CMF Buds Pro 2 Wireless Earbuds, Hi-Res Audio with LDAC, 50 dB Hybrid Noise Cancelling Earbuds, Ultra Bass Technology, Bluetooth 5.3, 43H Play Time with Charging Case, 6 HD Mics Headphones, Dark Grey

Taken with a grain of salt, since I've been using them for a total of 30 minutes.Update - I've now worn them through 2 calls and all was well. No complaints from the other end, and my side was crystal clear. Comfort is good, and my longest session was 3 hours. No ear pain, and they stayed in my ears. Still have not used the case dial function. Oh yeah, after 3 hours of music play I put the buds back in the case and both buds were still at 83% battery.A couple minor weaknesses, but again, I keep in mind that they are sub $60 buds. The noise cancellation is wonky with loud noises (in my case Chainsaw and Circular saw). The pass through audio is not great, but I was able to have conversations with a few people at Lowes. This could be improved, but the price would go up.Music was still great.Original review:First song though them is All Night by Def Leppard from Euphoria. It has a lot of quasi variable sounds, a hint of soft rock rap, rock, acapella vocals, and vocals isolated with nothing but bass, good harmonies, both high and low tones. Normally I drive a new set of buds to max volume, but these approached uncomfortable at 3/4 volume, which is also where the "Ear Damage" warning pops up. I got to *80% volume and backed off (very impressive).They only have 3 tip options, SML, and are factory fitted with M. I switched to the Large and get good isolation. For this sub $60 purchase price I did not expect a hearing test from the app, and one does not exist, but it does have a fit test under the Device Settings. Also under the Device Settings is the Dual Connection option, which by default is set to off. If you switch to dual connection, the buds have to reboot, so don't do this if you're in the middle of listening to a song or on a phone call.Surprisingly, the app and buds have a Find My Earbuds option - unheard of for this price.The buds sound fantastic with Spacial Audio off, but there is a noticable enhancement when you enable Spacial Audio. I like both outputs equally, and thing for those who come from or are in the sound production world, my guess is they will prefer the perception of a pre and post mixed feel. Spacial off tends to be a lot more of a natural recording, and Spacial sounds like a producer got a low impact opportunity to add some effects, but not over powering. Another effect of Spacial is a slight volume boost.I've not yet tried the case dial, and while cool, I don't see a personal application, but still cool as a remote control for your buds, without the need to touch the buds or use the phone app.The case is a little larger than my Soundcore Space A40's, but I like the square shape. I also bought a matching TPU case so I'd not scratch up the case while in my pocket.There are only two things I poke at. There is no USB-C cable included (not a big deal - by now everyone has a dozen or more). The second is a personal preference, and that is earbud charge % display, and that it only shows charge drop in 5% increments, i.e. 100%, 95%, 90% etc.I am not yet able to speak to call quality, but that will happen soon I hope.So far I'm sticking with the Euphoria album, but I can't wait to hear Drive by The Cars, both for vocal and instrumental clarity.

I ordered these CMF Buds Pro 2 as well as the original CMF Buds so I could compare them and decide if the moderately higher price of the Buds Pro 2 was worth it. TLDR: The Buds Pro 2 provide a noticeably superior experience and are easily worth the extra money if you have a discerning ear.I am an audiophile who worked in the home theater industry for several years, including installing and calibrating home audio systems for authentic and dynamic music reproduction. I care about accurate sound reproduction and clarity, but I also enjoy dynamic sound that I can feel. I always want to experience the full range of sounds present in a recording. So that's my baseline as I evaluate the ear buds.The original CMF Buds sound good, with punchy bass and no distortion, but it was difficult to get the right balance of mids and highs that provide crystal clear sound without it getting too tinny. In contrast, the Buds Pro 2 provide great bass while also providing clear mids and highs without being harsh or tinny.Bass is good in both products, but again, the Buds Pro 2 come out on top because they can provide bass without getting muddy. The bass is there, but it does not overpower the mids or highs.Spatial Audio on the Buds Pro 2 does a good job of creating a better sound stage. It really does put you in the middle of the music and it enhances the space between the left and right audio tracks. It also enhances the clarity of the audio. Listening to "Take 5" by the Dave Brubeck quartet is a joy on the Buds Pro 2 and hearing the difference with spatial audio on vs off highlights the virtues of Spatial Audio. The original Buds do not support Spatial Audio, so this is a clear advantage of the Buds Pro 2.Noise Cancelling is good on both, with the Buds Pro 2 providing a higher level of noise cancellation. I am not often in noisy environments, so I can't comment on the differences between these two products. The one thing I can comment on is the clarity of the Transparency mode. With the original buds I tried turning on clarity mode while at work and having a conversation with coworkers. My coworkers sounded muffled and my voice sounded to me like I was wearing earplugs. It was not a good experience. However, with the Buds Pro 2 the transparency mode works really well. I can still tell I have my ear buds in, but I can easily hear others and my own voice is only slightly annoying coming through the ear buds. :)Call clarity is good on both. I could hear the other person very well, and they said I sounded good. I don't take many calls with the ear buds, but so far I have not noticed any differences in any aspect of the call quality.The case click-wheel on the Buds Pro 2 is really enjoyable to use. As I wear the ear buds at my desk in my office job, I often use the click-wheel to adjust the volume, play/pause my music, and switch between noise cancelling and transparency mode. Each of these functions work well and the tactile feel of the wheel is really satisfying.Bottom LineThe Buds Pro 2 and the original Buds are both good products. If you want a solid pair of earbuds and you are a casual user, the original Buds should work well for you. If you are picky about music quality and want to ensure an audio experience that you really enjoy, the Buds Pro 2 are easily worth the extra money.