The Clip 2 is EarFun’s latest pair of wireless earbuds. These are based on the new clip-style earbuds that are becoming quite popular these days.
We tested the company’s previous EarFun Clip product, which had some major issues that kept us from recommending it. However, the new Clip 2 promises to improve on them, and I can’t wait to wear them and take them for a spin. Will these become a worthwhile option in this emerging segment? Let’s find out.
Design and comfort
The EarFun Clip 2 may look similar to the first generation model at a glance, but the design has been changed in all the right ways. The flexible bridge connecting the in-ear unit and the external unit is now longer and squarer, leaving much more distance between the two units.
I really realized how much it’s improved when I put on the first generation model and felt my ears pricking from it. The Clip 2 feels much more spacious by comparison, and should be much more adaptable to different ear sizes. The bridge on this model is much more flexible than before.
Like the Clip, the Clip 2 has a physical button on each unit that controls all playback functions. Functions can be individually customized or disabled in the companion app, and buttons can even be disabled entirely.
One drawback of the Clip 2 design is that it is not easy to distinguish between the left and right units. The clip had a red ring around the bridge of the right unit, making it extremely easy to distinguish at a glance. Both units look identical on the Clip 2, which means you’ll have to look for LR markings or try to figure out based on the orientation of the buttons.
Clip (left) vs Clip 2
Other than that, there aren’t any major issues with the Clip 2’s design. However, considering what is fundamentally a fashion-oriented product, the Clip 2 Earphones continues to adopt the minimalist design philosophy of the products. If that’s what you’re after, you may be pleased with this design, but considering that many people choose them over in-ears because of their looks, perhaps EarFun would like to come up with an attractive design that would be more suited to the target demographic.
As before, the earbuds are IP55 rated for dust and water resistance. The overall build quality is good, and the earbuds feel durable, even when you pull on them repeatedly. The bridge maintains its shape and flexibility even after regular use.
Clip 2 are good in terms of comfort. They are light, and the clamping pressure is not very high. Although I’m personally not fond of the feeling of having something on top of my ears instead of inside them, your mileage may vary.
software
The Clip 2 uses the Earphones Audio app. As I’ve said in previous EarFun reviews, this is a great app with a lot of features and customizability, and it’s all laid out in a way that makes it easy to use.
earphone audio app
Display
audio quality
The EarFun Clip 2 uses 12mm dynamic drivers that have been upgraded from the Clip’s 10.8mm dynamic drivers. You still get the same SBC/AAC/LDAC codec support over Bluetooth 6.0 with multipoint connectivity, although multipoint may not work if LDAC is being used.
When I reviewed the Earphone Clip last year, the main complaint was the audio quality. The tuning wasn’t good, and it got worse very quickly as you turned up the volume. I’m happy to say that Clip 2 addresses both issues for good reason.
The tuning of the Clip 2 has been significantly improved. Gone is the boxy, upper-bass and mid-focused sound of the Clip. The Clip 2 has a much wider frequency response with better upper-mid and treble extension.
Starting with the bass, sub-bass is clearly still lacking. Due to the open-ear design, the drivers can’t possibly move enough air to hit those sub-100Hz notes at any volume, and anything below 50Hz is not easily heard. To compensate, the mid and upper bass regions have been boosted slightly. This brings some extra warmth to the mix, especially as the percussion instruments and male voices sound heavier. However, it is not as severe as it was on the clip, and is still within tolerable limits.
The midrange and treble sound on the Clip 2 are quite balanced and pleasing. There are some peaks and troughs in the treble region, which can make some sounds a little duller and others a little brighter, but overall, the treble is still quite enjoyable to listen to. The Clip 2 also addresses one of my ongoing complaints with EarFun products, which is the unnatural timbre. The Clip 2 sounds very natural compared to some of the brand’s more expensive products, with everything having a sweet, realistic tone and none of that metallic or nasal tinge.
Having an open-ear design that can attach slightly to your outer ear, the Clip 2 have a wider soundstage and detailed imaging than in-ear devices. Sounds don’t seem locked into your brain, and they have more realistic depth and three-dimensionality. Even the best ears will need artificial spatial audio features to simulate what the Clip 2 can do naturally. The app also has a theater mode option that expands the soundscape even further, but it feels awkward and not worth using.
Clip 2 addresses the volume issue of the original clip, but not completely. On clips, the sound would sound 50% more sonorous and unnatural, which made an already unpleasant sound even more unpleasant, and significantly limited the usable volume. On the Clip 2, that limit is increased to about 70%, significantly increasing your usable volume. Very rarely have I felt like going beyond this limit. When you do this, the Clip 2 becomes tinny and a little shouty in sound, but far from unpleasant.
Still, it’s best if you limit yourself to less than 70% volume. There’s no point going any higher than that, as one of the key selling features of this form-factor is that you can still be aware of your surroundings. After 50% volume, auditory masking begins, and you already start to lose touch with whatever is going on next to you, even if you can physically hear it. Up to 70% of the time, you probably won’t see a car coming toward you unless you see it with your own eyes. That’s why it’s important to pay attention to your surroundings in public, and not rely on open-ear designs or transparency modes to deliver essential information to your distracted brain.
eq settings
There was also another issue with the clip, which is sound inconsistency, and it is addressed here as well. It’s almost impossible to fit these earbuds equally in both ears on the first try. This often causes the sound of the two units to be different in each ear. Someone like me, who is bothered by this, has to spend some time adjusting both earbuds until they match, and even then, I feel like I can never make them 100% identical. It just comes with the territory with these open-ear designs, especially ones that sit around your ear.
However, overall, the Earphones Clip 2 sound quite good. It’s a balanced, well-tuned sound that’s spacious and airy, and may trouble some ears.
microphone
The microphone performance on the Earphone Clip 2 is good. In quieter environments, the sound is a little softer and slower, and may have a little more clarity. However, in the noisy environment test, the sound remained surprisingly the same as in the quiet test, and no background noise came into the recording. This really is one of the most impressive background noise reduction systems I have ever seen in a product.
battery life
The earphones claim a battery life of 11 hours with LDAC disabled and 6 hours with it on. With LDAC disabled I got 7 hours and 48 minutes, which is a good result but a bit off from the claim. It’s possible that the company’s claimed figures use the low-power mode available in the app, which claims to improve battery life by 25% while slightly reducing the maximum volume. This would certainly explain the difference in tested and claimed figures, as it’s in the roughly 25% ballpark.
conclusion
The EarFun Clip 2 costs $79.99, but EarFun products are constantly on sale, and at the time of writing they were available for $61.59.
The Clip 2 are a very impressive pair of earbuds. The designs aren’t as fashionable as some of the flashier options on the market, but they more than make up for it in functionality. They’re comfortable, sound great, have good quality mics with excellent background noise reduction, and offer good battery life. If you’re looking for a similar style of earbuds, the Clip 2 are highly recommended.