Why You Can Trust CNET Earfun, a Leader in Budget Earbuds, Is Finally Doing Over-Ear ANC Headphones
The Earfun Wave Pro headphones are coming in March. They'll have a list price of $80, are rated for up to 80 hours of battery life and support the LDAC audio codec.
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Earfun has consistently released decent-sounding noise-canceling earbuds in the $30-$70 price range that offer good bang for your buck. It also makes portable Bluetooth speakers but until now hasn't offered over-ear noise-canceling headphones. That's about to change in March, as we'll see the new Wave Pro headphones hit Amazon, Earfun announced at CES 2024. They'll list for $80 but could end up costing closer to $70 with discounts, based on how Earfun has priced its products in the past.
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Earfun is billing the Wave Pro as high-res headphones. They have 40mm "Diamond-Like Carbon (DLC) composite film dynamic coil" drivers and feature LDAC audio codec support when paired with devices like Android smartphones that support LDAC streaming over Bluetooth (LDAC is capable of delivering audio at higher bit rates so you may see a slight bump in audio quality if you use a high-res streaming service such as Qobuz, Tidal or Amazon Music).
Earfun says the 268-gram Wave Pro is equipped with a "5-Microphone AI-powered algorithm" for voice calling, a low-latency (<55ms) game mode, multipoint Bluetooth pairing and an auxiliary port for wired listening (there's no mention of USB-C audio). Battery life is rated at up to 80 hours with noise-canceling off and 55 hours with it on and a 10-minute charge gets you 10 hours of listening time.
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While I haven't tried the Wave Pro headphones yet, at first glance they seem to check a lot of boxes for what you might hope for in a pair of value headphones. If they manage to sound as good as Earfun says they do -- or even 75% as good -- and also be comfortable, they could make out a list of the best noise-canceling headphones under $100.
Wave Pro's key specs, according to Earfun:
- Hybrid active noise cancellation up to 45dB and anti-wind noise reduction
- 268 grams
- Hi-Res audio certified with LDAC audio codec support
- Diamond-Like Carbon (DLC) composite 40mm dynamic drivers
- Frequency response range of up to 40kHz
- Hands-free calling with advanced ENC and 5-mic Al-powered algorithm
- Up to 80-hour battery life (55 hours with ANC on) with fast charging
- Multipoint connection allows you to switch between devices quickly
- Game mode with extremely <55ms low latency
- Aux wired connection mode (cable included)
- Price: $80
- Shipping: March 2024
At CES, Earfun also unveiled a new Bluetooth boom box speaker, the UBoom X ($180), which is due to ship in June and will compete with Tribit's Stormbox Blast and Soundcore by Anker's Motion Boom Plus speakers. I suspect its real price will be less than $150.
The UBoom X is due to ship in June for $180.
UBoom X's key specs, according to Earfun:
- Bluetooth 5.3
- JumboBass technology
- 4-Driver design and 80 watts of power (2x4-inch mid-woofer + 2x20mm tweeter driver)
- IPX7 Waterproof
- Up to 30-hour battery life with quick charging
- Lightweight design with carry handle and strap
- Multi-color LED lighting
- Supports USB-C charging output and can also be used as a power bank to charge external mobile devices
- Customize the sound with EarFun Audio App
- Pair it with another UBoom X for stereo sound or link with up to 50 Earfun speakers via Party Connect mode
- Built-in microphone for hands-free calls
- Price: $180
- Shipping: June 2024
I'll have hands-on reviews of both products when they're released later this year.
