CMF Buds 2 Review: Feature-rich, bassy buds on a budget

The CMF Buds 2 are the only suffixless TWS in CMF’s recently launched Buds 2 series – the others being the CMF Buds 2 Pro, the CMF Buds 2 Plus, and the CMF Buds 2a. But although they lack a tag in their name, they still bring some very good audio performance to the budget TWS tablet. Their price tag of Rs. 2,699 puts them in a very competitive zone, and puts them into a very competitive zone, inhabited by a number of brands. Can the CMF Buds 2 deliver value (and then some) for that price?

CMF Buds 2 Design: Sticking to the CMF template

The CMF Buds 2 stick to broadly the same design language as other buds from the brand. They come with a square case with rounded edges, with a rotating dial on the top left corner. The difference lies in the rotating dial. The dial on the CMF Buds 2 is transparent, and while it is made of plastic, it mimics glass – it is quite shiny and glossy. Like the Buds 2 Plus, the rotating dial has no function and is most decorative, although it does have two small holes that can be used to attach a lanyard to the case. There is a small LED indicator on the front and a USB Type-C port on the right for charging. There is a small “CMF by Nothing” branding on the top of the case in a slightly darker shade than the base shade. The case comes with a matte finish, and the glossy dial offers a much-needed contrast in its anatomy -something that was missing from the CMF Buds 2 Plus’ design.

Flip open the case, and you will find two buds lying snugly inside. There is also a “Buds 2” branding on the inside of the case. The buds connect to the case with pogo pins and swiftly fall into each of their tiny nooks when they are put in the case. In terms of design, these are typical TWS – they have round, bulbous tops with silicone tips attached to small stems, and come with a mix of glossy and matte finishes (the top is glossy while the stem is matte). There are three different sizes of silicon ear tips that one can choose from in the box – we used the medium size for our use, and they fit us very well, enough to offer some passive insulation from noise.

Both the case and the buds are quite light in terms of weight. The earbuds weigh 4.5 grams each, while the case weighs about 41.5 grams. You can easily fit them in your trouser pocket or handbag. It also means they can be used for hours without any problem. Even though both buds and case are made of plastic and come with a very affordable price tag, they feel quite solid and well-made. The material feels borderline premium, which is a major plus in this price range. Opening and shutting the case has a satisfying and hefty snap, and the hinge feels smooth too. The buds come with an IP55 rating, making them good enough to be worn through a sweaty workout session or in light rain, and in a neat touch, the case has an IPX2 rating as well. The CMF Buds 2 are available in three colors: Light Green, Dark Grey, and Orange. We received the Light Green version, which, while pretty good to look at and a distinct shade in the current TWS crowd, does not age very well and catches dirt and scratches quite easily. We would recommend getting the dark grey variant if you are not into flashy colors like orange or a distinct one like green.

CMF Buds 2 Pairing, controls, and app: Smooth sailing…well, mostly

The CMF Buds 2 come with Bluetooth 5.4 with a range of 10 metres. The pairing process of the Buds 2 is pretty straightforward. The case has a tiny, almost hidden button on the inside, next to the buds’ residence. You have to long-press it until the buds appear in your device’s Bluetooth list and select them. The Buds 2 are also equipped with Google Fast Pair and Microsoft Swift Pair, and also come with a dual connection feature that allows you to pair them to two devices at once, allowing you to switch between the two paired devices. The controls are quite straightforward as well. The stems of the buds come with touch controls; a double tap on either bud can answer and disconnect calls or skip a song. A triple tap can reject a call or go back a song, while tap and hold lets you switch between ANC and transparency mode.

They might be simple to understand, but the controls on the CMF Buds 2 are a bit of a hit and a miss in terms of usage. Even after using the buds for a significant amount of time, we found it difficult to get the buds to register commands accurately a lot of times. These controls can be customised using the cleanly designed and super helpful Nothing X app, which is available for both Android and iOS. The app comes with a number of features and also gives you the option to switch between ANC, transparency mode, or keep both off. You can even choose the intensity of noise cancellation from Low, Mid, High, or Adaptive, and also access features like Spatial Audio, Ultra Bass, and an Equaliser. You also get regular updates to the buds through the app, and this being a Nothing device, there are plenty of those.

CMF Buds 2 Performance: Bass-heavy and feature-loaded

The CMF Buds 2 come with custom 11mm PMI and PU dynamic drivers and support the AAC and SBC codecs, which is what is expected at this price. Much like the Buds 2 Plus, the audio output of the Buds 2 is also bass-forward, which is a trend we see in budget TWS. Because of this, the sound is not very well balanced. It is not thumping bass that drowns everything else, but it is definitely strong enough to overshadow highs and even hamper the clarity of mids. The rumble ends up making both treble and vocal details a bit murky, which is intense enough to be noticeable. There is an Ultra Bass mode on the buds (accessible from the app) that makes the lows even more prominent, making the overall audio output very cloudy and reducing clarity even further.

The buds come with Dirac Opeteo, a technology that Nothing claims enhances the overall audio output, and are pre-set to this, but you can change this through the app. There are seven equaliser presettings on the app– Dirac Opteo, Pop, Rock, Classical, Electronic, Enhance Vocals, and Custom. While each of these makes a noticeable difference in the audio output, we still found the audio to be a bit bass-heavy, except in the case of Enhance Vocals, which managed to free the audio from the bass clutches of the buds. The equaliser is not very easy to use – we would have preferred simple bars instead of the circular interface. The Ultra Bass feature on the app also comes with five levels, but bass levels seem pretty much the same on all the different levels.

CMF Buds 2 Calls, ANC, and battery: Delivering a good performance

ANC works well enough on the CMF Buds 2, and by this, we mean it can manage to dull down the noise of a crowded cafe if not completely cut it down, which is good enough at this price point. We also suggest using eartips that fit snugly so the earbuds can block noise passively as well. Transparency mode, on the other hand, sounds a bit exaggerated as compared to the real levels of ambient noise around. The buds have a Low Lag mode as well, which reduces latency while gaming and makes a noticeable difference. The call quality of the CMF Buds 2 is also good. There are three mics on each bud, and they also come with Clear Voice Technology 3.0, which is basically ENC and Wind Noise Reduction 3.0.

And it all seems to work well, as we hardly got any complaints from the receiver’s end while on a call using the buds, and the audio from the other end was pretty clear too. The wind noise reduction technology on the buds is quite impressive on calls and actually managed to cut down wind noise during outdoor calls. A recurring issue that we had with both Buds 2 Plus and the Buds 2 is with their In-Ear detection feature. We found the buds paused music abruptly if they moved a bit, even when placed in our ears. Thanks to the snug fit, it was not very often, but it did happen at least two to three times during each of our workout sessions.

The buds pack in some very impressive battery life. CMF promises 13.5 hours without ANC and 7.5 hours with ANC, and while the buds do not match these (we got about 10 hours without ANC and 6.5-7 hours with ANC), these are very good numbers for the price. The case takes the battery life to 55 hours without ANC, and 32 hours with ANC, and we easily managed to get through a week and then some on a single charge, which is pretty good. The buds come with fast charging support and one can get 4 hours worth of playback (without ANC) in 10 minutes, while the case can add 7.5 hours worth of battery life in the same time. The case takes about an hour to charge completely. These are very good numbers for the segment.

CMF Buds 2 Review Verdict: Rock solid value for money, especially if you like your buds to be bassy!

The CMF Buds 2 retail for Rs. 2,699, and at that price are a very good value for money. They come packed with features like ANC, Spatial Audio, Transparency mode, a number of equaliser settings and presets, low lag mode, and great battery life, all of which we usually get to see at slightly higher price points. Their sound profile leans towards being bass-heavy, but this is very common in this price segment. They face competition from the Redmi Buds 6 and the OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro, which come at a similar price and similar features, but comfortably hold their own against them, thanks to their call quality (an issue with others) and very clean, distinct design. If you love your sound with plenty of bass and are on a tight budget, the CMF Buds 2 are an excellent option.

Buy CMF Buds 2

Source link