ALPHA Adaptive Active Noise Cancelling Headphones

5 reviews for ALPHA

1. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Robert Johnson (verified owner) – December 22, 2021

   These sound great, bass is punchy but not muddled, mids and highs sound very cleer (heh) to me. I’ve used them for both streaming audio from my phone and playing video games via a wired connection to my controller. I’m a big fan of the Dirac Virtuo implementation as I’ve really been into spacial audio lately. The build quality is also really nice, they feel sturdy and well made, but are also lightweight enough that you can forget you’re wearing them. I also really appreciate that the ear cups are magnetic and easy to detach for cleaning or potential replacement if you ever had an issue. The microphones also work very well and sound better than most wireless headsets I’ve had, even with an air purifier running a few feet behind me it only picks up my voice, so they’ve been working great for work calls for me as well. I’ve also found the noise cancellation and passive modes to work great, and being able to just palm the ear cup to switch to transparency mode for a quick conversation is convenient. The other thing I found great was that they actually come with a nice case that has some indicators for the controls for easy reference. The case is also good quality and would be protective enough for travel, much better than a simple bag a lot of headphones come with.

2. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Andrew Noel (verified owner) – December 23, 2021

   If you are debating these headphones and price is not the primary concern, go ahead. I have been using $20 JLab wired, on-ear headphones the last year, but I do know these headphones are well worth the price. Great presentation and build quality. Touch controls are cool & responsive. I recommend looking at the instructions and not guessing for 45 minutes getting frustrated being needlessly stubborn. Sound & volume is good in all three modes. App is clean and Dirac Virtuo spatial audio is legitimate. Semi-hard shell case w/ sizeable organization insert to keep from crushing is a nice touch. The adjustable ambient noise control is unique to me and sliced bread. The range of incoming sound from levels 1 to 10 is substantial. Also, I do not get the same type of pull on my ear drums that I experience with active noise cancellation. Overall, Cleer has impressed on me the quality of their product being a company of disruptors within an industry they helped build. I got my pair in Midnight Blue. After appreciating them, do not shy away from Stone. Cheers!

3. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Kenny Wyatt (verified owner) – January 15, 2022

   Had these for about 4 day or so. Very nice design. The ANC is quite good about par for Sony’s or at least very close. So far excellent battery life and over all controls are very responsive. The sound quality is excellent to about 80% volume then the speakers start to burp any louder. Why not sure. But unfortunately they do. The spatial audio is legit and does make a huge difference. The ambient awareness is great also. So if not for the speakers burping so to speak past 80% these would the best I’ve ever used. They still are the best. But….

4. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Eric Ansonia – May 23, 2022

   I first saw these on Target’s online store when I was looking up headphones to buy, I love collecting headphones always have. I have a great many pairs all ranging from Shure to Sennheiser to Fiios (One of my favs) more consumer known such as Apple’s line up including the AirPods Max (another personal fav) And I have found and this, of course, is just my personal opinion from my personal experience is they all have their strengths and based on my taste I have developed a small mental checklist I put new headphones up against. Packaging, presentation, as the old saying goes “first impressions are everything” Second is, build quality, are the materials used appropriate to the price being asked and not just esthetically which is essential but the guts, the materials that drive the quality of the sound. Third, Software, to me software great software, complements the hardware used to house it and its really the culmination of the user experience. Software to me is like the gears behind a clock, like all your bodily organs, you know they’re there working to keep you going but you dont have to think about them in order to function. Fourth is compatibility, I have two phones, one an iPhone because I am, unashamedly an Apple lover because of everything I have listed above they truly have the entire user experience down to a science, all their products work seamlessly together right out of the box. I also own an android phone, its a gaming phone made by Xiaomi so Bluetooth headphones I buy I test them on it as well, and these headphones the Cleer Alphas really have passed my “taste” test, I ATM can’t list one bad or terrible thing about them. I can’t wait to see what else they come up with!!

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     Jordan Turner (store manager) – July 9, 2022

     Eric, thank you for the kind words and awesome review! We’re happy to become a part of your collection!

5. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Chris Marlow (verified owner) – June 22, 2022

   I’m a university professor in need of a solid set of headphones for distraction-free video conferencing, recording lectures and demonstrations, and listening to music. And I’m not an audiophile. I had been an ear bud user until I got my first set of headphones a few years ago – the Sennheiser PXC 550. These were a great all-around set (light and comfortable, excellent sound, great mic, and solid battery life) for multiple years, but I could not get or stay connected to my PC very consistently (way too frustrating!). I tried the Bose QC45 for a short time recently. They were light, super comfortable (plenty of room for my large head and ears, no cabin pressure, not too hot), and they sounded great. The downside – they did not play music and/or stay connected consistently to my Galaxy S22 Ultra and they were expensive ($280 Amazon sale). Enter the Cleer ALPHA. I read some great Amazon reviews on Cleer products, although relatively few of them, and decided to give them a shot. Purchased for $170 from the Cleer website ($200 minus 15% exclusive pop-up offer). I’ve been using them a lot for a few weeks now and love them. Why? They connect seamlessly to my Galaxy and [perhaps more importantly] to my Surface Laptop Studio (Win 11), and they stay connected. They have great audio for video conferencing (Zoom and Teams meetings mainly) – I hear others and they hear me…loud and clear. The mics work extremely well for recording my lectures/demos in Camtasia; they may be too good because they pick up my key strokes and mouse clicks. The battery life is maybe a few hours less than advertised, but still more than reasonable. The Dirac Virtuo really does spatially enhance the music listening experience, but I believe the Cleer+ app EQ allows plenty of adjustments. The standard bass, mids, and highs are all super clear, balanced, and robust…IMHO better than the slightly flatter sounding QC45 and about on par with the PXC 550. The noise cancelling works as well or better than all I’ve tried (Bose QC45, Sennheiser PXC 550, Sony 1000XM4, Technics EAH-A800, Soundcore Q35), as does the ambient mode (which has 10 levels of “effectiveness”). The auto play/pause wear detection and the touch controls on the right ear cup are nice features that work well, but I personally wouldn’t miss them if they were absent. My only [minor] negatives on the ALPHA headphones – they are noticeably heavier than almost all I’ve tried, the ear cups are not quite big enough for my larger ears that stick out a bit more than some, and the touch controls sometimes don’t work as expected (trying to adjust the volume sometimes pauses music, but it probably just takes time/practice to get it down). It takes several seconds to find the best fit and seal over my ears. Once fitted, they do cause a little fatigue after an hour or so, but I’m OK with taking them off for a breather now and then. Maybe Cleer will make a thicker/deeper ear cup pad for us larger-eared folks!? The numerous positives about these headphones help make the less-than-perfect fit around my ears quite tolerable. If you have similar needs or desires to mine, you should seriously consider buying the Cleer ALPHAs…they’re absolutely worth it. I have no regrets!

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     Jordan Turner (store manager) – July 9, 2022

     Hi Chris, Wow! What a long and wonderful review of our new Alpha’s. We’re happy that we can help with your busy day-to-day with a cool product. Also, take note that the Cleer Audio Alpha’s were just ranked #4 today on Tom’s Guide’s Best Headphones for Work From Home in 2022. Just out today. Thanks again!