CMF Buds Pro 2 Wireless Earbuds with Smart Dial, 50dB Hybrid Noise Cancelling Earbuds Wireless Bluetooth 5.4, 11mm Bass with LDAC, 6 Hi-Res Audio Mics, 43H Playtime, Fast Charging Case, Dark Grey

Why it's worth it

These budget earbuds carry 50dB hybrid noise cancellation, LDAC hi-res streaming and multipoint pairing — features that used to require spending several times as much. The dial on the case is a genuinely good idea nobody else copied.

The value here is hard to argue with. Third-party testing by GSMArena and SoundGuys put an earlier CMF Buds Pro at 45dB of cancellation, matching the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II specification at a small fraction of the outlay. CMF rates this generation at 50dB. That's the kind of gap that used to define premium versus budget, and it's mostly gone.

The case dial is the feature you'll actually use every day. You twist it to change volume, tracks or noise modes without pulling out your phone or tapping precisely on a slippery earbud. Touch controls on earbuds are notoriously fiddly. A physical control you can find by feel in a coat pocket is just better.

From our review of 8 portable audio gear, by Ben Carter, Tech Editor

What we like

• +The value here is hard to argue with
• +The case dial is the feature you'll actually use every day
• +Sound comes from an 11mm bass driver paired with a 6mm tweeter, tuned by Dirac, with LDAC for hi-res streaming from Android
• +Battery is generous: CMF rates 11 hours per charge and 43 hours with the case, and 10 minutes of charging buys about 3 hours

What to know

• –The IP55 rating covers sweat and rain but not submersion
• –Nobody claims these are the best-sounding or most comfortable earbuds around — even happy owners frame them as very good at…
• –There's no wireless charging, and the plastic build feels like what it costs