Elevoc Clear AI ENC Hybrid ANC BT 5.0 TWS
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RC059
How I review: (See Previous Reviews)
Instagram: regancipher
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Model: Elevoc Clear
Price: MSRP Approx $129.99 - I paid $59.99 via Indiegogo
Website: Elevoc
Review Reference: RC059
Manufacturer Specification:
1 x Pair Wireless Earbuds
1 x USB Type-C Charge Case
1 x USB Type-C Charge Cable
1 x User manual, English, French, Chinese, Japanese
7 x Pairs Eartips
1 x Warranty Card
Real Life Experience
Welcome to the @regancipher review of one of the most eagerly anticipated releases of the year, at least for those who value strong call quality, the Elevoc Clear.
Daxiangshengke Technology, or Elevoc as they are known in the West, have one key differentiator: Calls. With the growing number of scenarios whereby TWS are used today, calls are increasingly important to many users. Qualcomm's cVc and MEMS mic array combination is inconsistent in its application and doesn't quite cut the mustard when you're out on a windy day and there's families, traffic and splashes all disturbing your attempt to call work and tell them you're running late or send your 30th voice note of the day. So Elevoc took things a step further - as well as the 6-mic array we've come to expect, they've used a number of AI algorithms with a trained deep-learning CASA (Computational Auditory Scene Analysis) model in conjunction with hardware accelerometers in order to separate human and background noise real-time more efficiently and effectively, at least that's the aim.
This is the third set of buds I've reviewed with this technology - Taotronics SoundLiberty 80 were the first, then the SoundPEATS Mini. Oppo used it in the M31 and Q1, Edifier in the Lollipods Pro and DreamPods, and Boltune in their BT-BH023, however this is the first to use the both the hardware and software in tandem - so I was expecting and eagerly awaiting revolution over evolution.....and I wasn't disappointed, but as always, there is a compromise....
Unboxing - 8/10
Unboxing the Elevoc Clear isn't disappointing. With most of the key features highlighted on the front and back, inside you get a manual, strangely in English, French, Japanese and Chinese (Simplified and Traditional). The manual is easy enough to read, with large diagrams accompanying clear text instructions.
The buds also come with 7 sets of eartips - as well as the ones already on the buds, you get an assortment of different sizes. Sadly the comfiest, the flatter ones on the top, are also the least effective at active noise cancellation, but at least it gives you some options.
The Case - 8.5/10
Another really nice feature of the Clear is the case. Whilst difficult to show in pictures, it has a pleasant, rubberised finish that allows you to slide off scratches with your thumb, making it look as good as new again in seconds.
The back of the case shows a large, robust hinge and a nice metallic lip around the edge of the lid that provides the traction to flip the case open. On the bottom (not pictured) you get a USB-C port, rest/pairing button and four LED lights. Holding the button for 5 seconds initiates pairing - around 10 seconds for reset. The lights are multi-functional - when charging, each light denotes a quarter of capable charge from left to right. when pairing, the first two then second two will flash intermittently for a few seconds. It is discrete and very effective, and adds to a really impressive veneer.
The case capacity is 600mAh - large for TWS, but still, you're looking at a two-hour full charge, and there is some quick charge function, although it isn't stated in the accompanying marketing material.
Aside from looking and feeling good, the Clear is also very portable - just 6cm wide, around 5cm high and around 2.5cm in depth, and just 55g. This is about what I would expect of quality earbuds, and is around the same weight as the Samsung Galaxy Buds Live case.
Ergonomics - 6.5/10
The Elevoc Clear look the part that's for sure. With a metallic silver outer finish, they look premium. The Elevoc logo sits below a chamber for noise reduction and ventillation, and the pogo pins reside at the bottom, keeping contact away from your skin.
Zooming out, we see the Clear have a familiar shape - similar to the OnePlus Buds Pro and QCY T11, they protrude quite far - the nozzle length brings their overall depth to over 25mm, and unfortunately, this can leave them feeling very uncomfortable when you use them for a long time. I had to switch to latex tips, as the discomfort was too much to bear, as whilst the flatter of the supplied tips were fine, you lose the benefit of strong ANC. With the longer tips ANC is better, but discomfort increases. It is a shame as a slightly shorter nozzle would have made all the difference - the Edifier NeoBuds Pro, for example, get this aspect spot on.
Comparing to some of their contemporaries, the QCY HT03 retain good ANC even with shorter tips, the Huawei FreeBuds Pro are more comfortable due to a less invasive nozzle, and the SoundPEATS T3 are also comfier for prolonged use, even if none of them look quite as good as the Clear.
From the front, it is a little easier to see the Clear than most buds out there. My left ear canal is narrower than my right, so the left protrudes slightly more here.
From the side you see the buds don't rely on a long stem to convey your voice - at just 33mm they are quite average, but look absolutely fine.
There's something about the Clear that just doesn't make them especially comfortable for me. I can't quite put my finger on what it is. When you compare with something like the Edifier NeoBuds Pro - similarly shaped and with a similar sized nozzle, it just isn't a nice experience, especially over a few hours. That doesn't mean to say it will be the same for me, but a shame nontheless.
Audio - 6/10 (price weighted), 6.5/10 (raw score)
Audio is something of an afterthought on the Elevoc Clear. They make no mention of 'audiophile sound' or anything like that in their marketing, and it isn't surprising - it seems like, and in the era of dual armature TWS that are capable of excellent dynamic range and detail, you still have to make a trade-off, and Elevoc have evidently prioritized memory for their mic processing.
In default mode, the sound is quite dark and bass-centric, with rolled off trebles that sound, well, to put it politely dull - not universally unpleasant, but not commensurate with the $129 current price tage. However, when you switch on ANC it improves drastically, moving very evidently from a dark, constrained sound signature to a brighter, more pleasant sound signature, opening up the higher mids. You could make the case that it is at the expense of a little detail, but fortunately there is no distortion, as was occasionally the case in default mode.
'All My Lovin' by Amy Winehouse sounds like she's singing through a pillow on default mode - there's little to no mid-range extension, with the vocal disappearing behind distorted, bloated bass. With ANC on, the vocals are far more prominent, but the bump in the lower mids virtually disappears, leaving you with a drab, flat sound signature with no dynamism.
The soundstage opens up a little with The Verve's 'Bitter Sweet Symphony' as the bass guitars extend outwards and make space for the strings and vocals. Switch ANC off and once again, the sound is flat almost like the switch from headphones to headset.
The strength of the Elevoc Clear is not in their audio representation, just be aware there is a dramatic disparity between ANC on and off, and that it really isn't great considering the glut of impressive budget releases this year.
Call Quality - Indoors - 8.5/10, Outdoors - 9/10
Make no mistake, the Elevoc Clear have a single raison d'etre. Calls. The 6 mic-array and litany of AI algorithms do not disappoint.
Indoor, calls sound OK - nothing spectacular. 'What's all the fuss about?'....well, the first hint was the repeated pop-ups on MS Teams to tell me there must be something wrong with my mic as they didn't detect any output. Interesting. I recorded a podcast using the Elevoc and it was light years away from my HyperX Solocast, so much so that I begged the interviewer to allow me to re-record it! So don't expect spectacular voice renditions - you are clear and coherent indoors, but it's no substitute for a USB cardioid mic. Even so, it is incrementally better than your average buds.
Outdoors is where they really shine. This weekend I took the Clear out for road testing - quite literally - I stood on the side of the road, moving and stationary, next to screaming kids, incessant traffic, wind, rain, you name it....the Elevoc nullified everything. And I don't just mean dulled it to a point your voice is clear, it was as if I was sat at home recording from my living room.
This is the third set of Elevoc- enabled buds I've tested, but the first from Elevoc themselves. As well as the VocPlus algorithm, which was present in the Taotronics TT-BH080 and SoundPEATS Mini, Elevoc have added two hardware accelerometers and adaptive wind noise reduction. It makes for incredible outdoor call quality that defies the environment, and gives you the solitary reason to own these buds.
They aren't going to replace a USB mic for streaming, for example - indoors there is still an over-processed sound to your voice that makes you sound clear if a little unnatural. However if your primary concern is being heard while commuting, or a decent set of buds that you can use both on the road and in the office, predominantly for calls, the Clear are the number one choice as things stand.
I've recorded a snippet with Protake and uploaded to YouTube - have a listen and make your own mind up:
Even more pertinent is how they performed on my test of 28 tws outdoors - spoiler alert - they were number one.
Note - in 2023, AI ENC is pretty commonplace. We've seen it appear on budget releases from SoundPEATS, such as their Capsule3 Pro and Mini Pro HS - and in all honesty, they perform as well if not better. The Elevoc were the option to go for in 2021 for calls, but it doesn't take long for the market to catch up.
ANC - 8/10
There are three ANC modes - normal mode, ANC on, and ambient mode. With normal sized tips, ANC is extremely good, and you need it - sound is pretty horrible without it on. However those tips are rather uncomfortable for prolonged use, so if you switch to the flatter, smaller tips, suddenly you lose the power of the ANC.
It's a real shame they can't quite get both right. If you want very strong ANC you may have to forfeit comfort - for me at least, both were not possible without third party tips - invest in some Azla Crystals - whilst pricey, they do give you a good balance of comfort and ANC strength.
Connectivity, Controls and other Interactive Features - 6.5/10
Aside from the obvious AI voice functions, there is little other reason to buy the Clear. The BES 2300YP chip allows for Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity, and connection is reasonably solid most of the time, although I did get the occasionally dropout on Windows, and whilst it reconnects immediately, it is a tad annoying. Distance is also disappointing - the QCY T13, a fraction of the price, allowed me to leave my desk and go to the drinks machine at work whilst still remaining connected to a Teams call. The Clear would start to lose connection a good few metres shorter, with choppy audio quickly followed by total disconnection.
Controls are also a mixed bag. Touches give a satisfying click so you know when the control has been initiated. Play and pause are intuitively initiated with a single tap, double tap moves to next song, triple tap to the previous song. Sadly there is no volume control. and it cannot be adjusted through the Elevoc App, so you have to reach for your phone - no biggie for me, but not helpful if you're on the move.
On the subject of the app....well, there's not much to it. Once the buds are detected, you have one option - dial down the ENC. No ANC control, no EQ....just the ability to turn the one differentiating feature either down or off! I didn't really play with the ENC dial too much as I found maximum ENC to be really the major beneficial factor.
There's no low latency or gaming mode and no wireless charging, two other options that usually give an extra mark.
Battery Life - 8/10
Battery Life is pretty much the norm with buds of this type. 5-6 hours was about what I experienced after three days of Zoom training - it would start to die around lunchtime, which would be around 4.5 hours with repeated talking. Not bad, and close to what is advertised. A quick hour juice over lunch would get me back to full by the time I'd finished my sandwich and was ready for round two.
Subsequent tests have shown similar results, and the 25 to 30 hours with the case is similar to my own experiences.
Final Comments
Elevoc's first foray into the TWS market without the safety net of their partners is an interesting, and at times impressive debut, but one with plenty of room for improvement. Whilst their outdoor call quality actually exceeds expectations - it really is something else - and ANC is superb, they don't quite get some of the basics right, and whilst this no doubt introduces the possibility for an improved 'Clear 2', at $130 some consumers may be left wondering what all the fuss is about, especially if their use-case extends little beyond the daily commute or on-site calls in the outdoors.
Despite 10mm drivers, sound is only OK, and it relies on ANC being switched on, otherwise it turns into a muddy mess! The buds look good, but ergonomics, whilst subjective, are really a bit all over the place. They've tried to accommodate everyone with their multitude of tips and narrow nozzles, but the length of the nozzle makes them a little too invasive - something their competition realised, hence the totally different shape you see on the FreeBuds Pro, Airpods Pro, etc. Getting this right would assist with a more palatable experience when listening for a longer duration - food for thought, Elevoc, if you're reading.
Battery life is pretty good, and the case is wonderful, but the lack of options through the app, such as customising touch controls (which QCY can do on $20 earbuds), no Bluetooth 5.2, no hi res codecs, a lower-than-CD fixed AAC implementation, no wireless charging and iffy connectivity mean that whilst there is a fair bit to like about the Elevoc Clear, there's lot's to improve too. Nevertheless, this is an indicator of where earbuds can go in the future, so Elevoc deserve some kudos for looking at the market and trying to solve a genuine real-life problem.
In 2023, they have shown their age quite a bit. Most, even budget, releases are performing as well on calls - QCY HT05 Melobuds and SoundPEATS Capsule3 Pro are two examples of buds that easily compete, whilst offering a far better all-round experience. Sadly, we've heard nothing of Elevoc since - I suspect they will focus on selling their technology as modules for other vendors to utilise - and the reasons for not buying the Clear these days are, ahem, clear!
Price Weighted Score: 80%
Raw Score: 83%
2022 Score: 75%
2023 Score: 55%
instagram: regancipher
About Elevoc:
Founded in 2017, Elevoc is a leading AI-powered audio solution provider on a mission to help people communicate with the world. We develop and deliver deep learning-based speech enhancement and voice interaction technologies for a wide range of products, including smartphones, headphones, PCs, VoIP applications, automobiles, smart home devices, and more.
Based on decades of research in Computational Auditory Scene Analysis ("CASA") and Deep Learning ("DL"), Elevoc has successfully implemented real-time DL speech denoising and elevated the performance of multi-channel speech enhancement and human-machine voice interaction to new heights.
Vocplus is the world's first real-time, deep learning-based speech enhancement solution that extracts speech from background noise, enhances voice clarity, and improves speech intelligibility in smart devices and communication applications. Successfully deployed in millions of devices, Vocplus ensures users can always communicate clearly, even in the noisiest environments.
How I review: (See Previous Reviews)
Instagram: regancipher
YouTube: regancipher
Model: Elevoc Clear
Price: MSRP Approx $129.99 - I paid $59.99 via Indiegogo
Website: Elevoc
Review Reference: RC059
Manufacturer Specification:
- Brand: Elevoc
- Model: Clear / IC27399
- Driver: 10mm Dynamic Driver
- Chipset: BES 2300 YP
- Mic: 6, AI ENC noise cancellation, VocPlus DL algorithm, Adaptive WN reduction
- ANC: Yes
- Volume Control: No
- Codecs: AAC (fixed bitrates 264,630 and 202,500), SBC
- Earbud Weight: 5g
- Earbud Dimensions: 33mm stem length, 25.35mm depth with nozzle
- Gross Case & Buds Weight: 54.69g
- Case Dimensions: 65mm width, 25.7mm depth, 49mm height
- Case Charge Capacity: 600mAh
- Full Charge Time: 120 minutes
- Quick Charge: Yes
- Wireless Charging: No
- Input: 5V 1A
- Single Use Playtime: Up to 5/6 hours
- Playtime with Charge Case: Up to 25/30 hours
- App Support: Yes (IOS and Android, but does very little)
- Bluetooth Range: 10m advertised
- Bluetooth: Bluetooth® 5.0
- Bluetooth Protocols: HFP 1.7/ A2DP 1.3/ AVRCP 1.5
- Water Resistance: IP54
1 x Pair Wireless Earbuds
1 x USB Type-C Charge Case
1 x USB Type-C Charge Cable
1 x User manual, English, French, Chinese, Japanese
7 x Pairs Eartips
1 x Warranty Card
Real Life Experience
Welcome to the @regancipher review of one of the most eagerly anticipated releases of the year, at least for those who value strong call quality, the Elevoc Clear.
Daxiangshengke Technology, or Elevoc as they are known in the West, have one key differentiator: Calls. With the growing number of scenarios whereby TWS are used today, calls are increasingly important to many users. Qualcomm's cVc and MEMS mic array combination is inconsistent in its application and doesn't quite cut the mustard when you're out on a windy day and there's families, traffic and splashes all disturbing your attempt to call work and tell them you're running late or send your 30th voice note of the day. So Elevoc took things a step further - as well as the 6-mic array we've come to expect, they've used a number of AI algorithms with a trained deep-learning CASA (Computational Auditory Scene Analysis) model in conjunction with hardware accelerometers in order to separate human and background noise real-time more efficiently and effectively, at least that's the aim.
This is the third set of buds I've reviewed with this technology - Taotronics SoundLiberty 80 were the first, then the SoundPEATS Mini. Oppo used it in the M31 and Q1, Edifier in the Lollipods Pro and DreamPods, and Boltune in their BT-BH023, however this is the first to use the both the hardware and software in tandem - so I was expecting and eagerly awaiting revolution over evolution.....and I wasn't disappointed, but as always, there is a compromise....
Unboxing - 8/10
Unboxing the Elevoc Clear isn't disappointing. With most of the key features highlighted on the front and back, inside you get a manual, strangely in English, French, Japanese and Chinese (Simplified and Traditional). The manual is easy enough to read, with large diagrams accompanying clear text instructions.
The buds also come with 7 sets of eartips - as well as the ones already on the buds, you get an assortment of different sizes. Sadly the comfiest, the flatter ones on the top, are also the least effective at active noise cancellation, but at least it gives you some options.
The Case - 8.5/10
Another really nice feature of the Clear is the case. Whilst difficult to show in pictures, it has a pleasant, rubberised finish that allows you to slide off scratches with your thumb, making it look as good as new again in seconds.
The back of the case shows a large, robust hinge and a nice metallic lip around the edge of the lid that provides the traction to flip the case open. On the bottom (not pictured) you get a USB-C port, rest/pairing button and four LED lights. Holding the button for 5 seconds initiates pairing - around 10 seconds for reset. The lights are multi-functional - when charging, each light denotes a quarter of capable charge from left to right. when pairing, the first two then second two will flash intermittently for a few seconds. It is discrete and very effective, and adds to a really impressive veneer.
The case capacity is 600mAh - large for TWS, but still, you're looking at a two-hour full charge, and there is some quick charge function, although it isn't stated in the accompanying marketing material.
Aside from looking and feeling good, the Clear is also very portable - just 6cm wide, around 5cm high and around 2.5cm in depth, and just 55g. This is about what I would expect of quality earbuds, and is around the same weight as the Samsung Galaxy Buds Live case.
Ergonomics - 6.5/10
The Elevoc Clear look the part that's for sure. With a metallic silver outer finish, they look premium. The Elevoc logo sits below a chamber for noise reduction and ventillation, and the pogo pins reside at the bottom, keeping contact away from your skin.
Zooming out, we see the Clear have a familiar shape - similar to the OnePlus Buds Pro and QCY T11, they protrude quite far - the nozzle length brings their overall depth to over 25mm, and unfortunately, this can leave them feeling very uncomfortable when you use them for a long time. I had to switch to latex tips, as the discomfort was too much to bear, as whilst the flatter of the supplied tips were fine, you lose the benefit of strong ANC. With the longer tips ANC is better, but discomfort increases. It is a shame as a slightly shorter nozzle would have made all the difference - the Edifier NeoBuds Pro, for example, get this aspect spot on.
Comparing to some of their contemporaries, the QCY HT03 retain good ANC even with shorter tips, the Huawei FreeBuds Pro are more comfortable due to a less invasive nozzle, and the SoundPEATS T3 are also comfier for prolonged use, even if none of them look quite as good as the Clear.
From the front, it is a little easier to see the Clear than most buds out there. My left ear canal is narrower than my right, so the left protrudes slightly more here.
From the side you see the buds don't rely on a long stem to convey your voice - at just 33mm they are quite average, but look absolutely fine.
There's something about the Clear that just doesn't make them especially comfortable for me. I can't quite put my finger on what it is. When you compare with something like the Edifier NeoBuds Pro - similarly shaped and with a similar sized nozzle, it just isn't a nice experience, especially over a few hours. That doesn't mean to say it will be the same for me, but a shame nontheless.
Audio - 6/10 (price weighted), 6.5/10 (raw score)
Audio is something of an afterthought on the Elevoc Clear. They make no mention of 'audiophile sound' or anything like that in their marketing, and it isn't surprising - it seems like, and in the era of dual armature TWS that are capable of excellent dynamic range and detail, you still have to make a trade-off, and Elevoc have evidently prioritized memory for their mic processing.
In default mode, the sound is quite dark and bass-centric, with rolled off trebles that sound, well, to put it politely dull - not universally unpleasant, but not commensurate with the $129 current price tage. However, when you switch on ANC it improves drastically, moving very evidently from a dark, constrained sound signature to a brighter, more pleasant sound signature, opening up the higher mids. You could make the case that it is at the expense of a little detail, but fortunately there is no distortion, as was occasionally the case in default mode.
'All My Lovin' by Amy Winehouse sounds like she's singing through a pillow on default mode - there's little to no mid-range extension, with the vocal disappearing behind distorted, bloated bass. With ANC on, the vocals are far more prominent, but the bump in the lower mids virtually disappears, leaving you with a drab, flat sound signature with no dynamism.
The soundstage opens up a little with The Verve's 'Bitter Sweet Symphony' as the bass guitars extend outwards and make space for the strings and vocals. Switch ANC off and once again, the sound is flat almost like the switch from headphones to headset.
The strength of the Elevoc Clear is not in their audio representation, just be aware there is a dramatic disparity between ANC on and off, and that it really isn't great considering the glut of impressive budget releases this year.
Call Quality - Indoors - 8.5/10, Outdoors - 9/10
Make no mistake, the Elevoc Clear have a single raison d'etre. Calls. The 6 mic-array and litany of AI algorithms do not disappoint.
Indoor, calls sound OK - nothing spectacular. 'What's all the fuss about?'....well, the first hint was the repeated pop-ups on MS Teams to tell me there must be something wrong with my mic as they didn't detect any output. Interesting. I recorded a podcast using the Elevoc and it was light years away from my HyperX Solocast, so much so that I begged the interviewer to allow me to re-record it! So don't expect spectacular voice renditions - you are clear and coherent indoors, but it's no substitute for a USB cardioid mic. Even so, it is incrementally better than your average buds.
Outdoors is where they really shine. This weekend I took the Clear out for road testing - quite literally - I stood on the side of the road, moving and stationary, next to screaming kids, incessant traffic, wind, rain, you name it....the Elevoc nullified everything. And I don't just mean dulled it to a point your voice is clear, it was as if I was sat at home recording from my living room.
This is the third set of Elevoc- enabled buds I've tested, but the first from Elevoc themselves. As well as the VocPlus algorithm, which was present in the Taotronics TT-BH080 and SoundPEATS Mini, Elevoc have added two hardware accelerometers and adaptive wind noise reduction. It makes for incredible outdoor call quality that defies the environment, and gives you the solitary reason to own these buds.
They aren't going to replace a USB mic for streaming, for example - indoors there is still an over-processed sound to your voice that makes you sound clear if a little unnatural. However if your primary concern is being heard while commuting, or a decent set of buds that you can use both on the road and in the office, predominantly for calls, the Clear are the number one choice as things stand.
I've recorded a snippet with Protake and uploaded to YouTube - have a listen and make your own mind up:
Even more pertinent is how they performed on my test of 28 tws outdoors - spoiler alert - they were number one.
Note - in 2023, AI ENC is pretty commonplace. We've seen it appear on budget releases from SoundPEATS, such as their Capsule3 Pro and Mini Pro HS - and in all honesty, they perform as well if not better. The Elevoc were the option to go for in 2021 for calls, but it doesn't take long for the market to catch up.
ANC - 8/10
There are three ANC modes - normal mode, ANC on, and ambient mode. With normal sized tips, ANC is extremely good, and you need it - sound is pretty horrible without it on. However those tips are rather uncomfortable for prolonged use, so if you switch to the flatter, smaller tips, suddenly you lose the power of the ANC.
It's a real shame they can't quite get both right. If you want very strong ANC you may have to forfeit comfort - for me at least, both were not possible without third party tips - invest in some Azla Crystals - whilst pricey, they do give you a good balance of comfort and ANC strength.
Connectivity, Controls and other Interactive Features - 6.5/10
Aside from the obvious AI voice functions, there is little other reason to buy the Clear. The BES 2300YP chip allows for Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity, and connection is reasonably solid most of the time, although I did get the occasionally dropout on Windows, and whilst it reconnects immediately, it is a tad annoying. Distance is also disappointing - the QCY T13, a fraction of the price, allowed me to leave my desk and go to the drinks machine at work whilst still remaining connected to a Teams call. The Clear would start to lose connection a good few metres shorter, with choppy audio quickly followed by total disconnection.
Controls are also a mixed bag. Touches give a satisfying click so you know when the control has been initiated. Play and pause are intuitively initiated with a single tap, double tap moves to next song, triple tap to the previous song. Sadly there is no volume control. and it cannot be adjusted through the Elevoc App, so you have to reach for your phone - no biggie for me, but not helpful if you're on the move.
On the subject of the app....well, there's not much to it. Once the buds are detected, you have one option - dial down the ENC. No ANC control, no EQ....just the ability to turn the one differentiating feature either down or off! I didn't really play with the ENC dial too much as I found maximum ENC to be really the major beneficial factor.
There's no low latency or gaming mode and no wireless charging, two other options that usually give an extra mark.
Battery Life - 8/10
Battery Life is pretty much the norm with buds of this type. 5-6 hours was about what I experienced after three days of Zoom training - it would start to die around lunchtime, which would be around 4.5 hours with repeated talking. Not bad, and close to what is advertised. A quick hour juice over lunch would get me back to full by the time I'd finished my sandwich and was ready for round two.
Subsequent tests have shown similar results, and the 25 to 30 hours with the case is similar to my own experiences.
Final Comments
Elevoc's first foray into the TWS market without the safety net of their partners is an interesting, and at times impressive debut, but one with plenty of room for improvement. Whilst their outdoor call quality actually exceeds expectations - it really is something else - and ANC is superb, they don't quite get some of the basics right, and whilst this no doubt introduces the possibility for an improved 'Clear 2', at $130 some consumers may be left wondering what all the fuss is about, especially if their use-case extends little beyond the daily commute or on-site calls in the outdoors.
Despite 10mm drivers, sound is only OK, and it relies on ANC being switched on, otherwise it turns into a muddy mess! The buds look good, but ergonomics, whilst subjective, are really a bit all over the place. They've tried to accommodate everyone with their multitude of tips and narrow nozzles, but the length of the nozzle makes them a little too invasive - something their competition realised, hence the totally different shape you see on the FreeBuds Pro, Airpods Pro, etc. Getting this right would assist with a more palatable experience when listening for a longer duration - food for thought, Elevoc, if you're reading.
Battery life is pretty good, and the case is wonderful, but the lack of options through the app, such as customising touch controls (which QCY can do on $20 earbuds), no Bluetooth 5.2, no hi res codecs, a lower-than-CD fixed AAC implementation, no wireless charging and iffy connectivity mean that whilst there is a fair bit to like about the Elevoc Clear, there's lot's to improve too. Nevertheless, this is an indicator of where earbuds can go in the future, so Elevoc deserve some kudos for looking at the market and trying to solve a genuine real-life problem.
In 2023, they have shown their age quite a bit. Most, even budget, releases are performing as well on calls - QCY HT05 Melobuds and SoundPEATS Capsule3 Pro are two examples of buds that easily compete, whilst offering a far better all-round experience. Sadly, we've heard nothing of Elevoc since - I suspect they will focus on selling their technology as modules for other vendors to utilise - and the reasons for not buying the Clear these days are, ahem, clear!
Price Weighted Score: 80%
Raw Score: 83%
2022 Score: 75%
2023 Score: 55%
instagram: regancipher
About Elevoc:
Founded in 2017, Elevoc is a leading AI-powered audio solution provider on a mission to help people communicate with the world. We develop and deliver deep learning-based speech enhancement and voice interaction technologies for a wide range of products, including smartphones, headphones, PCs, VoIP applications, automobiles, smart home devices, and more.
Based on decades of research in Computational Auditory Scene Analysis ("CASA") and Deep Learning ("DL"), Elevoc has successfully implemented real-time DL speech denoising and elevated the performance of multi-channel speech enhancement and human-machine voice interaction to new heights.
Vocplus is the world's first real-time, deep learning-based speech enhancement solution that extracts speech from background noise, enhances voice clarity, and improves speech intelligibility in smart devices and communication applications. Successfully deployed in millions of devices, Vocplus ensures users can always communicate clearly, even in the noisiest environments.
cresny
Thanks much for this writeup. With some hearing challenged older family members, phone calls can be a challenge and I was looking at these, even at their current $129 current price. But after reading this I'll give them a pass. Based on some mic tests I've heard, I'll probably go for soon. Liberty soundcore air 2 pros.
regancipher
Thanks. At $129 it's a bit much. I added a video showing how they perform afterwards, not sure if you saw that in time! Their ability for calls is first class, the drop outs are just annoying though.
