If you haven’t tried a pair of 1More’s headphones or earbuds and you have a keen eye for audio on a tight budget, what have you been doing?
The 1More SonoFlow SE is an ultra-budget focused set of headphones that hone in on everything you want: great audio, ANC that outstrips more expensive competitors, excellent battery life, and comfortable to wear.
You’ll struggle to find better value with almost any other set of headphones, which makes the 1More SonoFlow SE wireless headphones easy to recommend to anyone who wants portable audio on a tight budget.
1MORE SonoFlow SE
The 1More SonoFlow SE headphones offer exceptional value, combining quality audio, effective active noise cancellation (ANC), and a comfortable design. Key features include an impressive 70-hour battery life (50 hours with ANC), fast charging, and well-balanced sound with 40mm dynamic drivers. Although lacking high-end audio codecs like LDAC, they excel in their price range, while the 1More Music app adds customizable EQ settings, enhancing the overall user experience.
Lightweight, But Decent Enough Build Quality
Weighing 240g (8.47oz) and featuring a predominantly plastic build, the 1More SonoFlow are easy to slip on and off; the lightweight design allows you to wear these cans for hours at a time. The clamping pressure is just right for my head, and I believe the ear cushions and padding are nearly identical between the original SonoFlow and the SonoFlow SE. The adjustable headband features similar cushioning and is comfortable, and I like how the ear cups move easily when you turn your head.
Indeed, I found the1More SonoFlow very comfortable, and given the newer SonoFlow SE uses effectively the same design, this is no surprise.
Like the original, the SonoFlow SE also folds down neatly. However, as these are the more budget-focused siblings, there is no additional carry case this time. Nor is there a colored flourish inside the SonoFlow SE earcups, but the overall design is good and comfortable, and that’s what counts most.
The stripped-back design also means fewer buttons. You’ll find the power button, volume controls, and ANC switch buttons around the bottom of the right earcup. All of the buttons work well, registering inputs fast and smoothly.
Outstanding Battery Life, But LDAC and Hi-Res Certification Are Gone
Now, given the SonoFlow SE is even more budget-focused than the SonoFlow, some features are missing from the original package. But 1More has been smart about what to strip back, and they’re bang on the money by opting for battery life over a fancy Hi-Res Certification and Sony’s LDAC codec for high-quality audio streaming.
It wasn’t a hard choice to make; most folks will use headphones like these with Spotify or similar, so what’s the point in attempting to include high-quality audio options?
Much better is the excellent 70-hour battery life the SonoFlow SE boasts, keeping your music playing for days upon days, which is the true feature most folks want. The battery life drops to around 50 hours when you use ANC, but as with most headphones, you’ll find your experience is somewhere in the middle, depending on volume, ANC use, etc.
Handily, the SonoFlow SE inherits the SonoFlow’s excellent fast charging feature, which delivers a substantial five hours of playback on a rapid five-minute charge.
The SonoFlow SE uses Bluetooth 5.0 and the SBC and AAC codecs, so your music will still sound just fine.
Note also that the SonoFlow SE doesn’t have an IP rating, so don’t take these out in the rain.
Great Audio Quality and ANC for the Price
Now, given the price of the SonoFlow SE—retailing for around $55—the audio quality is top-notch. Again, this is somewhat expected as the audio quality on the SonoFlow was good, and the newer model uses the same 40mm dynamic composite drivers with a 20Hz to 20KHz frequency range.
It delivers in spades. The SonoFlow SE are mostly well-balanced, and, importantly, they don’t feature a heavy “V” shaped tuning that over-emphasizes bass and treble. It’s not a completely neutral or flat tuning, as these aren’t reference headphones. Still, given the number of headphones and earbuds at this price that look good but sound terrible, 1More has pushed its development into the right areas.
The SonoFlow SE sounds good when tested against a range of musical genres. I’ve been listening to Geese’s excellent 3D Country, and the SonoFlow SE faithfully recreates the album’s twisting melodies, dynamic tempo changes, and switches between singing, harmonizing, and straight-up shouting. I always test any headphones and earbuds with a Crosby, Stills, and Nash (or CSNY album), and the SonoFlow SE mostly faithfully recreates the trio’s lilting harmonies and elegant, intertwining melodies. It’s not quite the full range, as you’d expect at this price, but equally, wow at this price.
The other area the SonoFlow SE punches massively above their weight is active noise cancellation. 1More’s headphones and earbuds quietly deliver ANC that massively outstrips the more expensive competition. I found the SonoFlow SE ANC able to cope well with the background news of a busy cafe, but like most headphones, the lower rumbles of a bus are more evident. Still, overall performance is great.
There is also a pass-through ANC mode that works as it should; the overemphasis and additional amplification from pass-through modes are overbearing no matter the headphones, and it is no different here.
EQ Customization Options in the 1More Music App
The 1More Music app is a useful additional tool for the SonoFlow SE headphones, featuring custom EQ options, ANC switching, and the somewhat niche Soothing Sounds (a catalog of gentle, nature-based sounds for background noise).
As for the custom EQ tools, 1More’s offering is good, giving you control over ten different frequencies and the option to save multiple custom tunings. It’s well worth using if you end up going for the SonoFlow SE, and it is also how you’ll receive firmware updates.
The SonoFlow SE Headphones Deliver Excellent Value for Money
The1More SonoFlow SE ANC headphones retail for $55and are an absolute steal.
Sure, they don’t have LDAC or Hi-Res audio, but for most folks, those are extras, not requirements. Given the money saved on these headphones without those features, along with the 70 hours of battery life, custom EQ options, and great audio quality, it’s hard to see where the downsides of the SonoFlow SE are.
If you’re looking for budget headphones, I strongly suggest you try the SonoFlow SE; you won’t regret it.
