The TWS headphone market is packed with brands offering the latest in technology across all price points. This is proven with global TWS shipments growing 24% YOY to reach 300 million in 2021.
We were sent the latest from audio brand Cleer who we have reviewed the likes of Cleer Roam NC, Cleer Ally Plus 2 & Cleer Goal. In this review, we put our focus on the Cleer ARC which is a pair of true wireless open-ear headphones with a brand new ear hook design that has won the Red Dot Award 2021. This design came about as a way to effectively solve the problems of ear fatigue and ear sweats brought on by long-term use its also very useful when doing sport or driving a car and not wanting to miss any outside information while listening to music or a podcast.
The key features of the Cleer ARC are:
- Open – Ear Hook design
- Bluetooth 5.0
- SBC Codec
- 7 hours of battery life
- 16.2mm dynamic driver
- Cleer+ app support
- Beamforming technology
- Dual Mic technology
- Fast Charging Technology
Available for the cost of £129 and come in two colours Light Grey or Midnight Blue.
Unboxing
The first thing you see on the packaging is a large picture of a model wearing the Cleer ARC and this is the first time you get to see the design. The packaging also mentions the awards they have won with this model and this is finished with the product name in the bottom right.
Moving to the rear of the box and this is where you get to see the key features of the headphones which I have listed above. Take the cover off and open the box within and you will be greeted by the Cleer ARC charging case which is a zipped cotton and linen charging case which has an oval-shaped case.
The material used feels nice on the hands and the opening and closing of the case are done via the zipper. This Zip can prevent the earphones from falling out of the case further helped by the magnetic charging case that keeps the earphones in position.
Inside the case is that earphone cockpit has a left/right logo on the earphone cockpit to help you know which earphone goes where when charging. The moulded shape in the case is for the earphones to sit inside and are designed in such a way I think it would be impossible to get the earphones mixed up when placed in the charger.
Last but least you will notice a groove around the charging case and this stores the charging cable meaning you won’t need to carry around an additional charging case. When you need to charge the earphones free the cable from the groove and simply plug the USB-A cable into a USB charging port or into a plug with a USB port like what we use from accessory brand Tech Energi.
When the charging case is connected to the power supply you will see a LED indicator light on the headphone handle that will be red this indicates charging is in progress. After a 10 min charge, you will have 10 hours of audio playback. However, the case does only offer 7 hours of additional charge which is a tad disappointing when you consider other TWS models on the market that can provide multiple full charges from the case.
Design
The Cleer ARC are a pair of ear hook-designed headphones that are very lightweight with a single headphone only weighing 14.5g. They have a three-part section design starting from the bottom to the top the headphone handle comes with the power button that also has a small LED light above it which indicates when the headphones are on charge.
Moving up the headphone the earhook is made of silicone material which is skin-friendly as this is the part of the headphone that has intimate contact with the top of the ear.
Finally, the headphone head can be rotated to produce sound and if you look at the back you will see contour lines which are there as an ergonomic design to set the contour of the human ear which allows you to use these for long periods of time without the risk of ear fatigue.
There is also a microphone pickup hole on the headphone head which has been positioned for call noise reduction which allows for a clearer call experience.
The rear sound hole is used alongside the front sound hole to form multiple listening effects which in turn offer a better listening experience. What you will notice is the small amount of sound dissipated into the air from both the front and back sound holes effectively cancelling each other out meaning you get only a small amount of sound leakage. You will also notice the use of the 2 sound holes assist with the direction and distance so music can be directed to the ear canal and this also helps reduce audio leakage.
Overall, the design has been very well thought through the ergonomically designed rotating earhook will fit most people’s ears as it can be adjusted. They are not easy to fall off, ideal if you are using these at the gym. The design prevents ear fatigue and you will find the headphones to be comfortable even after long periods of use. The design is also for situational awareness when listening to music but the need to be aware of what is around you is vital.
Set up/ Controls
Once you have given the Cleer ARC a full charge connecting them to your phone via Bluetooth is done as you would do with any device. Simply go into the Bluetooth menu and click on the Cleer ARC and they will instantly connect. What you will notice is you only need to connect to Bluetooth once and they will connect to your phone with ease every time you go to use them.
Moving to the controls the headphones have that physical button on the steam which allows for switching the headphones on/off. You also have a touch control panel which allows you to do the following:
| Single tap | Music: Play/Pause |
| Double Tap | Music: Next Track
Calls: Pick up/Hang up call |
| Triple Tap | Music: Previous track |
| Tap & Hold | Smart Assistant trigger
Call: Reject call |
| Right earbud: Double-tap and hold on the second tap | Volume Increase |
| Left earbud: Double-tap and hold on the second tap | Volume decrease |
Cleer+ App
As is becoming the norm now the Cleer ARC also come with a separate app called Cleer+. When you download the app and pair the headphones to the app you can view things such as the battery life, update firmware, adjust the settings and most importantly you can adjust the EQ allowing you to have that custom sound. The EQ in the Cleer+ app allows the user to adjust the frequency response range from 64Hz to 8kHz really allowing a custom audio experience.
Image Credit: Trusted Reviews
In addition to the EQ settings the app allows you to do the following:
- Change the auto power off time period to suit your preference
- Change the Bluetooth name of your app
- Receive software updates
- Check the playback time
Audio Quality
The Cleer ARC come with a 16.2mm dynamic driver which provides both a wide sound field that you might expect from open-ear headphones but also has the ability to transmit music just like a pair of in-ear earphones.
I found the audio quality to be clear but never overly loud they offer a well-spaced sound stage but I would have liked a bit more bass. I know the design of the headphones does not really allow for a super strong bass but just an improvement on what we have would not have been a bad thing. The audio quality you get is more of a natural sound stage with the bonus of having situational awareness at the same time. This is ideal when in the office and you want music on but still want to hear what is around you is ideal.
However, when walking to work I found listening to music to be fine no issues at all. The problem occurs when you want to listen to a podcast the sound quality was very difficult to pick up and you will try to adjust the volume but this won’t have much of an effect. My advice listen to your podcasts in a quiet environment instead of on the way to work.
You can also use these to receive calls and this in my opinion is the best feature the dual beamforming mics deliver a natural sound with noise suppression making these perfect for my daily work calls. You can also use just one bud at a time creating that mono listening experience and when you switch to both earbuds you get a stereo sound. There is a 4-second re-connection delay but you will hardly notice it and you can connect without even having to pause your audio which is very useful.
Verdict
The Cleer ARC offer a real alternative to the Apple Airpods and is a very comfortable pair due to the swivelling hinge. They rest on the top of your ear just above the ear canal and fire sound into your ears. They do an excellent job of allowing situational awareness. This was a really big bonus to me as I enjoy a good bike ride and being able to hear traffic as well as my music is very useful.
The use of 16.2mm drivers provides a decent level of bass but I would have liked a bit more however the overall audio quality is very neutral which helps with the situational awareness.
The case is also very nice to have and will fit in your pocket but just don’t expect to get anything else in that pocket. The integrated USB charging cable is provided just like the Bose open sport earbuds, the case is not a rechargeable battery so it’s basically just a dock for charging the earbuds.
Cleer has taken time taken to consider the design and is ergonomically designed and the rotatable headphone enables the user to listen to them for long periods of time. In addition to that, the inclusion of front and rear sound holes form multiple listening effects creating a better overall listening experience and smaller sound leakage. The star of the show is when you use these for work calls the sound holes help with noise reduction and the 2 built-in microphones help achieve crystal clear call quality.
Could they be improved?
The main pain points for improvement are the lack of bass in the audio department and the lack of wireless charging these two improvements would have given the cleer ARC a 5-star review for sure.
Would I buy them?
Once you get used to the design and how they fit on your ears you will find them very comfortable for long periods of use. If you’re just going to listen to music then these are great for when you’re doing exercise or even the daily commute. However, if you are in a noisier environment these really do suffer and listening to a podcast in a noisy environment is basically impossible. So as long as you are selective in terms of where you use the Cleer Arc they are well worth considering. Especially if like me you cycle lots and situational awareness is important.
Product Rating:
Design: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0
Controls: 4.0 out of 5.0 stars
Cleer + app: 4.0 out of 5.0 stars
Audio Quality: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0
Value For Money: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0
Overall Rating: 4.6 out of 5.0 stars – 4.6 Stars
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