Great daily use earbuds.
Earbuds are a tricky accessory. They are typically designed to be ‘one size fits all,’ and they are anything but that. I have probably used dozens of earbuds in the past two years alone and each one fits me differently. I usually have a problem with earbuds — they like to pop out of my ears. With true wireless earbuds, that’s a big problem since part of the feature set of wireless headphones is the ability to be active while you use them. I’ve found that if the earbuds pop out of my ears while I’m quietly sitting at a desk, they probably won’t stay put while I’m walking on a treadmill at the gym. I’ve been privileged to work with the CLEER Ally True Wireless Earbuds for the past few weeks now and I’ve finally found a good ‘fit’ for my ears.
WHAT’S IN THE BOX
- Ally True Wireless Earbuds
- Quick Start Guide
- MicroUSB charging cable
- Silicone ear tips
- Silicone wing tips
- Charging case
The Ally earphones are designed to be ‘in-ear’ headphones. They have a sleek look to them and because they come with a variety of ear tips and wingtips, CLEER has made it pretty easy for users to be able to find their ideal fit. The headphones come with their own charging case which is great for transport and storage of the earphones. The earbuds have a reported 10 hours of audio playback (with the charging case, it’s around 30 hours). While I haven’t reached that amount of time, I haven’t had to plug the charging case in yet and it’s been at least two weeks since I started using the earbuds.
The earbuds have controls built into the touchpads on the outside of the individual earbuds. I much prefer touch-sensitive controls to a hard button press with earbuds. With hard button presses I always feel like I’m pressing the earbuds further into my ear canal. This creates a great deal of discomfort for me. Touch controls help me to avoid that discomfort. The controls are fairly basic and they include — play/pause music, answer/end phone calls, reject calls, acvitage/cancel voice assistant. The earbuds do come equipped with a sensor that detects when the earbuds are removed from the ears. If you leave one earbud in an ear, the track will continue playing, but if you remove them both, your connected device will pause until you place them back in your ears.
The set-up of these true wireless headphones is very easy. Out of the box, they should automatically go into pairing mode for the unit. Assuming they do, you should be able to find “CLEER Ally” in your Bluetooth list as a device. If you have to pair each earbud manually, you tap the TouchPad three times and then hold your finger on the TouchPad (with the third tap) for two seconds. The earbuds will power off if they aren’t used for more than 10 minutes. To reactivate them, you will need to place them back into the charging case then remove them again.
The Ally earbuds are rated IPX5 for their water-resistance and sweat-proof design. Again, I haven’t worn the earbuds out in the rain or stepped into the shower with them on, but I have noticed when they’ve gotten a bit damp from a workout. They maintain their playback ability just fine and continue providing high
Speaking of the sound quality, this is something that will vary with every user since it usually goes hand-in-hand with how the earbuds fit inside the ear of the listener. I found the earbuds fit me securely, but didn’t form a tight vacuum, which is actually my preference with earbuds. I HATE it when it feels like the earbuds are stuck in my ears. The Ally earbuds laid gently inside my ear canal and provided crisp, premium sound, but I have to admit that I was missing some bass depth. I’m willing to exchange the bass depth for the comfort, secure fit, and functionality that the Ally earbuds give me though.
Voices really come in nice and clear. I like to watch a The Office on Netflix quite a bit on my phone and that show is mainly dialogue. The speech comes through loud and clear and it’s easy to understand everyone as they deliver their lines.
The Ally True Wireless Earbuds are a remarkable example of what earbuds should be. At first glance, they look a bit bulky, but they fit quite nicely inside the ear and provide a really nice listening experience for users. The price tag is a little hefty at $149 MSRP, but it’s in line with other true wireless earbuds.
SPECS
- Bluetooth version: V5.0
- Bluetooth transmission power: <9.5dBm
- Bluetooth transmission frequency: 2.402-2.480GHz
- Bluetooth range: approximately 30 feet (10 meters)
- Bluetooth profile support: A2DP v1.3, AVRCP v1.6, HFP v1.7, HSP v1.2
- Audio CODEC support: SBC, AAC, aptX
- Voice service support: Alexa Voice Service*
- Battery size: Lithium-ion 3.7V, 85mA (per earbud); Lithium-ion polymer 3.7V 545mA (case)
- Battery life: up to 10 hours, up to an additional 20 hours with charging case
- Battery charging: Quick Charge: a 5-minute charge delivers up to
1 hour of playback; less than 2 hours for a full charge (when charging the unit via micro-USB cable and charging case) - Driver unit: 5.8mm, Dynamic Driver
- Frequency response: 20-20,000Hz
- Water resistance rating: IPX5 (for earbuds only)
- Dimensions (case): approximately 72.5×28.7x39mm
- Weight: 6g (per earpiece), 62.5g (both earpieces and case)
For more information, visit cleeraudio.com or Facebook
