I Switched To Clip-On Earbuds — Now I Get Why People Love Them

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When it comes to wireless earbuds, there are three main categories — in-ear earbuds, the half-in-ears, and the much newer open-ear earbuds. Most clip-on earbuds are open-ear or bone-conduction, but we'll focus on the first. The latter work by vibrating your cheekbones whereas clip-on earbuds are tiny speakers that sit just outside your ear canal, close enough for you to hear sound clearly. Just like with their bone-conduction counterparts, leaving your ear-canal open is the main selling point of this type of headphone. However, I've always had doubts on whether they sound any good and it took me a while before I got myself to test a pair.

I finally began my journey into clip-ons with the SoundPeats UU2; just for testing, without any intentions of replacing my daily earbuds. My expectation was that sound quality would be poor, given that they leave your ears open, and that the clip design looked uncomfortable. My assumptions fell completely apart after a few weeks of testing. The UU2 clip-on earbuds ended up sounding surprisingly good and even solved a number of issues I never realized I had with regular earbuds.

My biggest sound concern going in was bass. Open-ear designs are known to sound thin and weak, especially when it comes to the low end. This belief should make sense since they don't create a sealed chamber in your ear canal as standard earbuds do. For this reason, my expectation was decent mids and highs at best, and no-chance for bass-heavy tracks. I mentally accepted this as the price to pay for leaving my ears open.

That wasn't the case with the UU2, whose drivers sit just outside the ear canal and are angled in a way that directs sound inward. This simple design makes more of the low frequencies reach your eardrum. I listen to rock and hip-hop and both bass-lines and drums punch and kick as they should. It isn't the chest-thumping bass you'd get from perfectly sealed earbuds like the AirPods Pro or one of its alternatives, but it's quite far from the dreadful experience I was mentally prepared for.

For the specific pair I tried out, enabling Lossless Digital Audio Codec (LDAC) injected a bit more life into sound clarity and detail. It also made the already decent bass feel more solid. I never went in thinking that the clip-on buds would sound better than my regular buds, but they did. My everyday in-ear earbuds before this experiment were the Oraimo SpaceBuds, which are still solid budget ANC earbuds in my experience.

Being outside the ear canal rather than sealing it, I didn't experience any pressure buildup, irritation or ear fatigue that I usually experience whenever I wear standard earbuds for extended periods. The longest I've worn the UU2 in one sitting is eight hours. I also wear glasses and they make regular earbuds more noticeable for me, especially around the outer ear — the tips and my frames compete for the same space. This clash usually leads to a pinched feeling when the buds and frame appear to be squeezing the same spot.

This uncomfortable feeling is one of the things I never realized I could solve with clip-ons. With the latter, my glasses and the earbuds cuff rest on different parts of the ear eliminating the pinch I mentioned. I even had a moment when I forgot I still had my earbuds on and walked into the shower with them, which was not a good idea but goes to show how unnoticeable they can get if you aren't paying attention.

All these benefits carry over to working out, too. Since the clip rests outside the ear canal, I never found sweat clogging up my ears nor felt the urge to take them off mid-session to give my ears a breather. Listening breaks have become somewhat optional for me since I made the switch to clip-ons.

As soon as I noticed the pressure-free fit of my clip-on earbuds, my immediate concern was the possibility of stability issues. With the ear tips barely touching the outside of my ear canal, I expected the earbuds to shift every time I went for a jog or suddenly moved my head. That hasn't been the case, as the cuff-like grip is strong enough to stay secure and stable at all times. I even did a vigorous headshake test and they didn't budge.

What makes this type of earbud stable is that it grips the outer ear gently, making it more stable without needing a snug fit like most in-ear buds. For this reason, they don't lose grip over time and there's no need to nudge them back in place constantly. This stability makes running and exercising a whole new experience.

The model I tested was so comfortable to forget checking whether they're still secure. They rarely budge enough to be very noticeable and always stay put in most scenarios. The UU2 earbuds have yet to fail me so far.

One of the biggest and most important differences that give clip-on earbuds an edge over standard in-ear earbuds and over-ear headphones is how they handle your surroundings. With the clip-on, I get to enjoy my music without losing touch with the world. This means it's easier to avoid accidents when out in public since my ear canals are open. It's not 100% foolproof but I always hear vehicles, motorbikes, and other safety-critical things while enjoying a podcast or some music.

I find having my ear canals open to be more effective than "awareness mode" on traditional earbuds, which relies on built-in mics to relay sounds around you. The latter means having to place my entire trust on the mics capturing, processing and passing on critical sounds quickly enough for me to react. I just trust my ears more than gadgets, since these can glitch out. I also forget to turn awareness mode occasionally.

Always being aware means I can always hear when someone calls my name. If a car loses control and I'm in the way, I don't have to hope I have transparency mode on. In all these scenarios and more, the extra awareness brought by clip-on earbuds is a genuine safety feature.

The final surprise for me was how easily I hit the ground running with my clip-on earbuds and how quickly they blended into my routine. I wear glasses all day with the occasional hat and that can be uncomfortable with in-ear earbuds and over-head headphones. If long hair joins the mix, listening to music becomes an unpleasant experience. I don't have to worry about these conflicts when wearing clip-ons — I can put everything on and still be able to comfortably enjoy music and make hands-free calls.

Another great thing is that I can start talking to someone nearby even with the music on, instead of fumbling around trying to hit pause or having to take the earbuds off. I always have enough time to slowly pull out my phone and turn off the music without delaying a conversation.

It's always a good sign when a gadget blends this well into your routine. My clip-ons reached this stage much faster than I anticipated and they could do the same for you too. Of course, there are other earbuds worth checking out besides the UU2 that I've tested. Some well-reviewed models that won't break the bank include the Baseus Bowie MC2, the CMF Clip Pro, and the EarFun Clip 2.