1MORE Quad Driver Review (IEM)

[staticV3]

Nozzle filters and cables mostly.
Pay some more and you can get replaceable nozzles and also dip switches to change the frequency response (that's a kind of modularity, right?)

 

[Timcognito]

I also owned this and a few Triples before it. Since they were always intended to be used with a phone I rarely used them un-EQ'd and quite enjoyed them. Funny enough, I actually found that airplane adaptor floating around the house a few weeks ago.

My two main complaints were the pointyness at the end of the shell (made it difficult to rest anything against you ear) and the unreplaceable cables (which weren't bad but there are better designs on the market) which meant when the cable inevitably got damaged the entire thing had to go. Lasted a long time though, would easily say I got my money's worth.

Yes the bass can be exaggerated but at least it exists compared to so many other IEMs and it has low distortion. When these broke it took a while to find a replacement candidate (JVC HA-FDX1 in the end) because so many others on the market at the time either had reasonable prices but no bass (and/or high distortion) or insane prices and questionable design choices (*cough* Campfire). Glad to see it get its day in the sun, I remember so many people nay-saying the 1More Triple and Quad as not Hi-Fi because they were coming out of Asia with reasonable prices.

I'm even tempted to get their new TWS and send it for review but that market isn't quite there yet I feel in terms of features I would like. Very very soon though (thanks to the EU forcing better consumer laws).

My experience is the same. They have been a stalwart for two years running ($120 on sale). Hate to think I'm a bass-head but that shoe may be bit too comfortable.

 

[PeteL]

Nozzle filters and cables mostly.
Pay some more and you can get replaceable nozzles and also dip switches to change the frequency response (that's a kind of modularity, right?)

OK thanks, I'm late in the game I guess.. Interesting but I rather pick one that I like, and not mess with it, but I get that appeal for the modding crowd.. That alone don't make a great IEM tough. And it's a tiny market share that would have interest for this type of things.

 

[Rottmannash]

I hope @amirm will measure the Tin T4 soon-it's a relatively inexpensive IEM and sounds surprisingly good.

 

[staticV3]

@PeteL
Replaceable cables are an actual game-changer though and have become a staple of even the cheapest chinese Hifi IEMs.
After all, it's always the cable that breaks first on an IEM, and so you can just buy a new cable and keep on using the IEM.


In my opinion, a fixed cable is acceptable up to $30-40.
If an IEM costs more than that, then a non-replaceable cable really is an dealbreaker for me.

 

[staticV3]

I hope amirm will measure the Tin T4 soon-it's a relatively inexpensive IEM and sounds surprisingly good.

Why buy a T4 for $110 if you can get a Moondrop Aria or Dunu Titan S for $80, the last two having more robust connectors, a more ergonomic shell, and better QC.


The T4 was a great choice two years ago imo.

 

[PeteL]

@PeteL
Replaceable cables are an actual game-changer though and have become a staple of even the cheapest chifi IEMs.
After all, it's always the cable that breaks first on an IEM, and so you can just buy a new one and keep on using the IEM.
View attachment 205488 View attachment 205489

In my opinion, a fixed cable is acceptable up to $30-40.
If an IEM costs more than that, then a non-replaceable cable really is an dealbreaker for me.

I get it yeah, I guess... Each have it's own must have and it's OK. I think this comes with quite a nice variety of tips already, which is key for IEM performance. Now the OP was putting 1More in the same sentence as Bose, mentioning it lost their edge, I mean.... Yeah of course this product is diluted in a see of choices, not evrybody has to get the huge home run to have a spot on the field. I am just thinking this is good performance, tilted to a certain crowd of bass lovers. Nothing wrong with that. Bose did lose some of their polish but hey it is still one of the largest Audio Equipment brand on the planet with many order of magnitude larger sales numbers than a company like that. That don't mean it's a fail, no one will be Bose with just a decade or so of existence. To me this is a decent offering, and I am sure they don't do that bad, not the catastrophic down hill that the OP refered to.

As of me... TBH I use as my daily earphone the 400$ Grado GR10e... With a fixed cable... Never had problems for years, Not being particularly careful, and fairly heavy use... Guess I'm lucky but yeah I guess I'm not the right one to assess the value that people put in such things. I understand it, but I can't relate.

I think detachable cable add weight and bulk. Confort, ultra light weight is something I value. If it doesn't compromise reliability and sound of course.

 

[staticV3]

To me, the tuning just looks bad, not even good *if you like bass.
A good bass IEM will boost sub and mid bass but leave the mids alone and the Quad is not that.

 

[PeteL]

To me, the tuning just looks bad, not even good *if you like bass.
A good bass IEM will boost sub and mid bass but leave the mids alone and the Quad is not that.
View attachment 205495

Ok, I will not comment on that, I mentioned before that I think taste still play a big role and that I don't think that would be my cup of tea personally. I am saying that they do well on the other metrics, yes we can criticize that frequency responseé This is a bit different than what Amir measured tough. Looks pretty compliant between 500 and 2.5K to me but yeah that 3k drop is a bit much.

 

[lewdish]

What is modular components?

Simple things like a detachable cables~

 

[vkvedam]

Question: who the heck still uses those airplane 2-plugs as to need this adapter???

Some airlines, Emirates flights for example

 

[Doodski]

Those were really good like 5 years ago when chi-fi iems weren't a thing yet. I didn't expect that any reviewer would bother reviewing them in 2022

The admin and moderators decided that using the term, "Chi-Fi" is not allowed at ASR. The reason is some peeps use it as a racist derogatory term and so it has been banned.

@staticV3 ditto.
(Replaceable cables are an actual game-changer though and have become a staple of even the cheapest chifi IEMs.)

 

[staticV3]

Edited my post to say Chinese HiFi instead. Give racism no chance!

 

[Keened]

I think detachable cable add weight and bulk. Confort, ultra light weight is something I value. If it doesn't compromise reliability and sound of course.

I disagree, it is entirely possible to have better cables and I have found at least one pair. But definitely it's worth it in general because earbuds, unlike full blow headphones, get treated a lot rougher getting balled up and stuffed in pockets and such.

 

[PeteL]

I disagree, it is entirely possible to have better cables and I have found at least one pair. But definitely it's worth it in general because earbuds, unlike full blow headphones, get treated a lot rougher getting balled up and stuffed in pockets and such.

Better based on which metric?

 

[Keened]

Better based on which metric?

Weight, microphonics, durability, and potentially resistance to EMI from the twisted pairing. A 90 degree plug with flex protection, a decent microphone and controls, and decent MMCX tips were also important so I chose this particular cable, but you can get 'cheap' litz cables from a ton of companies these days if you don't need a mic. They are the default cable that should be included with every wired portable pair IMHO.

 

[Rottmannash]

Why buy a T4 for $110 if you can get a Moondrop Aria or Dunu Titan S for $80, the last two having more robust connectors, a more ergonomic shell, and better QC.
View attachment 205490

The T4 was a great choice two years ago imo.

I'll have to look into those-how does the Moondrop compare to the Blessing 2 (which I have)?

 

[RHO]

I'll have to look into those-how does the Moondrop compare to the Blessing 2 (which I have)?

They are both Moondrop.

Squiglink - IEM frequency response database by Super* Review

Compare hundreds of frequency response graphs between IEMs and earphones from manufacturers like Moondrop, Sony, 64 Audio, Fiio, and more.

squig.link

 

[Theodore8]

Question: who the heck still uses those airplane 2-plugs as to need this adapter???

Business class seats on Swiss International Airlines long-range B777s still require this adapter... and the aircraft are only 5 years old on average. So I assume that other airlines seats do too...

And if someone questions using IEMs on board an aircraft: wearing over-ear headphones, even comfortable ones, can get really tiring after more than 5-6 hours...

 

[amirm]

Business class seats on Swiss International Airlines long-range B777s still require this adapter... and the aircraft are only 5 years old on average. So I assume that other airlines seats do too...

Must be a Europe thing then. In all of my flying, I think I only saw these two connectors once or twice.