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1more ComfoBuds Pro Review Hybrid ANC Earbuds With Volume Control

Friday, May 07, 2021

The marketing of a new product is almost half as important as the product itself. And, in a lot of cases, brand strength alone will outsell the product. A good sounding name with a ring to it definitely helps market a new product and the ComfoBuds Pro earbuds are a perfect case example. ComfoBuds Pro is an upgrade over the original ComfoBuds that launch to market early this year. The ComfoBuds Pro have been kitted out with new features, namely hybrid anc (feedforward and feedback microphones), five anc modes, removable ear tips, longer runtime and fast charge.

 
One of the most notable improvements, it's larger battery capacity for the earbuds and charging case. The ComfoBuds Pro charging case integrates a 450 mAh battery with a charging time of 2 hours, while the ComfoBuds Pro earbuds are equipped with a 50 mAh battery each with a charging time of 1 hour. The standard ComfoBuds use 410 mAh (for the charging case) and 35 mAh for each earbud. At 60% volume and with ANC turned off, the ComfoBuds Pro can manage 7.5 hours of runtime and 27 hours total with the case. The standard ComfoBuds can only manage 3.5 hours of runtime and 17 hours total with the case. With ANC turned on, you get 5.5 hours of runtime and 19 hours total with the charging case. There is a single battery status RGB led located below the slit opening of the charging case lid.

Since the ComfoBuds Pro are kitted with more features, larger body and beefier batteries, there is an increase in weight per earbud of 5.5 grams compared to 3.5 grams for the standard ComfoBuds. The ComfoBuds Pro charging case is also heavier (41 grams) compared to the ComfoBuds charging case (28 grams). While there is a weight increase, it is not excessive so, ComfoBuds Pro are still lightweight and very "comfo"!

Aside for integrating active noise cancellation, the ComfoBuds Pro have removable eartips; whereas the standard ComfoBuds don't. This means, you can play around with different ear tips and get a better seal inside the ear canal for better passive isolation and anc performance. The ComfoBuds Pro earbud nozzle has a stubby neck with an oval tip and red mesh filter. The included eartips are custom made with an oval bore.

The ComfoBuds Pro earbuds touch controls activate via a light touch and, they are responsive and not overly sensitive, meaning you won't be activating the touch controls when accidentally touching the control area. You get three touch control functions per earbud, which are controlled by long touch, double tap and triple tap on the stem. The bottom end of the ComfoBuds Pro earbuds stem features very large status leds, which fortunately do not flash during audio playback.

Each ComfoBuds Pro earbud integrates a proximity light sensor designed for the on-ear detection function, which automatically pauses and resumes audio when taking the earbuds in and out of the ears. The on-ear detection is almost instantaneous (1 second delay) and works well without activating randomly when tilting your head. This can sometimes happen with gyro-based on-ear detection systems. The ComfoBuds Pro on-ear detection can be disabled via the 1more Music app and changed to "auto-pause only".

In terms of dimensions, the ComfoBuds Pro earbuds have a longer stem (3cm long) than the standard ComfoBuds earbuds, which have a 2.5cm long stem. The design of the stem is the same, pointy and narrow, while the matte finish is very smooth, although extremely slippery even with dry fingers. Removing the earbuds out of the charging case is surprisingly not easy. You can't seem to be able to pinch the earbuds out of the charging case nor can you tilt them out at an angle, like you can with the standard ComfoBuds. In order to remove the ComfoBuds Pro from the charging case, it seems you have to push the stem down and then pinch the earbud with the other hand out of the charging case. Shaking the earbuds out of the charging case doesn't work either because of the magnetic connection.

The ComfoBuds Pro charging case is also bigger, measuring 8cm long, 4cm wide and 2.5cm high. On the rear of the charging case, there is a chrome accent USB-C charging port. Pairing the earbuds to a phone is straight forward, although you cannot pair the earbuds while sitting inside the charging case. This is always more convenient because you can keep the bluetooth connection active, which lets you answer calls quicker. Switching from stereo to mono listening is seamless without audio pausing or bluetooth disconnecting when alternating between earbuds. Re-connection delay is just 1 second so, it's almost instantaneous. Some true wireless earbuds can take up to 7 seconds to reconnect when taken out of the charging case.

The 1more ComfoBuds Pro earbuds come with software support too, via the 1more Music mobile app, which has over 10k downloads and almost 5-star reviews. The 1more Music app works without glitches and doesn't require an account sign up nor does the app require granting intrusive permissions, other than the phone's location.

The 1more Music app has a clean and user friendly interface, showing battery status for each earbud, as well as the charging case, which not all app controlled earbuds do. The app lets you remap touch control functions but, you cannot mix and match the functions, meaning you cannot make the volume control to be a long press other than a double tap or triple tap, which isn't the most ideal way to adjust volume. 

Aside from volume control, you get full audio playback control, including skip to next/previous tracks, calls (answer/end), voice control and five listening modes (anc strong, anc mild,/transparency and WNR), which are controlled via long press. The 1more Music app lets you disable the anc, as well as adjust the anc strength from strong to mild (this cannot be done via the earbuds). Another thing worth pointing out about the app, it doesn't let you change listening modes unless the earbuds are in your ears.

As far as performance, the active noise cancellation works really well and, so does transparency mode, letting background sounds come in naturally and clearly so, you can talk to people and be aware of your surroundings without having to remove the earbuds. Wind noise reduction mode helps attenuate the whooshing sound of wind noise, although not all of it due to the outer location of the anc microphone on the front of the earbud. Being hybrid, the ComfoBuds Pro are able to reduce a more diverse range of low and high pitch noises, including people talking.
The ComfoBuds Pro earbuds house the same huge 13.4mm dynamic drivers as the original ComfoBuds and the tuning is very similar, although the audio reproduction on the ComfoBuds Pro is much more dynamic and bassier because of the silicone eartip design. The original ComfoBuds has an airpod shape with a thin, non-removable rubber flange that doesn't work as well as a proper silicone eartip. Even better, you can use aftermarket ear tips with ComfoBuds Pro earbuds, which is a plus. The midrange and treble are clean and clear too, providing good vocal and instrument separation. The ComfoBuds Pro sound signature is warm, favoring the lower tones.

The ComfoBuds Pro earbuds microphone call quality is pretty good too. There is one microphone for calls at the end of the stem and, they do a good job of picking the voice loud and clear. During calls, the anc microphones become active, helping to suppress a good range of noises from people chatter and street noises. 

When toggling between anc listening modes, the audio stops for split second and you will hear a short jingle sound to indicate the new listening mode has taken effect. There is no multipoint connection support but the ComfoBuds Pro support fast charge, which allows the earbuds to quickly recharge, providing 2 hours of runtime from a 15 minute recharge. A few other accessories included are an unbranded charging cable and 1more branded drawstring pouch. You can buy the 1more ComfoBuds Pro on amazon. Check out the review of the PistonBuds Pro and  1M301 IEMs

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