Pros
- Sound great for open ears
- Touch controls easy to use
- More secure than expected
- Fashionable design with cool case
Cons
- Fit can feel awkward at times, get stuck in hair
- No noise cancellation
- Sound leakage
- Not good for those with larger lobes
I have tried many open-ear headphones over the years, and it’s clear these aren’t a top choice if audio quality is your priority. They’re a convenience play, aimed at those who don’t like plugging their ears with buds, but who also want something comfortable and lightweight they can wear while commuting, working out, running, or just relaxing at home. JBL released the Soundgear Sense back in 2023 as its first pair of this kind with a behind-the-neck band design. The just announced Soundgear CLIPS are technically JBL’s first open-ear standalone buds. I had the chance to try them out. Are they worth getting?
About the JBL Soundgear CLIPS
The JBL Soundgear CLIPS open-ear buds, which sell for $230 and are available in Canada through Erikson Consumer, fit overtop your ears, securing around the middle of the lobes to stay in place, like huggie earrings. They are made with soft TPU and employ a flexible arc shape. Air conduction technology keeps your ear canals open so you can remain aware of your surroundings. The SonicArc shape positions the speaker for the best bass performance, says JBL, and to stop sound leakage. An Adaptive Bass Boost algorithm provides optimized audio and there are four mics for crisp calls.
Inspired by the latest fashion trends, they employ a metallic tint and translucent finish and come with a colour-matched compact case. They can run for up to 32 hours with case charging (eight hours per charge, three extra hours after a quick 10-minute boost). They are IP54 rated and have touch controls. Adjust settings using the JBL Headphones app.
JBL Soundgear CLIPS Review
My review sample arrived in my favourite colour, purple. The case is unlike any other I’ve seen, with a transparent front so you can see the buds inside, a nice, elegant touch. A small but appreciated detail is the flat bottom so it stands upright when you place it down on a desk or table.
Since the USB-C charging port is on the back, you can position it upright on your nightstand while it recharges. It’s worth noting that it doesn’t come with a cable in the box. But chances are, you have plenty at home anyway.
Fit of the JBL Soundgear CLIPS
Like most other air conduction buds that don’t have an over-ear hook, I initially felt like the fit was not as secure as I would like it to be. They felt like they weren’t sitting right, no matter how much I adjusted them. I’m not sure if I have bigger/wider ears than average but getting the buds to fit such that they’re right over my ear canal was a challenge. These aren’t the type of buds that you can forget you’re wearing: I could feel them the entire time, or maybe I was just subconscious that I’d lose one. But once I got used to them, they weren’t uncomfortable. I could twist my head any which way and they weren’t budging, even during rigorous workouts.
While they only lightly grip your earlobe, they are surprisingly secure. The only time I had issues was when trying to put on a toque (beanie for those in the U.S.) for an outdoor winter walk or needed to adjust my hair. If you have long hair that covers your ears like I do, you may find that the buds can get caught in them. This can happen even with in-ears, of course, but it’s more so an issue with these. With that said, even while I did floor exercises like chest presses and core work, they didn’t budge. They are more secure than they actually feel like they are.
Even though I prefer physical buttons, the touch controls on the back of the buds are responsive and easy to use. Once you remember what each sequence of taps, double taps, and press and holds do, it’s easy to trigger actions like play/pause, answer/end call, and adjust volume.
Audio Quality of the JBL Soundgear CLIPS
Fantastic audio is what you’d expect from a JBL product, even with these being open ears. You don’t get any noise cancellation, which is one downside. But that’s expected with virtually any pair of air conduction buds, with the exception of the recently announced Shokz OpenFit Pros, which I reviewed earlier this month.
Because they don’t fit in your ears, there’s the same limitation as others: sound isn’t as loud and pronounced, requiring that you crank up the volume higher than you normally would in certain situations, like outdoor walks. They might not sound louder to you when you do this, but more audio leaks outside of them. JBL says the SonicArc shape positions the speaker to prevent sound leakage, but even without the buds being very loud, my son could hear my audio while sitting on the opposite end of the couch. Playing them at home after having gone for a walk on a busy street, I was startled with how high I had cranked the volume to hear them comfortably.
While wearing the JBL Soundgear CLIPs the morning after the Super Bowl, I was inspired to listen to a few Bad Bunny tunes. The song “Baile Inolvidable” has a lovely mix of bass, whisper quiet background vocals, trumpets, vocals, bongo drums, and a massive bass drop, making it a perfect choice to test the boundaries of the earbuds. It sounded solid: not like I was watching him perform live by any means, but good enough to entertain me during a workout, walk, or impromptu dance session. Vocals and instruments were both pleasant, but balance was slightly off, his vocals sounding a bit muffled and overpowered by the instruments at times.
Of course, I had to play my reference track, Radiohead’s “Creep.” It was lacking the depth I usually get from premium in-ear buds, including ones from JBL I have tested. But as a design compromise, it sounds just as good, if not better, than other open-ear buds I have tested over the years. I listened to podcasts while going for a walk and there’s great vocal clarity.
For phone calls, they sound decent, my voice coming across clearly and distinctly, the same for the caller on the other end. There was never an issue communicating, both in quiet and louder environments (I didn’t have any especially windy days to test them). While the sound of the caller’s voice is a little muted and hollow, you can easily carry on a conversation or chat on a Zoom call without struggling to hear.
Tweaking Audio in the App
There are options to customize audio using the JBL Headphones app. Choose Audio or Video mode, adjust the equalizer to suit your listening taste, type of music, or other content, like podcasts. There’s also a slider to adjust left and right balance and a max volume limiter to ensure you aren’t cranking them too high to compensate for the lack of ear canal coverage.
There are settings for calls as well, including a sound level optimizer that can adjust if the caller’s voice is too loud or low, the former a possibility if you have it cranked to hear music. You can also choose Sound Settings (Natural, Increased Treble, or Increased Bass) and Voice Setting (Natural, Powerful, or Bright). There’s even a button to calibrate the microphone. Record your voice with one mic then two and select the one where you believe you sound the best. I didn’t notice a major difference between them but for a very slight fuller, less hollow sound with two mics.
A nice inclusion is Relax Mode, which is something you don’t often find in earbud apps that aren’t designed for sleep. Create up to five relaxing mixes, including night sounds like crickets and waves, a crackling fire, birds and breezy trees, and water. Any combination of these can play for a duration of time you select. These are great while soaking in the tub (though these buds aren’t waterproof), enjoying a short nap (lying on your back) or even a short 10-minute de-stress session.
Should You Buy the JBL Soundgear CLIPS Review
If you care about the best audio quality, there are other in-ear JBL earbuds worth getting instead. The JBL Soundgear CLIPS will suit those who don’t like or can’t wear in-ears but still want something small, lightweight, and unobtrusive. They solve a wearability problem albeit with concessions. They aren’t great for those with larger ears: these are meant for those with small lobes. The huggie design won’t be for everyone either.
You get good sound quality for what they are, great for Zoom calls if you wear them at work or for listening to playlists and podcasts while going for a walk, run, or workout. They are suitable for casual listening as well. But you’ll want to look elsewhere for commuting since they don’t cancel out noise.
If you prefer air conduction buds with around-the-ear hooks, consider the JBL Endurance Zone buds instead, review coming soon.
Get the JBL Soundgear CLIPs, distributed in Canada by Erikson Consumer, for $230.