Craft Ears The One

The nomenclature The One isn’t just a catchy name, it reflects the exceptional technology housed within these earphones. Craft Ears has boldly ventured into uncharted territory by outfitting this IEM with a single full-range planar magnetic driver- a pioneering approach to the design of single-driver IEMs.

Their success in this endeavor is apparent in the auditory experience they deliver. While other manufacturers might inundate you with a barrage of technical jargon and marketing buzzwords about the inner workings of their products, Craft Ears takes a refreshingly different approach. They understand that, at the end of the day, it’s the sound that truly matters. This focus on substance over fluff is a testament to their commitment to providing audio enthusiasts with an authentic and captivating listening experience.

Transitioning from short tech description to the build quality, Craft Ears has maintained its reputation for excellence. If you’re already acquainted with their IEMs or CIEMs, you’ll find that the build quality of reviewed The One follows the same high standards. Crafted with precision, the shell is 3D printed using dark resin, while the faceplate incorporates resin with embedded glitter pieces, all enveloped in a mesmerizing blue-purple pearlescent finish. This unique design makes The One a visually striking and attention-grabbing IEM. And, dare I say, it offers a subtle hint of what’s to come in the sonic department.

I’ve had the pleasure of owning Craft Ears 4 for several years, and it faithfully accompanies me on countless journeys, residing snugly in my backpack. What’s remarkable, it still looked nearly identical to its pristine state when I unboxed it for the first time. This serves as a testament to the durability and resilience of Craft Ears’ craftsmanship. With proper care, I would expect reviewed The One to age gracefully, standing the test of time – if only you won’t crush it with a hammer, then it will serve you for ages.

Now, let’s delve into the realm of comfort, an integral facet tightly intertwined with the build quality. The One is remarkably compact in size, it’s approximately half the volume of its slightly more upscale sibling, the Aurum. The narrow and elongated nozzle further enhances the ergonomic design. While the narrower nozzle may necessitate the use of larger ear tips than you’re accustomed to, it opens up the door to a broader audience in terms of comfort.

You don’t need cavernous ear canals to accommodate these earpieces comfortably. In fact, Craft Ears The One boasts universal compatibility, making it an ideal fit for nearly everyone. However, do bear in mind that achieving an effective seal may require slightly larger ear tips than you typically employ. In summary, it’s an incredibly comfortable IEM that facilitates extended listening sessions, with the only reason for removal being personal hearing hygiene – an eagerness to preserve your precious auditory faculties, a testament to the allure of The One.

The package and build quality are great, but now let’s move to the most important thing – the sound. Let me spoil you some insight, before the comprehensive description, but trust me, it’s worth diving into the paragraphs below.

So the signature of the reviewed Craft Ears The One is a “softly V-shaped”. It offers magnificent bass with a solid punch and sub-bass response. The midrange is a bit recessed and dry, but the treble is bright, sparkly, and engaging. The soundstage is enormous, making you feel like you’re in a concert hall. Overall, it excels in bass and treble, while the midrange is its weakest aspect, and the soundstage is impressive but lacks precise positioning.

Let’s start the sound description, commencing with the bass realm of Craft Ears The One. It’s an area of undeniable magnificence, characterized by a formidable solid punch and an immersive rumble that sweeps you off your feet. What’s truly impressive is how the masterful tuning at Craft Ears is discernible even in the midst of this bass powerhouse. Despite its undeniable power The One manages to retain the distinctive Craft Ears signature – a swift and responsive bass. This prowess is largely attributed to its sub-bass response, which delves into the lower frequencies with remarkable depth, delivering an awesome punch that has to be experienced to be believed.

Picture this: I put on a shuffle of tracks, and “I’m on Top” by Otha begins to play. In an instant, I’m drowned in the music, and I can almost feel the bass pulsating through my body. The impact is visceral, yet everything remains in blissful silence, so my neighbors don’t need to call the police due to the late-night disturbances. Another track that aptly showcases the prowess of The One is Borderline by Tame Impala. This song thrives on a well-executed bass punch, without it, it can come across as somewhat flat and lacking in depth. Craft Ears The One steps up to the plate and delivers precisely what’s required, infusing the music with the dynamism and energy it craves.

In essence, this IEM fulfills every bass head’s fantasy, captivating your attention and prompting a rediscovery of bass lines in a plethora of electronic music tracks. Even though I used to listen to many amazing headphones and IEMs, some of them were way more expensive than the Craft Ears The One, but none of them reproduced the bass in such a specific, yet very engaging and pleasant way. For me, that’s the spirit of Craft Ears at its best.

The midrange is the weakest part of the IEM. It’s recessed and a bit dry. With a base response that is so thick and powerful, I would expect similar juiciness in the midrange. But unfortunately here comes the nature of the planar magnetic driver packed in such a small package. It’s not terrible, but I know the other Craft Ears headphones and that’s why I have higher expectations from them. That’s like with an A-grade student who receives a B grade for the first time – it’s still a great grade, but it leaves a bad aftertaste.

For example, the vocal of Nick Cave in People Ain’t No Good usually sounds warm and thick, but with The One it’s a bit dry and devoid of feelings. That can be an issue, but it’s hard to produce a headphone that will be an all-rounder that can perfectly handle everything and it’s very visible here. The midrange isn’t the best, but that’s not the point of the headphone, there are dozens of better midrange-focused IEMs in the company’s lineup, but these earphones don’t shine in other ranges as The One (BTW I love the name), so let’s forget about this part and let’s go forward to another frequency range, that are the strength of the IEMs.

And now is the moment to delve into the treble performance of reviewed Craft Ears The One. The IEM delivers a bright and sparkly treble with an impressive amount of texture. The treble character is notably natural, charming, and engaging, making it an ideal companion for music featuring cymbals and high-pitched instruments. During a 20-minute listening session with Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells, the treble truly shone, enriching the experience with its brilliant articulation. Another showcase of treble excellence of The One can be found in the soundtrack of The Assassination of Jesse James By the Coward Robert Ford, where tracks like Song for Jesse exhibit lively and sparkly cymbals that add an extra layer of excitement to the music. Despite its brightness, the treble maintains a well-balanced character, avoiding harshness even with tracks that are not impeccably mastered. When paired with sources like the clinical Fiio M11 Pro, The One continues to provide a forgiving and pleasant treble experience, even for demanding tracks like Eminem’s Premonition from Music To Be Murdered By. 

Now, let’s dive into the final facet of our sound exploration – the astounding soundstage presented by Craft Ear The One. To put it bluntly, it’s nothing short of extraordinary, pushing the boundaries of what one might expect from an IEM. In a competition for the title of the portable version of the legendary Sennheiser HD800, The One might just take the crown, outperforming many esteemed IEMs like 64 Audio U12T, or Campfire Audio Andromeda.

The sheer volume of air it creates within the auditory space is breathtaking, and the dimensions of the soundstage are colossal. If your auditory aspirations incline towards the sensation of being enveloped within the grandeur of a concert hall, then The One emerges as the ultimate choice. However, it’s important to note that every masterpiece has its nuances, and the soundstage is no exception. While it excels in expansiveness, the challenge lies in pinpointing the exact source of sound. Due to its vast dimensions, determining the origin of each sound can be a bit elusive, making The One less than optimal for gaming where precise positional audio is essential.

Nevertheless, let’s return to the splendid aspects of the soundstage. When I immersed myself in the “Oxygene Trilogy” by Jean-Michel Jarre, the experience was nothing short of exceptional. Sound seemed to dance around my head as if I were floating in a boundless universe of sound waves. It’s a phenomenon that warrants repeated emphasis—the size of The One’s soundstage is nothing short of extraordinary, setting a new standard for what can be achieved in the realm of IEMs and even headphones.

Comparisons

Craft Ears Aurum