Open-ear headphones have long carried a reputation: practical for situational awareness, but rarely the choice for serious listening. They’ve been the “safety-first” option for runners and cyclists, not the gear audiophiles reach for when they want to savor the subtleties of a string quartet or the warmth of a jazz trio. Cleer’s Arc 3 changes that narrative. Slip them on, and the surprise is immediate. The large drivers deliver a sound that feels far more expansive than expected from an open-ear design. Strings in classical recordings shimmer with crisp detail, vocals float naturally, and the bass—while not overwhelming—lands with enough presence to anchor the mix. It’s a fidelity that makes you forget you’re listening through an open frame, a design that usually trades richness for awareness. In quiet rooms, the Arc 3 shines brightest, offering a listening experience that rivals many closed-back earbuds. Outdoors, they hold their own against the chaos of traffic and chatter, though volume adjustments are necessary. Sound leakage is inevitable, but that’s the price of openness. What’s remarkable is how well the Arc 3 maintains clarity even in noisy environments, outperforming most of its peers in the category. Microphone performance is another standout. Indoors, voices come through with startling clarity—perfect for Zoom calls or video chats. Outdoors, the active noise-canceling mic does its best, but wind and heavy noise can muffle speech. Still, compared to other open-ear competitors, the Arc 3 remains impressively usable. Then there’s the case. At first glance, it’s sleek and stylish, but beneath the surface it’s a multifunctional marvel. Beyond charging and protection, it offers wireless charging compatibility, a step counter, UV sanitization for the earbuds, remote controls for music and camera, and even a built-in mirror. It’s less an accessory than a lifestyle hub, extending the Arc 3’s utility well beyond audio. Comfort and endurance round out the package. The Arc 3 is feather-light and wearable all day without fatigue. Battery life easily covers a full day of listening, with the case providing extra reserves. The Cleer app, while simple, adds just enough customization to keep things streamlined. Verdict The Cleer Arc 3 isn’t just “good for open-ear.” It’s good, period. For audiophiles who dismissed open-ear designs as compromises, this is a revelation: a headphone that delivers genuine fidelity while keeping you connected to the world around you. Add in the multifunctional case, and you have a product that feels both innovative and unexpectedly luxurious. Read more

I've waited to review until I'd had and used these a good bit to be able to give my honest review and after a month of use I can say that I love these and would absolutely recommend them and buy them again. I have never found a pair of ear buds that don't cause me extreme pain in my ears, neck, shoulders, and head. I've tried all manner of ear buds, from super cheap to really expensive, and these are the first set of ear buds that I can wear all day without any pain whatsoever. It took a little getting used to the way that they fit because they did sort of feel like they were on the verge of falling out when I first got them, but this is just due to a different design than I've ever experienced and they're actually quite secure and not going anywhere. I do find myself forgetting that I have them on and will walk around with nothing playing, wearing them for hours sometimes. Even as a glasses wearer, I don't find myself having any problems with comfort or secure fit. The sound quality is honestly the best I've experienced in all ofthe ear buds I've tried. I'm super impressed with the bass they're able to achieve, and it is sort of a "sound is in your head" kind of experience. I've used them for listening to music, watching YouTube, watching TV shows and movies, and have never felt that I needed to adjust the EQ. They really just sound great for all uses, in my opinion. I love the way that you put them into pairing mode - I did have to look up a YouTube video on how to do it because I struggled to understand the instructions provided, but it's actually really easy and reliable, and one of the easier pairing experiences I've had. I have a few pairs of headphones/ear buds that are a major pain to pair and fall out of being paired randomly, and I've had none of those issues with these. I haven't had any issues with the touch controls not working right, though I don't use these for running and it seems the majority of reviewers having issues with the touch controls are runners who experience sweat, so that could be why I've had no issues. I'm a stay at home mom who works part time from home and home schools my kid, so my typical use of these is while sitting at a computer working, or while walking around my home doing school or chores. They're not super noise canceling and they don't have the longest battery life but that is exactly as advertised. Being open ear fit they couldn't possibly be noise canceling (though they do actually drown out most sound pretty well if the volume is up high), which is actually what I need in ear buds as a stay at home mom who needs to be able to hear my kid at all times. I don't want to give these a low review on noise cancellation or battery life because they're clearly advertised as not being noise canceling, and also clearly advertised that the ear buds themselves only have a 7 hour battery life and the case has a 28 hour battery life, so it would seem unfair to lower their rating over something that you're advertised before even buying. Maybe in future models they'll be able to increase the battery life, but until then it is totally fine with me as someone who is home pretty much at all times and able to recharge without issue. I am super happy with these, and so pleased to have finally found ear buds I can wear without pain. After years of searching, I finally found a pair that works for me and actually sounds great, too. Read more

I was excited to try these as I don’t get on well with in-ear headphones. My excitement quickly turned to frustration after struggling through an inexcusably bad onboarding process, during which the headphones repeatedly refused to pair with my iPhone 15. When I did manage to pair them, they “forgot” about being paired and this meant that I had to manually pair them back to my phone for each use. The app prompted me to upgrade the firmware and in case this might help with the Bluetooth pairing, I attempted to upgrade the firmware. Actually I attempted it 11 times. Each time the app would download the firmware (why not just download it to the app once?) and the fail to apply it to the headphones. On the plus side however, they look nice. Read more

I've struggled over the years to find good lightweight open earthat produce an overall good sound quality while providing comfort and stability. These open earbuds were a match made in heaven. SOUND: It's almost the same level of sound quality as you'd get from traditional over-ear studio quality headphones with dolbyatmos - both open-ear and in-ear style - it exceeded my expectation! The app allows you to choose from some EQ presets and create your own custom EQ presets so you can tweak the EQ bands to your liking, which is a great feature. COMFORT: The nice adjustable hinge “up & down” and “left & right” that go around the ear are very gentle against the skin (I have sensitive skin, so I was pleased with that). They're sturdy and keep these buds in place even when moving/exercising. They're easy to just keep on as you go about your day, which is the first for me - I've had other earbuds before, but my ears would always end up feeling sore after an hour of wearing them. With the ARC 3, I can keep them in for hours without feeling the urge to take them out. STABILITY: Their design is flawless - they fit nice and snug into the antihelix of the ear and loop around the back of the ear to keep them safe and secure. No issues! VALUE: They're more expensive than budget brands while less expensive than other highly rated open-ear options, making the price point reasonable. OVERALL: Best open-ear ear buds I've ever owned, I absolutely love them and recommend them to everyone. Read more

I have been a fan of neck headphones ever since LG debuted the original design a very long time ago. Nobody had anything similar, and I was skeptical of them. Why would you want to wear headphones on your shoulders and hug your neck especially during working out? I gave it a try and fell in love (after making a few adjustments.) But LG Tone's headphones came with some annoying flaws with each successive model, one of which was audio cutting in and out, and the other being that they did not last very long: their headsets died within a year. I had three of them. All died within about a year. Customer service was terrible. LG was flying high on its exclusive design. Then came the copycats. They were even worse. Fast-forward 10 years later, and wireless headphones have become de facto, particularly with the introduction of Apple's AirPods. The problem with AirPods is that they could easily drop off during more intense workouts. I lost 2 during marathons. That made the races even more than I wanted. Alas, I was never able to locate them -- either they were swept away, taken by someone, or crushed by other runners or cars. Who knows? I tried over-the-ear, wireless headphones and all disappointed short of buying the very expensive brands. A running mate recommended I try out Cleer. And so I did. I never heard of that company, actually, but the feature set sounded good: sporty look and design, ability to connect to 2 Bluetooth devices at the same time (so I could answer both my personal and work phones without having to switch over), good sound quality (it had clarity and decent bass when I briefly tried my friend's), and looked to be able to stay on the ear better. PROS - Quality material - Sat comfortably and securely even during high-intensity workouts - Great sound with decent bass - 9.5 hours tested usage (takes about 2 hours to charge) - Reasonable pricing to LG Tone's neck headphones - Voice calls sounded good to other side (while drowning out background noise) - Connect up to 2 devices at the same time - Sweat proof at IPX7 (X means that it was not rated against dust protection. Second number is for water protection and is out of 9) - Bluetooth 5.4 - Carry case included that also acts as UV sanitizer and battery charger packing enough power for 3 more charges (Manufacturer claim. Didn't test this out) - Cleer+ App smartphone app allows additional customizations and controls and perform firmware updates CONS - Volume could be a bit louder, especially if you're going to use it on an airplane [EDIT: You can make it slightly louder on iOS by going to Settings > Sound > Headphone Safety > and turning off "Reduce Loud Audio"] - Bass could use some more power CONTROLS Taps: Earbuds can be tapped to control music and take/make calls Head Motion: Disabled by default, and I did not want to turn it on to test because I don't want my head to accidentally trigger things while working out. I just want the headset to play music and take/make calls, that's it. TIP: Should you need to reset the earbuds, put them into the charging case and long-press the "MFB" button for 10 seconds until it says "Restoring Bluetooth Setting" [sic] Overall, I really like this set of headphones after my disastrous experience with the LG Tone neckbands. LG's original was great, but LG's subsequent models, their poor customer service, and poorly-executed copycats made me stay away from this type of headphones. Cleer did great with their take on this headphone. Many thanks for the recommendation from my running mate! Read more

I had a minor issue with my order, but the customer service team handled it exceptionally well. They were quick to respond, professional, and offered a fair resolution with a partial refund. It’s clear they genuinely care about their customers and stand behind their products. I’m very satisfied with how everything was handled and wouldn’t hesitate to order from them again. Highly recommend for both product quality and excellent service! Read more

I had some issues with the fitting and had given a poor review originally. The company reached out to me to discuss the matter and is going to send out an replacement. It goes to show how good this company is dealing with its customers. I have now revised my rating to excellent. Read more