ARC 4 PLUS Open Ear Earbuds with THX-Certified Sound

Bottom Line
The ARC 4 Plus open-ear earphones by Cleer are the best open-ear headphones I’ve personally experienced. Their psychoacoustic presentation rivals, and in some cases exceeds, that of many traditional in-ear and over-ear designs. They deliver an immersive, spatial sound experience that places them in a category of their own. I strongly recommend them.

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Background

I purchased and received a new pair of Cleer ARC 4 Plus open-ear earphones in early December 2025 and have now spent over a month using them in a wide range of real-world scenarios.

Previously, in July 2025, I purchased the prior model, the ARC 3 Pro Sport. At the time, they were the best open-ear earphones I had ever used, and I was very happy with them. Unfortunately, my right earphone was damaged by water exposure. Although they were rated IPX7, that specific incident caused the right earphone to malfunction.

Knowing that the ARC 4 Plus was scheduled for release soon, I chose to wait for the newer model rather than replace the damaged set, assuming the next generation would improve on an already excellent product.

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Summary

The ARC 4 Plus is an excellent pair of open-ear earphones offered at a genuinely fair price. I am particularly drawn to the benefits of an open-ear design: situational awareness, long-term comfort, and the ability to wear them all day.

By their nature, open-ear earphones typically lack the bass depth and maximum loudness of in-ear or over-ear designs. The ARC 4 Plus largely overcomes these limitations. Its unusually large drivers and supporting technologies deliver impressive volume and surprisingly full bass for an open-ear design.

What truly sets these apart, however, is the psychoacoustic experience. You don’t just hear the music; you feel immersed within it.

I own many sets of earphones and headphones and used to rotate between them depending on the setting. Since getting the ARC 4 Plus, I no longer rotate. I wear these all day, every day. Cleer is clearly pushing the boundaries of open-ear audio performance while keeping prices reasonable.

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Evaluation Criteria

When evaluating earphones and headphones, I consider the following categories in order of importance:
1. Sound quality
2. Loudness
3. Comfort, fit, and positional stability
4. Voice call quality and clarity
5. Battery life
6. Waterproofness
7. Charging case
8. Build quality and durability
9. Aesthetics and design
10. Cost

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Category-by-Category Evaluation

1. Sound Quality (Best by far)

This is the most important category for any earphone, and it is where the ARC 4 Plus truly shines.

The sound is immersive and enveloping, forming a semi-spherical dome around your head rather than feeling like it originates from devices attached to your ears. The presentation is spacious, balanced, and remarkably clear.

The ARC 4 Plus uses very large 16.2 mm dynamic drivers, larger than the 10–14 mm drivers found in many competitors. These are THX certified and paired with a sophisticated audio stack that includes Snapdragon Sound, Dynamic Bass Enhancement, and Dolby Atmos with head tracking (when supported by the source device).

The result is a wide, well-organized soundstage with excellent separation, dynamic range, and detail retrieval. Subtle background elements, spatial cues, and micro-details remain intact even in complex mixes.

More than immersive, the soundstage has a perceptible center of mass that feels slightly above and behind the listener. You can sense where individual sounds originate in space, including their direction and relative distance. It quickly stops feeling like the sound is coming from earphones at all.

In my experience, this is the best sound quality I’ve heard from any open-ear design and competes with many traditional headphones.

The ARC 4 Plus supports SBC and AAC (used by Apple devices), as well as higher-quality codecs including aptX Adaptive, aptX Lossless, and LC3. To benefit from these higher-quality codecs, your source device must also support them. Many Android phones do; iPhones are limited to AAC. I used an external DAC and Bluetooth transmitter with my iPhone to experience the higher-quality codecs.

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2. Loudness (Best)

Insufficient loudness is one of my biggest frustrations with open-ear designs. Many perform adequately in quiet rooms but struggle in real-world environments such as outdoors, on airplanes, during workouts, or while cycling.

The ARC 4 Plus does not have this problem. Even in very noisy environments, they deliver more than enough volume. There is ample headroom, and loudness has never been a limiting factor for me.

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3. Comfort, Fit, and Positional Stability (Best)

The ARC 3 Pro Sport featured a unique ear-hook swing-gate design with a partially rotating driver. The ARC 4 Plus refines this approach.

While the ear-hook concept remains, the rotating mechanism has been removed, and the hard plastic components have been replaced with soft, flexible, lightweight silicone. They are easy to position, extremely comfortable, and once adjusted, they stay in place.

I often wear them all day with no soreness or fatigue. I frequently forget I’m wearing them and have even fallen asleep with them on, sometimes waking up to find them still properly positioned.

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4. Voice Call Quality and Clarity (Best or near best)

Voice call quality is excellent on both ends. Each earphone uses dual microphones along with Qualcomm’s noise reduction and AI-based processing to filter wind and background noise.

Voices come through clearly, naturally, and without echo. In contrast to many other earphones I’ve owned, I rarely need to repeat myself when using the ARC 4 Plus.

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5. Battery Life (Near best)

With typical use that includes Dolby Atmos head tracking, I average around 8 hours of music playback per charge. If the earphones are worn but not actively playing audio, battery life extends significantly.

The charging case provides approximately three full recharges, giving a total of about 33–36 hours of use before needing to recharge the case. A 10-minute quick charge provides roughly 3 hours of playback.

It takes about 1–1.5 hours to fully recharge the earphones in the case and about 2 hours to recharge an empty case. The earphones will begin charging as soon as the case is plugged in, even if the case battery is depleted.

Some open-ear models offer longer single-charge runtimes, but compared to most competitors, especially those with high sound quality, the ARC 4 Plus performs very well.

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6. Waterproofness (Near best)

The earphones carry an IPX7 water resistance rating. In practical terms, this means they are well suited for workouts, heavy sweat, rain, and incidental water exposure.

While IPX7 allows brief submersion, swimming or intentional underwater use is not recommended. The waterproof rating applies only to the earphones, not the case. If the earphones get wet, they should be gently dried before being placed back in the case.

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7. The Case (Subpar)

The charging case is functional but falls short of the quality and feature set of the earphones themselves.

The previous ARC 3 Pro Sport case was among the most advanced on the market, featuring an LED display and extensive controls. The ARC 4 Plus case appears to have been redesigned with minimalism and cost reduction in mind.

It includes a USB-C charging port, an internal pairing button, and a single LED indicator. While it performs its basic function adequately, it provides no battery level information beyond a full/empty indication.

The magnets holding the earphones in place are also relatively weak. If the case is open and bumped or dropped, the earphones can easily fall out. In dark or cluttered environments, this could be a serious issue.

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8. Build Quality and Durability (Best or near best)

Aside from the case concerns, the earphones themselves feel very well built and durable. I expect them to hold up well over long-term use.

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9. Aesthetics and Design (Near best)

Open-ear designs require creative approaches to fit and stability. I personally like many of these designs and find them visually interesting.

Cleer’s ear-hook design stands out subtly from competitors, and I find both the look and functionality appealing. They tend to attract positive attention and curiosity from others.

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10. Cost (Best)

At $129.99, the ARC 4 Plus is priced significantly lower than the previous ARC 3 Pro Sport, which I considered an industry leader at the time of its release. Despite the lower price, the ARC 4 Plus improves on nearly every aspect except the case.

Other high-quality open-ear earphones can cost up to $199. Given the sound quality, features, and overall performance, I consider the ARC 4 Plus to represent the current standard in open-ear audio and an excellent value.

The music sound is incredible. Use primarily to listen to books. Love the ease of pausing. Feel like a slim fit close to the ears.

The Cleer ARC 4 Plus Open Ear Earbuds are outstanding! The Dolby Audio delivers crystal-clear sound, and the head tracking feature adds a surprisingly immersive experience. The earhook design keeps them secure during workouts, and the 34-hour playtime is incredible—no constant charging needed.

They’re IPX7 waterproof, so sweating or running in the rain isn’t an issue. The EQ settings let me customize the sound, and overall comfort is excellent for long listening sessions.