CMF has carved out a niche for itself in the budget segment, staying visually distinct from the parent Nothing brand and its peers without breaking the bank. Whether you like their products or not, you simply cannot ignore them – and that is true about the Headphone Pro as well.
Straight out of the box, the Headphone Pro looks unique, with its bulbous earcups, pastel colors, soft-touch finish and swappable ear cushions lending a playful and modular touch in a market filled with staid black and grey headphones.
Made almost entirely of plastic, the headphones weigh just 283 grams which, coupled with the padded headband and moderate clamping force, helps them sit comfortably on the head for prolonged use. They do not fold, rotating flat into the bundled cloth pouch that takes up a fair amount of space in a bag.
Taking inspiration from the stellar Nothing Headphone (1), the CMF cans add in a bunch of physical controls, including a roller for volume control which also acts as a button, a bass/treble slider, a dedicated power button and a customizable button for triggering a voice assistant or toggling between ANC modes. Everything works reliably, without having to pull out your phone and open the Nothing X app - tactile, physical buttons for the win! For what it’s worth, wired listening via the 3.5mm jack is also supported, though not via USB audio.
Once paired via Google Fast Pair, the headphones surprise with the addition of LDAC and Hi-Res audio codec support, plus multi-point connectivity. The app lets you change ANC modes, tweak the 3-band equalizer presets and button mapping, and update firmware. There’s even a personalized hearing test that sets up a custom audio profile tailored to your hearing, and I personally liked switching occasionally to the Spatial Audio modes for increased immersion.
All of this comes together in a sound signature that’s rather balanced, and the 40mm dynamic drivers do well to pump out clear vocals, distinct separation between instruments and a spacious soundstage. Bass or treble is adjustable via the slider, but I found leaving it right in the middle worked best for most music I listened to. If anything, I found the overall volume levels lacking, which may bother some folks who listen to music at higher volumes or in noisier environs. Speaking of, active noise cancellation works moderately well to cancel out the low rumbles of everyday life, and the passive noise cancellation of the earcups handles the rest.
Where the Headphone Pro truly excels is spectacular battery life, nearly fifty hours of use with ANC on and a five-minute top-up providing hours of use. Talk about nailing all the basics in its first attempt at an affordable pair of over-the-ear headphones!
Rating: 9/10
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