How We Research
We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
If you want a desktop-grade balanced DAC and headphone amp that can drive demanding audiophile headphones with serious power, choose Audioengine HXL Balanced; if you need wired in-ear headphones with a clear mic for calls and a plug that fits everyday phones and laptops, choose 1MORE Quad Driver. These two products sit in completely different lanes, and the right pick comes down to one question: do you need to power headphones you already own, or do you need the headphones themselves?
• Audioengine HXL Balanced — biggest strength: a dedicated balanced headphone amplifier with 4.4mm balanced output and 520mW of power, plus both balanced and unbalanced output modes for audiophile headphones.
• Audioengine HXL Balanced — biggest trade-off: it is not a listening device on its own. No drivers, no eartips, no music without wired headphones and a source.
• 1MORE Quad Driver — biggest strength: a complete wired in-ear headphone with a 3.5mm jack, a 3.5mm-to-Type-C adapter, a clear MEMS mic and passive noise isolation — ready to use out of the box.
• 1MORE Quad Driver — biggest trade-off: it is a passive wired earphone. No amplifier, no battery, no wireless, and no way to drive high-impedance audiophile headphones.
• Who each pick is for: pick the Audioengine HXL Balanced if you already own serious headphones and want to unlock them properly; pick the 1MORE Quad Driver if you want one pair of earphones for commuting, calls and casual listening with zero extra gear.
The Audioengine HXL Balanced is a portable DAC and headphone amplifier. Read the spec sheet and the intent is obvious: this is a device built to sit between your phone, laptop, tablet or desktop and a pair of headphones that deserves better than a bare headphone jack. The headline numbers are the 4.4mm balanced output and 520mW of power — that is a meaningful amount of drive for headphones that sound thin, quiet or closed-in when plugged straight into a laptop. It supports both balanced and unbalanced output modes, so you can run a 4.4mm balanced cable for the cleanest path or a standard connection for everything else.
The connectivity tells you who this is for. It takes USB and RCA input, supports two channels, and ships with a USB-C cable plus a USB-C to Lightning adapter — meaning Audioengine expects you to use this with modern phones, tablets, laptops and desktops, including older iPhones. The metal housing and portable mounting type point to a device you can move between a desk and a bag without babying it. Audioengine backs it with a 3-year warranty, and the company's own framing is about taking professional-grade components and putting them in consumer-friendly hardware. That lines up with what the HXL is: a serious piece of signal chain equipment, not a gadget.
Buy it if you already own wired headphones — especially higher-impedance or harder-to-drive models — and you want more headroom, a cleaner noise floor and the option of a true balanced connection. Buy it if you split your listening between a desk setup and a phone or tablet and want one small box that handles all of them.
Skip it if you do not own wired headphones yet, or if you want something that makes sound by itself. The HXL has no drivers and no eartips. Without a source and a pair of headphones, it does nothing. It is also the wrong tool if you want wireless freedom or built-in call controls — that is simply not what a DAC/amp is.
The 1MORE Quad Driver is the opposite kind of product: a finished pair of wired in-ear headphones you wear. The specs describe a classic in-ear design with a carbon fiber enclosure in dark gray, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and a 32-ohm impedance. That 32-ohm figure matters in practice — it is an easy load, the kind of impedance that phones, laptops and tablets can drive without any help. You do not need an amplifier to get sensible volume out of these.
The feature list is built around daily, real-world use. There is a push-button control for playback and calls, a clear MEMS microphone, and passive sound isolation, which is the physical kind — the eartips block outside noise rather than any electronics doing the work. The bundle includes eartips and a user manual, and 1MORE covers it with a 1-year manufacturer warranty. Connectivity is wired only, with a 3.5mm jack and the included 3.5mm-to-Type-C adapter for phones and laptops that dropped the headphone port.
Buy it if you want one pair of earphones that handles a commute, a workday of calls, podcasts and music, and you like the idea of plugging in and going. The mic and inline button make it a practical headset replacement, and the carbon fiber shells suggest a build that will survive being shoved in a pocket.
Side-by-Side: Which Should You Choose?
• Best for powering existing headphones → Audioengine HXL Balanced. 520mW and a 4.4mm balanced output exist for exactly that job.
• Best for a ready-to-listen setup → 1MORE Quad Driver. Eartips, cable, mic and a 3.5mm jack — nothing else required.
• Best for calls and voice chat → 1MORE Quad Driver. Clear MEMS mic plus push-button control.
• Best for balanced desktop audio → Audioengine HXL Balanced. Balanced and unbalanced output modes, USB and RCA inputs.
• Best for commuting and noise → 1MORE Quad Driver. In-ear fit with passive sound isolation.
• Best for easy driveability → 1MORE Quad Driver. At 32 ohm it works straight from a phone or laptop jack.
• Best for desk-to-bag flexibility → Audioengine HXL Balanced. Portable metal body with a USB-C cable and a USB-C to Lightning adapter in the box.
• Best for warranty peace of mind → Audioengine HXL Balanced. 3 years versus 1 year on the 1MORE.
The honest framing here: these are not competitors. One is a component; the other is a complete listening product. Comparing them head-to-head only makes sense as "which gap in my setup do I fill first?"
If I had to pick one, I would buy the Audioengine HXL Balanced — but only if I already owned a pair of wired headphones worth feeding. In my opinion, a 520mW balanced amplifier with USB and RCA inputs and a 3-year warranty is the more capable and longer-lived purchase, because it upgrades every headphone you plug into it and keeps working as your headphone collection changes. If you do not own wired headphones yet, buy the 1MORE Quad Driver first; it is the complete, self-sufficient product that gets you listening today. Check the current price on Amazon for whichever one fits your setup.
FAQ
No. At 32 ohm they are designed to run from a standard 3.5mm jack on a phone, tablet or laptop, and the box includes a 3.5mm-to-Type-C adapter for devices without a headphone port. Plug them straight in.
No. The HXL is a wired DAC and headphone amplifier with USB and RCA inputs. It has no Bluetooth, so it does not add wireless to anything.
The 1MORE Quad Driver. It has a clear MEMS microphone and push-button controls built into the earphone. The Audioengine HXL Balanced has no microphone at all, so you would still need a separate mic for calls.
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