I replaced my old Sony headphones with this $75 alternative – and I can't go back

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CMF started out as a Nothing sub-brand focused on affordable products. In its brief lifetime, it has separated from Nothing and carved out a personality of its own. While the focus on value hasn’t changed, CMF has delivered some of my favorite designs on budget products (Phone 2 Pro) in recent years. The CMF Headphone Pro are no different.

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It retains the company’s signature fun vibe, borrows some useful elements from the Nothing Headphone 1, and costs less than $100. I used them for a week, and here’s why I think they’re the best $75 headphone deal right now.

An exciting, fun vibe

The best part about the CMF Headphone Pro is their design. They look more premium than their price tag suggests and don’t shy away from looking bold. They come in Dark Grey, Light Green, and Light Grey, with matching modular ear cushions included by default. However, if you’re like me and want your headphones to look different with added color contrast, you can replace the ear pads with an easy twist. I have the Dark Grey model, and I interchanged the darker ear cushions with orange pads (costs $25 extra). I love the new, distinct look.

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Modular consumer devices are hard to execute. Multiple companies have tried modular phones and smartwatches in the past, but none succeeded because modularity adds a touch of inconvenience. Heck, I’d use the same device as everyone else if it takes me five to ten minutes to personalize it. That’s why I love CMF’s approach. It took me less than two minutes to twist and interchange my ear cushions when I tried it for the first time.

Both the ear cushions and the headband have sufficient padding for hours-long wear. However, the headband feels a bit flimsy. It hasn’t affected my wearability, and it won’t break if you flex it more than required (don’t ask how I know this). But I had to mention it because it might not instill confidence in the first impression.

I love physical controls on my headphones, and I’m glad to report that, like the Nothing Headphone 1, the CMF Headphone Pro offers several button types.

Also: Why I recommend these wireless headphones over pricier flagship models

On the left side, it houses a power and Bluetooth pairing button and a bass slider that you can use to adjust the… (you guessed it!) bass. I didn’t think I’d be touching this control, but it was fun to boost the bass on rock tracks without having to touch my phone. On the right-hand side, you get a volume knob that also toggles ANC on and off, and a button to trigger Google Gemini. These controls are intuitive, nice-to-have, and easy to use.

Sound good. ANC good. Battery life? Also good.

The CMF Headphone Pro features custom 40mm drivers and supports high-res audio via the LDAC codec on compatible devices. It switches to AAC on the iPhone and SBC on Android phones that don’t support LDAC. I tested these headphones with my Vivo X100 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max.

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The CMF Headphone Pro delivers a wide soundstage. Its sound is on the bassy side (not thumpy), but it doesn’t bleed into the other frequencies. That’s until you increase the bass with the slider, which muffles the higher frequencies. Other than that, vocals are clear, and the instruments sound lively. You can switch between EQ presets to tune it to your liking.

CMF’s active noise cancellation is better than expected. Like the CMF Buds 2 Plus, the Headphone Pro muted ambient traffic noise on my commute very well and is impressive at lower frequencies, such as the buzz of the office air conditioner. The ANC isn’t as good as my ageing Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones, but it’s definitely better than I expected for less than $100.

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The company says its new headphones can last up to 100 hours of listening with ANC off and 50% to 70% volume, though you are unlikely to reach that figure with LDAC on. With all features working, ANC enabled, and volume at 70%, you can expect up to 45 hours of battery life, which is great for a pair of wireless headphones.

ZDNET’s buying advice

The CMF Headphone Pro are an easy recommendation, especially when they’re on sale. These headphones initially launched for $99 but are currently selling for $75 on Amazon. So, even if you choose to spend on the $25 interchangeable ear cushion, you’re getting a great deal for the original launch price of $100.

There’s not much to fault here, except I’d love the earcups to fold inwards for better portability, and have a hard case for storage. The CMF Headphone Pro are comfortable to wear, sounds nice, offers impressive ANC performance, has intuitive controls, delivers good battery life, and looks cool. If you are in the market for a pair of headphones under $80, the CMF Headphone Pro are hard to beat.