These clear arc open earbuds are perfect for sports and small ears.

Cleer’s Arc open earbuds are a great idea…at least on paper. Imagine earbuds that fit snugly in your ears and allow you to be aware of everything that’s happening around you without blocking your hearing. This is the concept of open earbuds, and several manufacturers hope the idea will become the next big thing among sportsmen and women.

I first reviewed the Always open earbuds in November. The idea is so simple that you wonder why it was never thought of before. And when you try them, it all becomes clear. The idea is great. You can hang an earbud in each ear and hang a quality loudspeaker at the entrance of your ear canal.

You can listen to your favorite music from your smartphone via Bluetooth and at the same time be aware of what’s happening around you: traffic sounds, other people’s presence, doorbell ringing. Unfortunately, this is also the downside of this idea. This is because earphones can compete with the music and allow too much extra sound to reach the user’s ears.

The clear arc is beautifully made and looks gorgeous. It feels like a quality product and is housed in an oval zippered cloth case that charges when not in use. To wear your Cleer Arc, slip the earpiece over your ear like a hearing aid. The idea is to place the speaker as close as possible to the opening of the ear canal.

However, the earpiece fit depends on the user’s ear size. For example, I found that I couldn’t get the speaker close enough to my ear canal, which spoiled the sound and reduced the volume level. I also didn’t find them all comfortable to wear.

Pairing the Cleer Arc earbuds with your host smartphone is easy, with companion smartphone apps for iOS and Android. This app can be used to tweak some of the earbud settings. Once Cleer Arc is paired with your smartphone, it will automatically reconnect to its host every time you take it out of its storage case.

Assuming the user fits the earbuds well, the sound quality of these earbuds is pretty good thanks to the 16.2mm graphene neodymium drivers. It has good bass levels and plenty of detail in both the mids and highs. A full charge of the earbuds gives you up to 7 hours of playback. This is enough for him 3-4 sessions in the gym or on the bike.

Each earbud also has touchpad controls for tapping the music to pause or skip tracks. You can even take calls while jogging thanks to the built-in noise-cancelling microphone. It depends.

The concept of earbuds that can let you know what’s going on around you is smart, especially for those who enjoy sports. For me, the fit and size of the Cleer Arc don’t work well for people with protruding ears. People with pretty ears may not respond well to the Cleer Arc.

verdict: In theory, the Cleer Arc open earbuds are a good idea. Well made earphones that sound great when they fit in your ears. The earbuds are fixed in size, and adjustments are limited to basic hinge movements. If you have small ears, you might get lucky and have a perfect fit. But if your ears are the size of a baby elephant, you might be disappointed. One slight drawback is that his AAC codec used by Apple iOS devices is not supported. These open-ended earbuds may be a good idea for cyclists and joggers, but we recommend that prospective buyers try the size first to make sure they fit correctly. increase.

Pricing and availability: The Cleer Arc earbuds are available now for $129.99 / £129.99.

More information: cleareraudio.com or cleareraudio.co.uk

Technical specifications:

• Driver: 16.2mm Neodymium.
• Frequency response: 20Hz – 20kHz.
• Microphones: Two beamforming microphones with cVc noise cancellation.
• Audio codecs: SBC, apt-X.
• Battery life: 7 hours.
• Water resistance: IPX4.
• Weight: 14.5g (per earbud), 96.5g (both earbud and case).