If you want a closed-back over-ear headphone that shuts the room out while you dig for tracks and prep a set, choose Amazon Renewed SONY WH1000XM3; if you need a low-latency open-ear headset that keeps your ears free while you game, stream or run practice sessions for DJ work, choose Cleer ARC II Gaming. Those are two opposite jobs. One is about blocking the world out. The other is about staying plugged into it.
• Amazon Renewed SONY WH1000XM3 — biggest strength: Active Noise Cancellation with Sony's QN1 processor plus up to 30 hours of playback, in a foldable over-ear body that also handles aptX HD and LDAC.
• Amazon Renewed SONY WH1000XM3 — biggest trade-off: It's a renewed unit with 90 days of limited warranty coverage, it runs Bluetooth 4, and there's no low-latency gaming mode anywhere in its feature list.
• Cleer ARC II Gaming — biggest strength: Sub-67ms latency over the included USB-C dongle, Snapdragon Sound with aptX Lossless, and Bluetooth 5.3 with LE Audio — an actual gaming-focused audio chain, not a music headphone pressed into service.
• Cleer ARC II Gaming — biggest trade-off: It has no noise cancellation at all. Open-ear means you hear the room, and the room hears you. Buds alone run 8 hours; the other 27 live in the case.
• Pick the SONY if you want isolation, long single-charge battery and touch controls for music-first listening.
• Pick the Cleer if you want an open ear, a dongle for PS4, PC or Switch, and two-device pairing without taking anything off.
The WH1000XM3 is the classic over-ear noise-cancelling design, and the renewed version keeps the whole feature set intact. Active Noise Cancellation is the headline: Sony's QN1 processor actively works against what's around you. Then there's Smart Listening, which adjusts ambient sound to whatever you're doing, and Quick Attention Mode — cup your right hand over the earcup and the music drops so you can talk to someone without taking the headphones off. That one gesture tells you a lot about the intended use: long, focused listening sessions where interruptions happen.
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We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Battery is the other big number. Up to 30 hours on a charge, and a 10-minute top-up gives you five hours of playback. For anyone who treats headphones as all-day equipment — producers prepping a set, students, commuters — that's the spec that matters most. The 0.3 kg body is foldable and comes with a protective case, charging cable, user manual and spare ear cushions. The PU ear cushions and rounded over-ear shape are built to sit on your head for hours, not for a quick 40-minute session.
Who should skip it? Two groups. Gamers chasing low latency will find nothing here for them — there's no dongle, no low-latency mode, and Bluetooth 4 is a generation behind what the Cleer offers. And anyone who wants to hear their surroundings while listening should walk away; active noise cancellation is the entire point, and it works against you if you need awareness. Also be clear-eyed about "renewed": it's covered by a 90-day limited warranty, so you're buying a refreshed unit, not a sealed retail box.
In my opinion, this is the pick for the person who wants a quiet bubble and a full workday of playback from a single charge.
The ARC II Gaming is a different animal. Open ear, ear hooks, plastic and silicone, and a stated latency under 67ms when you use the included USB-C dongle. That dongle is the part people miss: it plugs into PS4, PC or Nintendo Switch and gives you a wireless path designed for synchronized audio and video rather than for music streaming. If you've ever watched a cutscene with audio half a beat behind the picture, you know why that matters.
Sound is handled by Snapdragon Sound with aptX Lossless, paired with Bluetooth 5.3, LE Audio and aptX Adaptive. Multipoint pairing lets it sit on two devices at once — laptop and phone, say — and swing between them. The open-ear build gives you situational awareness by design: you hear your environment, which is exactly what you want when you're on a call, playing in a room where someone might talk to you, or listening while you still need one ear on the world.
Battery is split: 8 hours in the buds, another 27 in the charging case, 35 total, with roughly 2 hours to charge the 1200mAh case. The set is rated IPX5 sweat resistant, which matters on long sessions. Voice capture uses Qualcomm cVc noise and echo suppression for calls and meetings. Controls are touch-based.
Who should skip it? Anyone who needs silence. Noise control is listed as none — there's no ANC, no isolation, nothing between your ear and the room. In a loud office or on a plane, the SONY wins that fight without a contest. And if you searched "memory foam ear cushions open ear earbuds for DJ," note what you're actually getting: adjustable soft ear hooks in plastic and silicone, not memory foam ear cushions. Fit is hook-based, not cushion-based.
• Best for blocking out the room → Amazon Renewed SONY WH1000XM3. Active Noise Cancellation with the QN1 processor is the whole reason to buy it.
• Best for gaming and video sync → Cleer ARC II Gaming. Under 67ms latency plus a USB-C dongle for PS4, PC and Switch.
• Best single-charge battery → Amazon Renewed SONY WH1000XM3. Up to 30 hours in one go, versus 8 hours in the Cleer buds before you need the case.
• Best total battery with the case → Cleer ARC II Gaming. 35 hours combined, and the case carries the bulk of it.
• Best for awareness → Cleer ARC II Gaming. Open ear, ear hooks, no noise control. You hear everything.
• Best for a noisy commute → Amazon Renewed SONY WH1000XM3. ANC plus PU ear cushions sealing you in.
• Best for two-device juggling → Cleer ARC II Gaming. Multipoint across Android, iOS and Windows is spelled out in the specs; the Sony sheet doesn't call it out.
• Best wired-era audio codecs → Amazon Renewed SONY WH1000XM3. SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX HD and LDAC are all supported.
If I were buying one for the use case that started this comparison — headphones for DJ prep, digging and long listening sessions — I'd take the Amazon Renewed SONY WH1000XM3. The isolation is the deciding factor: when you're cueing up tracks in a room with other people, active noise cancellation and sealed PU ear cushions do something the ARC II physically cannot. Thirty hours on a charge and a 10-minute top-up for five hours of playback seal it. I'd only switch to the Cleer if my priority were a headset for DJ streaming sessions, gaming or calls where low latency and open-ear awareness beat isolation. Check the current price on Amazon before you commit, since renewed stock and listings move.
FAQ
No. Noise control is listed as none, and the open-ear design deliberately lets sound in. They rely on fit and awareness rather than isolation. If you need quiet, they're the wrong tool.
For gaming, latency wins. The ARC II Gaming's sub-67ms figure and USB-C dongle are built for synchronized audio and video on PS4, PC and Switch. The Sony has no low-latency mode, so it's a music-first headphone.
You can, and its 35-hour combined battery and multipoint pairing make that reasonable — but you'd be giving up all isolation. If your day includes loud rooms, planes or shared spaces, keep the Sony around for those hours.
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