Cleer Audio NEXT Review: Wired Headphones with Impressive Sound Quality

These headphones offer impressive sound quality and a sleek design. Read our Cleer Audio NEXT review to see if they’re worth the investment.

If you’re an audiophile who craves high-quality sound and a luxurious listening experience, you’ll definitely want to check out the Cleer Audio NEXT Headphones. Coming from a company primarily known for feature-packed yet affordable Bluetooth headphones, these $699 wired cans surprisingly boast an impressive sound and build quality that rivals more expensive options.

In this review, I’ll be taking a closer look at the features and benefits of the Cleer Audio NEXT headphones and sharing my personal experience with them. So, if you appreciate headphones with a premium build and remarkable audio quality, read on to find out if the Cleer Audio NEXT is the right choice for you.

Cleer Audio NEXT Review: Specs

• Driver size: 40mm Ironless™ driver with
  magnesium diaphragm
• Frequency response: 10Hz–45kHz
• Max. power handling: 90mW / 1.2V (10% THD)
• Optimal power requirement: 10mW (0.4V)
• Max. SPL: 112dB / 1kHz (1% THD)
• THD: <0.3% / 1mW / 1kHz
• Sensitivity: 92dB / 1mW / 1kHz
• Impedance: 16Ω
• Weight: 395g

Cleer Audio NEXT Review: Features/Build

The Cleer Audio NEXT headphones are clearly (no pun intended) built with the serious critical music listener in mind. First, they boast powerful 40mm ironless drivers with magnesium-coated dome-shaped diaphragms. The proprietary drivers are said to benefit from low mass, high rigidity, and high internal damping for refined audio reproduction. In addition, they are paired with an ironless magnet structure for linear full-range frequency response, which provides a nuanced, high-resolution sound.

Secondly, they’re crafted with an eye-catching design created by Designworks (a subsidiary of BMW), which features an alloy construction of lightweight, high-strength aluminum. Despite feeling so robust, they also feel light as a feather in the hand, which can’t be said for many full-sized audiophile headphones.

Further, the design lends itself well to extended wear comfort. The plush sheepskin and memory foam ear-pads are designed to avoid pressure and heat build-up, providing a remarkably ergonomic fit and extended hours of comfortable use, which I can vouch for. The fit is also aided by a perfectly judged clamping force, allowing the pillow-soft earpads to rest gently against your head.

In addition, the headphones come with a semi-open-back design that provides an extremely spacious sound with minimal coloration. It’s also said to improve transient response, which most experts believe is vital to an exciting musical experience.

What’s In The Box

• 1.5m (about 5ft.) detachable headphone cable
• 6.3 mm (1/4″) adaptor plug
• Carrying pouch
• Quick Start Guide

In the box, along with the headphones, you get a detachable quad-core, four-conductor cable with LEMO push-pull, self-latching connectors, an option usually found on headphones above $1000 (AKA Senn HD800). This definitely provides better connectivity than the 3.5mm connectors found in most of the competition and should give a cleaner sound overall.

On the other hand, this type of cable is harder and more costly to replace, so keep that in mind. Also, the quad-core construction makes the cable a little stiff out of the box, but I did find it loosened up a little over time. The cable is 1.5m (about 5ft.) long, and a 1/4″ adaptor is included, making it ready to use with most audio devices.

You also get a thick protein leather storage/carry bag lined with velvet to protect the headphones when not in use. The headphones fold flat for easy storage in the included bag. While the bag will not protect the NEXT from being crushed (like a hard case would), it will keep them from getting scratched up in your bag, and the bag looks pretty slick as well. The bag zips to keep everything in, and there’s a separate portion of the bag to store the cable.

Last but not least, you get a quick start guide with instructions on setting up and storing your headphones.

Cleer Audio NEXT Review: Sound

For this review, I connected the Cleer NEXT headphones to the FiiO M11Plus ESS Digital Audio Player ($649 on Amazon) and played a bunch of test tracks from the TIDAL Android App. With a sensitivity rating of 92dB, the NEXT is extraordinarily easy to drive, and the M11 Plus had no issue providing full volume and dynamics at the medium gain setting.

Conversely, I was also able to get good results from the $55 FiiO JadeAudio KA1 USB DAC/Amp, albeit not with quite the same dynamic force I got from the M11Plus DAP.

After listening to a lot of music from several different genres, I found the Cleer headphones to have a balanced, almost totally neutral sound signature. There was some slight emphasis on the upper mids and sub-bass region, but overall they provided a clean, matter-of-fact sound, with plenty of weight on the low end, but not in an overbearing boomy manner.

The Bass was more of the articulate and detailed kind, which added a lot of richness and texture to upright Bass and Bass Guitar tones. As far as mids go, the central part was somewhat subdued yet still detailed and natural, while the upper mids were elevated. That peak in the upper mids provided some nice presence and space, but it also added some hardness to the horns and the upper register of female vocals.

As far as the treble was concerned, it was sweet but somewhat restrained, which removed some of the top-end detail and airiness you would expect from an open-back headphone. Speaking of the open-back nature of these headphones, there seems to be a good amount of damping in the earcups because they don’t leak a lot of sound or let in a ton of sound like other open-back cans. That’s why I referred to them as semi-open earlier.

Overall, the detail and resolution were quite good for a $699 headphone, actually probably the best I’ve heard under $1000, with the Hifiman Ananda and Meze Audio 109 Pro coming close. That said, the original Focal Clear, when you can find it under $1k, is good competition as well.

When it came to soundstage and imaging, this was definitely the strength of the Cleer NEXT. The stunning transparency thru the midrange and the high-resolution music reproduction provided a vast and immersive soundstage that caught me off guard at times. When listening to specific tracks, elements of the mix seemed to burst out of nowhere, showing evidence of the headphone’s excellent clarity and placement.

That said, all was not perfect, as I found the dynamics to be a letdown on certain songs, especially on fast hard driving tracks. The NEXT sometimes lacks the quick, snappy punch that propels songs forward and gets the head nodding, but with its remarkable soundstage and transparency, that’s not a deal breaker.

At the end of the day, the controlled and articulate bass, transparent mid-range, and refined high frequencies create an engaging sound that draws you into the music. While some may prefer a heavier and punchier bass, the Cleer NEXT headphones deliver a balanced and natural sound that does an excellent job with all but the most lively hip-hop and dance tracks, and it does a decent job with those as well.

My only caveat would be the need to pair the NEXT with warmer, more romantic electronics lest you get too much of a good thing up in the presence region of these headphones. That said, they do provide vivid and nuanced Hi-Res sound that is quite refined for a sub-$1000 headphone.

The Wrap Up

In conclusion, the Cleer Audio NEXT headphones are a luxurious and exceptional audio experience that excels in both design and performance. The balanced and expansive sound, extended-wear comfort, and eye-catching design make them stand out among other audiophile headphones under $1k. So if you’re looking for a pair of headphones that provide an authentic audiophile experience at an affordable price point, the Cleer NEXT headphones are definitely worth considering, especially if you prioritize detail, clarity, and soundstage over earthshaking bass dynamics. In that case, you may want to check out some of the products from Focal or Meze.

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