Anker soundcore AeroClip 2: What can it have to compete with open headphones from Huawei and JBL?

(Dan Tri) - Anker soundcore AeroClip 2 has a soft ear clip design, good sound and conversation quality. However, choosing open headphones means users need to accept the trade-off in sound insulation.

GALLERY

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Advantage:

- Comfortable wearing experience.

- Exciting sound.

- Good conversation quality.

Limit:

- The rough cover easily sticks to sweat.

- Lack of recognition sensor when removing the headset.

Editor's Tip:

Anker soundcore AeroClip 2 is suitable for young users who like headphones with fashionable design, vibrant sound, good conversation quality, and comfortable wearing when working and exercising.

However, users will need to trade off noise canceling ability. At the same time, this is not a suitable choice for people who often listen to EDM and electronic music.

Anker soundcore AeroClip 2 possesses the typical design language of the open Clip-on (ear clip) headphone line with a structure of two counterweight compartments linked through a C-shaped curved bridge. The speaker is located right in front of the ear canal, while the battery compartment and control circuit are located close to the back of the ear.

This structure does not put any parts inside the ear canal, helping to keep the ear clear. Thanks to that, the wearer can simultaneously receive both the sound from the headphones and the noises of the outside world.

On the market today, some headphone lines such as Huawei FreeClip 2 or JBL Soundgear Clips use an ultra-thin bridge design to optimize appearance, while creating an almost "invisible" wearing feeling. However, this design can cause limitations that make it difficult for the headphones to firmly adhere to the ear.

Anker's headphones take a different approach when focusing on the wearing experience. The ear clip is not too thin in size, the clamping force is just enough to hold the headset in place when the user moves vigorously, and does not create pressure on the ear cartilage.

Inside the C-bridge is a Golden-Fit Memory Wire titanium alloy wire with flexible bending ability, covered with a soft silicone layer on the outside. This design helps the headset maintain the correct clamping force after thousands of bends without stretching, reducing the clamping force over time.

Practical experience when worn continuously for 4-5 hours a day in an office working environment, the headphones do not cause pain or soreness in the ear cartilage area. Thanks to the feature of not blocking the ear canal, the wearer can completely avoid air congestion and dampness due to sweat.

For users who wear glasses, sunglasses or earrings, Anker soundcore AeroClip 2 is also compatible and has absolutely no position conflicts. When lying sideways on the mattress, the ear cups do not protrude too much, so they rarely cause discomfort or discomfort.

Switching to physical training activities such as running outdoors or cycling, the headphones are still relatively firmly fixed in position and do not move. Dan Tri reporter tested cycling while wearing headphones and playing music, the sound quality hardly changed during the entire process.

A valuable improvement on the Anker soundcore AeroClip 2 lies in the control system. Instead of using touch sensors, which can easily cause mistaken presses and move the speaker when hands are sweaty, the product uses physical buttons located on the top edge of each earbud.

This key has a clear pressing stroke, fully supporting single press, double press, triple press and hold press. Users can easily customize operations to increase or decrease the volume, change songs, activate white noise sleep mode, quickly turn off the microphone during calls,...

This design is especially suitable for use when exercising, limiting accidental touch due to sweat. Besides, the headset also supports IP57 water and dust resistance standards, helping users feel more secure when used outdoors.

However, the product is not equipped with a recognition sensor when the user removes the headset. Therefore, music and videos will not automatically pause when the user takes off the headphones.

The charging box is designed to be more streamlined and slender than its predecessor, easily fitting into a pocket without being bulky. The rough surface of the charging box helps limit scratches when pocketing, but easily retains sweat during use.

Anker soundcore AeroClip 2 is equipped with a 12mm large amplitude driver using a dual magnet system. The speaker membrane is made from aerospace-grade metal and advanced polymer layers, helping to minimize sound distortion in the high range.

Practical experience shows that this headset model can meet a variety of usage needs. The midrange range is reproduced by the headphones with warm, distinct vocals that are not mixed into the instrument space. Meanwhile, the high sound range is well controlled, rich in detail and does not cause jarring even at high volume.

The bass line is powerful, neat and creates bounce. Even when listening to Pop and EDM songs with heavy bass beats, the headphones do not experience sound distortion.

Of course, the bass that this device reproduces is still not comparable to in-ear headphones or over-ear headphones. If you have a preference for listening to strong music genres such as EDM or electronic music, open headphones will not be a suitable choice.

In addition, the headset also integrates HearID 5.0 ​​technology, which supports hearing testing for each ear to automatically establish an optimized sound chart for each individual instead of applying a general calibration set.

The headphones are Hi-Res Audio Wireless certified and support the high-quality LDAC codec. This connection standard allows the transmission of three times more audio data than the standard SBC codec. However, it should be noted that the LDAC standard will only be compatible when users connect the headset to an Android smartphone.

The ability to control sound leakage into the surrounding environment is also handled well. Tested in a quiet office environment, the headphones played music at 60% volume but the person sitting next to them (0.5m away) still could not hear any sound leaking from the headphones.

Conversation quality is considered the core point that helps Anker headphones differentiate themselves from the rest of the open headphone market. On traditional open headphones, the microphone only records sound transmitted through the air.

Because there is no sound-blocking chamber, the user's voice and environmental noises such as traffic sounds, wind whistles or surrounding conversations enter the microphone as a completely mixed signal. Conventional audio filtering algorithms can only cut frequencies, leading to distorted, nasally or broken voices when the environment becomes too noisy.

To solve this problem, Anker has equipped the headphones with a system of 6 in-depth sensors. This system includes 4 MEMS microphones with a high signal-to-noise ratio to capture environmental sounds, combined with 2 parts that pick up voice through mechanical vibrations from the vocal cords.

In addition, the headset also integrates a specialized AI chip called THUS to process audio signals. These equipment help Anker soundcore AeroClip 2 achieve a Guinness record for becoming an open-ear clip-type headset with the clearest conversation quality in the world.

In a practical test while cycling while wearing headphones outdoors, the AI ​​THUS chip system and cluster of 6 sensors were able to handle wind and environmental noise well. Voices are reproduced clearly and without distortion while environmental noise and wind whistling are controlled, allowing conversations to flow naturally without the user having to speak loudly.

The headset is equipped with Bluetooth 6.0 standard and supports MFi certification, allowing users to pair the headset with both iPhones and Android phones. The device also supports Multipoint multipoint connection with fast conversion speed. When the user is listening to music on the computer and a call comes in on the phone, the headset can automatically switch the audio stream in just about half a second.

The device also supports real-time AI translation, including Vietnamese. When activated, the application will record, process and transmit translated content directly to the headset.

Regarding battery life, each headset can play music continuously for up to 8 hours after a single charge and the total usage time reaches 32 hours when combined with the charging box. In addition, the headset also supports fast charging with 10 minutes of charging and can listen to music for up to 4 hours.

Anker soundcore AeroClip 2 is sold in the Vietnamese market at a price of about 4 million VND. The device competes with a number of competitors in the same segment such as Huawei FreeClip 2, Shokz OpenDots ONE or JBL Soundgear Clips.

The device is suitable for a group of young users who love a headset with a fashionable design, vibrant sound and a comfortable usage experience that does not clog the ears when worn for a long time. This is also an option worth considering if users need a headset that can meet the needs of outdoor sports practice.

When choosing a headset with an open design, users will need to accept the trade-off in noise canceling ability. At the same time, this is not a suitable choice for people who often listen to strong music with heavy bass rhythms such as EDM and electronic music.