Conclusion of the CMF Headphone Pro
Nothing's CMF Headphone Pro is revolutionizing the entry-level market for over-ear headphones with ANC: for currently less than $80, they offer a bass-heavy, EQ-customizable sound profile, effective hybrid ANC against humming, intuitive operation via rotary wheel and slider, and a sensational battery life of up to 100 hours (without ANC).
High-quality vegan padding ensures long-lasting comfort, modular parts promote sustainability, and features such as LDAC and multipoint Bluetooth make them a true all-rounder. Weaknesses such as muddy phone calls in noisy environments, limited midrange presence, and no USB DAC hardly detract from their appeal.
Pros
Cons
Price and availability
Table of Contents
- Conclusion of the CMF Headphone Pro
- Specifications: CMF Headphone Pro
- Body and ergonomics - Well-padded headphones
- Sustainability - Hardly any information
- Features and operation - CMF headphones with intuitive controls
- Sound - CMF Headphones as a good all-rounder
- Battery life - CMF headphones with up to 100 hours of playback time
Specifications: CMF Headphone Pro
| Wearing style | Over-ear |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth 5.4, audio jack |
| Range | 10 m |
| Speakers | 40 mm drivers, 20–20,000 Hz |
| Audio codecs | SBC, AAC, LDAC |
| Battery capacity | 720 mAh |
| Charging port | USB-C |
| Wireless charging | Not supported |
| Weight | 283 g |
| Firmware version | 1.0.1.45 |
| Scope of delivery | Headphones, carrying case, jack cable (1.2 m) |
| Price (RRP) | $99 |
Nothing's CMF Headphone Pro aims to shake up the market for affordable over-ear headphones with active noise cancellation. With hi-res audio, LDAC, up to 100 hours of battery life, and smart app connectivity, they are directly targeting value-for-money hits such as Anker Soundcore or models from Sony and JBL. In this review, we clarify how good the sound, ANC, comfort, and workmanship really are in everyday use and whether the CMF Headphone Pro can be recommended as an insider tip among affordable ANC headphones.
Body and ergonomics - Well-padded headphones
The CMF Headphone Pro impresses with its matte (black) or glossy (white and turquoise) plastic design, which appears robust and scratch-resistant, although not as premium as aluminum models. The modular, replaceable ear pads are a real added value and cost $20 per pair.
The over-ear design with soft, breathable cushions and adjustable headband ensures a high level of comfort without pressure points and feels even better than the more expensive Nothing Headphones (1). The weight of 283 grams is evenly distributed, and the foldable design is suitable for travel, even if the included bag does not provide as much protection as a solid case.
Sustainability - Hardly any information
The CMF Headphone Pro scores highly in terms of sustainability, primarily thanks to its modular, replaceable ear pads made from vegan leather, which promote durability, but without explicit recycling certifications.
Features and operation - CMF headphones with intuitive controls
The CMF Headphone Pro comes with powerful features at a budget price: Bluetooth 5.4 with multipoint connection (two devices simultaneously), hi-res audio via LDAC, 40 mm dynamic drivers, adaptive hybrid ANC, transparency mode, and gaming mode (50 ms latency).
Pairing is straightforward: After switching on (hold the button for 3 seconds), the headset automatically appears in the Bluetooth menu and also supports Google Fast Pair and Microsoft Swift Pair. The app (iOS/Android) guides you through a 2-minute setup process, which includes a hearing profile test, ANC calibration, and a firmware check.
The hardware controls are intuitive and easy to use: The right ear cushion has a tactile dial for volume/play-pause (turn/swipe). The left earbud houses the power button and the bass boost slider. The app extension shines with equalizers, personalized sound curves, and update notifications. There is also a button to activate the voice assistant.
Sound - CMF Headphones as a good all-rounder
The 40 mm drivers deliver rich bass, which can be adjusted using a slide switch. The CMF Heaphone Pro delivers well-rounded mids for vocals and fairly precise highs, but in the super-high range, the price point sometimes becomes apparent, as these frequencies are not always reproduced cleanly. The mids are not very present, but this can be easily compensated for with the equalizer. LDAC provides hi-res details, and an audio jack (3.5 mm) is also available as an alternative. Sound output via USB is not possible. Overall, the CMF Headphones Pro deliver a good sound package.
The three ENC microphones with AI noise reduction clearly capture speech in quiet rooms and effectively block wind noise. In noisy environments, the sound becomes muddy and background noise comes through.
The adaptive hybrid ANC (up to 40 dB) effectively dampens humming (subway, car) and constant noise, including adaptive mode via app. Higher frequencies or voices are hardly reduced, but that was not to be expected in this price range.
The transparency mode leaves a largely natural and low-noise impression.
| Loudspeakers | |
| THD | |
| Teufel Real Blue Pro (RMS: -0.6 dBFS) | |
| CMF Headphone Pro (RMS: -0.3 dBFS) | |
| Nothing Headphone (1) (RMS: -1.1 dBFS) | |
| THD+N | |
| Teufel Real Blue Pro (RMS: -0.6 dBFS) | |
| Nothing Headphone (1) (RMS: -1.1 dBFS) | |
| CMF Headphone Pro (RMS: -0.3 dBFS) | |
* ... smaller is better
THD (Total Harmonic Distortion): Harmonic distortion quantifies the magnitude of the components that arise from non-linear distortion (harmonic content) in relation to the original signal. THD refers only to the fundamental harmonic content. The distortion factor is often mentioned in the same breath, but refers to the overall signal.
THD+N (Total Harmonic Distortion + Noise): This value is comparable to THD, but in addition to the interference from harmonics, the interference from noise is also recorded as an effective value.
For the measurement, a low-harmonic sine wave signal (1 kHz, > 0 dB) is played through the headphones to be tested and recorded by a linear measuring microphone (measuring distance: approx. 1 cm) in an artificial head.
CMF Headphone Pro audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (91.1 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(±) | reduced bass - on average 6.5% lower than median
(+) | bass is linear (3.8% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | higher mids - on average 5.8% higher than median
(+) | mids are linear (4.4% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 4.8% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (6.4% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(+) | overall sound is linear (11.5% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 7% of all tested devices in this class were better, 2% similar, 90% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 24%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 7% of all tested devices were better, 2% similar, 90% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 24%, worst was 134%
Teufel Real Blue Pro audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (97.1 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(±) | reduced bass - on average 7.5% lower than median
(+) | bass is linear (3.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 2.8% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (2.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 3.9% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (3.8% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(+) | overall sound is linear (9.5% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 4% of all tested devices in this class were better, 1% similar, 96% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 24%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 4% of all tested devices were better, 1% similar, 96% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 24%, worst was 134%
Battery life - CMF headphones with up to 100 hours of playback time
The CMF Headphone Pro clearly belongs to the upper class of its price range in terms of endurance. In the best case, up to around 100 hours of music playback are possible without ANC. With noise cancellation activated, the runtime drops to roughly 40 to 60 hours, depending on the volume, which is still significantly more than many competitors.
Charging is done via USB-C, with a full charge taking around two hours, but fast charging allows for several hours of listening time after just a few minutes.
Transparency
The selection of devices to be reviewed is made by our editorial team. The test sample was given to the author by the manufacturer free of charge for the purposes of review. There was no third-party influence on this review, nor did the manufacturer receive a copy of this review before publication. There was no obligation to publish this review. As an independent media company, Notebookcheck is not subjected to the authority of manufacturers, retailers or publishers.
This is how Notebookcheck is testing
Every year, Notebookcheck independently reviews hundreds of laptops and smartphones using standardized procedures to ensure that all results are comparable. We have continuously developed our test methods for around 20 years and set industry standards in the process. In our test labs, high-quality measuring equipment is utilized by experienced technicians and editors. These tests involve a multi-stage validation process. Our complex rating system is based on hundreds of well-founded measurements and benchmarks, which maintains objectivity. Further information on our test methods can be found here.
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