EarFun Air 2 NC Review

Recently, EarFun released the Air Pro 4 which impressed me greatly for such a generously priced pair of true wireless earbuds. They also just released the Air 2, which is an even more affordable option. It even seems to carry some of the same features as the Air Pro 4, but does it use them to the same effect?

What You Get

• EarFun Air 2
• Charging Case
• Ear Tips(XS,S,M,L)
• USB-C Charging Cable
• User Manual

Look & Feel

This is a standard design for EarFun, and it doesn’t distinguish itself from other items in its selection. A pair of simple, budget earbuds don’t need to look any different than this though, and it works for its sustainable comfort level. If you don’t find AirPods comfortable, then the Air 2 might not be for you, but I find they actually feel more secure.

Design & Functionality

Inside the Air 2 is a 10mm dynamic driver. The output of the signal is quite substantial compared to what you’re used to hearing in this price range. You can get these earbuds to be loud without having the volume turned all the way up, as you can reach a comfortable level with a fair amount of headroom. All the different noise-canceling modes help with this too, using four mics for strong ANC. For the price, it gets the job done and then some. The app provides four different modes, including ear-adaptive ANC, wind noise canceling, ambient sound, and standard noise canceling. I stayed in the adaptive ANC for most of my listening time. It’s quite effective minimizing a lot of environmental distractions. A bit of hiss gets through, but the sound still felt very isolated.

There are tons of other features that the Air 2 comes with that you normally find with pricier true wireless earbuds. The app stocked full of different options like customizable controls, theater mode, game mode, find headphones, and an EQ with tons of presets and customization.

Bluetooth

The Air 2 supports Bluetooth version 5.3. It has a very stable connection that I never experienced any dropouts with through my hours of testing. It also features LDAC, making the Air 2 one of the most inexpensive earbuds to feature the hi-res CODEC.

Battery Life

Off a full charge, the Air 2 should last you around 9 hours depending on if you’re using noise-canceling and other modes. With the charging case, the total battery life comes out to 40 hours, which is fantastic for the price.

Soundstage

Heavy use of EQ and extra features mainly determine your enjoyment of this soundstage. Some of the presets help widen the imaging a bit, but ultimately the Air 2 feels small. Everything is mostly centered inside your head, with thinning left and right channel information. There’s a theater mode that will expand the soundstage in every direction, but the trade-off is there’s no EQ. This wouldn’t be that significant of a sacrifice if the fidelity of the sound didn’t take a considerable dip as a result. For the price, the Air 2 will do enough to communicate surface-level spatial information, but everywhere else is lacking.

Low End

There’s a heavy, resonant bass here that takes most of the shape of the sound signature. It features a good lift that helps the lows feel the most dominant in the frequency response, even through most EQ presets. It’s a surface tone that has body and weight to it, with even a slight bit of depth that helps add detail. For the most part, the mid-bass has some bloat to it, but It manages it in a way that makes sense for a budget earbud.

Mids

Cycling through some of the presets gives you a better sense of the mids more than its default tuning. Instruments have a clear enough presence even though it feels like it’s getting squeezed through the frequency response. It’s a bit messy, and sound elements get relegated to the background a bit too often. However, vocals and upper-midrange elements come through clearly with EQ.

Highs

The highs feel the most separated in the sound signature. You can perceive more details from the Air 2’s response, with smooth cymbals and brighter sound elements. Nothing will ever come across as harsh or piercing.

Summary

The EarFun Air 2 NC has a ton of great features for a set of budget true wireless earbuds. Even though the sound signature as a ton of flaws, it’s easy to listen to on a surface level, especially with the amount of EQ customizability that the app offers. For the price, it’s hard to find any of the sound too disappointing when everything from the noise-canceling to battery life.

The EarFun Air 2 NC is available here.