Our Verdict
The 1More Pistons are average, mixed usage headphones. They're more comfortable than typical in-ears and they're super easy to carry around on your person. They have a decently-balanced sound that's good for casual listening. However, their slight lack of isolation and active features means they won't be the most versatile headphones to use in all situations.
- Minimal leakage.
- Compact and comfortable design.
- Slightly muddy sound.
- Mediocre isolation, due to semi-open design.
Average for neutral listening. They have a decently balanced sound but a slightly overemphasized Mid Range which makes them sound a bit boomy and muddy. Our unit also has a slight mismatch which combined with the narrow Soundstage caused by the small in-ear design means they won't be the ideal headphones for neutral listeners.
Decent for commuting. They don't block a lot of noise in very loud environments but they isolate well enough for commuting. They're also quite portable and easy to use.
Above-average for sports thanks to their comfortable fit and breathable design these headphones are barely noticeable once you have them on. Unfortunately, they may not be stable enough for jogging unless you switch to larger tips which may be uncomfortable for some.
Decent for office use. They barely leak so can have your music playing at high volumes and not distract your colleagues. However, they do not isolate enough for very loud environments so they may not be ideal if you have a lively office.
Changelog
- Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.1.
- Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.
- Updated Feb 16, 2018: Converted to Test Bench 1.2.
- Updated Sep 28, 2017: The microphone has been tested with our new methodology, as explained here
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Popular Headphones Comparisons
The Beats Solo Pro are better headphones than the 1More Piston Classic. The Beats are better built, have a more neutral sound profile, which some users may prefer, and have an ANC system that can block out a great amount of ambient noise around you. Some users may prefer their wireless design, and their H1 chip allows you to pair them with other Apple devices. However, the 1More are more comfortable.
The 1More Piston Classic are better headphones than the 1More Piston Fit. The Classic perform better in pretty much every test over the Fit, which is surprising since they are a cheaper variant. The Classic are better-built thanks to a braided cable and metal parts, have a more balanced sound, and even come with a good hard case. On the other hand, the Fit have an angled earbud design and a slightly better microphone for calls.
The Betron YSM1000 are better headphones than the 1More Piston Classic. The Betron might be a bit less comfortable because of their slightly bigger design, but they passively isolate more noise than the 1More and did not have mismatched drivers. On the other hand, the 1More come with a hard case, which is nice considering their very low price point.
Test Results
The 1More Piston look a lot more premium than their price would suggest. They have smaller ear buds than the 1more triple drivers, with a nice brushed metal finish and a port on the back making them semi-open. They come in a couple of color schemes and have a straightforward yet unique inline remote that matches the brushed look of the ear cups. The pistons are sleek-looking headphones with only the audio cable leading to the ear cups feeling a bit cheap.
The 1More Piston classic have an above-average comfortable fit for an in-ear headphone. Their ear buds are a lot smaller and lighter than the 1More Triple and Quad Drivers. This makes the Pistons barely noticeable once in your ears. Unfortunately, they do not come with as many tips as the higher priced models.
The Pistons have a straightforward and efficient control scheme. The buttons are well spaced out, clicky and give you the essential functions; play/pause/call, track skipping, and volume controls. They're also easier to use than typical inline remotes. The buttons are laid out on both sides of the remote which makes it a lot easier to know when you're clicking on the volume controls.
These headphones like most in-ears, have a small footprint and can easily fit into most pockets. They're super easy to carry around on your person.
Comes with a good hard case that doesn't add too much bulk and looks a bit like the Apple Ear Pods' carrying case. It will fit into most pockets and bags, and will protect your headphones against scratches, drops, and impacts as well as minor water damage.
The 1More Piston are better-built than their price would suggest. The ear cups and the inline remote feel dense and durable and the bottom half of the audio cable is braided to make the cable more resistant to wear and tear. However, the top half of the cable which leads to the ear buds feels a lot cheaper than the rest of the build quality.
The Piston Classics are decently stable headphones but not as stable as other in-ears. They barely put any pressure within your ear canal which makes them comfortable but also means that they will easily slip out of your ears from a gentle tug of the audio cable. They should be ok for most casual listening sessions, but they won't be ideal to go running with unless you change to a much bigger tip size which may reduce your comfort level.
Excellent frequency response consistency. If the user is able to achieve proper fit/seal with these earbuds, then they should be able to get a very consistent performance out these in-ears each time.
Average Bass Range performance. Low-bass which is responsible for low-end thump and rumble is lacking by about 3dB. Bass is relatively balanced, but with a tilt favoring upper Bass frequencies. High-bass is overemphasized by more than 6dB, making the Bass of these headphones noticeably boomy.
Average Mid Range performance. Low-mid is over our target by more than 6dB, making mixes cluttered and muddy. Mid is relatively balanced but with a tilt favoring lower mids. High-mid is also relatively balanced, but slightly under our target, negatively affecting the presence and projection of vocals/leads.
Decent Treble Range. Low-treble is underemphasized by about 2dB, slightly hurting the clarity and detail of vocals/leads. Treble is well-balanced and virtually flat.
Mediocre Isolation performance. These headphones don't isolate as much as some other in-ears like the BeatsX or the X2, which is due to their semi-open deisgn. In the Bass Range they barely isolate any noise. In the Mid Range they achieve about 13dB of isolation and 26dB in the Treble Range. Both values being average.
Excellent Leakage performance. The Piston Classic do not leak below 1KHZ. The significant portion of their leakage is between 3KHz and 6KHz, which is a narrow range, but the level of their leakage is moderately loud.
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