Introduction

Cleer Audio is a San Diego-based company TechPowerUp had met at CES last year, and we were left impressed with the value offered by its audio solutions for the retail market. With a focus on wireless headphones and true wireless stereo (TWS) earphones, the original plan was to do a full review of one of the brand's headphones before two arrived, and I also decided to wait until my new headphones testing setup was up and running. The one for IEMs and earphones has been working well for a while now, as evident by all the recent reviews, and the Cleer PR representative also informed me of an upcoming set of TWS earbuds aimed at besting the market further in the feature set for the price point. Enter the Cleer Roam NC, and thanks again to the company for arranging a review sample to TechPowerUp!


Given I am also in the midst of a full review of the other Cleer headphones, I decided to go with a quick-look article here. It won't be short on detail, just shorter than our usual extremely detailed coverage while offering users a quick, single-page look at the product. Just by going with the stock image above, we can see that the Cleer Roam NC nicely fits into the Cleer portfolio, also by sharing a design language with the other Cleer earbuds. These are Cleer's least expensive TWS earbuds to date, but they still boast active noise cancellation, ambient hear-through mode, a first-party app for further customization, and the usual plethora of other TWS features, including integrated controls, aptX support, and so on. Let's dig deeper now and see whether the Roam NC from Cleer is for you!

Packaging and Accessories

The product box comes with a plastic seal all around, and removing it reveals a small box with the company logo (yes, I know it looks like "deer") and product name on the front, along with a render of the ear buds themselves. There are two color options—dark gray and sand—and I have the former here, which is indicated by the render. We also see marketing features on the front, which then continue on the back in multiple languages. There is also a reminder to download the Cleer+ app to make the most of the Roam NC, and we see the use of a two-piece packaging with an inner box that slides out. This box opens up to reveal a foam lining for case protection, with the other accessories found underneath, neatly packaged between cardboard folds and layers.


Cleer includes a short and sweet user guide, manual, and warranty card all in one piece of paperwork (online copy here), and it goes over the setup, onboard controls, charging, and another reminder to use the mobile app itself. There are also multiple sets of silicone ear tips in sizes S/M/L, with two size M sets of tips, or three if you include the pre-installed tips since it will the more popular option. The case itself comes inside a wax paper wrap with the ear buds inside.

Closer Look

The case is instrumental to true wireless earphones, providing storage and charging capability at the same time, and the Cleer version takes a rounded, rectangular profile. It's quite slim and reminds me of the case used with the Cambridge Audio Melomania 1+, but is longer than taller. The color matches the ear buds, so expect to see a sand version for the other set. The logo is etched into the plastic on the top, with plastic used throughout making for a lightweight solution at ~44.4 g. We see certification and charging information on a sticker at the bottom confirming the 1.45 Wh (~500 mAh) battery capacity, but also support for quick-charging at 2 A, which should certainly help! This comes in the form of the USB Type-C port on the side, and we don't actually get a cable, which is a "cleer" sign (get it?) that we have a more budget-friendly offering in the Roam NC.


A single indicator LED on the front of the case lights up red when charging and white when fully charged, as well as red when the battery level is between 1–19% in use and white for 20–100%; while not very helpful, it isn't completely useless, either. L/R markings inside indicate where the two ear buds slot in for charging and storage, with magnetic pins helping in the process. The two ear buds come with a plastic sticker over the pins on the shells themselves, which you need to remove for the case to work as intended. I will also note that there is some play with the ear buds when inside the case, but not enough to prevent charging. Cleer rates the battery inside the case for two spare charging cycles, which is not great, but each ear bud does have a relatively massive 85 mAh battery inside, which should make this look far better in practice than on paper.


The Cleer Roam NC looks a lot like most other such TWS ear buds, but has the spout that puts the integrated microphone closer to the user's mouth for speech at the bottom since these can also be used as a headset. It won't do much for an ergonomic fit, if that is what you were wondering, with the round shell still clearly a common factory special. Whether you go with the dark gray or sand-colored version, you will get a two-tone color scheme with the expected color used for the plastic top housing and the bottom in black. We see a concave face plate, if you will, with the Cleer logo and a vent that does double duty for the ANC microphones. In fact, there is another vent right above, so it appears to be a case of dual ANC microphones per ear bud, but the Cleer website is woefully short on details. L/R markings have been put on the side touching the ear concha, as we also get a closer look at the magnetic pins for charging and to keep the ear buds securely inside the case. There is a small nozzle that looks cylindrical from one side, and with a notch to help retain the ear tips when installed. But a head-on view confirms the presence of hooks akin to a C-clip, and we also see a fine mesh filter to prevent dust and other contaminants from entering the acoustic chamber.