The days of Sony and Bose being the only ones out there making ANC headphones are long over; it seems like everyone is getting in on the piece of the noise-canceling pie, and Cleer Audio is no different. Their aggressively-named Alpha headphones are Cleer's attempt at making a pair of ANC cans that can go toe-to-toe with the best. 

The most noticeable fact about the Alphas is their size; they're bulkier and wider than any other pair of ANC headphones I've ever seen. They can fold up and come with a carrying case, so they have a degree of portability, but they're heavier and take up more space than the likes of Bose's flat QC45 or Sennheiser's 450BT. That extra bulk is justifiable, however, as the Alphas have a lot to offer.

Cleer's headphones can net you a massive 35 hours of usage, with ANC and Bluetooth on, giving the Alphas the best battery life out of all other ANC headphones--even ones far outside its own budget. So that explains a chunk of the Alphas' 330g weight. They also made the wise decision to include a 3.5mm aux port, giving you the option to go corded if you wanted to. There's even a cute in-flight adapter included, which I haven't seen in ages--nifty for those long flights where you get a movie to watch. 

Unique to these headphones is the Dirac Virtuo spatial audio. You need to install the Cleer+ app, which I'm not a fan of features being locked behind apps, but I'll begrudgingly accept it in this case, because the Dirac function is so fun. ANC headphones have a tendency to lose a little quality, given Bluetooth, but the spatial audio on the Alpha headphones is wonderful. You get a very wide soundstage, and the Alphas are the perfect amount of punchy and clear with their mids. A strong, but not overpowering bass is present, and while the highs are nothing outstanding, they're solid overall. Having the directional audio is just the icing on the cake, making the Alphas fun to listen to every time you put them on. 

In terms of noise cancelation, Cleer has done an impressive job with these, and the ANC on the Alphas can tune out quite a lot. The rumbling of my air purifier and fan are completely tuned out--low tones that can still worm their way past other ANC headphones--while my loudest keyboard clacking still manages to be the slightest bit audible, but only when you're really trying to listen for it. 

Clear, fun sound, combined with some of the best noise-canceling around makes the Cleer Alpha ANC headphones an attractive buy. The best part is that the Alphas come in far cheaper than similarly-performing competitors like the Momentum 4, QC45, or 1000XM3. At $199.99, these are the best bang for your buck, and even if they were priced higher than they were, you'd still get a solid deal.