EarFun Free Pro 2

Package

In the box, you will find the EarFun Free Pro 2, the backs of which are now finished in aluminium. The extremely compact charging case can be charged “old-school” via USB-C, but also wirelessly according to the Qi standard on a charging mat. Three pairs of ear hooks, four pairs of ear moulds, a 30-centimetre USB-A to USB-C charging cable (although the cable shown on the website appears to be much longer) and printed instructions are also included.

Bluetooth range

Pairing with the device via Bluetooth 5.2 went smoothly. The range in the office was sufficient for walking to the coffee machine across two rooms, i.e. about nine metres. Outside, in an open space, I got a little more than 20 metres away before the signal stuttered. SBC and AAC-encoded material is transmitted to 6 mm diameter dual-composite dynamic drivers. These in-ears can each be operated individually, but a multipoint connection, i.e. simultaneous pairing with two sources, is not available.

Comfort

Once you have found the right combination of ear hook and fitting piece for you, the EarFun Free Pro 2 fit very securely and firmly in the ears, with the resulting seal being good, though not outstanding. With their elongated oval shape, these in-ears fit my anatomy well, but this is not necessarily going to be the case for every user. In addition, these in-ears are water-repellent according to protection class IPX5.

Remote functions

The essential functions of the EarFun Free Pro 2 can be controlled via the touch-sensitive backs of the in-ears. Tapping once changes the volume, tapping twice stops the programme or answers calls. Three taps on the right side jumps forward, and on the left side, this activates the low-latency mode, which improves lip-sync in movies and response accuracy in games. ANC and transparency mode is activated by tapping and holding on the left, and this is confirmed via a voice announcement. On the right, you can summon digital assistants. This all works quite well, even if there are often unwanted effects because the tapping surfaces are very sensitive, and reaction can be somewhat delayed.

Because EarFun does not provide an app along with the Free Pro 2, there is nothing you can do about these pre-assigned control commands, and neither the ANC nor the transparency mode offers any further adjustment options.

Battery life

Five hours with ANC, six hours without – these are the manufacturer’s specifications for the Free Pro 2’s battery life. In mixed mode, this was rather undermined, as it ended at just over four hours. Then these in-ears have to go into their pleasantly compact charging case, where they are fully charged again after about an hour. For the impatient, there is a play-time of two hours after ten minutes in the case. The case offers four recharges in total.

Sound

Sound-wise, the EarFun Free Pro 2 offer a decent bass that comes through as powerful and voluminous. With current chart music, a good pressure builds up with sufficient volume, which sounds pleasant and quite fatigue-free. However, you should not turn it up too loud because then the bass starts to boom and the treble becomes unpleasant. Overall, there is a lack of freshness and clarity, which is detrimental to transparency and penetrability. This tends to make the Free Pro 2 less suitable for more demanding music listening. However, for a daily podcast or as a musical accessory on the way to work, they do a good job.

Hybrid ANC and Transparency Mode

Four of the six built-in microphones on the EarFun Free Pro 2 use hybrid ANC for noise cancellation. Here, the electronics filter out the low frequencies from the ambient noise quite effectively, leaving behind the mid and high-frequency ranges of street noise, which are now no longer so clearly audible. However, the Free Pro 2’s ANC does not come close to higher-quality systems. The change in the sound towards more mids and basses that occurs during operation is slight, and increased background noise is only heard when nothing else is going on.

To let the environment back in, a transparency mode passes the signal from the outside microphones, which is a bit noisy and significantly increases susceptibility to wind. But this is sufficient to understand an announcement at the station.

Speech quality

The noise suppression algorithm does its job effectively and considerably fades out the noise of the street. Having said that, a bit of background often comes through alongside the voice; it comes across as relatively clear and intelligible but also heavily electronically treated. In a quiet office before a video conference, the voice sounds good. It just lacks a little fullness.