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We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-09-24 · 7 min read · Independent comparison
• AYI's biggest strength: true bone conduction drivers paired with an IP8 fully submersible, sealed-chamber build and a 32GB offline MP3 mode — it is designed to be worn underwater, not just splashed.
• AYI's biggest trade-off: bone conduction sound travels through your cheekbones rather than a dynamic driver, and the spec sheet lists no app, no EQ, no noise control, and no charging case — it is a single-purpose sports tool.
• Cleer ARC 4's biggest strength: a genuinely loaded audio package — Dolby Atmos with head tracking, Snapdragon Sound with aptX Adaptive and Lossless, DBE 4.0 bass enhancement, a 34-hour total battery system and multipoint Bluetooth 5.4.
• Cleer ARC 4's biggest trade-off: it is IPX7 water resistant, which covers sweat and rain and hard workouts, but it is not a swimming headphone, and its open-ear dynamic drivers do not seal water out the way a bone conduction design can.
• Who AYI is for: swimmers, open-water athletes and anyone who wants music with zero phone nearby.
• Who Cleer ARC 4 is for: runners, cyclists, commuters and desk workers who want rich, configurable sound and long battery life while staying aware of traffic and coworkers.
The AYI Professional Swim Headphones are built around one idea: bone conduction audio that survives being submerged. The sound is transmitted to your inner ear through vibration against your cheekbones, which is why there is no speaker sitting in your ear canal and no seal to break. That matters in water. The company describes a patented full-seal sound chamber that lets the unit stay underwater for extended periods, and the IP8 rating covers waterproof, dustproof and sweatproof use — pools, open water, even the shower. Battery life is rated at 8 hours per charge with fast charging to top up between sessions.
Who should buy it: swimmers first and foremost, plus runners, cyclists, skiers and drivers who want situational awareness and do not want anything inside their ear. Who should skip it: anyone who wants to fine-tune their sound. There is no app, no EQ, no touch controls (it uses a remote control method), and no noise control of any kind. If you want bass you can feel or a custom sound signature, bone conduction is the wrong tool — buy this for the water, not for the acoustics.
Cleer ARC 4: Who It's For
The Cleer ARC 4 Plus is the opposite kind of product: an open-ear earbud for people who take their audio seriously and want it to last all day. The headline is Dolby Atmos with precise head tracking, which recreates a surround-style stage for movies, games and music without plugging your ears. Underneath that sits Snapdragon Sound with aptX Adaptive and Lossless support, plus DBE 4.0 bass enhancement — Cleer's approach to getting fuller low frequencies out of an open-ear design that, by nature, leaks bass. There is also a Cleer+ app for custom EQ, firmware updates and reprogramming the touch controls, which is a level of fine-tuning the AYI simply does not offer.
Battery is the other standout. Cleer rates it at 9 hours per charge with 25 more hours in the charging case, for 34 hours total, and a 10-minute quick charge is said to return 3 hours of playback. Bluetooth 5.4 with multipoint lets you pair two devices at once and switch between them — laptop to phone, for example — without re-pairing. Dual noise-canceling microphones handle voice pickup for calls and meetings. The build mixes metal, plastic and silicone, the earhook shape keeps it stable during runs, and the IPX7 rating covers sweat and rain.
Who should buy it: runners, cyclists, commuters and anyone who works while listening and wants real audio features — spatial sound, EQ control, multipoint, clear calls. Who should skip it: swimmers. IPX7 is water resistant, not submersible, and these are dynamic-driver earbuds, not bone conduction. Take them into a lap pool and you are asking for trouble. They are also a two-piece system with a charging case to keep track of, which is more to manage than a single sealed headset.
Side-by-Side: Which Should You Choose?
• Best for sound quality and customization → Cleer ARC 4. Dolby Atmos, head tracking, Snapdragon Sound, aptX Adaptive and Lossless, DBE 4.0, plus app-based EQ.
• Best for total battery life → Cleer ARC 4. 34 hours with the case beats 8 hours on a single charge.
• Best for phone-free listening → AYI Professional Swim Headphones. 32GB of built-in memory and an MP3 mode the Cleer does not have.
• Best for calls and meetings → Cleer ARC 4. Dual noise-canceling microphones and multipoint Bluetooth 5.4.
• Best for a single, no-fuss device → AYI Professional Swim Headphones. One sealed headset, no case, no app, no pairing gymnastics.
• Best for controlling your own sound tuning → Cleer ARC 4. Touch controls, voice control and app control versus a remote control method.
• Best for pure situational awareness in traffic → either one. Both are open-ear by design, so both keep your ears uncovered.
In my opinion, the right pick comes down to one question: are you getting in the water? If yes, I would buy the AYI Professional Swim Headphones — the IP8 rating, sealed chamber and 32GB offline mode are features the Cleer cannot match, and no amount of Dolby Atmos helps you mid-lap. If you are staying dry, I would buy the Cleer ARC 4: it is the far more capable everyday headphone, with spatial audio, lossless-grade codecs, app EQ and a 34-hour battery system. Check the current price on Amazon before you commit, since both sit in very different tiers of what you get for your money.
FAQ
how to bone conduction earphones work
how to wear bone conduction earphones
You hook them over the top of your ears and rest the vibration pads against your cheekbones, just in front of your ears — not inside your ear canal. The AYI uses an open-ear hook design and weighs roughly 0.07 pounds, so it should sit lightly and stay put during swimming, running or cycling without needing to be jammed into your ears.
how are bone conduction earphones different from open-ear earbuds like the Cleer ARC 4
Both leave your ears open, but the mechanism differs: the AYI vibrates through bone, while the Cleer ARC 4 uses dynamic drivers in an earhook design. That is why Cleer can layer on Dolby Atmos, aptX Lossless and app EQ, while the AYI focuses on being submersible with an IP8 rating and 32GB of offline storage.
can I swim with the Cleer ARC 4
Based on the spec sheet, no — it carries an IPX7 water-resistance rating, which covers sweat and rain, not swimming. The AYI Professional Swim Headphones are the one rated IP8 with a full-seal sound chamber explicitly designed to stay underwater, so that is the pair to take to the pool.
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