With the improvement of open earbuds technology, more manufacturers are jumping on the trend. The CMF Clip Pro from Nothing is the latest to arrive on the scene. Could they be best value for money in running headphones or day-to-day buds?
The CMF Clip Pro delivers a design that clips around the side of the ear, with the speaker portion hanging inside the ear canal. That’ll deliver high quality sound while keeping the ear canal open during workouts, the commute and the work day, the company says.
“All-day comfort. Audio that doesn’t thin out. Calls that stay clear. A design worth being seen in,” Nothing says on the pre-order page, which is offering the CMF Clip Pro for the introductory price of just $79. That’s $20 off the regular $99 asking price.
The design is reminiscent of the Bose Ultra Open buds that cost three-times as much as the CMF Clip Pro. Part of the magic of the Bose earbuds is the weighted design that somehow manages to stay present at mid-ear even when sprinting or lifting weights. I haven’t experienced a single drop out and, along with the excellent audio, that’s the standard for open ear buds as far as I’m concerned.
From that audio quality perspective, we’re told the CMF Clip Pro buds support high-res audio and LDAC files. There’s a large 10.8mm dual-magnet driver, which offers stronger sound and deeper bass. There’s also mitigation for the inherent loss of bass when using open-ear buds. Nothing promises an Integrated Ultra Bass technology to “recover low-frequency loss”.
The CMF Clip Pro also includes a private listening mode to prevent leakage too. You aren’t getting ANC here, so this will have to do. It can be enabled automatically for phone calls. They’re also dust, sweat and rain resistant, so you can use them safely for working out or during a shower.
Perhaps the most interesting element of the whole deal is the case, which includes controls for volume and media playback. You can turn the dial to adjust the volume, use a single press to play, and a double press for skipping tracks. There are on-ear controls too, but they’re always a little finicky. That’s one complaint I do have about the Bose Open Ultra buds – the double and triple presses for controlling tracks and the press/press hold for volume controls doesn’t always work as intended when you’re out on a run.
In terms of battery life, you’ll get 32.5 hours of total playback – that’s 10-hours from the first charge and a further 22.5 hours from the case. Happy days. Ten minutes on charge gets you an additional five hours.
The proof will be in the listening and the ability for the buds to stay in situ, but this looks like it could be another solid, affordable addition to the CMF stable. The earbuds are available in Coral, Light Grey and Dark Grey and can be pre-ordered now ahead of the August 15 release.
