Cleer Enduro ANC

More bang (and battery life) for the buck

There are many reasons to consider the Cleer Enduro ANC a great value, but I think #1 has to be the battery life. On a full charge, Cleer claims you get up to 60 hours of wireless listening with active noise cancellation. That's by far the largest listing I've seen in this category — and I've used these headphones every day for about three weeks without charging them once.

Music plays wirelessly via Bluetooth 5.0, a newer version of Bluetooth that's stronger and more reliable. When I left my phone on my home office desk downstairs, I could walk to the far end of my basement, and the music didn't skip a beat.  The noise-canceling circuitry helped hush external distractions while Cleer's patented "ironless" drivers deliver a strikingly spacious sound.

Well-built design with secure fit

These headphones looked and felt well put together when they arrived. A gleaming ring around the earcups punctuated the sleek, industrial design. And the flexible metal headband holds them securely into place.

In terms of fit, these headphones hit the sweet spot for me. They stay firmly in place, but I would lean toward calling them a relaxed fit, because I could wear them for long periods of time without fatigue. That said, my wife uses the Cleer Enduro 100 as her everyday headphone, and found these headphones felt a little more snug than those. (That's not a bad thing — before she discovered Cleer, she always had trouble with over-ear headphones from other brands slipping off or moving around.) 

Solid noise cancellation

The Enduro ANC offers good noise cancellation for the price. For sure, the higher-end models in this category offer more "quiet" altogether. But with the noise-canceling circuitry activated and music or a podcast going, I couldn't hear the throbbing roar of the oil furnace next to my home office.  

And in one particularly intense work session, I didn't notice my five-year-old "sneaking" around until he was right behind me. And it wasn't as if he was doing a great job of hiding — he was yelling into a toy karaoke mic/speaker! 

Enduro ANC vs. Flow II noise-canceling headphones

Our Cleer rep took his first flight in over a year recently, and offered some real-world travel feedback. On the plane, he tried both these headphones and their step-up model Flow II noise-cancelers. With noise cancellation "on" and no music playing, he noted that both helped silence the plane's engine drone well — the most noticeable, nagging source of noise. But he found that the hybrid noise-cancellation in the Flow II did a better job of silencing voices from passengers sitting nearby.

Easy controls and a convenient way to hear others

There are tactile buttons on the left earcup for controlling music, volume, and calls. The raised buttons made it easy for me to quickly find and use the controls. And a built-in microphone system ensured calls sounded clear and crisp.

You can also use the built-in mics to let in important ambient noise or voices. Pressing the noise cancellation button toggles through different modes. Holding the button activates "conversation mode" — the music pauses and noise-canceling technology turns off, so you can hear a co-worker or in-flight instructions.

Adjust the sound and noise cancellation with the Cleer+ app

For more noise-canceling control, download the free Cleer+ app to your Apple® or Android™ device. It lets you further dial in the level of noise cancellation. You can also tweak the out-of-the-box sound. Choose from sound setting presets or adjust the EQ manually.