If you want a sealed, noise-cancelling in-ear pair with LDAC detail for music production, choose EarFun Air 2; if you need an open-ear set with sub-67ms latency and a USB-C dongle for tracking, gaming and video work, choose Cleer ARC II Gaming. That's the decision in one line, and nothing in the specs below overturns it.
Both are true wireless earbuds with Bluetooth 5.3, multipoint pairing and touch controls, so let's be honest up front: neither one is a substitute for proper studio monitors or a wired reference pair. What separates them is the shape of the job each does well. One shuts the room out. The other deliberately lets the room in.
• EarFun Air 2, biggest strength: a sealed in-ear fit with hybrid ANC rated to cut environmental noise by up to 43dB, plus LDAC and Hi-Res Audio certification feeding 10mm wool-composite dynamic drivers. This is the "lock in and listen closely" option.
• EarFun Air 2, biggest trade-off: it is a listening-first pair. There's no low-latency mode, no dongle and no open-ear option, so it isn't built for syncing audio to video or for monitoring yourself while playing an instrument in a live room.
• Cleer ARC II Gaming, biggest strength: open-ear ear hooks combined with ultra-low latency under 67ms, Snapdragon Sound with aptX Lossless, and a USB-C dongle for PS4, PC and Nintendo Switch. Sync and situational awareness are the whole point here.
• Cleer ARC II Gaming, biggest trade-off: there is no noise control of any kind, and an open-ear design leaks sound both ways. If you work in a noisy room or need isolation, this is the wrong tool.
• Who each is for: EarFun Air 2 for the producer or editor working alone who wants isolation, detail and a tiny in-ear fit. Cleer ARC II Gaming for the hybrid user who records, plays, streams and needs their ears free.
The EarFun Air 2 is built around fidelity and quiet. The 10mm wool composite dynamic drivers cover a stated 20Hz to 40kHz range, and with LDAC on board the pair transfers roughly three times more data than a standard TWS codec, which is the difference between hearing a compressed smear and hearing the tail of a reverb. Hi-Res Audio certification backs that up, and Qualcomm aptX Adaptive appears alongside it. For music production, that combination is genuinely useful during the referencing stage — checking a rough mix on a consumer-style signature without the codec throwing away the top end before it reaches your ears.
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We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Then there's the ANC. QuietSmart 2.0 hybrid noise cancelling is rated to knock environmental noise down by up to 43dB, with selectable modes so you can match the level to the room. If your "studio" is a bedroom next to a road, that matters more than any spec on a graph. Multipoint over Bluetooth 5.3 lets you keep a laptop and a phone connected at once, so you can A/B a bounce on the laptop and take a call without repairing. Six mics with Qualcomm cVc 8.0 handle voice, which is fine for calls and rough voice memos.
Comfort is the quiet win. Each bud weighs 0.16oz (4.5g), the shell is molded to suit a range of ear shapes, and four ear tip sizes ship in the box — which is what actually gets you a seal, and the seal is what makes both the bass and the ANC work.
Buy it if you mostly work alone, want isolation, and care about codec quality and a light in-ear fit for long sessions. Skip it if you need to hear your own instrument while you play, need lip-sync accuracy for video, or want one pair that doubles as a console gaming headset.
The Cleer ARC II Gaming is a different animal: open-ear ear hooks with adjustable soft tips that sit outside the ear canal instead of plugging it. The practical result is that you never lose the room. You can track a guitar part while hearing the amp in the room, take notes in a meeting, or keep half an ear on someone in the doorway. For music production, that's a real workflow, not a gimmick — plenty of people write and record with one ear open by habit.
The headline number is latency: under 67ms, which is the difference between a soundtrack that feels glued to the picture and one that feels a beat behind. Combined with Snapdragon Sound and aptX Lossless, and Bluetooth 5.3 with LE Audio and aptX Adaptive, this is a pair built for the moment when audio and video have to agree. The included USB-C dongle is the unsung hero — it's what makes the low-latency claim practical on a PS4, a PC or a Switch rather than a marketing footnote.
Battery is stated as up to 35 hours total: 8 hours in the buds and another 27 in the charging case, which itself carries a 1200mAh cell and charges in about two hours. IPX5 sweat resistance means it survives a workout or a hot rehearsal. You also get multipoint across two devices, touch controls, head motion controls and the Cleer+ app for tuning.
Buy it if you want your ears open, you bounce between games, calls and creative work, or you need tight audio-to-video sync on a console or PC. Skip it if you need isolation, work in a loud room, or want sealed bass you can feel.
• Best for isolation while mixing → EarFun Air 2. Up to 43dB of hybrid ANC plus a sealed fit beats an open hook every time in a noisy space.
• Best for codec detail on a wire-free chain → EarFun Air 2. LDAC, Hi-Res Audio certification and aptX Adaptive, with a 20Hz–40kHz range.
• Best for recording or playing an instrument → Cleer ARC II Gaming. Open-ear means you hear yourself and the room at the same time.
• Best for video and gaming sync → Cleer ARC II Gaming. Under 67ms latency and a USB-C dongle for PS4, PC and Switch.
• Best for battery headroom → Cleer ARC II Gaming. 35 hours total, 8 continuous, with a 1200mAh charging case.
• Best for all-day lightweight comfort → EarFun Air 2. 4.5g per bud and four ear tip sizes to dial in the seal.
• Best for calls and meetings → a split decision. Both use Qualcomm cVc processing; the EarFun has six mics with cVc 8.0, while the Cleer leans on cVc echo cancelling and noise suppression.
• Best for awareness and safety → Cleer ARC II Gaming. Nothing blocks your ears, by design.
If I were buying one pair for music production — writing, referencing, editing at a desk — I'd take the EarFun Air 2. In my opinion, isolation and codec quality are the two things that actually help you hear what you've made, and the sealed fit with up to 43dB of ANC plus LDAC delivers both in a 4.5g bud. I'd only switch to the Cleer ARC II Gaming if my day is split between playing an instrument, gaming and video work, because that dongle-and-low-latency combination is something the EarFun simply doesn't offer. Before you commit, check the current price on Amazon using the button on this page — both are frequently discounted, and the gap between them shifts.
Yes, within limits. Both handle referencing, editing and tracking work well enough, but treat them as everyday listening tools rather than mastering-grade monitors. If you searched for active noise cancelling over ear headphones for music production and landed here, note that both of these are earbuds — one sealed, one open — so they trade the big over-ear cup for portability.
No. Its noise control is listed as none, which is inherent to the open-ear design. It doesn't block the room — it lets it in. If ANC is a must-have, the EarFun Air 2 is the one with hybrid noise cancelling rated up to 43dB.
The Cleer ARC II Gaming, clearly. Under 67ms latency, Snapdragon Sound, aptX Lossless and the bundled USB-C dongle for PS4, PC and Switch make it the only one of the two built for that job. The EarFun is a listening pair first.
Neither folds — they're earbuds, so there's nothing to fold. The Cleer set travels with a charging case that carries 27 extra hours, and the EarFun buds are small and light enough to live in a pocket or a small pouch between sessions.
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