EarFun Air 2 NC

The EarFun Air 2 NC wireless earphones include features you might expect to pay more than $69.99 for, like active noise cancellation (ANC), high-resolution audio, and wireless charging. They offer deep bass, an effective EQ, and a capable companion app, but their noise cancellation is below par and their Bluetooth connection sometimes faltered in testing.

You're much better off spending a little more on EarFun's $89.99 Air Pro 4 earphones, which offer more balanced sound, an even wider range of audio codec support, and the best noise cancellation we've experienced under $100, earning them our Editors' Choice award.

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Design: Satisfyingly Simple

The EarFun Air 2 NC earphones don’t break the mold—they look like almost every other earbud with a stem design. EarFun opts for a warm silver color for the stems and either black or white for the rest of the enclosure, depending on which color you choose. The buds are all plastic and feel quite light, so they don’t put a lot of strain on your ears. You get three sets of silicone eartips in various sizes to find the best fit.

The silver stems are where the touch controls live. They’re basic and straightforward for controlling playback and switching modes. They register taps and presses passably, but it’s easy to hit the wrong spot.

(Credit: Mark Knapp)

Internally, the buds contain 11mm composite wool drivers. EarFun doesn't specify the frequency response range. The earphones support Bluetooth 5.3 and the basic AAC and SBC codecs, as well as the high-resolution LDAC codec, which is a nice surprise. Other features include multipoint Bluetooth for up to two connections and Google Fast Pair. The buds have an IPX5 rating, which means they can handle sweat and rain but not submersion.

The charging case is fairly compact and lightweight, measuring 2.44 by 1.87 by 0.98 inches (HWD) and weighing 1.66 ounces with the buds inside. It supports wireless charging in addition to the USB-C port on the bottom.

The case flips open and the buds slot in vertically with their stems pointing down. The stems tuck into little holes with charging pins at the end and are held in place magnetically. The upside of this design is that the buds do a good job staying put. The downside is that they are somewhat difficult to extract from the case.

(Credit: Mark Knapp)

EarFun claims the buds provide up to 6 hours of listening with ANC on and 9 hours with ANC off. The case holds an additional 24 to 31 hours of use, though your battery life will vary depending on volume, ANC, and LDAC use. EarFun says a 10-minute charge will provide 2 hours of listening, and the buds need 1.5 hours for a full recharge.

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EarFun App: Plenty of Tools

The earphones rely on the EarFun Audio app (available for Android and iOS). It’s a simple and effective app, and you don’t need an account to use it, which is convenient.

Inside the app, you first see the battery levels for the earbuds and the case. You can rename the buds here if you wish. The app provides control over the ambient audio modes and a toggle for Game Mode. EarFun says this mode reduces latency, though I didn’t find it sufficiently quick for rhythm-style games where latency is both critical and obvious. Theater Mode boosts some of the lower frequencies and gives a sense of depth.

(Credit: EarFun/PCMag)

The app offers quite a few EQ options. It has a handful of presets to choose from and lets you customize your own. The 10-band EQ gives you wide latitude to adjust the sound to your preference. There’s also a special option called My Sound Profile, which can help you find a balanced level tuned to your hearing. I found it encouraged me to lower just about every frequency, so I’m not sure how much stock to put into it.

For those who prefer to customize the on-ear controls, the app allows you to reassign some of the tapping gestures. It also has a useful utility for finding your earbuds should they become lost. Turning it on causes the buds to emit an incredibly loud beep that I could hear from multiple rooms away.

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Noise Cancellation: Hiss Gets In the Way

Whatever listening mode you select on the EarFun Air 2 NC, you are going to hear some noise. There’s a low-level static hiss present in all settings, including the standard setting, with no ANC or pass-through active. The ambient sound controls only amplify the static. It’s easily drowned out by music played at modest levels, but it quickly returns if you’re listening at quiet levels.

(Credit: Mark Knapp)

The ANC mode neutralizes much of the low droning noise of a box fan running at full speed, though the higher-pitched wind noise is still audible. The ANC is most effective on deeper frequencies. For example, it allowed the higher-frequency glass clinking, espresso machine noise, and talking in a cafe to slip through.

The buds offer a standard ANC mode and an adaptive ANC mode that’s meant to tune the cancellation to the shape of your ear canal. While I did find the adaptive mode could more effectively cancel out a nearby fan, it also introduces an imbalance between the left and right sides and the static hiss mentioned above. The pass-through mode makes surrounding audio much clearer, but it overemphasizes the higher frequencies, amplifying the unwanted static hiss.

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Sound: Potent Audio, But Inconsistent Bluetooth Connectivity

Listening to Bill Callahan’s “Drover,” I was thoroughly satisfied with the EarFun Air 2 NC's ability to deliver a nuanced performance. Callahan’s baritone is clear and weighty. The electric guitar raging off in the left channel punches through with force, and the fiddle occupies its own spot in the mix thanks to a surprisingly spacious soundstage. Even when the drums start to hammer away in the last quarter of the tune, the earbuds offer weight without overwhelming the song. They do boost the low-end frequencies a bit, but not in a way that's overwhelming.

Kendrick Lamar’s “Loyalty” plainly highlights the range. The high-pitched Bruno Mars sample that loops throughout the track is crisp, and both Lamar’s and Rihanna’s vocals come through clearly. The sub-bass line at the 34-second mark is heavy, and the buds easily reproduce it down to the lowest note, though they push the sub-bass a little too hard in the default EQ setting. It might be worth tweaking the bass with a custom EQ setting if you prefer less thump.

In The Knife’s “Silent Shout,” the sub-bass content is largely limited to a simple quarter-note kick pattern that isn't as overwhelming. It gives the song a nice depth while the synth line continues through the track, lending it plenty of energy and clarity. The buds do a good job presenting the harmonized vocals with a clear separation between the high and low voices. They provide ample range for the song to shift from mellow to raging.

The earphones are even up for the task of classical music. They readily encapsulate John Adams' The Gospel According to the Other Mary. The passage “Lazarus Rises From the Dead” starts off strong, with a deep note providing a foundation for the track.

The one area where the earphones tend to struggle a bit is the connection. I had no issues when sitting still, but I encountered occasional blips in connectivity when walking around.

The mics captured my voice clearly in testing, but they have a far-off quality. They reduce background noise to a degree, but if it gets too loud, they compress my voice, and call quality drops.

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Verdict: Plenty of Features, Not Enough Attention to Detail

EarFun tries to do too much with the Air 2 NC. The feature list is impressive, with high-resolution audio, wireless charging, and noise cancellation, but ANC adds unwanted hiss, and the Bluetooth connection can be unreliable. For an additional $20, you get a more balanced sound signature, much better noise cancellation, and more stable performance with the EarFun Air Pro 4, so they remain our Editors' Choice for wireless earbuds under $100.