to become extra profound, and the background vocals and instrumentals shimmered.
I attempted out the headphones in varied environments, from quiet workplace areas and break rooms to loud subway automobiles, and I discovered the lively 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 almost each sound outdoors of my headphones with noise cancellation on, and twiddling 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 complete workday, freed from any head, neck, or ear pressure.
At over 70 hours of playback, the battery life is long-lasting, and if you should replenish your depleted battery, 5 minutes of charging presents 5 hours of playback. While you flip the headphones on, a voice will announce the headphones’ battery standing, which is useful should you do not need to entry the app for battery life stats. I wore these headphones on the workplace, and it took a couple of lengthy workdays earlier than I bought the battery right down to 50%.
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The button controls to show the headphones on or off are finicky, as they’re all located proper subsequent to one another. As a substitute of a button for pausing and taking part in audio, you need to press the ability button, which took me a while to get used to.
I discovered you need to press the ability button for 3 seconds to show the headphones on and as much as six seconds to show them off. I’ve generally by chance stored the headphones powered on longer than I wished due to this counterintuitive characteristic, successfully draining the battery.
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I voice-recorded myself to check out the microphone capabilities. After I performed the recording again, I sounded a smidge muffled and metallic. I would not suggest these headphones should you’re planning to participate in lots of voice calls or Zoom conferences. However for pure consolation and music-listening functions at a fantastic worth, 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. Should 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 a bit of extra in some classes.
If you need robust noise-canceling options for an inexpensive worth, these will not minimize it. The noise cancellation does not ship, and so they’ll go away you vulnerable to interruptions in noisy environments. I can see these headphones being a fantastic workplace companion if you don’t need your costly headphones to go away the home.
However if you need a pair of comfy headphones that can final you a few days earlier than even pondering of recharging, the SonoFlow SE headphones are worthy of your consideration.