Read this comprehensive review of the Cleer Enduro ANC headphones to understand their features, sound quality, design, and overall performance. Discover if they are the right choice for you.
Verdict
The Cleer Audio Enduro ANC is a great pair of wireless headphones for the price. They offer good sound quality, effective ANC, and long battery life. If you’re looking for a headphone with a more neutral, balanced sound signature, you may want to look at another option (or plan to take advantage of the excellent app-based EQ). These are tuned with a lively bass-driven sound out of the box.
Introduction
With the Enduro ANC headphones, Cleer Audio wades into the crowded sub-$200 wireless headphone market with a pair of wireless over-ear headphones that promise quality active noise cancellation (ANC), a longer-than-average battery life (50 hours with ANC), distortion-free audio, and a comfortable fit. They also have a striking design and are priced at $129, seemingly making them a good value. We will look at these headphones and see if they work as advertised, and let you know if they’re worth the scratch!
Who they are for:
The Cleer Audio Enduro ANC is designed for people looking for affordable wireless headphones with Active Noise Cancelling and long battery life.
Cleer Enduro ANC Review: Design
The Cleer Audio Enduro ANC are good-looking headphones with luxurious colors and a classy metallic trim. They are made of a combination of hard plastic and metal, which fortifies the headband. They feel durable and sturdy in the hand despite the heavy use of plastic. There is very little creaking when moving them around, and they fold up nicely for storage.
The ear cups/pads are plush and comfy due to memory foam, providing a good seal around the ears. That said, if you have larger ears, they will probably be a tight fit. The headband is also comfortable and adjustable, with ample padding at the top, but with my large head, the earcups just made it around my ears when fully extended. Because of this, there was a bit of extra pressure at the top of my head, making me readjust the headphones occasionally. YMMV.
The headphones come with a carrying bag, a charging cable, a 3.5mm audio cable for wired listening, and an old-school two-prong airplane adapter. The included carrying bag doesn’t protect the headphones from impacts, but mainly from dust and scratches. The charging cable is long enough, and the audio cable, which connects to the headphone’s USB-C connector, feels durable enough. I would’ve loved to see a hard case to protect them in your bag during a commute, but if you need one, there are many options on Amazon.
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Cleer Enduro ANC Review: Features
The Cleer Audio Enduro ANC has several key features that make them a good choice for wireless headphones. These features include:
- Active noise cancellation (ANC): Eliminates unwanted sounds, allowing you to engross yourself in your music. Additionally, the Ambient Awareness mode provides the option to allow external sounds in, allowing you to stay connected with your surroundings without needing to remove your headphones.
- Long battery life: The headphones have a battery life of up to 60 hours with ANC turned off and up to 50 hours with ANC turned on. This is enough battery life for even the longest flights or train rides.
- Ironless Driver technology: The Enduro ANC drivers have 20 rare-earth magnets strategically layered to achieve articulate and expressive sound.
Active Noise Cancellation (ANC)
The ANC on Cleer Audio Enduro ANC effectively blocks out everyday ambient noise like fans, AC units, etc. It also dulls voices to a great degree. In addition, the headphones can block out a lot of noise from airplanes, trains, and other noisy environments. That said, it’s not quite as effective as the class leaders from Sony or Bose. I would say they provide about 80% of the ANC performance, which is good since they cost less than half the price.
The ANC on the headphones is adjustable via the Cleer + companion app (more on this later), so you can find the level of noise cancellation that is right for you. You can also turn on Ambient mode to let in outside noise without taking off the headphones or turn off ANC completely. The Enduro ANC’s ambient mode sounds remarkably natural, which is excellent at this price point.
Battery Life/Charging
The Cleer Audio Enduro ANC has excellent battery life. The headphones have a battery life of up to 60 hours with ANC turned off and up to 50 hours with ANC turned on. This is enough battery life for even the longest flights or train rides. Charging is handled via the included USB-C cable and USB-C port on the left earcup. It takes about 3 hours for a full charge, or a 10-minute quick charge will provide about 2 hours of playtime in a pinch.
Call Quality
The call quality on the Cleer Audio Enduro ANC is good. The headphones have a built-in microphone that picks up your voice clearly. The headphones also have noise cancellation for calls so you can make and receive calls in noisy environments.
Controls
The Cleer Audio Enduro ANC has a simple and easy-to-use control scheme. The controls are located on the left ear cup. The controls include a cluster of buttons for power, volume, play/pause, skip track, and answer/hang up phone calls, which are easy to reach. There’s also a separate button used to switch between ANC modes and to call up your phone’s voice assistant. Next to the controls is a small LED light that provides essential info like power/charging status, battery life, and pairing mode status. I like that the Enduro ANC uses physical buttons instead of touch controls, which can sometimes be annoying.
Cleer+ App
As mentioned in the ANC section, the Cleer+ App (Android & iOS) offers a range of customization options for your Enduro ANC wireless noise-canceling headphones. With the app, you can adjust noise canceling and environment sound levels to enhance awareness and personalize audio through customizable EQ levels.
Additionally, the app provides a convenient way to monitor the remaining battery life and update firmware for your headphones. While it’s pretty basic, I found the app well laid out and easy to use. It also connected to the headphones with very little lag, and the EQ effectively customized the sound.
Cleer Enduro ANC Review: Sound Quality
The Cleer Enduro ANC headphones offer good sound quality for the price. They use Cleer’s proprietary 40mm Ironless drivers, which deliver some crisp detail and full-bodied bass. The overall sound signature is “V-shaped,” which provides some excitement due to the emphasis on the midbass and lower treble.
The soundstage is wide and spacious, and there is some good instrument separation, which I didn’t expect from such an inexpensive headphone. The bass is punchy and articulate, but I feel it overpowers the mix sometimes, especially the lower mids. That said, other than when heavy bass encroaches upon them, the mids are clear, and the highs have a good bit of detail.
When I adjusted the bass levels down using the EQ in the Cleer+ App, I found the sound more transparent and precise overall. That said, if you’re the type that likes deep, booming bass, the stock tuning will probably be right up your alley, no EQ necessary.
Listening to “Free Mind” by Tems (on the “Flat” EQ setting), I loved how powerful the vocal sounded and how nicely it was separated from the rest of the mix. The backing track sounded clean, and the dynamics were excellent due to the bass quality produced by these headphones.
That said, for me personally, I wish the Bass were pulled back just a touch, as it was a bit distracting to me. However, I can see a lot of folks loving the resounding thump that drives the rhythm, especially since it isn’t muddy, like other inexpensive headphones.
Next, I listened to “Springtime” by Allison Russell (again with “Flat” EQ, and on this less busy track, the Enduro ANC shined a little more. Russell’s vocals sounded remarkably natural, and the Cleer headphones showed off their wide soundstage and a little focus, neatly placing the background vocals and strings in their own little sections.
Here is a more detailed breakdown of the Cleer Enduro ANC’s sound quality:
- Bass: The bass on the Cleer Enduro ANC is punchy, articulate, and impactful. It can cause a little bass bloom in the midrange on heavy bass passages. It is well-suited for hip-hop, pop, and electronic music.
- Mids: The mids on the Cleer Enduro ANC are clear and present. The vocals can sound natural and realistic. You may hear a slight distortion in the lower mids during heavy bass passages.
- Highs: The highs on the Cleer Enduro ANC are extended and airy. They are not harsh or sibilant.
- Soundstage: The soundstage on the Cleer Enduro ANC is wide and spacious. Instruments are well-separated, and the music feels like it is coming from all around you. Very impressive at this price point.
Overall, the Cleer Enduro ANC headphones offer an enjoyable listening experience, especially for the price. I usually prefer a bit more neutrality and balance, but I was impressed by the detail, separation, and immersive soundstage.
Cleer Enduro ANC Review: The Wrap Up
I recommend the Cleer Audio Enduro ANC to anyone looking for affordable wireless headphones with good ANC and long battery life. They offer good value for the money, especially if you like your headphones with a little extra thump.
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I’m an audio writer who started as a young audio salesman/consumer electronics professional back in the late 90s. That’s where I discovered the magic of 2-Channel sound. My hunger for great sound has led me on a delightful music quest that continues today.
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