These upcoming headphones from EarFun are an impressive feat at a cheap price

2 weeks ago 2

ZDNET's key takeaways

The EarFun Tune Pro headphones are available now for presale and can be had for less than $50 with a discount
The Tune Pro headphones offer a beautiful soundstage for headphones this cheap
These headphones definitely benefit from having the EarFun app, so consider it a must.

Bluetooth headphones are everywhere, and the quality of sound they produce is all over the place, from cheap, tinny-sounding to deep, rich, and dynamic (as well as everything in between). One company that has become a serious contender in the budget-friendly headphone space that rarely compromises sound to reach rock-bottom prices is EarFun.

I've reviewed several pairs of earbuds and over-the-ear headphones from EarFun, and the company has rarely let me down. At this point, when I receive a pair of EarFun headphones to review, I automatically assume they'll sound much better than the price would indicate.

Also: How I turned these $60 headphones into an audiophile's dream (without spending a penny)

The soon-to-be-released EarFun Tune Pro is no exception. But here's the thing: It's kind of a rare occasion that I say a mobile app is an absolute must to get the best sound from a device. Well, in the case of the Tune Pro headphones, you are definitely going to want to have the EarFun app installed, even if only for one feature:

Theatre Mode.

I've talked about soundstage on several headphone reviews, but let me state it again. Soundstage is the perceived sense of space, width, and depth in the audio you hear, and how well a pair of headphones is able to create the illusion that sounds are coming from different directions and distances, rather than just from inside your head. A nice, wide soundstage can make all the difference in the world with regards to the quality of sound produced by a pair of headphones.

Also: Finally, open-ear headphones that sound great and fit me comfortably (and they just got cheaper)

Yes, frequency range is one of the most important features (as you want as wide a range as you can get to reach the lowest lows and highest highs), but soundstage helps bring the music to life. Thanks to the EarFun app, the Tune Pros headphones really show how soundstage makes a huge difference in the music you enjoy.

When I saw the On/Off slider for Theatre Mode, I was skeptical, but the second I enabled it, I was seriously impressed. I've not heard a soundstage like this on any headphones under $100 to date, and the Tune Pros do it so well.

My experience

When I first put the Tune Pro headphones over my ears and hit play on Spotify, my first reaction was, "Okay, these sound pretty good." Then I remembered that I had the EarFun app on my phone from a previous review. I opened the app, and it automatically recognized the headphones and added them. I dove in.

Without hesitation, the first thing I did was enable the Theater Mode option, and that "pretty good" became "Oh, yeah!"

And that was all I changed. I didn't bother with EQ or ANC because I didn't have to. The Tune Pro headphones sounded so good with the addition of Theater Mode that they needed no other tweaking.

I decided to give the new Primus/Puscifer song "Little Lord Fentanyl" a go and was blown away. Les Claypool's bass was all over the place, and it was glorious. I found myself saying, "How are they getting this sound for under $70? This should be possible." And yet, here we are.

It's incredible how far inexpensive Bluetooth headphones have come.

Also: These wireless headphones transported me to audio nirvana - and are my new all-time favorite

I decided to stick with Primus because their sound is so unique and is capable of bringing out the pros and cons of headphones, and in this case, it was all pros. Listening to "The Desaturating Seven" album brought all the weirdness of the band to life and had me bopping around my office in that strange way only Les Claypool can pull off in public (IYKYK).

Eventually, I had to depart from the wackiness that is Primus because not everyone can appreciate their brilliance, so I played Yo-Yo Ma's new take on the Shostakovich Cello Concertos and felt like I was standing right there on stage with the man.

This is how music is meant to be enjoyed - and can be enjoyed by anyone because these headphones don't cost thousands of dollars.

EarFun is seriously making a case for inexpensive hardware.

As for other genres of music, it doesn't matter because the Tun Pro headphones make them all sound good. In fact, I would go so far as to say these are the best sounding sub-$100 headphones I've ever heard.

ZDNET buying advice

The Tune Pro headphones were supposed to be available in March 2025, but I believe the tariff issue has pushed the release back a bit. You can, however, get them at 30% pre-sale now on the My EarFun site, which takes them below $50, and that, my friends, is an absolute steal.

If you're looking for a comfortable pair of headphones that have tons of battery life (up to 120 hours on a full charge) and a remarkable soundstage, just go ahead and pre-order a pair of these. When they finally arrive, you won't regret the purchase.