Yesterday, I wrote about a few yuan original Dao earphones (click to review), which are currently recognized as the highest cost-performance “flat-head earphones” with a 3.5mm interface suitable for old phones, old MP3 players, and other devices. However, the Type-C version is priced at nearly 20 yuan, which diminishes its cost-performance ratio.
Some people asked if there are high cost-performance Type-C flat-head earphones. Yesterday, someone in the comments mentioned that the Huawei CM33 Type-C version is very strong, claiming to be unbeatable under 100 yuan. On second-hand platforms, the average price is around 20 yuan, and it even has a small gold standard certification, along with a DAC to ensure front-end audio quality, so today I will write about it.
The Huawei CM33 Type-C version is a pair of earphones released a few years ago, with an unclear release date. Some sources say it was released in June 2021, while others claim it was in 2017. However, the initial price is confirmed to be 99 yuan, and it often goes on sale for 50-70 yuan during promotions.
It uses a Type-C interface, compatible with current smartphones, and has a built-in independent digital-to-analog converter (DAC), supporting high-definition PCM decoding, with a driving force greater than that of ordinary earphones, capable of playing lossless music files up to 96kHz/24bit. Additionally, the Huawei CM33 Type-C version can also update its software version, which is another distinction from ordinary earphones.
Besides the DAC chip, it also features a 9.2mm large dynamic driver, combined with a high-density composite diaphragm, making the sound quality one of the best in the under 100 yuan range, hence it carries the Hi-Res small gold standard. However, it is not an in-ear type earphone and lacks noise-canceling assistance, belonging to the open-type earphone category.
As for the price, I checked on a second-hand platform, and the lowest price for used ones is 18 yuan, but a brand new unopened boxed version is only 23.99 yuan, which is much cheaper than the original launch price of 99 yuan.The main reason is that as TWS Bluetooth earphones become cheaper, fewer people use wired earphones, making them less popular in the market, and Huawei is also reluctant to release new wired earphone models.Finally, the Huawei CM33 series also has a 3.5mm jack version, which seems to be an accessory earphone that came with early smartphones, but there is very little information available online, and it is unclear whether it has a DAC chip. If anyone knows, feel free to shout out.