CLEER FLOW II WIRELESS NOISE REDUCTION HEADPHONES

It’s all at a reasonable price for the level of features and sound. While Cleer is not the most well-known headphone producer, I think this product will have quite an impact.

I found these new Flow II headphones a good listen. They easily paired with my phone and hi-fi equipment around the house. Noise reduction was exceptional, compared to similarly priced units and even more expensive noise reduction headsets. The music quality was good, although I found a slight dip in the mid-range in most of the music that I sampled. While the headset works well with Google Assistant, it doesn’t cater to Apple at all with Siri, the Apple assistant. That means the Flow II Wireless headphones work fine with Android or iPhones for receiving calls, but you can’t dial out by voice command on iPhones. It’s a curious thing to miss with half the cellphones being Apple produced.

Of late there has been a real explosion of interest in headphone listening and the Flow II Wireless headphones are a relatively recent entry into the numerous options audiophiles should audition. While wired headphones have always been a consistent purchase for audiophiles, I think regular consumers weren’t wild about the cables from an audio source to a listener, sometimes stretching across the room, and in my experience, the cables were almost always too short to get to my listening position. Headphones also became popular with portable music players like iPods, and all these devices always included a headphone jack.

The solution for many has been wireless headphones, and many of the major audio companies are now providing wireless versions with high-quality output. Among the big players are Bose, Sony, Sennheiser, AKG and V-Moda. All these headphones communicate via Bluetooth and can connect to Bluetooth-equipped audio sources like receivers or media players. Many of these headphones are designed to reduce ambient noise, and in fact, Bose pretty much originated the noise reduction headphones so travelers could reduce engine noise on airplanes while they listened to their music. Those noise-reducing headphones originated in 1986 when both Bose and Sennheiser presented noise reduction headsets designed for pilots. The technology was quickly adapted for consumer use.

You don’t get too many design variables in a wireless headset, but the Cleer II headphones are attractive and pretty easy to get working with your equipment. All the cables you are likely to need are included. That means a charging cable, an audio cable, and an airplane adaptor. The headphones are dark gray with a contrasting light gray headband. If you are going to use the headphones wirelessly you’ll need to pair them to your music or audio source. I tried that with an iPhone, and iPad and a Bluesound system. All the pairings went flawlessly. The volume is adjusted by touch on the left ear cup by swiping vertically. If your audio source equipment allows, you can also skip tracks by swiping horizontally. Tapping twice on the earcup will pause/play. Pressing your hand to the left earcup will temporarily turn on Ambient-Aware mode for easy conversation when on an airplane. When released, it will turn off Ambient-Aware mode and turn on ANC mode.

The headphones have buttons on the left ear cup, including power, Noise Reduction on and off, and a Google Assistant button. On the right ear cup is a USB C connector for charging. A 3.5 mm jack is available for direct, cabled listening. You can answer an incoming phone call if you are connected to an Android or iPhone by tapping on the left ear cup. A second tap will disconnect the call. You can also switch between incoming calls with a tap. Two taps will switch between a call and the Flow II headphones. Holding your finger down will reject an incoming call. Callers reported to me that the audio quality coming from my end was fine, and I could hear the other end of the call quite well.

The headphones come in a nice, compact carrying case which has some rigidity to protect the Flow II’s. Two cards packed inside the case explain the touchpad, and how to use the airplane and wired adaptors.

Once things are set up, the Flow II headphones were generally a pleasure to use. They paired quickly to my devices, and the music output was quite good. Highs were very smooth, the bass was there when the program material called for it, but I did not feel the frequency response had non-linear dips and peaks to make the sound stand out from other headphones. It’s a trick often employed in headphones, but I appreciate that the Flow II Headphones gave me what the source provided.

Noise reduction was very impressive. It was as good as I’ve heard from any wireless headphones. I listened in a room with the air conditioning running, an overhead fan on, and an aquarium pump. With noise reduction on, I heard nothing. When I turned it off, the noises were obvious. A voice built into the headphones announces whether you have noise cancellation on or off so you won’t be confused at your settings. Although I did not have an occasion to listen to the Flow II Headphones on a commercial flight, I have no doubt the noise suppression would be excellent.

I could not test the Google Assistant Function, as I’m all iOS here. There is an option to run Google Assistant on your iOS device, but that’s a workaround and a direct connection would be better.

A word about the buttons – Power, Noise Reduction, and Google switches are close together and of similar shape. I found myself reaching for the noise reduction button and getting Google Assistant instead. I think a better design might have been to put the switches further apart and give them a distinctly different feel.

The touchpad was a hit and miss. At times it stumbled trying to get the volume up or down smoothly. I would have preferred hard buttons for this function. Sometimes I would swipe down and the volume would not go down – same for increasing volume. It’s just too fiddly.

I think the FLOW II WIRELESS HEADPHONES are worthy of consideration for achieving good sounding, full-featured private listening.

I like to listen to headphones. I don’t do it for privacy as much as the detailed nature of the music. I can hear everything on the recording, with no interference from room acoustics. Even better, with noise reduction turned on, air-conditioning or heating sounds are gone, the gentle hum of electrical appliances and even random household sounds are reduced.

The Flow II Wireless Headphones sounded quite good for the money asked. They are cheaper than the Bose Quiet Comfort 35 II headphones ($349.00) and the Bose 700 Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones ($399.00). The sound of all three of the devices is somewhat similar. I’d rank the Flow II as sounding just a bit better than the Quiet Comfort IIs, and just slightly below the Bose 700 headphones. However, the Bose 700 sounded slightly better to people I called using Bluetooth, and both Bose Headphones work more easily with iOS devices, by being able to use Siri. The Bose headphones support Alexa, but I find that a feature of minor importance.

Button arrangement on the Flow II headphones needs some work, as I pointed out earlier in my review. It’s too easy to hit the wrong button. The touch controls for volume and track are a bit dodgy. I could not get a smooth volume up or down response. These controls work a bit better on the Bose 700 phones, but I still prefer physical controls over these touch controls.

The Flow II Wireless Headphones represent a good value in the mid-range headphone firmament. The sound is good, competitive with more expensive competitors. All headphones have a house sound, and the Flow II headphones have a very slight dip in the midrange. It was not objectionable in any way, and at any rate, all headphones have slight variances away from a totally flat response. The noise reduction on the Flow IIs is very strong, and certainly equal to if not slightly better than some of Bose headphones like the Quiet Comfort 35 II. The manufacturer claims a 30db noise reduction, and that seems about right from my listing tests.