Looks, Feels, Build Quality:
The in-ear bodies are fully made of aluminium and feature a golden and dark colour scheme, with the darker colour almost reminding me of Mercedes-Benz’ “Bornit Metallic 481” colour code when seen under strong light.
The cable is coated with woven fabric below the y-split, and while it looks and feels nice and even offers a few subtle blue accents, I am not a fan of a cable of this type as it is likely to fray over time and might also soak sweat.
Above the y-split, the cable is a very sturdy appearing rubber cable with a three-button remote control on the right side. Strain relief is sufficient, however there is no chin-slider.
Comfort, Isolation:
The E1001 is an in-ear that is strictly designed to be worn with the cables down, like the majority of cheaper in-ears. The difference though is that with the 1More, it is almost only possible to wear it with the cable down, whereas with the other in-ears, they can also easily be worn with the cables guided around the ears.
Compared to the more professional wearing style with the cable guided over the ears and also due to the lack of a chin-slider, this will logically also introduce more cable noise, known as microphonics.
The E1001 has got about average isolation – it is neither super weak nor very strong.
Sound:
My main source devices for listening were the iBasso DX80, Cowon Plenue M2 and HiFime 9018d.
The largest included silicone tips were used for listening and testing.
Tonality:
By the way, the small inner-facing vent hole can change the tonality from “bassy” to “bass-heavy” when it is totally covered, which might be the case depending on your ear anatomy. In my ears, it is closer to the latter.
“Bassy” and “musical” are attributes that come into my mind when thinking of the E1001.
In my ears, listening to music and using sine sweeps, I hear the lows as starting to climb around 750 Hz, reaching the climax around 90 Hz. It then stays upright until 38 Hz and loses a little quantity towards 20 Hz, making the bass more midbassy than sub-bassy with a strong emphasis of 12 dB compared to a diffuse-field flat in-ear like the Etymotic ER-4S in my ears. Due to the rather early starting emphasis, the root is also on the somewhat warmer and fuller side, adding body and musicality to the sound.
1 kHz, the frequency of the central mids, is somewhat recessed, however it climbs towards 3 and 4 k Hz, making the midrange sound warm and a little bright at the same time, but also slightly hollow as a result.
Around 6 kHz, I can hear a rather narrow dip that gives headroom for the lower treble/upper midrange emphasis and adds smoothness to the sound due to reducing some of the midrange’s overtones.
I can hear some peaks in the super highs above 10 kHz that, while not as important for music information, will add some good subtle sparkle, air and extension to the music.
In general, I would consider the sound as being warm and bassy, "musical" and with a v-shaped midrange that doesn’t make vocals appear strange/too alienated but could use a little more level around 1 kHz.
Lower-range instruments, while on the fuller and emphasised side, don’t sound boomy and don’t spill into the mids but are musical, mellow and warm. It is what I would call an “inviting” sound.
In the highs, the E1001 sounds quite smooth, with correct timing and neither too short nor too long decay.
Resolution:
In terms of midrange and treble, the E1001 sounds reasonably detailed for the price, without being edgy or unnatural. Its treble puts out a good amount of small details that are among the better at this price point, and high notes appear to be quite well-rendered and -separated. While good, don't expect the uber-hyped performance of higher-tier in-ears that is sometimes spread about the E1001
Speech intelligibility is quite good and while the 1More is not among the very best in-ears I know at this price point that are however single-BA in-ears, it is definitely in the upper third.
What I am certainly not so happy about is the bass – the E1001 is not the best-suiting in-ear for faster tracks and genres, that’s for sure. Its bass is not that tight and also not that fast, wherefore it is close to being muddy. The only thing that prevents me from calling it muddy is its decay that is still fast enough to make low notes halfway distinguishable, nonetheless the attack is quite soft and the sound is definitely rather on the slower side. I know some superior in-ears in terms of bass quality (speed, tightness, details), however less than five in about the same price range come into my mind that are even slower and looser sounding in the lower frequency range.
Due to the lows, I find the sound also to be not as coherent as it could be, and also that the bottom-end could put out somewhat more details, hence showing more quality than quantity. Nope, they could have done it better. I can definitely listen to the 1More and the fun tuning isn't done too bad at all, along with rather detailed mids and highs for the price, but the loose bass doesn't really blend in all that well and leaves the impression of an incomplete in-ear with bass and probably also phase issues.
In summary, I personally would have wished that 1More left the dynamic driver out and went for a dual- or triple-BA design. The E1001 is definitely an in-ear that fits better to slower and softer music, which is a shame.
Soundstage:
The spatial presentation is quite convincing – the E1001 sounds quite open, with a wider than average base and solid spatial depth that is a little less present than when compared to the width. Instrument separation is solid for the price, too, however the layering on the Z axis could be slightly more precise.
The in-ear bodies are fully made of aluminium and feature a golden and dark colour scheme, with the darker colour almost reminding me of Mercedes-Benz’ “Bornit Metallic 481” colour code when seen under strong light.
The cable is coated with woven fabric below the y-split, and while it looks and feels nice and even offers a few subtle blue accents, I am not a fan of a cable of this type as it is likely to fray over time and might also soak sweat.
Above the y-split, the cable is a very sturdy appearing rubber cable with a three-button remote control on the right side. Strain relief is sufficient, however there is no chin-slider.
Comfort, Isolation:
The E1001 is an in-ear that is strictly designed to be worn with the cables down, like the majority of cheaper in-ears. The difference though is that with the 1More, it is almost only possible to wear it with the cable down, whereas with the other in-ears, they can also easily be worn with the cables guided around the ears.
Compared to the more professional wearing style with the cable guided over the ears and also due to the lack of a chin-slider, this will logically also introduce more cable noise, known as microphonics.
The E1001 has got about average isolation – it is neither super weak nor very strong.
Sound:
My main source devices for listening were the iBasso DX80, Cowon Plenue M2 and HiFime 9018d.
The largest included silicone tips were used for listening and testing.
Tonality:
By the way, the small inner-facing vent hole can change the tonality from “bassy” to “bass-heavy” when it is totally covered, which might be the case depending on your ear anatomy. In my ears, it is closer to the latter.
“Bassy” and “musical” are attributes that come into my mind when thinking of the E1001.
In my ears, listening to music and using sine sweeps, I hear the lows as starting to climb around 750 Hz, reaching the climax around 90 Hz. It then stays upright until 38 Hz and loses a little quantity towards 20 Hz, making the bass more midbassy than sub-bassy with a strong emphasis of 12 dB compared to a diffuse-field flat in-ear like the Etymotic ER-4S in my ears. Due to the rather early starting emphasis, the root is also on the somewhat warmer and fuller side, adding body and musicality to the sound.
1 kHz, the frequency of the central mids, is somewhat recessed, however it climbs towards 3 and 4 k Hz, making the midrange sound warm and a little bright at the same time, but also slightly hollow as a result.
Around 6 kHz, I can hear a rather narrow dip that gives headroom for the lower treble/upper midrange emphasis and adds smoothness to the sound due to reducing some of the midrange’s overtones.
I can hear some peaks in the super highs above 10 kHz that, while not as important for music information, will add some good subtle sparkle, air and extension to the music.
In general, I would consider the sound as being warm and bassy, "musical" and with a v-shaped midrange that doesn’t make vocals appear strange/too alienated but could use a little more level around 1 kHz.
Lower-range instruments, while on the fuller and emphasised side, don’t sound boomy and don’t spill into the mids but are musical, mellow and warm. It is what I would call an “inviting” sound.
In the highs, the E1001 sounds quite smooth, with correct timing and neither too short nor too long decay.
Resolution:
In terms of midrange and treble, the E1001 sounds reasonably detailed for the price, without being edgy or unnatural. Its treble puts out a good amount of small details that are among the better at this price point, and high notes appear to be quite well-rendered and -separated. While good, don't expect the uber-hyped performance of higher-tier in-ears that is sometimes spread about the E1001
Speech intelligibility is quite good and while the 1More is not among the very best in-ears I know at this price point that are however single-BA in-ears, it is definitely in the upper third.
What I am certainly not so happy about is the bass – the E1001 is not the best-suiting in-ear for faster tracks and genres, that’s for sure. Its bass is not that tight and also not that fast, wherefore it is close to being muddy. The only thing that prevents me from calling it muddy is its decay that is still fast enough to make low notes halfway distinguishable, nonetheless the attack is quite soft and the sound is definitely rather on the slower side. I know some superior in-ears in terms of bass quality (speed, tightness, details), however less than five in about the same price range come into my mind that are even slower and looser sounding in the lower frequency range.
Due to the lows, I find the sound also to be not as coherent as it could be, and also that the bottom-end could put out somewhat more details, hence showing more quality than quantity. Nope, they could have done it better. I can definitely listen to the 1More and the fun tuning isn't done too bad at all, along with rather detailed mids and highs for the price, but the loose bass doesn't really blend in all that well and leaves the impression of an incomplete in-ear with bass and probably also phase issues.
In summary, I personally would have wished that 1More left the dynamic driver out and went for a dual- or triple-BA design. The E1001 is definitely an in-ear that fits better to slower and softer music, which is a shame.
Soundstage:
The spatial presentation is quite convincing – the E1001 sounds quite open, with a wider than average base and solid spatial depth that is a little less present than when compared to the width. Instrument separation is solid for the price, too, however the layering on the Z axis could be slightly more precise.
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In Comparison with other In-Ears:
Fidue A65:
The Fidue has got less bass (about half as much in my ears), comparable warmth in the root (a bit less actually) and the less warm lower vocals and better presence in the central vocals. In the highs, it is a bit darker and somewhat more even than the E1001 but decays slightly too fast in the upper treble, making cymbals sound a bit subdued due to their quick decay.
In terms of bass quality, I definitely see the Fidue (way) before the 1More, as it is simply tighter, faster and better controlled down there and sounds more coherent. I also see it as being superior to the E1001 in the midrange, however only by a very small margin. In the treble, I hear the 1More as being somewhat more detailed.
The A65’s soundstage is smaller but somewhat more precise to my ears.
Fidue A73:
The A73 has got less bass quantity than the E1001 but still a prominent but not overdone bottom-end. It has also got some warmth in the root but is ultimately a bit less warm in the midrange. The Fidue has got a little more quantity in the lower treble and about the same amount in the upper highs.
The A73’s bass decays a little slower than the 1More’s, however its attack is better defined and its bottom-end sounds more detailed and less soft than the E1001’s, wherefore I see the A73 as slightly superior here in the lows. What it does a good bit better though is the impression of "cohesion" where the bass-to-midrange-transiotion of the different types of drivers (BA and dynamic) seems to be better-made wherefore it has got that soft dynamic driver body, however with decent definition and a cohesive sound. I see both more or less on the same level in the midrange and treble with a slight advantage for the Fidue in the mids and the slightly better separation with cymbals.
The A73 has got the larger soundstage to my ears and also features the somewhat better separation.
PMV A 01:
The A 01 has got a few dB less bass in my ears (depending on your ear anatomy, the PMV’s bass might however also be noticeably less present). In the mids, it’s the PMV that is leaner, and its treble is also brighter. The 1More has got the more even highs in comparison.
The A 01’s bass has got less softness and is more responsive. In the mids and treble, I see a slight advantage for the E1001 in terms of detail retrieval.
The A 01’s soundstage is slightly wider and a little better separated.
1MORE C1002:
The C1002 has got the less forward, audibly more balanced bass to my ears. Its midrange is less warm, with more presence in the central mids and the brighter upper mids to my ears. Unlike the E1001, the dual-driver doesn’t show a smoothness-creating dip in the middle highs at 6 kHz and is actually even emphasised in the middle and upper highs, which ultimately makes it the sharper and peakier in-ear with the less even, even unpleasant highs. Both have some peaks above 10 kHz and a really good extension, however the C1002 could definitely trigger sibilance for some people.
In terms of bass quality, the dual-driver is definitely superior to the triple-driver, featuring more tightness and speed. I would also say that the C1002 sounds more detailed in the bass. In the mids and treble, the E1001 sounds a little more differentiated and has got the slightly higher speech intelligibility while its central mids are less present.
In terms of soundstage, I hear the C1002 as having about as much spatial width as the triple-driver, however with slightly more spatial depth. In terms of instrument separation, the E1001 is very slightly ahead to my ears.
AAW Nebula 2:
The Nebula 2 has got the same bass quantity in the sub- and midbass to my ears while its upper bass is a bit stronger than the 1More’s. The E1001 is the warmer in-ear in the root. The AAW has got the tonally flatter mids that aren’t v-shaped unlike the 1More’s. The 1More’s middle treble appears a bit darker because of its 6 kHz dip whereas it has got the brighter upper treble.
The AAW has got the quicker and tighter bass along with the more refined and detailed midrange and treble.
Both have got about the same soundstage size and feature comparable spatial precision.
Conclusion:
The packaging and accessories are great and the sound signature is a full sounding v-shape fun signature with enough counteracting brightness in the midrange, however the E1001 has got several flaws such as the fabric-coated cable without any chin-slider, and most severely its dynamic driver bass that just doesn't blend in well at all with its lack of tightness, quality and temporal coherency, which is an obvious opposite to the mids and highs that show very reasonable resolution for the price.