EarFun Clip Open Ear Earbuds
ZDNET’s key takeaways
- The EarFun Clip earbuds are on sale now on Amazon for $53 (normally $90).
- With just the right tweaking in the app, you can elevate the sound of these earbuds well above average.
- The app is required for these earbuds to sound their best.
The EarFun Clipearbuds are on sale for $53 at Amazon (save $37).
I’ve tested so many earbuds and headphones over the years that they tend to blend together. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t standouts (such as the Denon PerL Pro, which still serves as my all-time favorite pair).
Also: Finally, open-ear headphones that sound great and fit me comfortably (and they just got cheaper)
Earbuds that tend to be hit or miss require an app to tune the sound to the wearer’s hearing. When an app gets it right, it’s impressive. When an app gets it wrong, it’s disappointing. Sometimes, however, the app’s results land squarely in the middle. It looked as if the EarFun Clip earbuds were going to wind up in that last category.
Let me explain.
My experience
The EarFun Ciip earbuds support Google Fastpair, so connecting them to my Pixel 9 Pro was simple. After they were connected, I opened the EarFun app to pair the earbuds with the App. Once that pairing was complete, I opened Spotify and started my usual playlist.
My initial reaction: The sound was nice and clean, but flat and dull. That’s fine because the EarFun app has a custom, 10-band equalizer. I tweaked the EQ to my usual curve and the sound came to life. Nice.
Also: These wireless headphones transported me to audio nirvana – and are my new all-time favorite
Then I remembered that the app includes a custom profile feature, which (in theory) tunes the sound perfectly to your hearing. How it works is simple: You raise a slider for one of the EQ bands until you just start to hear the tone. Move to the next slider and repeat the process. After you complete all 10 bands, you’re ready to listen to a sound profile attuned to your hearing.
When I went back to look at the new EQ curve, I had my doubts. There was way too much midrange for me, too little bass, and the highs were rolled off a bit much.
The EarFun Clip earbuds offer long-term comfort for long runs or a day at the beach.
Jack Wallen/ZDNET
And, just as I’d expected, the sound didn’t satisfy me. Although it wasn’t nearly as dull as it was prior to my tweaks to the EQ, it wasn’t dynamic or exciting. So, I re-tweaked the EQ to my usual curve, and the sound came alive. There was plenty of bass, just the right highs, and a much more subtle midrange.
I’m not saying that the EQ elevated the EarFun Clip earbuds to audiophile-quality sound, but it certainly brought them up to a level slightly above their price point (currently $53 on Amazon). When you factor in 10 hours of battery life on a single charge, the comfort of the fit (they are clip-on earbuds), and the ability to customize the 10-band EQ, these little earbuds are pretty sweet.
Also: I replaced my bulky headphones with these Pixel earbuds for traveling – and can’t go back
My only qualm with the EarFun Clip earbuds is that the control button is very small and very hard to manage. The button is on the piece of the bud that sits on the outside of your ear, and it’s challenging to find (especially when running). There is no touch surface, so when you’re moving, the controls are less than ideal. Because of that, make sure I’m listening to a playlist with zero songs to skip when I’m out for a run.
ZDNET’s buying advice
The end result is a pair of earbuds that has better than average sound, an average soundstage, better than average battery life, and better than average comfort — but worse than average control. If that sounds like a combination that meets your needs, then the EarFun Clip earbuds are a great buy.
Do keep in mind that you will definitely want to use the EarFun app (Android/iOS) to get the most out of the sound; otherwise, you’ll be disappointed.
The specs
- Battery: Up to 10 hours with 40 Hours using the charging case (60mAh for the earbuds, 490mAh for the charging case)
- Type: Open-ear
- Driver: 10.8mm carbon fiber composite dynamic driver
- Weight: 5.7g per earbud, 50g charging case
- Connections: Bluetooth 6.0
- Codec support: SBC, AAC, LDAC
- Microphone: 2 microphones per earbud
- Active Noise Cancellation (ANC): No
- Charging Method: Charging case, USB-C for the charging case
- Weather/Dust Resistance: IP55 (sweat and dust resistance)
Deals are subject to sell out or expire at any time, though ZDNET remains committed to finding, sharing, and updating the best product deals for you to score the best savings. Our team of experts regularly checks in on the deals we share to ensure they are still live and obtainable. We’re sorry if you’ve missed out on this deal, but don’t fret — we’re constantly finding new chances to score savings and sharing them with you at ZDNET.com.
Show more
Looking for the next best product? Get expert reviews and editor favorites with ZDNET Recommends.
Leave a Reply