1MORE ComfoBuds Mini Review – When the dwarfs drum reservedly and the measurements confirm the hearing impression

1 - Einführung, Unboxing und technische Daten 2 - Funktionalität, Ladezeiten und Software 3 - Messungen, Sound-Check und Fazit

I admit that the test today was mainly due to my curiosity to see how the new measuring station performs in practice. Furthermore, the 99 euro ComfoBuds Mini from 1MORE are not pure in-ears (which I don’t like at all), but rather loose-fitting buds where you don’t have to fuss too much with adjusting all the silicone plugs. 1MORE itself advertises the “smallest ANC buds in the world”. Whereas with Buds, it’s a purely binary story for me: fit or don’t fit. Unfortunately, there is no in-between or maybe, despite the four different attachment sizes. But small they are, that’s true. And they fit too. Phew…

Nevertheless, I have never really measured such buds elaborately and worn them myself for a longer time for a test. So it just had to be today. And I was a little tempted by the tiny ones – if only because of the lack of size. But I can already spoil now that I measured exactly what I noticed in the sound check at the end. Thus, the whole thing coincides and I am reassured. But always nicely one after the other…

Scope of delivery and unboxing

I won’t spare you the unpacking, but I can make it short. You get the likewise cuddly little charging cradle with the two Buds, a USB-C charging cable, a manual and a couple of silicone attachments (4 variants, one set of which is pre-mounted) for backup (not pictured here). That’s all you get and it’s actually enough. The whole thing is as minimalistic as the controls. What is not implemented cannot confuse you. If you want to put a positive spin on it, but I’ll get to that in a minute.

The used anthracite and black plastic mix (“Obsidian Black”) is alright, even if it is no enlightenment haptically. But it’s a solid thing. The parts are magnetic and more attractive than you might think. The following image illustrates the minimum distance where the parts just don’t want to reunite themselves. If you are bored, you can also spend a few minutes enjoying this attractive game. By the way, the buds and the shell come pre-charged to the customer, so I also add the stored energy to the scope of delivery. But that’s all there really is.

Optics, feel and wearing comfort

Now let’s get to the key data. With the 3.7 g per plug (the dimensions are really small at 17 x 15 x 13 mm) and the 34.9 g for the charging cradle, you’re really on the light side of life. Internally, the driver relies on a graphene diaphragm and a 32-ohm coil for propulsion. Although the silicone attachment is a lint and grease catcher of the very first order, it is easy to rinse off. Bluetooth 5.2 is used, and the range is specified at 10 meters. I did not quite manage that on both the PC and the Huawei P30 Pro, but almost 9 meters are easily possible with a clear field of view.

The manufacturer does not provide any information about the frequency range (probably for good reasons), but I’ll gladly make up for that in the measurements for you. You have AAC and DNN (Deep Neural Network) as codecs to choose from, that’s all there is.  On board are a multi-level ANC, an ambient mode and SoundID. The few control gestures can at least be configured more or less freely. Always provided you download the Android or iOS 1MORE app. Without them, almost nothing works, not even ANC. But I will come to the app later.

The built-in infrared sensor for Smart Playback is quite nice, but it does not work in winter when you are outside with clammy fingers and icy ears. It has to be a little warm, so please keep putting the buds in until the music starts up again. Speaking of sticking it in… I already wrote that they are rather loose-fitting buds and not firmly inserted in-ears. Those who speculate on hadbanging here will gallantly shoot the small parts into orbit. Even if they can withstand sweat and moisture to a certain extent – they are only conditionally suitable for sports and hasty head movements, because they usually feel too loose. On the other hand, they are perfect in bed and for chilling in the armchair.

You’ll just have to test it out for yourself, buds are certainly not everyone’s thing. For the extremely curious, I have also attached the manual, but I will of course go into a few more important details on the next page. And I also measured them, but more about that in a moment.