CMF Buds 2 vs Soundcore P40i
CMF is a sub-brand from Nothing, an upstart brand founded by Carl Pei, formerly of OnePlus. The brand's acronym reflects "color", "materials", and "finish". It is intended to be a less expensive line that focuses on design and detail. In their words:
The brand's design philosophy centers on three core elements:
Color: Using bold, distinctive color combinations.
Material: Focusing on quality and sustainable material choices.
Finish: Emphasizing attention to detail in the final product appearance
CMF products do indeed come in bright and interesting colors including orange-reds, pale greens, and deep blues. For people who value what their tech looks like, CMF is perhaps a breath of fresh air. Finally, you can get something other than the standard space gray or porcelain white. (However, I need this company to get onboard with purple soon. They might really take off if they add that color... 😊)
I was aware of Nothing and the CMF brand but hadn't been compelled to try any of their products, as accessing them in the United States isn't as easy as the standard Samsung, Apple, or even Motorola product. But I saw a story on a tech site about how the new CMF Buds 2 were available from the company's website and they were inexpensive enough that I thought I should try out a product from this company since the Nothing audio products have been fairly well received and reviewed.
I ordered the Buds 2 direct from their website and received them in a less than a week. I paid $64 for them including shipping. It was my intention to compare them against a standard budget recommendation, so after some research, I also ordered the Soundcore P40i. I ordered the Soundcore from Amazon, so I received them first and had ample time to listen to them and get a sense of their sound profile. As with other Soundcore products, they produce powerful bass and offer an app with ability to customize sound, including what I'll call a "lite" version of their excellent HearID which I liked quite a bit on the Soundcore Liberty 2 Pro. On the Liberty 2 Pro, you got a more complete hearing test that evaluates each ear. With the P40i, you get a test that combines both ears to detect which frequencies may have faded, as we know we lose the ability to hear higher frequencies as we age. Therefore, it was not able to detect my left-right hearing imbalance. Nevertheless, this wasn't a focus for me as I really just wanted to compare sound and noise cancellation on the two sets of buds. I thought the P40i offered good noise cancellation and very solid sound for their $54 total price.
When I received the CMF Buds 2, I appreciated how they didn't look like normal boring earbuds. I ordered green because it was something different, and indeed, it is. The case size is comparable to the case size of the P40i, but squarer and more flattened. The major curve comes from the dial on the lid. On more expensive products, the dial has functions, but here on this budget option, it's mainly decorative although it is where the lanyard hole exists, if you opt to use a lanyard. (one does not come in the box).
Specs from their websites:
CMF Buds 2
11 mm PMI Driver with Dirac Opteo™
48 dB Hybrid ANC with Environmental Adaptive technology
6 HD microphones with Clear Voice Technology 3.0
Up to 13.5 hours of non-stop music on a single charge
Spatial Audio Effect for immersive sound
IP55 Water resistance
ChatGPT integration
Dual connection
BT 5.4 with Google Fast Pair and Microsoft Swift Pair
In-ear detection
Soundcore P40i
Playtime 12H/60H
11mm drivers with Big Bass
IPX5 Water resistance
Active Noise Cancellation with Adaptive ANC and 45 dB reduction
Fast Charging 10M = 5H
Wireless charging
6 Mics with AI for calls
Customized EQ HearID
2-in-1 Phone Stand
Touch Control
Bluetooth 5.3 with Google Fast Pair
Multipoint Connection
Gaming and Movie Modes
Here's the short story with these two buds. They are both very good for their prices, but I prefer the CMF Buds 2. I ended up pulling out several other buds in my collection to confirm/dispel what I was hearing in terms of their quality. You can hear breaths of singers and instrumentalists when you should and clarity is decent on both, although I find that the CMF Buds 2 edge out the P40i on clarity. However, this may simply be due to their different tuning. The CMF Buds 2 prioritize mids more and bass a little bit less than the P40i. Soundcore products have typically been known for their powerful bass. Using equalizer settings can address this a bit. For example, using the Acoustic EQ setting on the P40i will open the upper mids and highs to a noticeable extent, although it still prioritizes bass. My HearID preset shows that it is prioritizing mids over everything else, but this is not necessarily what I hear. However, that's also not necessarily a drawback to me; if you've read any of my other audio product reviews or watched the associated videos, you know I want bass to be very present. But there are limits to this. I do not want the bass to crowd out the midrange because so much musical information is stored there. Ultimately, I preferred the Acoustic EQ and my own HearID preset over most of the other presets, including when I tried to create my own custom EQ profile (by the way, you can do this without logging in and creating an account, but the app will nag you about it).
Quick look at EQ presets in the Soundcore app
The CMF Buds 2 equalizer settings are more frustrating than the P40i. There are some presets, out of which I tend to prefer Classical depending on what music I'm listening to, but the default Dirac Opteo setting seems to be the most full and neutral, so it is the one I chose most often. There are 4 other choices - much fewer than what Soundcore offers - and a custom option, but it's not the typical X-band equalizer. It is this fidget spinner looking system with 3 levels for bass, mids, and treble. The bubble moves around as you change levels to show you the leaning of the sound that will be produced. I mean... I understand it. I just don't like it. It feels like an attempt to copy the bubble shape from Nuraphone (now owned by Denon) without the colors and finesse. I would prefer to either have more presets or a normal X-band equalizer. I wouldn't expect parametric EQ at this price point. Nevertheless, I think for most people the default is probably the best choice for most music. I also don't like how switching in and out of the Dirac Opteo setting plays an audio cue that distracts you from making a proper comparison between the settings.
Quick look at EQ presets in the Nothing app
There is more air in the sound from the CMF Buds 2. This is an unsatisfactory description, I know... The best way I can explain the primary difference in the two sets of buds is that the CMF sound is a little more in-your-face. It's right there. The sound from the P40i is just a bit subdued somehow, which is a statement that tends to befuddle me as I don't think of Soundcore products as subdued by any measure. But this statement is different than saying any given frequency range is recessed. The total sound presentation of the Soundcore is set back a bit. Well, maybe except bass. And so honestly, this may just be a tuning difference. If the bass is pumped up above everything else, everything else will sound recessed as a result. Everything is there, for sure. It's just a more set-back sound once you get out of the bass region.
Both earbuds offer solid mid-tier noise-canceling performance at their highest settings. Voices will still cut through, but ambient sounds like HVAC, street noise, machine hums, electrical noise, etc. will easily be defeated. The microphones of both are also quite competent, but again, the CMF Buds 2 edge out the P40i in clarity. There is some digitization to voice with the P40i, probably due to the aggressive attempts to reduce noise in the background.
Both offer the ability to customze the touch controls. I admit this is something I never mess with in any app. I generally expect touch controls to be sub-par and I am always prepared to control volume with my phone or whatever device is paired. The touch controls need to be simple and reliable for me to feel comfortable using them. However, I did eventually change the left double-tap to be play/pause on the Buds 2 and the single tap for the same on the P40i. If nothing else, I feel that the play/pause control should work. It works, sometimes. This is why I hate touch controls - and that's true for both sets of these earbuds. But I also realize buttons aren't coming back on tiny earbuds, so... I keep my phone close. At least with the Buds 2, they will pause when you remove them from your ears. The Soundcore app will let you add volume control (at least in theory, this is something I couldn't get to stick for some reason), something that is missing from the Nothing app. For people who are dedicated to the I-will-use-my-earbuds-at-all-costs lifestyle, the Soundcore wins here on paper.
The CMF Buds 2 are very good for their price. I recommend them for someone looking for good sound at this price point in a competitive package that sets itself apart in style and presentation. If you aren't bothered by needing to order direct from the manufacturer (for now, at least), and you aren't bothered by more restrictive EQ options, these also offer very good sound at this price point; sound that is more balanced than the P40i - although neither of these are products aimed at audiophiles or anyone striving for a balanced or even a Harman sound (https://headphonesaddict.com/harman-curve/). These are both earbuds aimed at the mass market and therefore tend toward elevation at the ends of the spectrum. But you can modify them both with EQ options and both earbuds sound fine out of the box as well, assuming you're used to other mass market earbuds.
If you prefer bass, I think you should aim for the Soundcore. If the $10 difference (depending on deals, sales, coupons, promos, etc.) or availability at Amazon matters, go with the Soundcore. If you've bought Soundcore products before and like their EQ options and/or HearID, go with the Soundcore. If wireless charging is important to you, go with the Soundcore. If for some reason, you want to be able to prop your phone up in landscape mode (and only landscape, portrait will not work) using your earbuds case, then the Soundcore is definitely for you.
If the better clarity of the microphone is important to you, go with the CMF. If in-ear detection is important to you, go with the CMF. If you like having earbuds that are different than the typical buds you see out in the world, go with the CMF. If you want a slightly more full and balanced sound (out of the box), go with the CMF. If you don't like to mess around with EQ settings, go with the CMF.
Links (not affiliate):
Soundcore https://www.soundcore.com/products/p40i-a3955011?variant=43579706835134
Soundcore on Amazon https://a.co/d/cv6nRoc
