Cleer Scene Portable Bluetooth Speaker Review

I have previously reviewed quite a few Cleer earphones and headphones. They have been a consistently good brand providing high-quality products at an attractive price point. I reviewed the Cleer Ally Plus II over a year ago, and I still use them quite frequently now.

Cleer is now hoping to make a dent in the portable speaker market. Much like earphones, this is a highly competitive niche with plenty of well-established brands. So, can the Cleer Scene stand out from the crowd?

Specification

• IPX7 water-resistant and shockproof design
• Dual 48mm dynamic drivers for room-filling sound
• Powerful digital stereo amplifier
• Built-in noise cancellation microphone
• Extended 12 hour battery life

Design & Build Quality

This is moderately more attractive than some of the speakers I have reviewed recently (all of the Tronsmart speakers), but it isn’t as stylish as the Marshall Emberton II or Edifier MP230.

The Edifier sacrifices durability for those looks. It lacks any IP ratings, whereas this has an IPX7 rating, so you can feel safe taking it to the beach or poolside.

On each end of the speaker is a passive radiator, and with the music dialled up, you will see them bounce along with the tune. The dual passive radiator design seems to allow these to produce a good level of bass without it being excessive or dropping off at higher volumes.

There is not much else going on with the speaker. You have your usual buttons to power up, Bluetooth pairing and simple controls. The USB-C port and 3.5mm port are protected behind a rubber tab to maintain that IPX7 rating.

The speaker also has a built-in microphone so you can take calls etc.

There is no app, WiFi, speaker pairing, EQ or any fancy features. At this price point, that’s what I would expect, and I prefer it this way, I just want a speaker to sound good.

In Use / Sound Quality

I have to admit that small Bluetooth speakers are not my favourite products. The small size makes them ideal for travelling, but more often than not I find that they struggle to produce the volume or bass that I want from a speaker. I’d sooner go to the hassle of lugging around something larger so I can enjoy things properly.

This is different.

It doesn’t seem to be the loudest small speaker I have reviewed, but I found that when you dial up the volume, it doesn’t suffer from the same harshness as most other speakers. It seems to be able to maintain the bass levels relative to the other frequencies. I was able to comfortably dial this up to full volume without suffering from any significant distortion. For competing speakers, I often find that I can only dial things up to 50%, any higher, and I find the harshness that gets introduced becomes uncomfortable.  

The overall sound quality is overall, very enjoyable. There is bass emphasis, but it is not excessive as you might find with some speakers.

I used this in my kitchen on a wooden table. Normally this is a challenging environment for small speakers with lots of hard surfaces in a big room, but this handles things with ease. When I left the room and walked around the house, I could still easily hear it, and again, it sounded good, as if it was a much larger speaker.

I haven’t timed the battery life, but 12 hours is a bit on the low end for these speakers. The Emberton II has a 30-hour life! However, I haven’t had an issue with it, you charge it via USB-C and can extend the battery using a power bank.

Price and Alternative Options

The Cleer Scene is priced at £99 and is available via Hifiheadphones.co.uk and AV.com.

Hifiheadphones.co.uk have already knocked 10% off, taking it down to £89

I have recently reviewed the Edifier MP230, which is the same price and a lot more attractive than this speaker, but it is not waterproof and doesn’t sound as good.

The Marshall Emberton II is £150, but the original is around £100. The Emberton is also much more attractive, and they have an app to customise the sound, but again, I prefer the sound quality of this speaker.

I have not used it, but you can rarely go wrong with Soundcore, and they have the Soundcore Motion Boom, which is a bit cheaper, bigger (1.5 kg vs 1.3kg) and likely louder. It is a well-reviewed speaker and probably a good alternative. The Boom Plus isn’t much more expensive, and that’s much bigger and louder.

Overall

I have been very impressed with the Cleer Scene speaker. Where it lacks in fancy features, it makes up for in sound quality. If you just want a Bluetooth speaker that sounds good without any app control, multi speakers or smart features, then I think you will be hard-pressed to find something much better than this for £100.

James Smythe( Editor-in-chief )

I am James, a UK-based tech enthusiast and the Editor and Owner of Mighty Gadget, which I’ve proudly run since 2007. Passionate about all things technology, my expertise spans from computers and networking to mobile, wearables, and smart home devices.

As a fitness fanatic who loves running and cycling, I also have a keen interest in fitness-related technology, and I take every opportunity to cover this niche on my blog. My diverse interests allow me to bring a unique perspective to tech blogging, merging lifestyle, fitness, and the latest tech trends.

In my academic pursuits, I earned a BSc in Information Systems Design from UCLAN, before advancing my learning with a Master’s Degree in Computing. This advanced study also included Cisco CCNA accreditation, further demonstrating my commitment to understanding and staying ahead of the technology curve.

I’m proud to share that Vuelio has consistently ranked Mighty Gadget as one of the top technology blogs in the UK. With my dedication to technology and drive to share my insights, I aim to continue providing my readers with engaging and informative content.