The 1More EVO noise cancelling earbuds are Hi-Res certified, meaning that just like the Sony WF-1000XM4, it supports Hi-Res streaming over LDAC codec, and their large 10mm drivers are able to reproduce double the frequency range of regular earbuds.

The 1More EVOs are $169 and the Sonys cost $280 on a regular day. But do they actually sound as good, if not better than the Mark 4s, despite the Mark 4s having smaller drivers and a bigger price? It’s not that simple.

Read on, because we will listen to some sample recordings, look at some charts, so that you can have a clearer picture about which one you should go for.

Fit and Stability

In terms of fit and stability, I find that these aren’t tight enough for intensive workouts. They would have been tighter with foam tips like the Sony’s, but for everyday usage these are pretty stable.

Specs and Features

They have up to 5.5 hours in the earbuds and 20 hours with its case (with ANC). It also supports wireless charging, and with multipoint pairing, it can connect up to 2 devices at the same time.

Some other earbuds do have that too, but what makes the EVOs different is that you can still stream in hi-resolution mode from both devices, provided that they both support LDAC. The Sonys don’t have multipoint pairing at all, period. So if you’re a power user, these are a better alternative.

App

The EVO’s 1More app feels fully decked. It is where you choose the noise cancelling presets, activate multipoint, and it’s got sound quality settings that do a fantastic job of tweaking the audio, whether it’s with 12 different presets, a very responsive graphic EQ, and something called SoundID, which really is a shortcut to getting the the buds to sound great by taking a listening quiz.

I’ve recorded the difference between how the EVOs sound like with its default tuning and after SoundID. This is a binaural recording so I recommend putting on some earbuds, that way you get to hear all the details in the recording. Have a listen.

What I don’t like about the app is how sluggish it feels, it takes a while for each action to register, and how limited it is when it comes to customizing the touch controls, cause you can only customize the double and triple tap gestures.

Sound Quality

In terms of sound quality, after comparing these earbuds side by side with both on flat EQ, streaming over LDAC, the only differences I could pick up easily is that the EVOs are brighter in the mids and a bit crisper in the highs, while the XM4s sound heavier and more laid back in the midrange. This means vocals on the XM4 have more body but you’re gonna get more sizzle from the EVOs especially with female vocalists.

The frequency sweep above seems to confirm that, but I’ve also recorded binaural samples comparing the two, so that you can hear the difference for yourself. Have a listen. You can also compare its sound quality to other earbuds on the Sound Samples page.

In terms of bass extension, impact, clean track separation, I have to say that these perform about as well. So it really is all about whether you prefer a bit more sizzle, a bit more sibilance even, or if you want thicker, heavier vocals that sound more authoritative. Otherwise you can always tweak their sound quality through their respective apps to suit your tastes.

By the way, if you’re wondering which of these is louder, they have about the same volume level.

Call Quality

In terms of call quality compared to the Sony WF-1000XM4, the EVOs mic pickup seem to be better. In quiet conditions my voice sounded sharper, cleaner, and in noisy conditions it did better at cancelling background noise than the Sonys. Listen to how they compare in both quiet, and extremely noisy conditions here. (Controlled test under loud cafe style background noise, and wind noise coming from a fan)

Active Noise Cancelling

In terms of noise cancelling, under the same noisy conditions as the call quality test, they seem to be quite comparable at cancelling the lower frequencies. That’s the rumble of a subway train, the droning of a plane’s engine. But the Sonys do a much better job at muffling the midrange, which is the range where human voices are the most prominent. So background chatter in a cafe are gonna be blocked better by the Sonys.

I’m not surprised that the Sonys did better. They do have foam tips after all which are more effective at muffling that kind of noise. But the 1More EVOs are quite effective at cancelling background humming and droning in general, just like the Sonys. Listen to the difference here

Transparency Mode

In terms of transparency, there is no doubt that the Sonys sound a lot cleaner and more transparent. When I am using the EVOs in transparent mode, I was having a little trouble hearing peoples’ voices when I’m speaking to them. It seems like the EVOs weren’t amplifying that frequency range as well as the XM4. Aside from that, if it’s just about being more aware of your surroundings, you won’t have any trouble with the EVOs, they do have very decent passthrough.

Conclusion

Compared to the EVOs, the Sony’s biggest advantage is being more polished as a product. Smaller case, longer battery, its noise cancelling is more powerful, and it has clearer transparency.

But if you’re basing your purchase decision on value, I find the EVOs very compelling because it’s so close to the Sonys in all of those areas, including sound quality.

Its call quality is better, and it’s got multipoint pairing. Being able to switch seamlessly between two devices, taking phone calls on one, listening to music on another, adds a lot of value for power users.

In fact, this product kinda reminds me of the Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro, really leaning in on that value proposition. But off the top of my head, I will rank the Liberty 3 Pro just above the 1More EVO, simply because I prefer the 3 Pro’s tuning. I didn’t even need to tweak it! Out of the box, the Soundcores sound exactly the way I want it. (Your mileage may vary depending on your personal taste in sound)

And it’s cheaper than the EVOs too. That’s more value right there.

If you wanna know more about the Liberty 3 Pro, watch this video over here. But if it’s a more laid back sound signature you want that’s closer to the Sonys, the 1More EVOs are what you should be checking out.