Cleer DJ High-Definition Headphones

Rating: 5/5

Review:
Outstanding sound and build quality

I was sent these Cleer DJ headphones for review and I think they're absolutely superb.  I don't describe myself as an audiophile but I listen to an awful lot of music and I care very much about how it sounds.  I also test a lot of headphones and I think these are quite exceptionally good.

I'll start with the sound, because that is what matters most here: these are the best-sounding headphones I have ever tried.  They are expensive, but for me they live up to their price-tag.  The sound is crystal clear and beautifully articulated right across the frequency range.  Every note and nuance is, to my ears, perfectly delivered and lossless sources sound quite remarkable, I think.  I have spent a lot of time listening to these, partly just for the pleasure of it, but also to assess them.  This has included my standard Test Playlist which I use to compare audio products which begins with 16^th-Century choral music and goes through to London Grammar with most things in between.  I haven't found a flaw or weakness; individual voices and instruments are perfectly articulated even in a large orchestra or chorus, a string quartet sounds as though you're sitting among them, Leonard Cohen seems to be whispering directly into your ear, rock sounds just great, and so on.  The frequency balance is excellent, with a superb deep bass response when needed and they respond superbly to EQ adjustments at any frequency.  I could go on, but you get the idea.

The headphones have some very nice features, too.  There's a jack input socket on both earcups, so you can choose which side you want to wire them; they have a stereo/mono switch so you can listen with one earcup only and still get the whole sound and they feature Psycho-Acoustic Spectral Compensation (I had to ask what it was) which, when switched on, boosts bass levels at low volume so the sound is equally balanced throughout the volume range.  It's a sophisticated modern version of an old-fashioned "Loudness" switch – which rather shows my age – and it really enhances the sound at low levels.  There's also a variable LED display which can be turned on and off and which I can do without, but which some users will like very much.

They are very well made and robust headphones and I find them very comfortable for prolonged listening – and I've been wearing them for hours at a stretch.  The package is very good, too:

- a nice hard carry case

- two AUX leads with controls for Apple and Android devices respectively

- a coiled DJ lead which anchors into the headphones and has a ¼" jack converter, too

- a USB charging lead

- a decent user manual

- a month's subscription to Tidal for lossless listening.

In short, these are pretty pricy headphones which easily justify their cost with excellent build quality and top-class sound.  I'm very, very impressed with these and if you're looking for some genuinely classy headphones, I can recommend these very warmly.

 

Amazon page HERE