CMF Headphone Pro Review: Strong Bass, ANC, and Long Battery Under Rs 10,000

Headphones under Rs 10,000 in India sit in a very competitive space. This segment is filled with options that promise premium features like ANC, long battery life, and improved sound quality, but often come with clear compromises in build, comfort, or tuning. I received the CMF Headphone Pro for review to see where it fits in this crowded category, and whether it can strike the right balance between design, performance, and everyday usability without crossing the budget barrier.

What’s in the Box

The box contents are limited yet useful. You receive CMF Headphone Pro in Light Green colour, carry pouch, AUX cable and user manual. Carry pouch is good for providing minimal security during travelling or when storing the headphones. The AUX cable also supports wired listening in case the battery dies, or you want to have the option of a wired connection. The user manual is a beginner’s guide and contains first time set-up.

The box does not contain a charging cable. It is not a significant problem because the headphones have a standard USB Type-C connection, and the vast majority of users already possess the appropriate cables. Nevertheless, customers, who do not have an extra cable, will have to organize one. In general, the contents of the box are more oriented towards the necessities, but not towards the accessories.

Design, Color, and Weight

The CMF Headphone Pro is designed to emphasize the design and daily practicality. The headphones are over-ear, which is well balanced in size and weight. It is light at 283 grams and can be easily put on the head and is not straining when worn over a long period of time. The cushions are also slightly heavier although in practice they do not influence comfort.

Colour selections also make a significant contribution to the identity of the product. The headphones have a clean and contemporary appearance courtesy of the pastel colors. The headband and ear cup finish have a soft-touch texture, which contributes to the high-quality feel despite mostly being made of plastic. The material used is not the cheap kind and the cushions in all contact points enhance the comfort.

One of the stronger points is comfort. The ear cups are worn around the ears rather than pushed on the ears. The adjustment of the headband is comfortable, and the distinct indication of the right and left makes it easier to use on a daily basis. The non-foldable design is the one disadvantage of the product, which is the only perceivable downside as it renders the headphones not so travel-friendly.

The physical controls are not complicated and are dependable. The volume roller, buttons and the bass slider have a logical placement and can be used without the need to look. This also makes the headphones more convenient than touch-based controls when you are on the move or are wearing gloves.

Basic water protection against light splashes and sweat is added with the IPX2 rating. It can be used for informal outdoor purposes and not in intense exercise or dusty conditions. A higher rating would have enhanced long term durability.

The exchangeable ear cushions stand out. They simplify the cleaning process and provide certain personalisation. This detachable feature is a value addition and the CMF Headphone Pro seems different as compared to others in the same price bracket. In general, design decisions are more practical and user-friendly than ornamental.

Connectivity and Pairing

The CMF Headphone Pro provides a powerful wireless experience to its target market. Bluetooth 5.4 is reliable, and the LDAC and AAC features provide users with access to high-quality sound on the devices they are compatible with. LDAC, specifically, is noticeably better when it is supported by the Nothing X app, particularly among individuals who play high-quality audio. This is practical value to the fact that the codec is compatible with newer (and less expensive) phones.

Pairing is simple and quick. It only takes few seconds before the pairing mode is entered and the headphones can be located in phones, laptops and other devices. On Android, Fast Pair and on Windows, Swift Pair, the process is even easier. During testing, the connection was not difficult and there were no random dropouts and delays between switching of devices.

The dual device connection is an effective feature used in everyday life. It will enable you to remain attached to two devices simultaneously and change audio without any inconvenience. This can be useful to users who switch between a phone and a laptop throughout the day. The transitions are smooth and do not disrupt the playback in an apparent manner.

The physical controls are good and sturdy. The roller is used to control the volume, playback, and mode switching without any confusion. The slider further provides fast sound adjustment and the function button gives a faster access to voice assistant. Such controls diminish the necessity to open the app on a regular basis.

The Nothing X app provides flexibility through customization. You are able to remap buttons, configure what the slider is controlling and perform other actions depending on your style of usage. This degree of customization makes the headphones look more intimate and allows them to get used to various listening patterns. The experience of being connected and controlled is overall quite stable, practical, and well-thought-out.

Sound Quality and Active Noise Cancellation

CMF Headphone Pro provides sound that is vibrant and tuned for listening every day. The sound profile is also warm, with definite accent on bass, which is appropriate to most popular music genres. The bass is well impacting and without overwhelming any other instrument or vocals.

The physical bass slider is really different in everyday use. The sound is balanced and controlled at the middle level. Making the slider bigger provides powerful sub-bass and it does well with bass-intensive music, such as EDM and hip-hop. The reduction of bass brings out vocals and middle range details, which is effective in podcasts, acoustic music and spoken content. This type of fast sound control is realistic and simple to comprehend.

The built-in equalizer presets provide handy tuning features to different types of content. It has manual tuning which is simpler than more expensive models. Personal sound profile feature is a value added feature that fine-tunes the sound according to the hearing ability of the user and the spatial audio adds volume to the movie or concert viewing.

Active noise cancellation is also a good price-wise. It minimizes the general noise at the background whether inside or outside the home. Adaptive mode is silent and operates in the background and adapts itself according to the environment. The roller is fast and solid in switching ANC, transparency and normal mode.

Transparency mode is more natural and makes you mindful of what goes around you. The low-latency game mode is compatible and works well with Nothing and CMF phones, as well as minimizing audio latency during playing.

Call quality is solid. The microphones are able to cope with wind noise and traffic noise and they are able to maintain clarity of voice when making a call. In general, the CMF Headphone Pro is a good product with good audio quality, convenient sound controls, and reliable noise cancellation in its market.

Battery

The CMF Headphone Pro has a strong battery life. When used in normal mode with ANC on, it can easily last several days. Practical application is nearly equal to the claim made by the company and therefore can be used in long term listening without the need to charge the device regularly.

The speed of charging is convenient in day-to-day life. It takes just a few moments of charging to have hours of playback, which comes in handy when you are in a rush. It takes approximately two hours to fully charge and it seems reasonable when looking at the total battery backup period.

Fast charging support is convenient too. A top-up of five minutes is even enough to keep the headphones going most of the day, depending on the ANC status. This renders the headphones reliable during travelling and work durations.

There is consistency in call quality and clearness. The voice is recorded well by the microphones and the background noise is diminished to a significant level. The dialogues are intelligible both in a room and outdoors.

The battery indicator and charging indicators are easy and clear. Charging status and low-battery notifications are visible on the lights, thus you can always be aware of when it is time to get plugged in. The overall experience of the battery life and the charge is well optimized and seems practical enough to use on a daily basis.

Final Verdict

The CMF headphone Pro is a balanced product in the price range. It has a unique modular design, convenient physical controls, long battery life, and effective wireless performance. Sound quality is interactive and customizable, and ANC and call quality are available every day. It has some tradeoffs, such as the basic IP rating or the lack of a foldable design, although on the whole, it is good value and appears to be well considered as an everyday use device.