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We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-09-18 · 6 min read · Independent comparison
• Mackie MP-20TWS — biggest strength: A genuine hybrid dual-driver array (Knowles balanced armature plus a 10mm dynamic driver) paired with hybrid active noise cancelling and three microphones per side. That's an isolation-first design built for listening, calls and travel.
• Mackie MP-20TWS — biggest trade-off: It's a closed in-ear, so you're sealed off from your surroundings, and it relies on Bluetooth 5.2 rather than a low-latency dongle. Gamers chasing frame-tight audio sync should look elsewhere.
• Cleer ARC 3 — biggest strength: An open-ear gaming architecture: 2.4GHz dongle plus Bluetooth 5.4 dual connection, latency under 30ms, Dolby Atmos with Snapdragon Sound, and a 16.2mm driver in each ear.
• Cleer ARC 3 — biggest trade-off: Open-ear means no real passive isolation, and the sound signature is tuned for spatial, situational gaming rather than critical listening. It's also a bulkier object to carry than a pair of earbuds.
• Pick Mackie MP-20TWS if you want to disappear into your music on a flight, in an office, or on a commute — and want the earbuds to stay in your ears.
• Pick Cleer ARC 3 if you game on PS5, Switch, PC or a Meta Quest and want one headset that also handles calls, movies and long sessions without plugging your ears.
The MP-20TWS is the more acoustically ambitious of these two. Mackie built it around a hybrid dual-driver: a Knowles balanced armature handles the upper frequencies while a 10mm dynamic driver carries the low end. That split is the reason the design can promise crisp, articulate highs and clear mids alongside bass that stays controlled rather than smeared. The rated specs back up the "easy to drive" claim — 32 ohms impedance and 103dB sensitivity mean almost any phone or laptop can push them without a headphone amp.
Battery is where the numbers get interesting: 13+ hours per charge in the buds, plus a charging case that Mackie says adds over 40 hours, with a 2-hour case recharge over USB-C. Three sizes of eartips ship in the box, and the case is a stainless-steel enclosure — a nicer material than the plastic you'd normally expect at this tier.
Who should buy it: commuters, travellers, remote workers and anyone who wants their earbuds to actively remove the world around them. The 10-meter Bluetooth 5.2 range covers a normal apartment or open office without drama.
Who should skip it: if you need to hear your surroundings (running on open roads, cycling), an open-ear design serves you better. And if your priority is competitive gaming with zero perceptible audio delay, a Bluetooth-only in-ear isn't the tool — you want a dongle.
Cleer ARC 3: Who It's For
The ARC 3 Gaming is a fundamentally different product. It's an open-ear headphone: the driver sits outside your ear canal rather than sealing it, so ambient sound gets in and your music leaks out. That's a deliberate trade. You lose isolation, but you gain situational awareness and all-day comfort, and Cleer doubles down on that with an IPX7 rating — protection against sweat and rain, which is a genuinely high bar for this category and makes them plausible for workouts and outdoor use.
The gaming side is where Cleer has done the real engineering. Latency is rated under 30ms, and the headset ships with a 2.4GHz USB-C dongle that plugs into a PS4, PS5, Switch, PC or Meta Quest 2/3 and just works — no pairing dance. Alongside that, Bluetooth 5.4 handles phones and laptops, and multipoint pairing lets you stay connected to two devices and hop between them. The driver is a 16.2mm dynamic unit, noticeably larger than the 10mm in the Mackie, feeding Dolby Atmos with head tracking and Snapdragon Sound.
Battery figures are strong: 10 hours per charge in the buds, 40 more in the case, up to 50 hours total, and a 5-minute top-up is quoted at roughly 1.5 hours of playback. The case itself is unusual — it charges wirelessly and includes UV-C sterilization, and there's an FHD display on it for Dolby modes, EQ and settings. Touch controls and the Cleer+ app handle customization, and noise control is adaptive rather than fully active cancelling.
Who should buy it: console and VR gamers who want game audio in their ears without a sealed fit, plus anyone who wants one headset for gaming, calls and outdoor listening. The open design also suits people who find in-ears uncomfortable over long sessions.
Who should skip it: if you fly often or work in a loud open office, the open-ear design will let the environment in, and adaptive noise cancellation on an open fit can't compete with a sealed hybrid ANC system. Critical listeners who want isolation and a dedicated balanced-armature top end should look at the Mackie instead.
• Best for noise isolation → Mackie MP-20TWS. Hybrid active noise cancelling plus a sealed in-ear fit is the combination that actually quietens a plane cabin or a busy office.
• Best for gaming and VR → Cleer ARC 3. Sub-30ms latency, a 2.4GHz dongle and stated compatibility with PS4/5, Switch, PC and Meta Quest make this the only one of the two built for that job.
• Best for battery life → Cleer ARC 3 on paper. Up to 50 hours total (10 in the buds, 40 in the case) versus 13+13-plus-40 on the Mackie. Both are strong; Cleer's total is higher.
• Best for calls in noisy places → Mackie MP-20TWS. Three Knowles SiSonic mics per side with hybrid ANC behind them is a purpose-built call setup.
• Best for wearing around traffic or on a run → Cleer ARC 3. Open-ear awareness plus IPX7 sweat and water resistance is the safer, more durable pairing for outdoor use.
• Best for critical music listening → Mackie MP-20TWS. A Knowles balanced armature handling the highs is a design choice aimed at detail and articulation, not spatial effects.
• Best for switching between two devices → Cleer ARC 3. Bluetooth 5.4 multipoint does this natively; the Mackie is Bluetooth 5.2 without a stated multipoint feature.
• Best for a slim, pocketable carry → Mackie MP-20TWS. The stainless-steel case is small and light; the Cleer's case is a much larger object with a display and a wireless charging coil inside.
If I had to pick one, I'd buy the Mackie MP-20TWS. In my opinion the dual-driver architecture, the hybrid ANC and that six-microphone array add up to the more useful everyday product for the way most people actually listen — commuting, working, taking calls and wanting the noise gone. The Cleer ARC 3 is the better machine for a narrower, more specific job: gaming on a console or headset, where its dongle, latency and open-ear comfort genuinely can't be matched by a sealed Bluetooth in-ear. Decide which of those two lives is yours, and the choice stops being close.
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