The curiously named 1More is a San Diego-based audio manufacturer, and from the use of Swarovski crystals in some of its designs to sound signatures "expertly tuned" by Grammy-winning sound engineers, let's just say the company seems to have a flair for dramatic marketing. But another aspect of the 1More mission is more intriguing—the company rails against rampant industry "price hiking" and "design shortcuts," with a goal to provide excellent quality at affordable prices. The 1More Triple-Driver In-Ear Headphones—which are actually in-canal earphones—are a reasonably priced $99.99 and ship with a bevy of accessories. There are nine pairs of eartips alone, in varying styles, materials, and sizes. With such a focus on accessories and materials, it wouldn't be a surprise if the earphones were lacking in the audio department. Instead, the sound quality is good enough to earn our Editors' Choice.

Design

As mentioned, 1More puts a real focus on materials. The Triple Driver's ($68.71 at Amazon) earpieces are made from aluminum alloy and the cable is Kevlar, while the look of the earphones is black with brushed gold details. Inside each earpiece, two balanced armatures and a single dynamic driver deliver the audio. It's safe to say that most earphones in this price range do not offer three drivers per channel, so this alone is impressive.

The right earpiece houses an in-line mic and a three-button remote compartment that controls playback, call management, track navigation, and volume. The volume works in conjunction with your mobile device's master volume level.

The array of eartips is truly impressive. As mentioned, you get a whopping nine total pairs. Six of the pairs are silicone tips ranging from 10mm to 14.5mm in size, and the other three are foam tips (which typically offer a more secure fit, more passive ambient noise reduction, and often can create a greater sense of bass response because of the superior seal) ranging in size from 11mm to 14.5mm.

The Triple Driver In-Ear also ships with a magnetic clasping carrying case with a black leather grain finish, as well as a gold-colored shirt clip and a gold-colored airline jack adapter. From a design and accessory standpoint, 1More definitely nails it.

Performance

On tracks with intense sub-bass content, like The Knife's "Silent Shout," the Triple Driver In-Ear delivers a powerful low frequency response. At top, unwise listening levels, the bass does not distort, and at moderate levels, it still sounds deep and robust. However, the Triple Driver In-Ear doesn't invent lows where they don't exist, nor does it even really boost them all that much—if the track has deep lows, you'll get a solid helping, and if it doesn't, you won't hear anything extra.

The focus seems to be more on high-end clarity—the high-mids and highs are crystal clear. Bill Callahan's "Drover," a track with less deep bass in the mix, gives us a more accurate idea of the sound signature. The drums on this track can sound ridiculously unnatural on heavily bass-boosted pairs, but here they sound wonderful. There's a perfect low-end presence, giving the drums the body they possess naturally and nothing more. Just as ideal are the high-mids and highs that lend some treble edge and crispness to Callahan's rich baritone vocals and the attack of the guitar strumming. This is a balanced, clear sound that will appeal to purists seeking high frequency clarity without giving up the bass response.

On Jay-Z and Kanye West's "No Church in the Wild," the kick drum loop receives an ideal level of high-mid presence, highlighting the loop's attack while the lows give the drum's sustain plenty of thump. The sub-bass synth hits that punctuate the beat have plenty of body and depth here, but they aren't exaggerated to the point that they overtake the mix. The vinyl crackle that's usually relegated to the background is more apparent than usual—a sign that, if any range is more boosted than another, it's the highest frequencies.

Orchestral tracks, like the opening scene in John Adams' The Gospel According to the Other Mary, sound phenomenal. You get the richness of the lower register instrumentation and the bright treble edge of the higher register strings, brass, and vocals perfectly complementing each other. The balance here is nearly perfect, with the bass response playing a supporting role without shrinking into the distance—you get a wonderful sense of the space the recording was made in, and ideal clarity throughout the entire frequency range.

Conclusions

I may not be sold on 1More's gimmicky marketing, but there's no denying the Triple Driver In-Ear Headphones sound fantastic, come with a nice haul of accessories, and true to the company's mission statement, they ring in for significantly less than I would have guessed if I tested them not knowing their price. At $100 they're a steal, and easily earn our Editors' Choice. They compare favorably with past favorites, some of which cost significantly more, and all of which are also worth reading up on if you're in the market for a well-balanced in-ear pair. Check out the Bowers & Wilkins C5 Series 2 , the Klipsch Reference X6i ($159.99 at Amazon) , the Focal Sphear ($73.99 at Amazon) , and the Optoma NuForce HEM2 ($129.00 at Amazon UK) for reference. But go into those reviews knowing that the 1More Triple Driver is a winner—and one of the more affordable winners we've tested in quite a while.

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