Cleer Audio — the San Diego audio outfit known for its affordable headphones — has taken the wraps off its most wallet-friendly Bluetooth speaker yet.
At £99 (around $120 / AU$180), the Scene seems to have plenty going for it, including dual 48mm neodymium drivers and two passive bass radiators. Cleer sees the device as a new standard for “hi-fi quality audio on the go”.
If the design looks familiar, it’s probably because the Scene follows the blueprint from Stage, the company’s first smart speaker with built-in Alexa. Like its more expensive sibling, the Scene is shockproof and IPX7 waterproof, meaning it can survive a dive in 1m of water for 30 minutes.
Battery life is claimed to be 12 hours per (USB-C) charge, so you should be able to party hard until dawn. That compares well to some of the best Bluetooth speakers, including the industry-leading JBL Flip 6, which cuts out even after 12 hours of jamming.
Digging deeper into the specs, Cleer confirms the presence of Bluetooth 5.0, but doesn’t mention higher-quality streaming codecs such as aptX HD, which supports high-definition audio up to 24-bit/48kHz. Maybe that’s wishful thinking in this price range.
Do you like to combine business with pleasure? The Scene is equipped for conference calls with an echo and noise canceling microphone intended to prevent users from sounding like they are trapped in an elevator.
At £99, the Scene won’t be short of competition, with JBL’s range of portable Bluetooth speakers and Ultimate Ears’ Wonderboom 3 leading the pack. Yet Cleer has form here: three years ago, the company launched the hefty Crescent wireless speaker, complete with no fewer than eight 40mm full-range drivers. Let’s hope the Scene has some of that punch.
Available in red or grey, the Cleer Audio Scene is now available in the UK.
LAKE:
These are the best waterproof speakers
And the best wireless speakers for all budgets
To sweat? You want the best sports headphones