CMF by Nothing Buds Pro 2

Just so you can see at a glance what these headphones have to offer, here are the hard facts:

Technical specifications of the CMF by Nothing Buds Pro 2

• Dual driver system: one 11mm bass driver and one 6mm tweeter per side
• Spatial Audio
• Dirac Opteo: digital sound optimisation
• Bluetooth 5.3 with the codecs SBC, AAC and LDAC (Hi-Res Audio)
• Multipoint (2 devices simultaneously)
• Six HD microphones with Clear Voice Technology 2.0 for calls
• Adaptive, hybrid active noise cancelling (ANC): reduces ambient noise by up to 50 dB
• Transparency mode
• Wind cancellation
• IP55 certification
• ChatGPT integration
• Gaming mode (latency below 120 ms)
• Total playback time up to 43 hours, fast charging (10 minutes for 7 hours of use)
• Smart Dial: control various functions directly on the charging case
• Fit test for ear inserts
• Wearing detection (auto-pause)
• Colours: black, light grey, blue and orange

Who is behind CMF?

CMF is a brand from the technology company Nothing, which was founded in 2020 by Carl Pei, one of the co-founders of OnePlus. The semi-transparent design of their smartphones and in-ears provides a refreshing style that is welcome in the otherwise black-and-white-dominated world of TWS.

CMF stands for “Colour, Material, Finish” and is intended to reflect Nothing’s philosophy of creating aesthetically pleasing products with high functionality at an affordable price.

Package of the CMF by Nothing Buds Pro 2

The CMF by Nothing Buds Pro 2’s package naturally includes the in-ears themselves, a charging case with Smart Dial, a USB-C charging cable, interchangeable ear tips in sizes S, M and L and a user manual. The packaging is compact and environmentally friendly, which emphasises the minimalist approach of CMF and of Nothing.

Wearing Comfort of the CMF by Nothing Buds Pro 2

Thanks to the ergonomic design and lightweight construction, the CMF by Nothing Buds Pro 2 are generally comfortable to wear and offer a secure fit. This is because this model makes you realise how individual our ears can be: The different earbud sizes allow you to make appropriate customisation, but they still seem quite small compared to some competitors. I usually need size L to achieve the best possible fit, i.e. an optimal seal of the ear canal. Unfortunately, this did not work with the ones supplied, so I had to switch to third-party ear tips. Unfortunately, the fit test that can be carried out via the app never gave me a positive result.

App connection

The Nothing-X app (iOS, Android) enables you to make various adjustments and options for setting up the control. You can set the equaliser, perform automatic firmware updates and personalise the functions of the rotary dial on the charging case. You can control the Ultra Bass and ANC, which can be switched between four levels (adaptive, low, medium, high). You can also deactivate/activate the transparency mode, but this cannot be adjusted. It can be set to “Off”, allowing you to operate the in-ears without active noise control.

If you want to change the default assignment, you can assign different actions to the left and right earpiece in the app. Single taps were not supported, but you can use double and triple taps as well as tap and hold, and double tap and hold. The last two actions are only for certain control commands. Changing the volume, for example, is only possible with double tap and hold. You can also set up the Smart Dial on the charging case, which is not assigned by default, in the app.

A gaming mode with reduced latency, the wear detection (auto pause), the fit test, the earbud finder function and the management of multipoint connections are all available in the device settings.

Charging case with Smart Dial – truly unique and super practical!

The charging case that comes with the CMF by Nothing Buds Pro 2 has an interesting feature: The Smart Dial is a rotary knob that offers a range of functions. It can be used to adjust the volume, manage calls, change ANC modes, activate transparency mode, control media playback or start ChatGPT. The latter requires a smartphone from CMF or Nothing, which we did not have. However, as the Nothing Ear has the same feature, I would like to refer you to my colleague’s test.

In practice, this small rotary knob proves to be extremely practical: With the case in your jacket pocket, it is possible to virtually control the functions blind if you have previously defined them via the app. During our test, we never imagined how convenient it would be to have a haptic control handy. In the home office, the volume control was always within easy reach, which is far less disruptive to workflow than having to reach for a mobile phone. Even in a (not too tight) trouser pocket, during hours of walking, the Smart Dial didn’t accidentally trigger.

The Smart Dial can be turned, but it can also be pressed. The manufacturer has also made it possible to lock the rotary knob with a gesture.

The case itself looks very well made for the price! It has the obligatory USB-C port on the right-hand side and a status LED  on the front.

We would deduct points for the annoying status tones, which are audible every time you turn the headphones. This also happens with the controls on the stems of the in-ears. Unfortunately, these cannot be deactivated via the app. We hope that CMF, or Nothing, will improve this and make it possible to turn off the status tones via an app update.

Sound tuning: What does Dirac Opteo mean?

The manufacturer states that Nothing and Dirac have provided the sound tuning. Dirac has developed various algorithms and measurement methods to correct distortions, resonances and other acoustic irregularities in audio systems (headphones, mobile devices and cars) caused by the design and environment in which the devices operate.

The CMF Buds Pro 2 use “Opteo” technology, which, according to the manufacturer, is intended to contribute to digital sound optimisation and thus significantly improve their sound quality. This should lead to a more precise, balanced and clearer sound reproduction. The correction of impulse responses, the use of multiband dynamic compression and virtual bass are intended to compensate for the shortcomings of small speakers.

How good do the CMF by Nothing Buds Pro 2 sound?

Thanks to the dual-driver system and the collaboration with Dirac, these earphones offered a powerful and balanced sound – depending on the setting. As with the larger models, the Nothing Ear (a) and Ear, the first sound test started with extremely strong bass. Ultra Bass is set to level 3 by default (adjustable from “Off” to level 5), and this was already too much for me, even with modern dance tracks.

The equaliser has six pre-sets (“Dirac Opteo”, “Pop”, “Rock”, “Classic”, “Electronic”, “Voice Enhance”) as well as three bands (“Bass”, “Mid”, “Treble”) for your own adjustments.

For headphones costing 59 euros, the CMF by Nothing Buds Pro 2 sounded really good, but for me only with certain settings. With the EQ pre-set “Dirac Opteo”, the ultra-bass setting at level 1 including activated spatial audio, I found a sound that worked very well: I really enjoyed using these headphones to listen to a range of tracks on our Spotify playlist. The bass pushed nice and easily, revealing the decay behaviour of bass drums or bass instruments. Pop songs from the 80s sounded wonderfully modern thanks to Ultra Bass at levels 3 to 5, but everyone has to decide for themselves how much they want to “manipulate” the source material.

The mids were sometimes a little bold, but this revealed interesting details with vocals. Using LDAC on an Android smartphone, I discovered breathing noises in David Bowie’s voice, which were sometimes drowned out by other headphones. Unfortunately, Dirac Opteo is deactivated when using the Hi-Res audio codec. So you can’t have both at the same time.

The treble, on the other hand, seemed tamed, so it was possible to listen to music, podcasts and radio plays for hours without the treble becoming too tiring.

Unfortunately, the sound changed when ANC and transparency mode were deactivated. As with other more expensive competitors, you can hear when the DSP algorithms were switched off.

So, in terms of sound, these are my conclusions: these headphones only sounded really good to me when I adjusted the sound! And a word about the spatial audio function: on other headphones, I would normally switch this off, as the output signal is usually heavily distorted. However, with these headphones, it worked wonderfully because the signal sounded more spatial, more natural and deeper without being too thick.

How good are the ANC and transparency modes of the CMF by Nothing Buds Pro 2?

The hybrid ANC technology of the CMF by Nothing Buds Pro 2 reduces ambient noise by up to 50 dB – at least that’s what the manufacturer says. In practice, this means that the noise cancellation was quite powerful and was more than impressive for 59-euro headphones. The low-frequency range was properly suppressed, while the mids and highs were filtered satisfactorily. In a direct comparison with the best TWS headphones in the ANC range, the Apple AirPods Pro 2 and Bose Quiet Comfort Ultra Earbuds, the Bose performed better. For example, passing motor vehicles reached the ears more clearly, and when used on a train journey, Apple and Bose also absorbed voices and even children’s cries much more effectively.

I was pleasantly surprised by the background noise, which was perceptible but unexpectedly low.

This was, of course, significantly higher when they were used in transparency mode due to the design, but the affordable CMF Buds Pro 2 did a good job here, too. Incoming ambient noise was amplified relatively discreetly yet naturally.

Phone features of the CMF by Nothing Buds Pro 2

The CMF by Nothing Buds Pro 2 offered good voice quality during calls thanks to the six HD microphones (three per side) and Clear Voice Technology 2.0. Noise cancellation minimised background noise, which significantly improved intelligibility. Wind noise was also suppressed, not completely, but audibly. The touch controls made it easy to answer and end calls. The Buds Pro 2 can also be used individually (in single mode).

Conclusion

The CMF by Nothing Buds Pro 2 are impressive True Wireless in-ears! For less than 60 euros RRP, they can really do a remarkable job. And the manufacturer has also made sure this all happens in high quality. This makes these headphones an excellent choice for anyone looking for high-quality True Wireless in-ears for an affordable price. And it doesn’t matter whether you’re new to the TWS world, a CMF fan, or simply looking for an affordable second pair of headphones.

Having said all that, not all that glitters here is gold, but the CMF by Nothing Buds Pro did not make any major blunders. On the contrary, the charging case with Smart Dial and the sound tuning by Dirac are both truly unique.