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Earfun Wave Life: two-minute overview
To misquote Futurama’s robotic delinquent Bender, you’re in for “Earfun on a bun” when you make the leap on the Chinese language model’s newest price range cans. Assuming I nonetheless have a job to take this overview any additional [only just – Ed.], I’ve been stunned by the standard of the Earfun Wave Life. Seeing as they solely value round $50 / £50, these over-ear headphones are much better than I used to be anticipating.
The Earfun Wave Life pack in sufficient options and sufficiently strong audio efficiency to make them completely price contemplating when you’re on the hunt for a brand new pair of low cost over-ear cans. Sturdily constructed, extraordinarily simple on the ears due to their lush foam cups and sporting an app that’s each intuitive and complete with its EQ choices, there’s quite a bit to love about these competitively priced noise cancelling headphones.
It’s a pity the Wave Life’s ANC options don’t totally persuade. For the worth Earfun are promoting them, I used to be by no means anticipating these over-ears to rival the most effective noise-cancelling headphones on the market. Nonetheless, in relation to snuffing out distracting ambient noise, ANC efficiency with these low cost cans is nearly aggressively common.
On the flipside, when you’re fortunate sufficient to not must endure common noisy commutes, the Earfun Wave Life have greater than sufficient plus factors to make them price recommending when you’re on a decent price range.
Bolstered by stellar software program, a devoted sport mode and 40mm drivers that hand in convincingly deep bass ranges, Earfun’s inexpensive headphones are completely pleasant. They is perhaps low cost, however they actually don’t really feel it.
Not solely are the Wave Life among the most snug low cost cans I’ve ever worn, they’re additionally nice for hands-free voice calls. Throughout one in all my least glamorous chats in current reminiscence – one which concerned asking a plumber pal of mine a few damaged bathroom seat – I used to be reassured my voice was clear throughout your entire abode-centric chinwag regardless of me being in a special room than my telephone through the name. Thanks very a lot, Bluetooth 5.4.
Will these cans’ soundscape blow you away (even after you tweak frequency settings with Earfun’s improbable EQ software program)? In all probability not. But for the worth, these supremely snug headphones, which additionally boast endurance of as much as 60 hours when you swap ANC off, ship greater than they disappoint even they could not fairly make it into the most effective over-ear headphones accessible.
If you would like a pair of price range over-ears that will probably be snug in your skull whereas (largely) delivering satisfying sounds, you might do an entire lot worse than the Earfun Wave Life.
Earfun Wave Life overview: Value and launch date
- Launch date: February, 2025
- Value: $59.99 / £49.99 / AU$105 (approx.)
The Earfun Wave Life are priced super-aggressively at simply $59.99 / £49.99 / AU$105 (approx.). They will typically be discovered even cheaper than their official retail worth courtesy of Amazon gross sales, too.
Although they’re clearly not as premium because the $79.99 / £79.99 / AU$167 (the place bought) Earfun Wave Professional that impressed us massive model early final yr, they nonetheless ship a satisfying sonic expertise.
Positive, they’re not going to make audiophiles’ socks roll up and down. But contemplating their price range worth level, I reckon most people will probably be pleasantly shocked by these over-ear headphones’ pleasingly deep bass and comparatively convincing trebles. The Earfun Wave Life are additionally much more comfortable than I used to be anticipating from such an inexpensive pair of cans.
By way of different choices, when you’re in search of among the finest low cost headphones for below $/£100, you’ll wrestle to do higher than the excellent 1More Sonoflow Professional HQ51 (catchy moniker, proper?). The Sony WH-CH520 are one other nice choice when you’re available in the market for a price range pair of noise-cancelling cans.
Earfun Wave Life overview: Specs
|
Weight: |
264g |
|
Drivers: |
40mm Composite |
|
Battery life: |
37 hours (ANC on); as much as 60 hours (ANC off) |
|
Management: |
app; bodily/contact; voice |
|
Connectivity: |
Bluetooth 5.4; USB-C |
Earfun Wave Life overview: Options
- As much as 60 hours’ battery life
- Intuitive app improves sound high quality
- Two gadgets might be paired concurrently
Apart from their stellar battery life – extra on which shortly – the Earfun Wave Life characteristic that impresses me most is their glorious software program. The Earfun Audio app is accessible on each Android and iOS, and I’d take into account it a necessary obtain if you wish to squeeze the most effective sound out of those low cost over-ear cans.
Simple to make use of, sporting an uncluttered design and with intuitive customized EQ calibration instruments, the Earfun app can considerably enhance the Wave Life’s already first rate out-of-the-box audio.
I’m a giant fan of the software program’s customized equalizer that permits you to alter the headphones’ soundscape throughout a wide range of frequencies through a set of sliders. It’s a doddle to make use of, as you merely tweak every frequency till the app’s repeating ‘drip’ sound fades away.
After a few minutes of changes, I discovered the custom-made outcomes to be considerably extra satisfying than any of the 30 preset EQ profiles Earfun’s software program provides. These span varied musical genres, whereas varied bass and treble increase presets are additionally offered.
The wide range of profiles the agency serves up could also be spectacular, however I discovered the bulk to be slightly too quiet. And to not be overly nitpicking, however flicking between these presets on each my iPhone 14 Professional and iPad Professional (2024) is painfully sloooooow.
Earfun’s app additionally permits you to swap between the Wave Life’s 4 ANC modes. First up, there’s ‘regular’, which considerably confusingly turns noise cancelling off. There’s then ‘ambient sound’, ‘wind noise cancellation’ and ‘noise cancelling’; with the latter two choices snuffing out sounds most successfully.
Sadly, Earfun hasn’t actually cracked the ANC code with its low cost cans and I may nonetheless simply make out passing visitors when going out for strolls. Subsequent to my Apple AirPods Max, noise cancelling on the Wave Life isn’t as much as scratch. That stated, evaluating $60 headphones to Crew Cupertino’s $500 over-ear cans is like pitting a Morris Minor towards a Lamborghini Aventador in a drag race.
One other promoting level of the Earfun Wave Life that fortunately proves more practical is their multi-phone connectivity that permits you to pair two gadgets concurrently. Throughout my testing it proved largely dependable, with the headphones syncing to my pill and smartphone with little problem. The one slight hitch I’ve encountered is after I enter the app on my duo of Apple gadgets, which regularly requires me to unpair one gizmo earlier than I can tweak software program settings on the opposite.
The Earfun Wave Life are battery beasts. On a full cost, they’ll final for 60 hours, with that quantity dropping to a still-impressive 37 hours with ANC enabled. Throughout my fortnight of testing these cans, I solely needed to cost them twice, which is super-commendable contemplating how variety these headphones are in your change purse.
Nonetheless, there’s no getting across the reality the bundled-in USB-C charging cable is comically brief. I’m speaking Smurf brief. Nonetheless, I’m not going to grouse an excessive amount of after I can get the Wafe Life to 100% juice in lower than half-hour on my GaN charger.
As talked about within the two-minute overview, the four-mic, AI-assisted algorithm additionally makes hands-free calling a breeze. With a 49ft vary, you don’t have to fret about being reduce off when wandering round your condo/home, both.
Earfun Wave Life overview: Design
- Extremely comfortable to put on
- Simple-to-reach on-cup controls
- Supplies really feel premium for price range cans
No-frills is the title of the ultra-plain sport in relation to the Earfun Wave Life. With an inoffensive but solely forgettable design, these cans will not preserve you from hitting the hay and dreaming about how alluring they appear.
Crucially, although, they don’t really feel low cost. The standard of the plastics used within the building of those over-ears feels much more premium than I’d count on from $60 headphones. I additionally admire the brushed metallic that seems once you lengthen the Wave Life’s headband.
By way of consolation, Earfun has completely nailed it with its newest price range cans. I wore them on a three-hour stroll with my husky on an uncommonly heat Scottish afternoon lately and by no means as soon as did they trigger me any discomfort. That’s primarily resulting from their super-comfy foam cups which rotate 90 levels, making them each simple to fold up and an absolute pleasure to put on.
The Earfun Wave Life weigh a comparatively breezy 264g, which additionally means you don’t have to fret about neck pressure or earache. Each time I put these cans on, it looks like giving my lobes a giant fuzzy hug. I’ll take consolation over model all of the livelong day.
The on-cup controls are additionally pleasant to work together with. A gentle plastic energy button is wedged between equally squishy and easy-to-locate quantity up/down controls, whereas I additionally had no issues switching between noise-cancelling controls due to the devoted ANC button. My solely slight beef? You must maintain down the facility button slightly too lengthy for my liking.
There’s additionally a USB-C slot for each wired play and charging. As I said beforehand, the cable that comes within the field is approach too brief, so that you’d be higher off investing in an extended third-party one if you wish to go down the wired listening route.
As for colours, you’re restricted to a single shade of black. If you happen to like your headphones to be unfussy and never make you stand out on, say, a crowded prepare or bus, the Wave Life’s bog-standard noir gained’t trouble you. Personally, I like each white and coloured cans, so I might have appreciated multiple hue.
Earfun Wave Life overview: Sound high quality
- A contact quiet with out app tweaks
- Software program EQ changes save the day
- Nicely-judged bass ranges
Contemplating how inexpensive the Wave Life are, I don’t wish to overly dunk on their sound shortcomings, and there are few evident weaknesses with these low cost cans’ audio high quality. There are, although, some that warrant mentioning.
My largest bugbear is the default sound profile once you first unbox these over-ears. That is subjective, however the Wave Life have been a tad too quiet after I first clamped them round my cranium. Though initially underwhelmed by their audio, I calibrated a customized EQ through the Earfun Audio app to supply a listening expertise that felt much more well-balanced and punchy.
With out software program tweaks, vocals throughout my favourite tunes and dialogue on among the finest Netflix films on my iPad felt muted and flat, so I positively suggest downloading Earfun’s app. Contemplating the agency’s software program is each strong but by no means feels formidable to work together with, it might be uncharitable to slam the Wave Life’s default soundscape when it’s so easy and fast to make it appreciably higher via minor app changes.
Inside minutes of fiddling about with its frequency sliders, I landed on a customized profile that delivered a soundscape with decently weighty bass that dovetailed properly with the treble ranges I settled on. Sure, mids on the Wave Life get misplaced within the sonic shuffle considerably, however total, I’ve had much more pleasant audio periods with these cans than disappointing ones.
When testing headphones for the primary time, I’ve received a small clutch of go-to bangers I at all times hearth up. The just about hymn-like digital stylings of Demise in Vegas’ Ladies sounds far more impactful than I used to be anticipating from sub-$100 cans, whereas the pulsating trance beats of F*ck Buttons nine-minute The Lisbon Maru delivered all of the bass my eardrums craved – thanks, Wave Life.
I used to be much less taken with my favourite dwell efficiency ever when listening to The Verve’s astonishing rendition of Sonnet from their spellbinding 1998 house live performance from Wigan’s Haigh Corridor, although. This basic Cool Britannia tune sounds superb on my Sony Inzone H9 – shocking, contemplating it’s a gaming headset initially. However on the Wave Life, Richard Ashcroft’s usually haunting vocals lack the audio oomph my Inzone cans drum up.
Talking of which, Earfun’s price range over-ears include a low-latency Recreation Mode that mechanically kicks in when you hearth up a title on both your Android or iOS machine. Not that I really seen a lot distinction after I disabled the characteristic when enjoying among the finest iPad video games.
That’s to not say the Wave Life don’t do a greater than satisfactory job at being an honest gaming headset. Though avid gamers aren’t Earfun’s goal market, their newest over-ears’ capacity to select delicate sounds throughout gameplay is admirable. I used to be significantly impressed (and oh so flustered) by how successfully they conveyed the fixed close by Xenomorph screeches within the nerve-shredding Alien Isolation. The Resident Evil 4 remake’s undead-slaughtering gun battles additionally popped in an impactful approach I wasn’t anticipating from such low cost cans.
It’s finest to go in with low expectations concerning the Wave Life’s noise cancelling, although. Even the simplest of its modes isn’t nice at kiboshing ambient sounds, so if high quality ANC is necessary to you, look elsewhere.
- Sound high quality rating: 3.5 / 5
Earfun Wave Life overview: Worth
- Nice worth for cash, given the options
- Sound high quality expectations met for the worth
- No carry case
Contemplating the quantity of options and basic construct high quality, there’s zero doubt the Earfun Wave Life characterize improbable worth for cash.
Total sound high quality additionally surpasses the expectations I’d usually go in with in relation to reviewing such an inexpensive set of headphones. Until you’re an actual elitist audiophile, you’ll be fairly smitten with what your $60 / £50 / AU$105 (approx.) outlay serves up sound-wise.
Whereas a carry case would have been appreciated, that’s a bit an excessive amount of to ask for such inexpensive cans. Earfun deserves loads of credit score for promoting its Wave Life over-ears at such a gorgeous worth level.
Ought to I purchase the Earfun Wave Life?
|
Part |
Notes |
Rating |
|---|---|---|
|
Options |
Bluetooth 5.4; glorious 60-hour battery life; simultaneous machine pairing |
4 / 5 |
|
Design |
Extremely comfortable; easy-to-reach on-cup controls; one other colour can be good |
4 / 5 |
|
Sound high quality |
Elective app important to beat restricted EQ presets; a contact quiet; ANC might be much better |
3.5 / 5 |
|
Worth |
Improbable worth for cash; sound high quality to be anticipated on the worth level |
4.5 / 5 |
Purchase them if…
Do not buy them if…
Earfun Wave Life overview: Additionally take into account
| Header Cell – Column 0 |
Earfun Wave Life |
1More Sonoflow Professional HQ51 |
Sony WH-CH520 |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Drivers: |
40mm composite |
40mm dynamic |
30mm |
|
Lively noise cancellation: |
Sure |
Sure |
No |
|
Battery life: |
60 hours (37 hours ANC on) |
100 hours (65 hours ANC on) |
50 hours |
|
Weight: |
264g |
246g |
137g |
|
Connectivity: |
Bluetooth 5.4; USB-C |
Bluetooth 5.2; 3.5mm |
Bluetooth 5.2 |
|
Waterproofing: |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
How I examined Earfun Wave Life
- Examined for practically three weeks
- Examined at house, on lengthy walks and in experience shares
I examined the Earfun Wave Professional in a wide range of situations spanning songs, streaming content material and video video games over roughly a three-week interval. This gave me the possibility to get to know the way versatile these over-ears might be.
Most of my time with these price range headphones was spent listening to music and podcasts on my iPhone 14 Professional. Away from revisiting my favorite tunes, I additionally used the Earfun Wave Life for Netflix and Disney Plus streaming, plus enjoying a number of video games on my iPad Professional.
Whereas most of my background centres round overlaying the most effective TVs and virtually 20 years writing about video video games, I’ve owned an absurd quantity of headphones and earbuds in my life – from $500 Apple Airpods Max to price range buds from manufacturers you’ve in all probability by no means heard of.
At present, I’ve extra units of cans in my condo than I do meals in my fridge. I ought to maybe alter my priorities in life, however hey, what can I say? I actually love the most effective headphones.
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First reviewed: June 2025
