They help me relax and concentrate, and for me that's priceless.
In the small negotiations of domestic life, silence has long been something earned through conflict or luck — but technology has quietly offered a third path. A CNET reviewer found in the Earfun Air Pro 4 earbuds a modest but meaningful tool for reclaiming interior space amid household noise, pairing them with thunderstorm audio to carve out the conditions for reading and concentration. At $72 during Cyber Week 2024, these earbuds sit at a deliberate crossroads between affordability and genuine function, raising a quiet question about what we are willing to pay for peace.
- The tension is ancient and domestic: a person who wants to read surrounded by people who simply exist loudly.
- The disruption is not dramatic — it is the low-grade friction of ambient family life that makes sustained focus feel like a small act of resistance.
- The Earfun Air Pro 4s deploy both passive ear-seal isolation and active electronic noise cancellation to address the problem on two fronts simultaneously.
- At $72 — less than a third the cost of AirPods Pro 2 — they land as a practical, unglamorous solution that reviewers say genuinely delivers calm.
- Dual-device connectivity and a ten-hour battery mean the earbuds stay useful across a full reading session without demanding attention themselves.
There is a particular domestic tension that requires no argument — just a person trying to read and a household going about its business. For one CNET reviewer, the resolution came not through negotiation but through a pair of earbuds, a Kindle, and ten hours of looping thunderstorm audio.
The Earfun Air Pro 4s, CNET's 2024 Editors' Choice for affordable in-ear headphones, are currently priced at $72 after a 20 percent Cyber Week discount. They occupy a deliberate middle ground — not the cheapest option, not a premium product, but a practical one. Their noise-canceling approach is twofold: rubber ear tips physically seal the ear canal the way earplugs do, while built-in microphones electronically detect and counter ambient sound. The reviewer found the "Strong ANC" mode made a real difference, with an accompanying app that proved more intuitive than competing alternatives.
Comfort holds up across long sessions, though the seal occasionally needs resetting after a yawn or sudden movement — a minor quirk common to in-ear designs. The earbuds connect to two devices at once, sparing the user the small frustration of switching between phone and tablet. A finder function exists for lost earbuds, though it lacks the robustness of Apple's tracking ecosystem.
The value case sharpens in comparison: Apple's AirPods Pro 2 run $250, and the newer AirPods 4 with noise cancellation cost $100 more than the Earfuns while relying solely on electronic cancellation without a passive seal. For pure music or calls, the Earfuns are adequate rather than exceptional. But that is not the point. The point is reading in peace without spending a fortune — and by that honest measure, they deliver.
There's a particular kind of domestic conflict that doesn't require raised voices—the silent standoff between a parent trying to read and a house full of people being themselves. For one CNET reviewer, the solution arrived in the form of a pair of small earbuds and a playlist of thunderstorm sounds.
The setup is simple enough. A Kindle, a comfortable spot on the bed or couch, and the Earfun Air Pro 4 earbuds paired with ten hours of rain and distant thunder on repeat. The noise-canceling technology does the heavy lifting—blocking out the ambient chaos of family life without requiring anyone to actually be told to be quiet. It's a small peace, purchased rather than negotiated.
The Earfun Air Pro 4s earned CNET's 2024 Editors' Choice award for affordable in-ear headphones, and at their current price of $72 (down from $90 with a 20 percent discount), they represent a deliberate middle ground in the headphone market. They're not the cheapest option available, but they're not premium either. They sit in that practical zone where the features actually matter to the person using them.
What makes them work for this particular use case is the combination of passive and active noise cancellation. The passive part is straightforward—the rubber ear tips seal your ear canal, physically blocking sound the way earplugs do. The active part is electronic, using the headphones' built-in microphones to detect ambient noise and generate opposing sound waves to cancel it out. The reviewer found the "Strong ANC" mode made a tangible difference, though the app offers other options depending on what you need. There's an Ambient Sound function for when you actually want to hear what's happening around you, and the app itself proved easier to navigate than the Sony alternative.
The earbuds stay comfortable for hours at a time, though occasionally they need to be resealed after a yawn or sudden head movement—a minor quirk shared by most in-ear designs. Battery life has held up through extended reading sessions. They can connect to two devices simultaneously, which means you're not constantly switching between your phone and tablet. If you lose one, there's a finder function, though it requires Bluetooth range and an active connection, unlike Apple's more robust tracking system.
The price comparison is where the value proposition becomes clear. Apple's AirPods Pro 2 cost $250 and offer excellent sound quality, but they're a significant investment for secondary headphones. The newer AirPods 4 with noise cancellation run $100 more than the Earfuns and use an open-ear design that relies entirely on electronic noise cancellation without the passive seal. The Earfuns, by contrast, give you both methods for less money.
For actual music listening and phone calls, the Earfuns perform adequately but not spectacularly—they're not in the same league as larger over-ear headphones. But that's not really what they're designed for. They're designed for someone who wants to read in peace without spending a fortune, and for that specific job, they work. The reviewer describes them as helping to relax and concentrate, which is perhaps the most honest measure of whether a product is worth buying. Everything else—the features, the battery life, the app functionality—serves that single purpose.
Notable Quotes
I don't really want to yell at the kids to keep it down so I can enjoy my stories— CNET reviewer
The Earfun app is easier to use than Sony's and just as capable— CNET reviewer
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why not just ask your family to be quieter during your reading time?
Because you can't really do that every single day. Kids are going to be kids. It's easier to create your own quiet space than to keep negotiating for silence.
So the white noise is doing as much work as the noise cancellation?
They work together. The earbuds block the low rumble and muffled voices, and then the thunderstorm sounds fill in the space so your brain doesn't keep reaching for the noise that's still there. It's not just silence—it's replacement.
Why not just buy cheaper earbuds if you're mainly using them for white noise?
Because cheap noise cancellation doesn't actually work that well. You'd end up frustrated, and then you're back to square one. These hit the sweet spot where the technology is real but the price isn't absurd.
How do they compare to your Sony over-ears?
The Sonys sound better for music, no question. But they're bulky. These are something you can actually wear for hours without your ears getting sore, and you can move around the house without feeling like you're wearing a helmet.
What would make you not recommend them?
If you're an audiophile or you need perfect call quality, look elsewhere. But if you just want to disappear into a book for a couple hours? They're hard to beat at this price.