When you consider the overhead headphone market the heavyweights are Sony & Bose but the likes of Sennheiser & Cleer Audio close the gap. In this review, we explore the latest from Cleer Audio Alpha which follows in the footsteps of the likes of Cleer Enduro ANC & Cleer Flow II.
First Impressions
Cleer Audio is an American audio brand that has gained recognition for manufacturing high-quality audio products. Their latest offering, the Alpha headphones, is packed with advanced features such as active noise cancellation (ANC), ambient sound passthrough, touch controls and Dirac Virtuo surround sound processing. All for the cost of £249 and available in either Midnight Blue or Stone versions and are available via the likes of HiFi Headphones & Amazon
The Alpha headphones are equipped with 40mm Ironless Drivers, specifically designed to produce a natural and detailed sound with refined bass, natural mids, and crisp treble. In addition to superior sound quality, the Alpha headphones feature a sleek design, a comfortable and durable build, and a long-lasting battery.
What’s in the Box
The Cleer Alpha provide you with a fabric-covered hard case which always gets a tick in my book. The Cleer Alpha also comes with the following:
- USB-A to USB-C charging cable
- 3.5mm audio cable
- In-flight (aeroplane) adapter
- User manual/Quick-start guide/Warranty card
Build Quality and Design
Clear seemed to have chosen well when designing the Alpha, with mostly plastic construction, the headphones never once felt flimsy, and the use of hard and soft-touch plastics present a premium feel to the headset.
The padding on the underside of the headband never caused any discomfort throughout several lengthy music listening sessions, and the head cups allow for rotation 70 degrees left or right which enables a comfortable fit regardless of any head size. The headphones come with a significant weight coming in 330g but the comfortable padding allows for long periods of use.
The headset also has the right level of clamp force, not too much where it hurts or too little where it allows external noise to bleed in, it’s the right amount of clamp. the clamping force is softened by a generous layer of foam which eases the use of the headphones through lengthy listening sessions.
Features
With Bluetooth 5.1 support, the Alpha can connect with any Bluetooth-enabled phone, laptop or tablet with ease, with the added benefit of the power-saving features found in Bluetooth 5.1, this helps to contribute to already impressive battery life.
With a quick double press of the right earphone button, I was able to get the headphones into pairing mode, the headphones had no issues connecting to the various Bluetooth-enabled devices I have around the house.
My main music listening device is my trusty google pixel 5a, the headphone had no issues pairing, and with a confirmation of Qualcomm aptx HD, SBC, AAC Adaptive codecs being enabled, I was reassured that my listening experience with the headphone would be as optimal as possible.
The inclusion of a 3.5 mm audio jack, enables you to plug the headphones in at those times when the battery runs out, this option also allows the use of more expensive DACs and headphone amps. Having listened to both, what struck me was how good the Bluetooth connection was, as I couldn’t hear much of a difference between the two options.
At this price point, aptx HD support was to be expected, but the inclusion of a good-performing active noise-cancelling algorithm surprised me.
Cleer also encourages the use of their Cleer+ app (available on apple and google mobile app stores). the app gives the user the ability to make changes to the way the headphone sounds, customisation options include a full 10-point EQ, 3 levels of active noise cancelling and the ability to enable Durac.
Controls
Standard wireless headphone controls are present on the alpha, the right headphone cup contains a power button just under the cup, a 2-second press of the button powers on and off the headphones, double press puts the headphones in Bluetooth pairing mode to add additional devices.
The outside face of the right cup contains touch controls which I felt was a nice addition, a swipe up and down, turns the volume up and down. a quick swipe left or right enables skip/previous on tracks. Touching the touch controls twice, pauses and plays the tracks, this also works to answer and hang up calls. Pressing and holding the touch controls rejects the incoming call.
Another nice addition was placing your hand on the touch controls enables conversation mode, which lowers the volume of any sound playing and turns down the ANC which is handy for those times when you need to be more social.
The left side of the headphones also contains controls, unfortunately, touch controls are absent here, there is a single button under the left cup which allows the user the engage noise cancelling and Dirac with a single and double press of the button respectively. pressing and holding the left button also triggers voice assistance on your phone.
Active Noice Canceling
Now to the part, I feel makes this headphone really excel, noise reduction was highly effective, having switched noise reduction on, I was no longer able to hear the ongoing passing of cars on a long walk, creating an eery sense of isolation even on the busy London roads.
Switching the headphones to the ambient mode allowed some of the sound to come through, but still impressively dampened most of the external noise. The App also allows the user to adjust ambient noise suppression which I felt was done well.
Sound Quality
As mentioned the sound from these over Bluetooth is very good, so good that I don’t feel the need to have to plug them into my headphone dac/amp. with plenty of built-in power to drive the 40mm driver.
I initially started listening to the headphones with no adjustments made in the app to the EQ with only the ANC, I was treated by a nice slightly boxed-in sound stage, the bass was there, clear and concise, but seemed to lack the depth found in other similarly priced headphones, there was also a good level of extension to the highs but not to the extent that it becomes fatiguing.
The midrange is what I found slightly lacking, I wouldn’t say its bad, but there is an emphasis on the lows and highs, with a small adjustment to the midrange using the 10-point EQ via the app, I was able to get a sound that was pleasant to my ear.
What about Durac?
Enabling Durac was what made me think wow, not only was I greeted with a better balance of the lows, mids and highs, the headphones suddenly exploded with a wide sound stage, the boxy sound was no more, and I could now strangely pinpoint the placements of instruments, the separation was so good that I felt compelled to close my eyes and sit back and enjoy the smooth voice of John Legend and mellow piano tones in the track Ordinary People.
Durac being all good, I never once felt the need to change any aspect of the sound as it seems it was tuned to my liking, but unfortunately, when enabling Durac, the EQ becomes unavailable which for the majority of users may not be an issue, but having the customisation would have been nice.
Battery life
I was pleasantly surprised to find out that the headphone specification states 35 hours of battery using the onboard ANC, I can confirm that I was able to get 28 hours on a single charge, with mixed music and voice calls, but it is expected to be more with Durac turned off.
The headphones require 4 hours to fully charge, but I was able to get 2 hours of battery life from the headphones with a quick 10-minute charge which is handy for those days when you forget to leave the headphones on charge overnight.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Cleer Audio Alpha headphones are a well-designed and durable pair of headphones that deliver excellent sound quality and advanced features. With 40mm Ironless Drivers, the headphones produce a natural and detailed sound with refined bass, natural mids, and crisp treble. The headphones also come equipped with active noise cancellation, ambient sound passthrough, touch controls, and Dirac Virtuo surround sound processing.
The noise reduction feature is highly effective, creating a sense of isolation even on busy streets. The headphones have a long-lasting battery life, with 35 hours of use on a single charge, and quick charging capability. The Cleer+ app allows users to customize their listening experience with a 10-point EQ, 3 levels of active noise cancelling, and the ability to enable Durac. Overall, the Cleer Audio Alpha headphones are an excellent choice for those seeking premium sound quality and advanced features.
The Pros
- Comfortable fit
- Pristine audio presentation (in Dirac Mode)
- Impressive ANC
- Premium design and finish
- Nice touch controls
- Long battery life
The Cons
- No EQ when using Dirac Virtuo
- Lack of depth to sound when not using Dirac
- Slightly lacking in the mid-range
Product Rating
Design: 4.0 out of 5.0 stars
Controls: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0
Battery Life: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0
Features: 4.0 out of 5.0 stars
Active Noise Cancellation: 4.0 out of 5.0 stars
Sound Quality: 4.0 out of 5.0 stars
Value for Money: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0
Overall ranking: 4.4 out of 5.0 stars – 4.4-star rating
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