Kiss Your Lip Sync Issues Goodbye! EarFun Wave Pro X Over-Ear Headphone Review

Headphones are very fashionable. By “fashionable” I mean that certain styles go in and out of fashion. Based on what I see when I pick up my son from high school, over-ear headphones are all the rage with kids these days. EarFun has long been a brand that I’ve recommended as a great, budget option. I honestly can’t think of an offering from them that has cost more than $100. Until now. The EarFun Wave Pro X is an over-ear offering with just about every bell and whistle you can image. At $130 retail, they cost a little more than what I have come to expect from EarFun. But does their performance justify the price? Let’s take a close look!

Editor’s Note: Use coupon code EFWPXPR1 for 20% off!

Wave Pro X Specs

• DCAA Acoustic Architecture with 40mm DLC and 10mm LCP dual-driver
• Hybrid Active Noise Cancellation with 8-mic array and QuietSmart 3.5 tech
• Qualcomm QCC3095 SoC
• Certified Hi-Res Audio & Hi-Res Wireless
• aptX Lossless & LDAC Support
• Bluetooth 6.0 & Google Fast Pair
• Auracast Broadcast Audio
• LE Audio & Lossless USB Audio
• 8-Mic Call Setup
• Up to 90 Hours Total Playtime
• Ergonomic over-ear design
• Low latency game mode
• ANC-enabled USB & AUX wired mode for noise-cancelled wired playback
• Multipoint connection
• EarFun Audio App customization for personalized sound and controls

EarFun Wave Pro X Overview

The Wave Pro X come with a clamshell case with a specific compartment for wires. The headphones don’t fold at all, the cups just rotate to allow them to lay flat. The case is fabric covered but very firm. While I wouldn’t stand on it, it will protect the headphones from any normal travel bumps. I’d have no problem throwing this case and in my carryon or luggage. The space for wires is oversized for the two included cables (an Aux and USB-A to C charging cable). This is probably because they assume you’ll swap them out for longer wires (the charging cable is less than a foot long).

Stylistically, the EarFun Wave Pro X headphones aren’t super remarkable. They are black with the EarFun name on the sides of the cups. The charging port is on the right cup with the controls on the right. The earpads are plush (they feel like memory foam) and covered in genuine pleather (or some other non-leather covering). While they are very comfortable out of the box, this type of covering isn’t one that tends to last with daily use. I would love to see removeable earcups so that they could be swapped out as they aged.

EarFun Setup

Since I’ve tested EarFun products in the past, I have the EarFun app downloaded. The second I powered on the Wave Pro X headphones, my phone alerted me and asked me if I wanted to connect. It connected quickly and seamlessly and I was listening to music in a matter of seconds.

If you’ve seen one of my EarFun reviews before, you’re probably familiar with the EarFun app. Rather than multiple pages of controls and adjustments, they just put almost everything in one, long screen. I personally prefer this but I could understand if others do not. As a whole, the most important (and often used) controls are at the top. This means that you’ll first see ANC options followed by EQ controls. After that you’ll see a ton of “set and forget” options including connection preferences, controls, and more.

The “new” thing for EarFun with the Wave Pro X is the addition of AI to their ANC (Automatic Noise Cancelling). Both the AI options focus on correcting more quickly for exterior sounds. Manual ANC controls are available as is Wind Noise cancelling.

Controls and Connections

There are four buttons on the right earcup: Power, Volume up, Volume Down, and NC (Noise Cancelling). You can configure all but the power button. The Volume buttons can have different controls for single and long presses. The NC button can be configured for single and double presses as well as long presses.

The power button does more than just power on and off the Wave Pro X headphones. When listening to music, the power button with start or pause a track with a single press and will access your voice assistant with a double press. When a call comes in, the power button answers or ends a call with a single press. A long press will reject a call. Lastly, a double press with answer and transfer two calls.

Obviously, most people will connect to their phones via Bluetooth. With aptX Lossless and LDAC there is little reason for a hardwire connection. If you do want to connect with a wire, you can use the included Aux cable or a USB connection. One complaint that I’ve read from other reviewers is that the headphones have to be powered on even when using the Aux connection. I don’t see this as much of an issues as the Wave Pro X sport a 90 hour battery life and can get up to 10 hours of playtime with a 15 minute charge. Plus, who is really using wireless headphones with a wire? If your battery dies on your plane ride, that’s just your lack of planning.

Sound Quality and Latency

It’s hard to really judge headphones these days as they almost all come with apps that include EQ functions. As always, I set the EQ to “Flat” if that option is available or create a custom EQ with no adjustments. This gives me (as best as possible) the “raw” performance of the headphones. Of course, with an included EQ, you can, to a great extent, customize the output to your preferences.

To make this even easier, EarFun has included what they call “SoundSense” (they don’t like to put spaces between words). With SoundSense, the EarFun app will put a graphic EQ on your playback screen. You can then adjust the EQ as you listen to your content. This has the added advantage of showing you exactly what the EQ is doing with each and every one of the presets.

Out of the box, with the EQ set to flat, the EarFun Wave Pro X sounded clear and detailed. The bass was a little forward but not unpleasantly so. I found that voices were well presented and the overall presentation was very balanced. EarFun’s offerings have always impressed with their commitment to sound quality. Even with the higher price tag, I felt that the music reproduction was up to par.

When we talk about latency, we are often told that only gamers are the ones that care about it. If you’ve ever used headphones to scroll social media, you know that latency is a thing that affects all of us. Most of my headphones exhibit enough latency that my social media feeds have lip sync issues. Not so with the Wave Pro X. Even with all the high quality aptX features enabled, I experienced zero lip sync issues. This, to me, is reason enough to pay a premium for a pair of headphones. If this were the only selling point, I’d be a customer!

Comfort, ANC, and Durability

Comfort-wise, the EarFun Wave Pro X are a 10/10. They are light and present just the right amount of clamping pressure. They are snug to your head but not overly tight. If you are the type of person that finds ANC uncomfortable, and I don’t blame you, then the ANC on the Wave Pro X isn’t going to be any better. That said, the ANC is as good if not better than others I’ve experienced. As I live in Florida and won’t be wearing them out at the store, I’m not exactly putting them through their paces. The different AI options certainly sound different from each other. If you are looking for something to cancel out the droning of plane noises, these are sure to work well.

I’ve already expressed my concerns with the longevity of the earpad coverings. My experience with over-ear headphones is that it really doesn’t matter what material (including leather) you use. It will wear out eventually. Not being able to replace the earpads will always be a downside of budget (yes, $130 is budget for over-ear headphones) offerings. My other concern is structural. These headphones are VERY light. At 260 grams (just over 9 ounces) they don’t feel very substantial. During travel, I would definitely use the case to keep them safe.

EarFun Wave Pro X Conclusion

The Wave Pro X headphones were released today so there is only so much we can know about them now. It will take some time for any real issues to reveal themselves. From what I’ve experienced, these are great sounding headphones with just about every bell and whistle currently available included. Of course, what has sold me is the lip sync. With perfect out-of-the-box lip sync that doesn’t sacrifice audio quality, I’m sold. Recommended!