CMF by Nothing Buds Pro 2 Wirelesss earphones with HiFi sound, 50 dB Smart Active Noise Cancellation, 6 HD mics and Spatial Audio - Light Grey

I got these because my old Earfun (award winning buds) are a bit chunky and I wanted change. Also, wireless earbuds have become a bit of an obsession, trying to find the perfect pair (Samsung buds 2, Samsung buds 2 pro etc) At £59 I figured why not give these a go. I am not disappointed, here is the break down:Build quality - Yes these are all plastic, but the case feels solid in the hand and closes with a secure snap. Also I have cats so these buds (and case) have been knocked off plenty of surfaces and they are still going strong.Sound Quality - These buds truly shine here, my previous buds had won What hifi awards, these absolutely blow them out of the water. They also wipe the floor with Samsung Buds 2. The main reason for this is the app which gives you the ability to completely tune the audio experience to your tastes. Out of the box they have Ultra bass turned on, if you like bass heavy music you will absolutely love this, however I found it a bit too much so I turned it off. The most balanced option is the DIRAC opteo combined with Spatial audio. This adds a depth to the music that I hadn’t experienced before, and I absolutely couldn’t go back to bog standard buds now. My Daughter who is a hardcore Apple user tried my buds and reluctantly admitted the sound on these were better than her apple equivalents. Note: when I compare buds I always use the same track to get a fair direct comparison: Etherwood – Taken Away - it serves as a good test as it has good a mix of highs, lows and bass (classical style with an additional rumbling bass). Interestingly when I listened to it on these I discovered additional subtle background sounds I had not noticed before, this gives a good idea of exactly how good the sound is for these budget buds.Fit – if the fit is bad, it doesn’t really matter if the sound is amazing does it? I am glad to say that these are my nicest fitting buds. To explain: The earfun air are quite chunky and while that gives a good seal it also makes them uncomfortable for anything more than an hour. The Samsung Buds 2 are small and light but keep falling out, the Samsung pros are slightly better but also become uncomfortable around the hour mark. However, these are actually a perfect for me, very light and fit solidly (if you select the right silicone tip). I wear at least one bud at work for roughly 6 hours and it doesn’t get uncomfortable.App – The app that accompanies the buds is sleek and very well designed. From the app you can customise the controls on the each bud individually and the case. It also features detailed sound settings ensuring you can tune these to perfection.Noise Cancelling/Transparency – I have had other buds with this feature but often didn’t use it because it chugs battery. With these buds I have actually started using it regularly. It was bit unnerving when I used it the first time on a flight as it completely wiped out the general plane sounds. Far smarter people than me have said it isn’t the best, but I wouldn’t expect that for the price and for me it does the job perfectly. Transparency I don’t tend use as if I need to be aware of my surroundings I will only have one bud in. But I can confirm it works.Controls – This is a weird one, the controls on the buds themselves are a bit meh, they work but nowhere near as slickly as other brands. However, CMF were very very smart to include controls on the case. The round dial can be set up via the app and allows you to pause and restart music by a single press, acts a volume dial by rolling it up and down, multi presses can skip tracks forward or back. For my purposes this is absolutely spot on, as I have the case near my work mouse so I can just reach over and adjust. They also work pretty well in the pocket while walking to and from work. Finally the auto pause when you take either bud out works perfectly, often my boss (or my wife) will start talking to me while I am plugged in, simply removing one bud pauses everything so I can listen, these aren’t always a feature of buds and it is truly appreciated (Samsung buds 2 don’t have this feature).Microphone quality – Again I am very happy with these buds. Both of my old daily buds (Samsung buds 2 and earfun air) had mics but the quality wasn’t great, to the point I would often just switch to my phone rather than try and talk on the buds. These are in a different league, my daughter was actually surprised when I told her I was on the buds not my phone (and she would rather walk over hot coals then say anything nice about non apple kit). These are always clear and usable, however I did try them with my work PC when my main PC headset died, sadly I found that there is something in Windows that lowers the mic quality.Battery – The battery on these are solid, as I often have one bud in at a time I only have to charge the case once a week. I am sure there are better options out there but these fit my requirements.Aftercare – When buying budget aftercare is often where you lose. These buds are produced by CMF who are actually a sub brand of the hugely popular Nothing brand. This means you can actually get support, though I haven’t needed it for these buds I did need to use it for the watch and they were very responsive (sadly the watch isn’t great).Overall I am very happy with these buds, the sound is nothing short of outstanding and the range of including features make these an absolute steal for the price.

These earbuds simply couldn't be better and especially for the very small price they are selling them for. I have a Samsung Galaxy S21+ and they connected the instant I pressed the pair button with a pop up in my screen. They fit so good in my ears and have lots of different sizes ehich you can swap out. The app has lots of customisable settings for them including a low latency mode if you want to game with them. The case is quite small so can easily be transported. The smart dial addition on the case is also a great feature and can be turned off easily so that it doesn't change anything when in your pocket ot bag. Some people may say that there is too much bass, however, you can turn this doen in the app. The noise cancelling is also great and customisable! I love using these and I think they would be useful for anyone who is looking for some very good quality affordable earbuds that also look good in your ears. These have made me love the Nothing company more than I already did!

I am incredibly impressed with these headphones, I got them to replace my old pair of gen 1 airpods pro fully expecting a notable downgrade considering the price difference, judging by my experience of them so far, I was very wrong. The ANC is the only thing that was notably better with the airpods pro, but even then it's 80% as good, which again considering the price difference is more than reasonable. I also like the sound profile a lot more on the buds, it's much more customisable allowing for you to really tailor your exact sound. If you don't feel like playing with all the options yourself the Dirac equaliser setting is an exceptional catch all for all genres of music I have tested.The Nothing X app is also very easy to use, which makes connecting to the buds and customising them super simple.The only thing I can't speak to is the longevity as I have only had them a week or so. But overall I am hugely impressed with these earphones, I would be very surprised if there was anything out there that was better value for money than these.