Nothing Headphone Pro B175

The CMF by Nothing Headphone Pro is a shockingly good $80 headphone that sounds like it should cost twice as much. You get LDAC, effective ANC, and a massive 50-hour battery in a unique, comfortable design. The build is plasticky and the ANC isn't class-leading, but the value here is almost impossible to beat. If you're not a frequent flyer needing top-tier noise cancellation, this is the budget king to buy.

Let's talk about what these 40mm drivers can actually do. The sound signature out of the box is a lively V-shape, with a deep, punchy bass that doesn't completely muddy the mids. It's a fun listen. Vocals and higher-frequency details come through with surprising clarity for a budget set, which is why our sound score lands so high. If you're not a fan of the default tuning, the Nothing X app gives you a graphic EQ and a unique 'Energy Slider' that lets you adjust bass and treble on the fly. It's a more intuitive way to tweak the sound than digging through multi-band EQs, and it works well. Flipping on LDAC in the app is a must for Android users, it noticeably opens up the soundstage and adds texture to tracks you've heard a hundred times.

The adaptive ANC is rated for up to 40dB of reduction, and in practice, it handles low-end rumble like bus engines and HVAC hum really well. It's in the 98th percentile for ANC performance in our database, which sounds incredible until you realize that's against all over-ears, including a lot of cheap junk. Against its direct budget competitors, it's one of the best, but it's not magic. Higher-pitched, erratic noises like keyboard clatter and nearby conversations still seep through. The transparency mode is a handy toggle for quick chats, though it sounds a bit processed compared to the more natural pass-through on an AirPods Max. Call quality is solidly above average, with the three-mic setup doing a decent job of pulling your voice out of a noisy background.

The most direct rival here is probably the Soundcore Life Q20. It's a staple in the budget ANC space, but the CMF Headphone Pro outclasses it in almost every way. The sound is more detailed, the ANC is more effective, and the design is far more distinctive. The Soundcore is a safe, boring choice, while the CMF feels like a statement. The JBL Live 770NC is another strong competitor with a more balanced sound profile and a slightly more robust build, but it lacks LDAC and its battery life falls short of the CMF's marathon 50 hours.

If you can stretch your budget, the Sony ULT WEAR is the elephant in the room. It delivers a more powerful, bass-heavy experience with Sony's top-tier ANC, and the build quality is in a different league. But you're paying for it. The CMF's real magic trick is making you forget about those $200+ options entirely. It's not better than a Sennheiser MOMENTUM 4, not even close, but it's so good for so little that the Sennheiser starts to feel a bit excessive for a daily beater. The trade-off is clear: you sacrifice premium materials and the last 10% of ANC performance for a massive pile of cash saved.

Value is where the CMF Headphone Pro goes from a good recommendation to a no-brainer for most people. The price spread across vendors is wild, ranging from $63 to a completely nonsensical $15,800, so just ignore that high outlier. The real price is consistently hovering around that $80 mark, and at that level, the feature-to-cost ratio is almost unfair to the competition. You're getting a headphone that, on sound and ANC performance alone, can hang with models in the $150-$200 range. The 50-hour battery life is just showing off at this point.

When you stack it up against something like the JBL Live 770NC or the Soundcore Life Q20, the CMF pulls ahead with LDAC and a more refined app experience. The Sony ULT WEAR is a step up in bass impact and ANC refinement, but it's also nearly double the price. For the budget-conscious buyer, the math is simple: the CMF Headphone Pro delivers 90% of the premium experience for less than half the cost.

The CMF by Nothing Headphone Pro is one of those products that makes you question why you'd ever spend $300 on headphones again. For around $80, you're getting a feature set that reads like a flagship wishlist: LDAC high-res audio, adaptive ANC, spatial audio, and a frankly absurd 50 hours of battery life. It's aimed squarely at the budget-conscious listener who refuses to compromise on the modern niceties. If you want the core experience of a premium pair of cans without the premium price tag, this is where the conversation starts.

We've been tracking CMF since they spun out of Nothing, and their design language is unmistakable. These headphones have that same industrial, transparent-adjacent aesthetic that stands out in a sea of black plastic blobs. But it's not just a pretty face. Under the hood, those custom 40mm dynamic drivers are tuned to deliver a punchy, energetic sound that our database puts in the 94th percentile for overall sound quality. That's a standout result, putting it ahead of plenty of headphones that cost twice as much.

Now, there are some corners cut to hit this price. The build quality lands in the 34th percentile, which is disappointing and something you'll feel in the mostly plastic construction. The included carrying pouch is soft instead of a protective hard case. And while the ANC is effective, it's not going to silence a jet engine like a pair of Sony XM5s will. But for the daily commute, a coffee shop work session, or just drowning out your roommate's questionable music taste, it does the job admirably. This is a headphone built for the real world, not an anechoic chamber.

If your number one priority is the absolute best noise cancellation on the market, you should skip these. The adaptive ANC is great for the price, but it's not in the same universe as a Sony WH-1000XM5 or Bose QuietComfort Ultra for silencing a loud office or a plane's engine drone. Frequent flyers and people working in very noisy environments will appreciate spending more for that last bit of silence.

You should also look elsewhere if build quality and premium materials are a dealbreaker. The plastic construction, while stylish, lands in the 34th percentile in our database. It doesn't feel fragile, but it doesn't have the dense, luxurious feel of a Sennheiser MOMENTUM 4. If you're tough on your gear and want something that feels indestructible, consider stretching your budget for a pair with more metal in the build or at least grabbing a third-party hard case for protection.

For the daily commuter, the student on a budget, or anyone who just wants a great-sounding pair of wireless headphones without overthinking it, the CMF Headphone Pro is the easiest recommendation we can make right now. The combination of stellar battery life, a fun and customizable sound, and genuinely useful ANC at this price is a rare find. It's the pair you throw in your bag without a second thought, and the 50-hour battery means you'll almost never be caught with a dead headphone.

If you're a frequent flyer who needs the absolute best noise cancellation to create a cone of silence at 35,000 feet, you should look elsewhere. The adaptive ANC is good, but it won't replace a pair of Sony XM5s or Bose QuietComforts for that specific use case. Similarly, if you're rough on your gear and need a tank-like build quality, the mostly plastic construction here might not survive years of abuse. But for everyone else, sitting in a coffee shop, working from home, or just vibing on a walk, the CMF Headphone Pro is a spectacular deal that's hard to fault.