ALPHA Active Noise Cancelling Bluetooth Headphones

TLDR: These headphones sound fine. The features are good. Call quality is excellent. They do have quality control issues so keep that in mind. Overall for value, 4/5 because they’re over priced and would be good value for $150-180. But because of the quality control issues, I’d give it a 3/5.I recently bought the Enduro ANC from Cleer after watching reviews. I already owned the soundcore Q30’S and was looking for something to upgrade to. The soundcore are great bang for the buck. If you’re looking for sub $100 ANC headphones, go for the Q30’s. I bought the endruos assuming they’d be better but the differences were only better in some regards, unfortunately not in sound quality. The Ambient mode was better for sure. ANC was lacking. Loved the fact it was consistent in all the modes though. Big plus. But wasn’t enough for me to keep. Also had an issue with a buzzing when using the Aptx Adaptive. Went away when I used the Aptx HD Audio instead codec. Weird issue but eh. Ended up returning them.Now for the Alphas. These do sound better than the Enduros. They still suffer from being VERY closed back and sound separation is lacking. But these are closed back headphones so like, it’s not a big deal. However, when my soundcore Q30’S we’re 60 when I got them on sale and they have more separation, I think these have some work to do even with the equalizer that I fiddled with for an hour or so. The best way I can summarize these headphones for sound is simply, as the name implies, clear lol. You can hear everything without anything being muddled or like you’re missing something. But it comes at a cost. There isn’t really anything this headphone does that’s amazing in terms of sound. The bass is present but it’s not going to rumble, nor would kick drums make much of an impact if you’re listening to some heavy music. It will suffice for most people but it’s simply not for bassheads for sure. The mids are fine but again, nothing spectacular. I do wish there was a bit more “sparkle” when listening to rhythm guitar but it’s at least good enough. The highs are fine too. Again, nothing to really brag about. It’s just overall, the sound is a C+. I think if they could find a way to tune their headphones to be a bit more open to some extent, maybe make the earcups even larger (they’re already noticeably bigger than the Enduros) could help.On to comfort. They’re comfy. The pads are soft, I think they’re a good size. The clamping force is a little strong for my taste but nothing overbearing like some other headphones are. The extra cushion on the top was a GREAT call and made helped a lot in terms of comfort compared to their Enduros. I do think they could be a little bigger in terms of the length of the arms so they can accommodate big noggins like mine. My head basically fits just right on the largest setting. But I also have a big head so maybe it’s just a me problem lol. I think they should consider using a different hinge for the next variant because it creaks and it’s annoying whenever I turn my head. Overall, I’d give comfort an A-.Now I’d like to talk about the BEST part of these headphones. The other features. The ANC is pretty good in my opinion. I do wish it was more adjustable how the Enduros were in the App but it’s pretty good. I don’t own the Sony XM 4s so I can’t compare but it’s better than the soundcore especially since the music doesn’t shift when I change between the modes. It sounds the same in ambient, noise cancelling or off settings. Its a big deal in my view so I love that they managed to be consistent with that. The ambient mode is awesome. Sounds so natural and I can hear everything around me very well with low volume.I think the call quality deserves its own paragraph because it’s amazing. I’ve owned like 8 different pairs of wireless headphones and earbuds. Every pair, my partner said I sounded like sh*t lol. Minus this one. She said I actually sounded fine using them. I used discord and regular cell service and she said I sounded fine. It’s the first time anyone has said that for my wireless devices and that tells me they really weren’t kidding about the mic quality on these. I give them an A+ for call quality. Features in general, A so that’s the best part.Now for the Quality control issues. Let’s go back to the Enduros for a second. Remember the weird crackling or buzzing sound I mentioned when I used the Aptx Adaptive? I have the same issue with these new Alphas. Keep in mind, for the Enduros, the buzzing with Aptx Adaptive only lasted like 3 hours and somehow it fixed itself and the buzzing left. I don’t know if it was some weird break in period with the codec?? I never heard of that being the case but it did go away on its own. For the Alphas, the first pair had that issue. As I was fiddling with the eq, the right ear cup squealed like the brakes of an 18 wheeler lmao. 20 minutes later the right ear cup was dead. I wanted to give them another try so I ordered the replacement. Had the replacement for a day or so as of the posting of this review and it has the same Aptx Adaptive issue with the buzzing. It hasn’t squealed yet so that’s good and it still works just fine. However, as I mentioned previously, the creaking on the ear cups when I turn my head is distracting and annoying. For $250, these are the kind of issues one shouldn’t have to deal with. If these didn’t have the quality control issues I think they’d be good for $150-180 max. $250 they are over priced. Even with the amazing call quality. But with the quality control issues, I don’t know, it’s a risk but I can’t deny these headphones have a really good set of features that work well and for decent sound. But it’s ashame they can’t deliver in build quality.

I like everything

These headphones have a great full , clear sound throughout. From a good amount of bass (heavier than Bose or Beats, but not as heavy as Sony or Skull Candy), to strong and present mids to sparkly highs. I was willing to pay a bit more for a good quality sound and that’s what I’ve got! They don’t sacrifice any part and present in a great sound stage. There is a five band EQ, which is effective, but they come with their own virtual setting in Dirac Virtuso…impressive. Also nice, I can hear the sounds I want without blasting the volume (but I could blast if I want).Other insights: The headphones are comfortable with great padding on ears and headband. The ear cups stay cool for about and hour of play time without a break. There is lots of adjustment for smaller and bigger heads. They are a little heavier than some brands so you know you are wearing them, but not a big deal. The build quality feels more solid than some higher priced competitors. They use metal where others would use plastic, which is appreciated. I’m 6’2” and I appreciate they don’t crush my head (as the JBL Project Rock headphones did, but those are meant for a workout). I didn’t check about sweat protection for working out for but if I work out with music I will switch to my earbuds. The battery life is great. Had them for a week and haven’t had to charge yet. The noise cancellation is as good as any I have tried. Clever really thought about user experience which translated into customizable noise cancellation and user interface to give plenty of options to access and adjust. I like the other features like auto pause when removed, the virtual assistant options, multi device Bluetooth connection (either BT 5.0 or 5.1-either way, good, lag-free connection). I wish the touch sensitive controls on the right ear were a bit more precise to mitigate accidental pause and help me adjust the volume more easily, but I prefer physical buttons, generally. The result however is a really clean and sleek set of headphones.