How We Research
We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
If you want true wireless freedom with adaptive noise cancelling, a smart dial case and LDAC hi-res audio, choose CMF BY NOTHING Buds Pro 2; if you need a wired over-ear headset with a boom mic, 7.1 surround sound processing and 7-color LED lighting for console and PC gaming, choose Guiheng Gaming Headset.
• CMF BY NOTHING Buds Pro 2 — biggest strength: 50dB adaptive hybrid ANC plus Dirac Master Tuning with dual drivers (11mm bass + 6mm tweeter) and LDAC lossless transmission, all in a case with a physical Smart Dial and up to 43 hours of total playtime.
• CMF BY NOTHING Buds Pro 2 — biggest trade-off: It's an in-ear bud with no boom mic and no wired option, so it leans on six built-in mics and Bluetooth 5.3 rather than a plug-in connection.
• Guiheng Gaming Headset — biggest strength: Over-ear memory foam comfort with a 3.5mm wired jack, a noise cancelling boom mic and 7.1 surround sound, so it works with PS4, PS5, Xbox, PC and Nintendo without pairing or charging.
• Guiheng Gaming Headset — biggest trade-off: It's wired only, RF/3.5mm, with no ANC, no battery and no wireless mode, so you're tethered to your controller or desk.
• Who each pick is for: The CMF Buds Pro 2 suits commuters, travelers, gym-goers and phone-first listeners; the Guiheng suits desk and couch gamers who want surround sound headphones with a mic and don't mind a cable.
The CMF Buds Pro 2 is built around one idea: give you serious audio features in a pocketable bud. The headline is 50dB adaptive hybrid ANC that actively watches for noise leakage between the bud and your ear canal and adjusts. There's also a transparency mode with smart ambient sound recognition, which is the setting you'd want while running or crossing a street. In my opinion, that adaptive approach is the most interesting part of the design — it treats noise cancelling as something that shifts with how the bud actually sits in your ear, not a fixed switch.
Sound-wise, this is a dual-driver setup: an 11mm ultra bass driver paired with a 6mm tweeter, tuned with Dirac Master Tuning and Dynamic Bass Boost 2.0. LDAC lossless transmission is on board, and the spec sheet lists a 20 Hz–5 kHz frequency range with 32 ohm impedance and 50dB sensitivity. Six HD audio mics with Clear Voice Technology 3.0 handle calls. The case itself is the control surface — a Smart Dial lets you adjust volume, skip tracks and cycle noise modes without pulling out your phone, and Bluetooth 5.3 supports multipoint so you can hop between a laptop and a phone. For gaming there's a 120ms low-latency mode.
Battery life is the other big number: 11 hours per charge, 43 hours total with the case, and a 10-minute top-up gives you 3 hours. The IP55 rating means sweat and a post-swim rinse are fine. The case is small — roughly 5.3 x 5.3 x 2.3 cm and 46g — and the whole package is Dark Grey plastic.
Guiheng Gaming Headset: Who It's For
The Guiheng Gaming Headset goes the other direction entirely. It's a wired over-ear headset with a 3.5mm jack, aimed squarely at console and PC players. The feature list reads like a gaming checklist: 7.1 surround sound processing, a noise cancelling microphone, 7-color LED lighting, and soft memory foam earmuffs wrapped in a silicone-and-memory-foam build. The driver type is dynamic, with a 20 Hz–20,000 Hz frequency range — a much wider stated range than the CMF's 20 Hz–5 kHz figure, which matters for how much high-frequency detail the headset can reproduce.
Because it's wired over 3.5mm with RF listed as the wireless technology, there's no pairing, no battery anxiety and no charging cable to remember. Plug it into a PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series, PC or Nintendo controller and it works. That's the real appeal: it behaves like a piece of hardware, not a gadget. The noise cancelling here is a passive, mic-side design — it's about keeping your voice clean in chat, not about blocking out a train carriage. Controls are push-button, and the box includes the cable. Age range is listed as teen and adult, and the warranty is stated as 1.
The 7-color LED lighting is cosmetic, but for a lot of desk setups that's part of the point — it signals "gaming headset" at a glance. The memory foam earmuffs are the comfort story for long sessions.
Buy it if you play on a console or desktop, want surround sound headphones with a boom mic, and like the idea of never charging anything. Skip it if you need wireless freedom, active noise cancelling for commuting, or a headset you can wear at the gym.
Side-by-Side: Which Should You Choose?
• Best for noise cancelling → CMF BY NOTHING Buds Pro 2. 50dB adaptive hybrid ANC versus a mic-focused noise cancelling design on the Guiheng.
• Best for battery life and portability → CMF BY NOTHING Buds Pro 2. 43 hours with the case, 11 hours per charge, and a 10-minute charge for 3 hours of play.
• Best for microphone clarity in chat → Guiheng Gaming Headset. A dedicated boom mic beats six in-ear mics for streaming and voice chat, in my opinion.
• Best for calls and voice pickup on the move → CMF BY NOTHING Buds Pro 2. Six HD mics with Clear Voice Technology 3.0 and multipoint Bluetooth 5.3.
• Best for zero-latency, zero-charging reliability → Guiheng Gaming Headset. Wired 3.5mm means no pairing, no dropouts and no battery to manage.
• Best for workouts and travel → CMF BY NOTHING Buds Pro 2. IP55 water resistance and a 46g case you can drop in a pocket; the Guiheng is a stay-at-home over-ear.
• Best for console compatibility out of the box → Guiheng Gaming Headset. PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series, PC and Nintendo are all listed.
If I had to pick one, I'd buy the CMF BY NOTHING Buds Pro 2. In my opinion it covers far more of a normal week — commute, calls, gym, travel and casual gaming — with adaptive ANC, LDAC, a Smart Dial case and 43 hours of total battery. The Guiheng Gaming Headset is the better tool if gaming is the only thing you care about and you want 7.1 surround sound with a boom mic and a cable you never have to charge. Buy the Guiheng for a desk or couch; buy the CMF for everything else. Check the current price on Amazon before you commit, since that's the one variable I can't speak to here.
how to get surround sound headphones
"Surround sound" in a headset usually comes from either virtual processing built into the headset or from the source device. The Guiheng Gaming Headset lists 7.1 surround sound as a built-in feature, so it delivers that effect over its 3.5mm wired connection. The CMF BY NOTHING Buds Pro 2 doesn't list surround sound processing — it lists a wireless spatial audio effect, which is a different thing aimed at music and movies rather than positional game audio.
how to test surround sound headphones
Play something with clearly directional audio — a game with footsteps, or a surround test clip — and listen for whether sounds move left, right, front and behind you rather than just getting louder. With the Guiheng, connect over 3.5mm and make sure any in-game or console audio setting is set to surround rather than stereo. With the CMF Buds Pro 2, you'd be testing its spatial audio effect instead, which spreads the stereo image rather than placing discrete channels.
how to make surround sound headphones
You don't build it yourself — you either buy a headset with the processing included or enable it at the source. The Guiheng Gaming Headset already includes 7.1 surround sound, so the work is done for you once it's plugged in. If you're using earbuds like the CMF Buds Pro 2, look for a spatial audio or virtual surround option in the companion app or your device's audio settings.
how to fix surround sound headphones
Start with the basics: check the 3.5mm plug is fully seated, confirm the source device is set to surround output rather than stereo, and make sure the correct audio device is selected. On the Guiheng, the push-button controls and the wired connection are the main points of failure to check. On the CMF Buds Pro 2, confirm Bluetooth 5.3 is connected and that any spatial audio setting is actually switched on, since that effect is software-driven.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.
When you buy through links on this page, we may earn a commission from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.
Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon or its affiliates. This site is an independent third-party review and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Amazon or the product brands mentioned.
See also: Retevis Walkie Talkie Headset vs BENGOO Pro Gaming Headset, Audeze Maxwell vs Turtle Beach Stealth Pro: Gaming Headset, Black Shark Gaming Headset vs Gneinour QC35