The engineers at Cleer Audio have been busy: the company has unveiled not one, not two, but six new Arc 3 open-ear wireless headphones. They come with touchless, tilt-head controls; waterproof ear-clip designs; Hi-Res and Dolby Atmos audio; and, in some of the more premium models, AI-powered active noise cancellation.
All models in the range are built around 16.2mm drivers and powered by the Qualcomm QCC5181 chipset, which supports aptX Adaptive, aptX Lossless, Dolby Atmos, Hi-Res Audio, LDAC and Snapdragon Sound via multi-point Bluetooth 5.4. aptX Adaptive enables up to 24-bit 96kHz streaming, while LDAC enables up to 16-bit, 44.1kHz lossless streaming.
Cleer Audio Arc 3: Key Features and Prices
There are some interesting features in these new headphones, such as dynamic bass enhancement to compensate for the relatively bass-light sound you get from the best open-ear headphones. There are also noise and wind-cancelling microphones for clearer conversations.
For active users, the Arc 3 offer head-tilting controls: instead of fiddling with the earbuds, you can skip tracks or answer calls by tilting your head, though they also work with touch controls. The charging case features UV sterilization (like the LG Tone Free T90S), has an LCD touchscreen with a clock (a bit like the JBL Live Beam 3), and charges the headphones up to four times.
The standard models are the Arc 3 Music and Arc 3 Sport. The Arc 3 Gaming and Max models come with a USB dongle for lower latency in gaming, and the gaming models are also tuned for gaming audio. Sport models have additional EQs while the Sports Pro model also has motion analysis to help you analyze your performance. The Music Pro and Max models have what is said to be AI-powered noise cancellation.
Battery life depends on the model you choose: the Gaming, Music and Sport versions have ten hours of battery life, the Pro eight hours and the Max four hours.
The Arc 3 lineup will be released in three phases. The Music Black, Sport Black & Red, and Gaming White & Red models will go on sale on September 13 for approximately $248 to $274; the Music Pro and Sport Pro will be available from September 28 for approximately $303; and the Arc 3 Max will go on sale on October 31 for approximately $379. All models are available through Cleer’s Amazon store.