It was only two months ago that nothing released some headphones (1). Before the company made earbuds, the headphones (1) were their first low in-ears, which are a whole separate world.
We certainly didn’t expect another set of over-ears to come out this soon, but here they are—no headphones pro by CMF. These come under the “affordable” CMF brand and cost only $100. Yes, cheap headphones are called “pro”, let’s not talk about that.
So, with a colorful and playful design, an affordable price, and a dedicated bass boost slider, they’re definitely aimed at the younger crowd. But to my surprise, after a few vocal cues, I can actually do these things…like, really well for this price tag!
CMF Headphone Pro Specs
| Color options | Light green, light gray, dark gray |
|---|---|
| Audio | AAC, SBC, LDAC, Native Audio (various styles) |
| Noise cancellation | ANC, Transparency |
| contact | Bluetooth 5.4, Multi-Device, Fast Pair, Swift Pair |
| Battery life | AAC / LDAC ANC ON: 50 hours / 38 hours ANC Off: 100 hours / 70 hrs |
| Save the British | IP X2 (vertical water drops) |
CMF Headphone Pro Design and Color
The Nothing Headphones (1) came in a fresh square shape. The CMF Headphone Pro is rounder than the round headphones. They look like toasted donuts on your ears, if you will. Combined with shiny plastic and vibrant colors (some of which haven’t been seen out yet), they look fun, bold and youthful.
One of the selling points is that the earmuffs change easily, with a twist and pull motion. The point is to buy another set with a different vibrant color, and match them to the frame of whatever headphone pro you originally bought. Additional cushions aren’t available yet, but the first colors you’ll be able to buy are light green and orange. That’s because if these headphones are semi-successful, nothing will add more options.
They have tactile controls, like on headphones (1). The volume roller isn’t smooth—it’s a half-roll deal, and it rotates vertically as opposed to horizontally. There’s also an all-new slider that boosts your bass. I was used to getting a much better sound, but more so in the vocal department on this one.
The length adjustment mechanism is still an important slide over metal headband. Pretty impressive at the price point – can’t say it’ll stay tight if changed over the months, but right now, the rail slide feels solid and doesn’t move on its own once you set it to the desired length.
The earmuffs are very soft, comfortable and slightly isolates outside noise. Headband clamping pressure is a little on the tight side, but not too aggressive. I don’t seem to get ear fatigue outside of making the ears really hot.
The carry case is the point where nothing saves a little cash. That is to say – there is none. These come with a velvet pouch. For a $100 set of Ken, that’s pretty generous, though. You’ll also get a 3.5mm cable to use the plug-in, but those are needed if they’re used. Even with a cable, they are not passive.
CMF Headphone Pro sound quality
Out of the box, it sounds great. As for the nitpick – they’re boomy and bassy, even without the bass slider dialed to the side. Highs can be a bit scratchy, and the high mids have a lispy compression on them.
However, I found a hack to clean them up and get a much more balanced sound.
As no other headphones, they pair up to the NothingX app and offer some audio tuning options. Advanced EQ isn’t available on this affordable model, but you can do some magic with Basic EQ.
Since this is an adaptive equation, when you cut one frequency, it will boost the others. Or, if you promote one, it will cut the rest. The point is to try and keep the overall volume as well, as you fiddle with the EQ. Some companies choose to do it this way, I don’t know why.
So, here’s what I did: Taking advantage of Adaptive EQ, I cut the bass a bit –5 to -6 –and added a smidgen of treble at +1. Not only does this eliminate the bass frequencies, but it adds some sparkle and bite to the sound. Now they sound thin. So, the second step in tuning is to adjust this physical bass slider to taste. To slide. You can go higher, but I find that around 50-60% is a well-balanced spot.
Now, they have a huge cushion of warm and angry bass, but no low frequencies between the 100-200 Hz range. The upper mids gained a bit of texture, and the highs got a bit sharper. In general, if you pre-made them in this order, I wouldn’t believe they cost $100.
They have a narrow soundstage compared to more expensive sets, and there’s no gain around it. But again, for the price, I wouldn’t care.
There’s also a native audio feature for the CMF Headphone Pro, but unlike anything we’ve seen before. There are basically two settings – Cinema mode and Concert mode. They open up sound trying to simulate a 3D environment. Depending on which mix you’re listening to, you might get some ice-picking highs or whistling mids pop up (especially in Cinema mode—I think it’s meant to enhance vocal lines). Just put it away and enjoy the mixes as they were meant to be.
CMF Headphone Pro Noise Cancellation
As mentioned earlier, these are already quite distinct by just being on their ears. Active noise reduction can reduce hums and hums by another 40 dB, says nothing. But the upper midrange and high range sounds passable. Checking the specs, it says the ANC works up to 2000Hz, and it runs the tracks from what I’m hearing. Without music playing, I can hear footsteps on the wooden floor, and clicks on keyboards. But, play a tune at a decent volume, and the outside world is gone.
Pass-through mode sounds pretty midrange-hebby, but that’s okay, because it allows speech—the most important thing—through. But it’s also surprisingly good at determining the directional placement of sounds, despite their narrow sound.
CMF Headphone Pro Connect
They support both AAC and LDAC, ensuring high-quality audio whether you’re on an iPhone, Android, or PC. Pairing is also deliciously easy, – both Google Fast Pair and Microsoft Swift Pair are onboard.
Of course, they also support Bluetooth multipoint, letting you connect to two devices simultaneously. When one starts playing audio, the other politely moves aside—perfect for answering a quick phone call without manually pausing your laptop playlist.
CMF Headphone Pro Battery Life
They come with a 720 mAh battery, which is smaller than one of the headphones (1). Still, the company promises amazing listening — longer than the flagship products here.
| CMF Headphone Pro | Noise reduction | Noise reduction |
|---|---|---|
| AAC | 50 hours | 100 hours |
| ldac | 38 hours | 70 hours |
| Nothing Headphones (1) | Noise reduction | Noise reduction |
|---|---|---|
| AAC | 35 hours | 80 hours |
| ldac | 30 hours | 54 hours |
CMF Headphone Pro: Should You Buy Them?
The CMF Headphone Pro comes in at £79 / $99 / €99 – a third of the price of the flagship headphones (1). They don’t sound bad three times. They just cut out the good stuff—more plastic in the build, no carry case, cheap fueling controls (but not bad by themselves), no advanced EQ, and a sound signature that’s fine but a little bland. Unlike headphones (1), which feature a visual style, a signature sound, wider sound and better instrument separation, more in-app features, and more buttons to click.
However, for $100, the CMF Headphone Pro is hard to beat. As long as you can chime in with their visual style, these are the “affordable overalls” I recommend.
