Keep reading to see if the 1More Design Super Bass meet the high standards of their Xiaomi counterparts.
Xiaomi’s Piston earphones have been received with applause and great reviews, but what about a pair of earphones from the company that makes Xiaomi’s audio products?
It’s easy to see Xiaomi as this huge powerhouse that can turn its hand at building and creating all types of great products, but in reality Xiaomi works with a lot of design houses or partners to bring us their excellent products.
The Xiaomi action camera is actually a Xiao Yi product. Xiao Yi might have had investment by Lei Jun, but the company is its own entity. A similar cooperation is how Xiaomi have managed to enter the audio hardware market with such great products from the start. Although they are marketed as Xiaomi Piston or Hybrid earphones, the brand that makes them, designs them and develops them is actually 1More Design.
Thanks to the Xiaomi connection 1More Design have seen more interest and have launched more earphones under their own name like the Super Bass we have on test here.
1More Design Super Bass Review – Design
The 1More Design Super Bass earphones tested here are the special edition Voice of China versions (Voice of China is similar to the X Factor and similar shake and bake singer shows), and comes with ‘Voice of China’ branded packaging and a small logo from the show on the left earphone.
1More Design have worked their design magic on the packaging with a nice box that includes the earphones wrapped up in the same plastic case (with rubber insert) as the Xiaomi Piston, with the addition of a stainless steel clip for keep loose wires tidy and a small micro fibre carry bag. Although the rubber ‘spindle’ in the main packaging is great for keeping the kevlar coated wires nice and tangle free, its not the easiest solution to work with so the inclusion of the bag is a god send.
The earphones come with a set of silicone tips fitted as standard which fitted my lobes perfectly, but there are also an additional 3 more pairs in different sizes so you can reach the most perfect fit for you out of the box.
Just as 1More Design have reused the Xiaomi packaging, they have also reused parts of the design of Xiaomi earphones with a few unique changes to keep their own brand earphones slightly different.
As mentioned above, the main cord from the 3.5mm headphone plug to the 3 button remote is kevlar coated. This helps to protect the internal wires from snags, allows the cables to flex freely and helps to prevent the wire tangling. We’ve seen the same solution on Xiaomi earphones, but for the ‘Voice of China’ edition Super Bass the wire is bright red.
Gizchina News of the week
At the very far end of the cord is a 3.5mm headphone jack with gold plating. This has been lifted directly from Xiaomi and features the same grey finish and machined grip to aid grip when unplugging from your audio device.
Follow the kevlar cable and the wire splits in two (now with only rubber insulation) and we find a nicely proportioned 3 button remote on the right branch. The remote uses a central button for skip/pause and the upper and lower buttons to increase or decrease volume. I tested the control on both iOS (iPad Pro) and Android and found that the controls are compatible on both operating systems. The body of the control is plastic and the buttons are given a metal look finish. The size of the control is actually rather good and the larger than standard buttons are much easier to deal with when taking part in outdoor activities or when wearing gloves.
At the business end of the Super Bass the actually driver unit looks like a slightly modified Xiaomi Piston with mostly metal construction. Where audio exits the earphone and the semi transparent silicon tip sits is a red cone to tie the whole design together.
1More Design Super Bass Review – Gallery
1More Design Super Bass Review – Audio
Named the Super Bass I expected that the 1More Design earphone would thoroughly excel in the Lows and I was impressed from the get go. Of course my first port of call was some hip hop and a spot of drum and bass where the Super Bass clearly loves to be.
What really surprised though is how well the earphones also handle the mids and lows too. Listening to tracks from Bjork proved that the Super Bass can really handle a mix of Violin and Bass with stunning clarity. Vocals are beautifully clear to boot.
A great example of all elements working as one is Sugar Water by Cibo Mato. Just try listing to this track on the Super Bass without getting goosebumps! It’s pure audio joy!
1More Design Super Bass Review – Conclusion
Although the Super Bass name might imply that they are all boom, the 1More Design Super Bass have proven to be a superb set of earphones offering beautiful vocals and surprising Highs and Mids.
The 1more Design Super Bass are priced at $21, similar to the Xiaomi branded alternatives but you get a more unique red finish, plus a useful carry bag and stainless steel wire clip thrown in too! Well worth a look if you are in the market for earphones.