The Cleer Flow II cost £199 from HifiHeadphones.co.uk
OVERALL RATING: 4.5 out of 5.0 stars
The second pair of headphones we have had the chance to review from audio brand Cleer is the Flow II overhead headphones. We also reviewed the Ally Plus check out the review after this.
The Cleer Flow II cost £199 and the key features of these headphones are:
- Google Assistant
- Hi-Res audio compatible
- 40mm Ironless drivers
- aptX, aptX-HD, LDAC Codec
- 20 hours of battery life
- Hybrid Noise Cancellation
- Quick Charge functionality
- Auto Signal Detection
Unboxing
When these arrived, instantly the box makes you feel you have a premium product on your hands. Once you have opened the box you get a soft shell carry case which is a plus in my eyes as if you’re going to spend that amount of money you want to be able to keep them safe when you’re not using the headphones.
Inside the carry case you are given the following accessories:
- 3.5 mm audio cable
- USB-C charge cable
- In-Flight adaptor
- User guide
Design
The Cleer Flow II looks premium and even a tad flashy if am honest they clearly want others to know what you have. From the massive ear cups and to the garish design of the cups.
The headphones come in two colour options – Light metallic (light Grey) and gunmetal (Dark Grey). They weigh 350g which is a little on the heavy side however when you have them on they don’t feel that heavy due to the soft cushioned headband that also prevent that clamping feeling you might get with other overhead headphones. The only negative is the headband does not offer much flex.
The headphones some might say are garish but you can not deny they are eye-catching. Outside of the cups, they have you have a petal effect that looks a little futuristic.
The left earcup has a multi-function touchpad that is for volume controls, track control, Play/Pause & Call management. On the side of the left cup is 3 buttons – Power, ANC, Google Assistant with the 3.5mm jack. On the right cup, you only have a USB-C port.
Inside the cups, you are greeted with a soft foam cushion to add to the comfort. The headphones can be folded inwards when you’re putting them in the case. What really puzzles me is if you just put them around your neck when having a chat with someone they actually fold flat but not the way you might expect. I also found trying to adjust the headband when you’re wearing the headphones a near-impossible task mainly due to the high hinges on the headband.
Features
Moving away from the questionable design of the flow II. The features are very comprehensive. First up is the ironless 40mm drivers which are made up of 20 layers and magnets positioned within the driver’s diaphragm that switch incoming signals into sound and this results in less distortion.
As mentioned when discussing the design the left cup comes with a multi-function touchpad which is the focus for any controls. This is done by swiping your finger up or down for volume, double-tap for play/Pause and also call management. If you want to change tracks when listening to music simply swipe left or right. Its not a bad feature to have but I struggled to get used to this control method and found it not very responsive at times. However, I feel others might really enjoy this way of using the controls just not me.
Connecting these headphones was very easy to do. I connected these with ease using both Apple or Android. When connecting via an android device you have Google Fast Pair which allows for a super-quick connection. The headphones also have google assistant and this is triggered by holding the assistant button and saying your command.
Moving to the crown jewel in terms of features is the ANC it uses the same noise-cancelling chip you will find in the premium Sony headphones the QN1. I tested these headphones in a number of different locations and they did a very good job of removing any unwanted noise leaving me to enjoy my music. They reduced unwanted sound by up to 30db.
The ANC is also paired with an ambient mode which is fantastic and very effective for being able to bring in some of your surroundings but still offer an excellent sound quality in terms of the song you’re listening to. In order to use the Ambient mode, it’s just a single tap of the ANC button.
Another cool feature of these headphones is by simply placing your hand over the left cup you will quickly pause the music so you can have a conversation or hear an announcement at a train station. This feature is known as quick attention mode.
If you were to take these off the Flow II also offers auto signal detection which will turn your music off when you have taken them off. When you put them back on the music automatically restarts from that very point it stopped.
Last but not least is the battery of these headphones you get an 850mAh battery that offers 20 hours of playback even with the ANC on this is impressive! A full charge can be achieved in 2 hours but you also have a quick charge function to get you enough battery to get back home on the daily commute. 10 minutes of charge gives the user 2 hours of playtime. I have to say the only negative is the indication of low battery you get a series of LED flashes which you need to be a sea cadet to figure out or at 10% you get a prompt.
Performance/Sound Quality
Now Cleer really offers premium quality here they offer a range of codecs from aptX, aptX-HD, AAC & LDAC which all help to offer that Hi-Res Audio. The only slight negative is this is all brought together by Bluetooth 4.2 instead of the most up to date Bluetooth 5.0. Having said that it’s far from being a dealbreaker.
The Bluetooth connection has performed well for me the whole time I have tested these so I had no complaints in regards to the quality of the connection.
Moving onto the sound quality and they just shine! If I had to pick a few words about the 40mm ironless drivers – Bold, Articulate, Deep Bass, Crystal Clear.
The sound is just wonderful. I listened to “Adele-Chasing Pavements Live at Hotel Cafe” and the level of detail was just a joy. The guitar instrumental offered plenty of clarity and every string was articulate and the overall sound was well balanced. Listen to something with a bit more bass and more of a rock feel like “Queen- Another One Bites the Dust” The sound is composed even when pushed and the detail from the treble is bang on and offers a deep bass that audio fans will enjoy.
Verdict
What can I say about these headphones? The design of these headphones in my opinion are a little flashy and even bulky you might say. However, look past that as if you want impressive ANC paired with an excellent sound quality that offers a deep bass and a crystal clear sound profile. They are packed with features that warrants the price tag such as hybrid noise cancellation, Quick Charge, Google Assistant, Quick Attention Mode and they offer all the codecs for the Hi-Res Audio quality.
The only negative I have about these the overall controls I found they quite tricky to master the touchpad and requires a bit of technique to master personally it was not my favourite way to use the controls but am sure others will have no issues mastering the touchpad.
At £199.99 if you can look past the questionable design these are a very good pair of headphones especially for someone whose main needs are excellent ANC.
Product Rating:
Design: 3.0 out of 5.0 stars
Features: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars
Audio Quality: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars
Value for Money: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars
The Cleer Flow II cost £199 from HifiHeadphones.co.uk
OVERALL RATING: 4.5 out of 5.0 stars
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