EarFun Wave Pro Review

EarFun Wave Pro offer great performances in almost all categories, giving high value for money, especially in sound quality and feature customization. However, their weak sub-bass ANC reduction isn’t the best for frequent flyers and commuters.

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• List price (MSRP): $79.99
• Manufacturer: EarFun

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Category ratings:

Related: Best noise cancelling headphones under $100 – Most comfortable headphones – Best headphones for calls

Our Conclusion

After thoroughly testing the headphones, I can say the EarFun Wave Pro offer great performance and features for the price. They have great sound quality with a balanced sound signature, long battery life with super-fast charging, and a mobile app with tons of customization.

Furthermore, the headphones support Bluetooth multipoint, which allows them to be connected to two devices simultaneously. And they boast a robust Bluetooth connection with 65 feet (or 19.8 meters) of indoor range.

These budget active noise canceling headphones reduce much more surrounding noise than any other competitor. However, this is where dealbreakers come to light.

Due to poor reduction of frequencies below 100Hz, they let you hear more engine rumble and cabin noise, which can be problematic for frequent travelers. Ambient mode is also too quiet to use confidently.

Why Trust Us?

We’ve tested over 200 headphones and written equally as many in-depth articles on audio. We take our testing seriously so that you can learn everything about the headphones you’re buying.

Here’s a precise description of how we test headphones.

Pros & Cons:

Our Analysis and Test Results

Our tests show that headphones output a well-balanced frequency response with a slightly uneven lower midrange when enabling ANC. Small EQ tweaks improve but don’t fix the sound.

Speaking of ANC, the latter is mixed. It’s excellent in higher frequencies but poor in lower frequencies. Transparency mode also doesn’t boost midrange frequencies enough to let you hear others more clearly.

Sound

EarFun Wave Pro give a pretty balanced performance out of the box, with natural midrange, neutral bass, and a spacious soundstage. However, their detail retrieval is a bit poor.

Key points:

• Fairly balanced-sounding by default, with an almost flat bass response.
• They will sound slightly better after applying EQ settings, yet instruments remain slightly thin-sounding.
• The soundstage is slightly wider than in competitors, and the imaging performs with good accuracy.

Check our EarFun Wave Pro A/B sound test

Unlike other EarFun products, the Wave Pro are tuned to have a balanced sound signature. There are a few peaks and dips, but none in particular ruin the experience.

That said, applying custom equalizer settings helps make the sound slightly livelier, especially at higher frequencies. However, the in-app EQ has some unfortunate issues. More on that later.

Bass: Balanced but rather slow

Bass response from the headphones’ 40mm dynamic driver is balanced overall and doesn’t require any EQ tweaking (unless you want it louder, but that will mask the midrange).

It is fairly nuances and pleasant to listen to bass guitars and music genres like electronic, pop, and even rock (if the song doesn’t get too busy or fast-paced).

The biggest issue with EarFun Wave Pro’s bass is that it is slow, even more so than in SoundPEATS Space, which are also pretty slow.

That means double-pedal bass kicks aren’t very distinct, which might bother rock and metal listeners.

EarFun Wave Pro frequency response

Learn how to understand our audio charts and other measurements found in this review.

Midrange: Natural but could be more refined

Midrange frequencies sound pretty balanced, with minor yet audible congestion due to the 3kHz dip (as if the singer has their nose clogged).

A few tweaks in the app’s equalizer brighten and clarify the midrange. The vocals are a bit thin now, but the overall sound is more natural than before.

Treble: Sparkly and decently smooth

High frequencies produce a pleasant sparkle and are smooth enough to avoid sibilance and treble fatigue. Cymbals pack a decent texture and sparkle but aren’t the most detailed.

Boosting the 8kHz and 16kHz frequencies adds air and clarity to the sound, although the app doesn’t allow you to add too much of it.

Soundstage and imaging

The soundstage is wider than in most Bluetooth headphones we’ve tested. You can distinctly hear sounds playing slightly further out of your head.

While you don’t feel like you’re at a concert, the effect is pronounced enough for you to enjoy gaming or watching movies.

Furthermore, imaging is also quite accurate, with small blurry spots between the center and left/right channels. 

EarFun Audio app’s equalizer problem

EarFun Wave Pro are the first headphones that don’t pair well with EarFun’s in-app audio equalizer. Basically, when you try to boost a specific frequency for more than 5dB, the sound noticeably mutes.

As a result, dynamics are crushed, and the audio is too dull to listen to. This hasn’t happened in previous EarFun products, which could suggest some incompatibility between the app and Wave Pro’s DSP.

Hopefully, EarFun can find a firmware solution to fix this issue. Fortunately, the sound is already good out of the box, so most users won’t need to tweak the EQ.

Check our custom EQ & preset comparison video:

Sound quality in wired mode

Plugging in the wires seems to bypass the DSP audio corrections, revealing the headphones’ tuning. Unfortunately, the midrange and treble are noticeably muffled, making everything sound as if you’re listening to music in a barrel.

Consequently, we don’t recommend using these headphones in wired mode, albeit they sound better than SoundPEATS Space or TOZO HT2 when using the same mode.

Sound comparison

My conclusion

As the first over-ear headphones from this brand, the EarFun Wave Pro started up really well. They’re overall balanced and slightly more transparent than SoundPEATS Space, their direct competitor.

On the other hand, headphones sound great for the price but won’t blow anyone’s mind. They’re great but not quite as impressive as the company’s true wireless EarFun Free Pro 3 or EarFun Air Pro 3.

Also check other:

• Best Bluetooth headphones under $100

Comfort & Fit

EarFun Wave Pro offer superb comfort thanks to their fluffy and spacious ear pads. In contrast, their gentle clamping force prevents them from staying on your head during sudden movements.

Despite their affordable price, EarFun Wave Pro arrive well-padded from all sides. The earpads are dressed in soft pleather and filled with memory foam.

They are quite big, more so than SoundPEATS Space or TOZO HT2. That means they can fully encapsulate the entire earlobe without touching it, ensuring zero aches.

Even headband padding has some memory foam, which is surprising as most competitors add simple foam to it to save costs.

On the other hand, stability is only suitable for casual use and commuting. However, if you start running to catch the bus, they’ll dangerously bounce on top of your head and possibly fall if you lean your head too low.

Comfort and fit during activities:

• Commuting: Superbly comfortable and stable enough for sitting or standing on public transport.
• Exercising: Comfortable, but expect your ears to get hot, as pleather earpads prevent air circulation. Stability is only suitable for light workouts like weightlifting, not jumping or pushups.
• Running: Comfortable but annoying as headphones will bounce on your head, possibly even slide off your headphones when leaning your head back or front.

Compared to other similar models

Comfort-wise, EarFun Wave Pro are superior to SoundPEATS Space, TOZO HT2, or 1MORE SonoFlow since they offer more spacious earpads.

On the flip side, Wave Pros aren’t as stable for sports activities as the competitors mentioned above.

Durability

EarFun Wave Pro feel sturdier than competitors, with an aluminum headband and metal plates on the cups. Plus you get a travel case that protects them from drops. They’re ideal for frequent travelers but not active users, as they lack an IP rating.

EarFun Wave Pro are a mix of metal but primarily plastic. Apart from the headband, ear cups also have a thin metal plate (probably aluminum), but that’s for cosmetics and not durability purposes.

Active users should also know that these headphones lack an IP rating. This means that, officially, they can’t survive (heavy) sweating, let alone being used in heavy rain.

How did they feel in my hands?

Headphones rattle less than competitors from SoundPEATS and Anker, indicating more strict build quality tolerances. They also sound less hollow when knocked upon the ear cups.

An aluminum headband provides good flexibility, although it isn’t as flexible as some fully plastic headphones for kids. Of course, that’s an entirely different tier of headphones.

Headphones’ travel case

Unlike over-ear headphones from SoundPEATS and TOZO, the EarFun Wave Pro come with a hard-shell travel case. Inside, it has indentations for the ear cups to secure the headphones more tightly.

That should prevent them from bouncing inside the case if it falls on the floor. Moreover, there is a small pouch inside for storing charging and a 3.5mm-to-3.5mm cable if you ever get surprised by an empty battery.

Are they suitable for…

• Walking in the rain: Not suitable, as headphones lack a water-resistance rating.
• Running & exercising outside: Not suitable due to the lack of sweat resistance and poor stability during rapid head movements.
• Sweating: Not suitable, as they lack even the basic IP rating to ensure sweat protection. That said, mild sweating (because it’s hot outside) shouldn’t be too big of a problem.
• Dipping underwater: Not suitable, as the water would quickly go inside the headphones and damage the internals.

Durability comparison

EarFun Wave Pro seem more durable than SoundPEATS Space, 1MORE SonoFlow, Anker Soundcore Life Q30, and TOZO HT2. They also come with a carrying case, which many new headphones lack.

Battery

EarFun Wave Pro deliver 51 hours and 8 minutes of playtime with noise cancellation enabled, which is among the highest results in ANC headphones. That’s great for long trips and users who don’t wish to charge their gadgets every night.

EarFun Wave Pro battery comparison

EarFun Wave Pro has a pretty beefy battery, which is good in a world where smartphones and watches need to be charged almost every day.

In our battery life test, where we left headphones playing music at 50% volume and ANC enabled, we got the following result:

• 51 hours and 8 minutes, which is roughly 4 hours less than advertised but still impressive.

That puts them near the top battery monsters in the noise cancelling headphones category. Only SoundPEATS Space (with 65 hours) and 1MORE SonoFlow (with 61.5 hours) scored higher.

Headphones also quick-charge incredibly high:

• You get 10 hours of listening time after just 10 minutes of charging.

Battery rating comparison

Features

EarFun Wave Pro pack many customizations and features, most of which perform very well, including call quality. They also include Bluetooth multipoint and Game mode but lack the “relaxing sounds” section.

For less than $80, the Wave Pro offer everything you might want at this price. You can also prioritize sound quality over connection quality, which you need to enable if you want to use the LDAC codec.

More on that under the Bluetooth category review.

EarFun equalizer

The latest EarFun equalizer consists of the Default Sound, Presets (Rock, Pop, Country, R&B, Classical, Jazz, Bass Boost, Treble Boost, Bass Reduces, and Treble Reducer), and Custom Equalizer.

Customizable EQ settings offer 10 frequency bands with +/-10 increments (although we advise going beyond +5 due to the muting of sound).

If you want to hear our custom EQ settings and other EQ presets, please check our video comparison above.

Customizable controls

Unlike most Bluetooth headphones, EarFun Wave Pro allow you to customize the actions of various buttons when you single or long-press them. For example, you can change the plus, minus, and NC buttons.

However, there are still some limitations. For example, you can’t allocate volume controls to the NC button or ANC modes to the plus/minus button.

Even Game Mode and Voice Assistant are only activated via the NC button, meaning you can’t use all commands at once (there is always some action that you’ll need to leave behind).

Voice wizard

Voice wizard settings allow you to change the loudness and language of the headphones’ prompt tones. Like when you hear headphones say “Pairing” or “Power OFF”.

Automatic shutdown

You can set how fast headphones will shut OFF when not connected to any device. You can pick between 30 minutes and 2 hours and even set them never to shut down.

Strangely, you can’t set the time below 30 minutes. Most competitors turn OFF after a few minutes of being unconnected to save battery, so this feature is a bit of a headscratcher.

Microphone quality

EarFun Wave Pro’s voice calls are better than those of the competition, easily matching the best in this price range (like the already discontinued OneOdio A30).

EarFun Wave Pro microphone test: (no noise test from 0:00-0:33, with background noise test from O:33-0:58)

In quieter places, Wave Pros pick voice with good clarity, so you should be easy to understand by the people on the other side of the line.

Call quality drops slightly when entering a noisier environment, but not by much. There’s a hint of more distortion, but others should still understand what you’re saying.

While not perfect, they still deserve our recommendation. You can easily use them for making phone calls or video chats.

Features rating comparison

Noise Isolation

EarFun Wave Pro are slightly better at passive isolation than competitors due to a better seal and denser materials on the ear cups. However, they boost frequencies between 60 and 80Hz, letting you hear more rumble.

On one hand, these headphones’ passive isolation is better than that of SoundPEATS Space and especially Edifier W820NB Plus, which block more midrange and high frequencies.

The latter is good as you don’t need active noise cancelling to reduce speech and other noises you might encounter on your daily commute.

However, headphones naturally boost frequencies between 60Hz and 90Hz, which are responsible for rumble (engine or airplane cabin noise).

Consequently, while these earbuds are great for office work, they might not be for traveling or commuting on noisy public transport. ANC might also give unsatisfying results in this area, but more on that below.

Here’s a table of how effective is EarFun Wave Pro’s passive noise isolation at blocking specific frequencies:

How severe is sound leakage?

Sound leakage is quite audible from 50% volume and up. Since the loudness is already high at those percentages, you shouldn’t worry that others might hear your music.

Still, keep the volume down when listening in places like a library.

Noise isolation rating comparison with other models

Noise Cancelling

EarFun Wave Pro have a much stronger active noise cancelling performance than any other budget ANC headphones below $100. However, they struggle at sub-bass frequencies, which can be a dealbreaker.

EarFun Wave Pro active noise cancelling test:

EarFun Wave Pro have a surprisingly capable hybrid active noise cancellation performance, which is probably aided by already strong passive noise isolation capabilities.

Nonetheless, they can even beat Edifier WH950NB in some areas or at least match Sony WH-1000XM5 in similar areas. Compared to headphones below $100, they can beat them all.

However, these headphones’ biggest flaw is their poor performance at sub-bass frequencies, especially around 50Hz and 70Hz. Rumbling engines and cabin noise also consist of these frequencies.

Consequently, as you can hear in our ANC video above, they successfully reduce most frequencies but leave the rumble audible.

If you primarily need ANC headphones to reduce unwanted noise while learning or working in the office, then these are worth checking out. In contrast, they aren’t as suitable for frequent commuters and travelers who need something to reduce engine rumble.

Here’s the table with the Wave Pro ANC test results:

Other ANC modes

EarFun Wave Pro come with 3 ANC modes:

• Strong ANC, which we already described above, is the strongest overall.
• Comfort ANC, which is overall worse in bass frequencies (except for 5dB better reduction of 220Hz.
• Wind Noise Canceling is the weakest of all modes (except for the 3dB better reduction at 11kHz).

How good is the ambient sound mode?

Ambient sound mode (or transparency mode) could’ve boosted more midrange frequencies, which are noticeably lacking when trying to understand people’s speech.

The latter appears too quiet to comfortably use the feature in public. This means that if you need to talk to someone, they should speak loudly, or you will need to remove the headphones.

In comparison, SoundPEATS Space over-boost the midrange frequencies, which makes voices loud and thin. In contrast, TOZO HT2 are the closest to natural ambient sound but a tad too full due to a similar bass boost as EarFun’s.

Noise cancelling rating

Bluetooth

EarFun Wave Pro have excellent Bluetooth stability of over 65 feet of indoor range, support for Bluetooth multipoint, and Game Mode, which actually works better when disabled.

If you’re looking for headphones with a strong connection, you’ve found them. Firstly, they have Bluetooth 5.3, a pretty robust standard for when you have many other connections near you (prevents interferences).

Secondly, headphones did well in our indoor Bluetooth test, where we tried to separate them from the audio source as much as possible. They reached:

• 65 feet (or 19.8 meters) of indoor Bluetooth range, with LDAC enabled. We got a few stutters when reaching the other side of the house, but the audio continued playing.

That’s an amazing result, better than most other Bluetooth headphones. The ones that reached a similar range were Apple AirPods Max, TOZO HT2, Edifier W820NB Plus, and Anker Soundcore Life Q35.

Bluetooth multipoint

EarFun Wave Pro also support Bluetooth multipoint connection, allowing you to simultaneously connect them to two source devices.

The app gives you an overview of previously connected devices and lets you select to which two Bluetooth devices you want to pair.

How to pair EarFun Wave Pro?

1. Headphones immediately jump into pairing mode when you turn them ON for the first time.
2. To pair them to a second device, simply disconnect them from the first device and let them go into pairing mode automatically (you’ll hear a “Pairing” prompt from the speakers).
   • Alternatively, turn them OFF and back ON while holding the power button for a few extra seconds until you hear “Pairing” from the speakers.

What Bluetooth codecs do they use?

Headphones use SBC, AAC, LC3, and LDAC Bluetooth codecs. For the latter to work, you need to:

1. First, prioritize sound quality in the app.
2. Wait for the headphones to restart.

3. Go into the Bluetooth settings of these headphones on your Android device.
4. Enable the LDAC audio codec.

However, since you don’t hear any audio quality improvements between LDAC and AAC (despite the “Hi-Res Audio” certification), this whole process isn’t worth the hassle. Also, it only works on compatible Android devices, and the Bluetooth multipoint doesn’t work simultaneously with LDAC.

Is there an audio lag?

Headphones are lag-free when watching video content on social media or platforms like YouTube. However, there’s a tiny delay when playing mobile games.

Based on our latency tests, the delay stays within 90-100ms regardless of whether you enable Game Mode. Note that 90ms is perfectly fine for casual gaming. Only competitive gamers will want a lower latency.

Bluetooth rating comparison

Should You Get EarFun Wave Pro?

Despite a few problems with ANC effectiveness at sub-bass frequencies and stability during sports, the EarFun Wave Pro are an excellent newcomer to the under $100 market and well worth checking out.

Pros & Cons

Who are these best for…

• Casual users who want all-in-one Bluetooth headphones for less than $80 (good sound, call quality, ANC, and battery life).
• Students who need good call quality for making video calls and effective ANC to block people’s speech so they can concentrate on studying.
• Users often forget to charge their gadgets’ batteries (thanks to the 51-hour battery life).

Who should avoid them…

• Frequent travelers, as the headphone’s ANC can’t effectively reduce sub-bass rumble from engines and cabin noise.
• Sportspeople due to subpar stability and lack of basic sweat resistance.

How do EarFun Wave Pro compare to the competition?

Here’s their value rating compared to similar alternatives:

Are they worth the price?

Currently selling at $80 (or even lower, as you often get discount coupons on Amazon), EarFun Wave Pro are well worth their price, in my opinion—even more so than competitors from SoundPEATS, Anker, and 1MORE.

EarFun Wave Pro alternatives

SoundPEATS Space

TOZO HT2

What’s in the Box?

• EarFun Wave Pro Bluetooth wireless headphones
• Hard-shell travel case
• USB-A to USB-C charging cable
• 3.5mm to 3.5mm (3-pole) audio cable
• User manual

Specifications