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- Lots of features for the money
- Dirac-tuned sound clarity
- Excellent battery life
- ANC has issues
- No LDAC or aptX
- Unconvincing case durability
Why spend more? That’s the obvious question when faced with the CMF Buds 2. These true wireless earbuds tick multiple boxes, yet cost less than £40.
Hybrid active noise cancellation? Spatial audio? Incomprehensible audio processing by renowned Swedish audio outfit Dirac? Yes, yes, and thrice yes.
Getting an earful of these budget bangers is akin to feasting on filet mignon in a fast food joint.
However, CMF, the budget-conscious sub-brand of Nothing, is known for offering more for less. The Buds 2 are aggressively affordable and surprisingly clever. Let’s see what they bring to the table – and what they leave off.
What do you get for the money?
The CMF Buds 2 will set you back £40 and are positioned neatly above the entry-level Buds 2a and below the feature-rich Buds 2 Plus. They’re designed to tempt everyday users who are looking for a mix of style, comfort, and decent sonics.
In the box, you’ll find a pair of tidy-looking buds with a mixed gloss and matte finish alongside a compact but distinctively designed charging case, and a set of additional silicone ear tips in various sizes to help you achieve a snug, noise-isolating fit.
The charging case design is noteworthy for its transparent dial, which has holes for a wrist strap, although there’s no strap included. It’s easily pocketed, but as I discovered, it’s worryingly prone to surface damage. After only a few days in my possession (and a close encounter with what I believe was a Taco spill), the case showed early signs of wear.
However, armed with novel Dirac Opteo tuning, hybrid ANC (up to 48dB), spatial audio, and boasting up to 55 hours of battery life (including the power reserve in the case), the Buds 2 very much punch above their weight.
What do they do well?
When Dirac Opteo processing is doing its thing, and ANC is turned off, the Buds 2 offer a refined, coherent presentation that belies their price tag. The resident 11mm drivers are extremely good. High frequencies are impressively clear, and midrange detail is strong, especially for vocals and spoken word content (making these a great buy for audiobook addicts).
However, bass is a bit of a challenge. Pulp’s Spike Island opens with a taut bassline that, with ANC engaged, sounds overly stodgy; however, turn ANC off, and that same bass beat hits with purpose and vigour. It’s like ANC is acting as a thickening agent. Alestorm’s Hyperion Omniriff has a thudding opening stomp. With ANC on (and Ultra Bass on level one), the pirate metallers are carrying excess baggage. With ANC switched off, the track is lighter and more agile.
Elsewhere across the frequency spectrum, there are no issues. Treble sparkles without sibilance, and there’s a pleasing sense of air to spatially up-mixed content.
The spatial audio mode isn’t exactly Dolby Atmos for your ears, but it does a decent job of widening the soundstage. It’s powered by an HRTF-based algorithm – the sort that mimics how sound arrives at your ears in a physical space – which adds welcome dimensionality to music. Instrument separation is more pronounced, and the effect is subtle enough not to feel gimmicky. I rather like this wider, more immersive presentation.
Battery life is another win. The buds give up to 13.5 hours of playback on a single charge, with the case taking total audio playback to 55 hours. Ten minutes on the mains gets you 7.5 hours of listening. That’s absurdly good, effectively meaning these earbuds are always ready to go.
There are also several convenience features, including dual-device pairing (useful when you’re hopping between your laptop and smartphone), a low-lag gaming mode, and effective wind noise reduction. Keeping calls sounding clean and natural are six HD microphones managed by Clear Voice Technology 3.0.
The Nothing X app allows additional EQ tinkering and a choice of presets: Dirac Opteo, Pop, Rock, Classical, Electronic and Enhance Vocals, with the latter adding extra sharpness. My recommendation is to stick with Dirac.
What could be improved?
For the price, the Buds 2 deliver an astonishing amount, and it seems churlish to carp. But there are some caveats.
Active noise cancellation is better than passive isolation, but it’s not going to silence a train carriage or drown out café chatter. It’s more of a polite muffle than a full hush. Worse, it tends to hamper audio quality. Bass becomes flabby and lethargic when ANC is engaged.
You’re also looking at very limited Bluetooth codec compatibility, with just bog-standard SBC supported alongside AAC. That’s par for the course at this price point – if you want high-resolution options, you’ll need to stretch your budget a bit further and buy the CMF Buds 2 Plus, which support LDAC, instead.
And that case? It’s easily scuffed, so be warned.
Should you buy the CMF Buds 2?
If you’re looking for great-sounding, feature-rich earbuds for less than the price of a Friday night takeaway, then yes, the CMF Buds 2 are one of the smartest earbud buys out there right now.
They’re not perfect. Audiophiles and ANC aficionados will find shortcomings. But if you want earbuds that sound good for commuting, casual music listening, podcasts and audiobooks, and don’t want to spend a fortune on replacing them when one inevitably goes missing, these deliver big time.
If there’s a better pair of ANC earbuds at this price, I haven’t heard them. And I’ve tested countless pairs of headphones of this style.
