The Best Cheap Headphones We’ve Tried

CMF has multiple pairs of earbuds that are virtually indistinguishable—a surprising problem given how clever its parent company, Nothing, is at making a visual impression. Even so, the brand has a knack for creating slick buds that sound good on a budget, and the Buds Pro 2 are the best we’ve tried. Their Dirac-tuned sound profile provides smooth tonality with solid detail and punchy bass. The fit is light and comfy (and very AirPods Pro), and the controls, though a bit oddly organized, are responsive.

The case takes the Buds Pro 2 from pretty cool to something special, with a matte finish that’s almost pettable, and a customizable control wheel. It works best as a volume spinner (especially since that’s hard to assign to the buds), but you can also assign play/pause, song skip, and more in the Nothing app. Other features include decent noise canceling and transparency mode, and extras like Google Fast Pair. It’s an impressive package for the money, and the sound and comfort make these buds easy to keep around. —Ryan Waniata