Baseus Bowie MC1 Pro vs. EarFun Clip

See the accompanying YouTube link at the bottom of this post!

The style of earbud that looks much like ear jewelry seems to be very popular lately. I'm going to call these clipbuds to distinguish them from the hook-style and normal in-ear styles of buds that are also available from many brands. For many people, clipbuds are more comfortable than hook-style or in-ear models and they allow you to hear your surroundings, so they can be popular for exercising outside or for use inside when you need to hear your family or co-workers.

Cases
The EarFun and Baseus cases are very similar in shape, size, and weight. The Baseus case feels a bit more dense, but it is also a little bit more rounded than the EarFun. This shape means that the Baseus case has to lay on its back and cannot stand up, but you can stand the EarFun case up on its bottom edge and this can make storing it a little bit easier. They both have small LEDs in the middle of the front of the case. The Baseus has a slit in the lid where you can insert your finger or fingernail for easier opening. But neither case is terribly hard to open. Neither case has wireless charging. Both cases have the USB C port and reset button on the bottom.

Earpieces
The earpieces are also very similar. The primary difference is that the bendable clip on the EarFun rubbery matte texture vs. a smoother finish on the Baseus, and the Baseus has a rubbery finish on the portion that goes into your ear. I think, in theory, this should mean the Baseus earpiece has more grip and should move around less in your ear, but in practice, there is very little difference between them. I find both of them reasonably comfortable to wear for longer periods of time - both are substantially more comfortable than I found the 1More S20 I recently reviewed, despite having a similar shape. The EarFun has obvious branding, but it's on the rear portion of the earpiece, so it's not as ostentatious as you get with some audio products.

Controls
I was very happy to see that both products have buttons. This makes them less annoying to use on a daily basis. The button is on the portion of the earpiece that sits behind your ear, so you aren't pushing the earpiece into your ear to control it. On the Baseus, you can control play/pause, skip ahead/back, and volume with the button. On the EarFun, you can control the same features as well as voice assistant activation.

Microphones
I did a test recording with both clipbuds, and both capture voice in a quiet room well enough to conduct a successful conversation. However, with the 2 extra microphones, the Baseus comes across louder and also does a better job of canceling noise. If noise-canceling microphones are very important to you, you may want to prioritize the Baseus.

Audio - Spoken Word
This comparison reminded me a lot of the Creative Aurvana Ace Mimi against the Soundpeats Capsule 3 Pro+. One product has more "air" or "space" to the sound and the other seems to insert the sound straight into your head without mucking about trying to create the effect of a large soundstage. I really do think that this aspect is subjective. I tend to feel that with earbuds and closed-back headphones, the soundstage effect can feel a bit fake. But I also admit that this is probably just my personal problem because the rest of the internet raves about products having large soundstages and great amounts of air in the sound. I'm just not sure where the unnecessary extra white noise ends and the feeling of soundstage begins. It is hard for me to describe what I really mean when I say this; I realize I'm vocalizing a minority opinion here. I do truly appreciate instrument separation and the sense that the audio isn't congested or crowded. This is probably more specific to music than it is spoken word. At one point, I put in the Baseus clipbuds when my husband was in the room and went to play a YouTube video and immediately stopped it because I was convinced the sound was coming from the tablet and not from the clipbuds. I checked Bluetooth settings, and the sound was in fact coming from the clipbuds. So.. am I sounding hypocritical here for admitting that? Isn't it better that I thought the sound was coming from the room and not from inside my head? I think it comes down to what you value. I think I tend to value clarity and detail and with many products that have the soundstage effect, the sound feels farther away, and that can mess with my perception of clarity and detail. Now, that doesn't mean that there is less clarity and detail per se. But if the sound is in my face (or in my ears, so to speak), it's easier for me to tear apart what I'm hearing. I'm not thinking about the room the speaker is in. To be honest, most of the time, with spoken word, I don't want to think about the room the speaker is in. A lot of YouTubers spend a lot of money to ensure we don't think about the room in which they are recording, but admittedly, those are the audio nerds. Anyway, this isn't a big deal for podcasts or internet video. It might be more of a big deal for audiobooks if soundstage helps with immersion. But in general for spoken word, I'm going to prioritize clarity of voice over almost everything else. Nevertheless, both products have very good clarity for podcasts and internet video. I just prefer the EarFun here because the sound is upfront and less bathroom-y.

Audio - Music
Well, you probably can imagine what I'm going to say about space, so I'll just be brief. There is more space in the sound coming from the Baseus, but to me it translates as more white noise, and I just prefer the cleaner sound of the EarFun. But if that space is valuable to you, you already know to discount whatever I say about this aspect of sound. Outside of that, the sound is very similar. Both have enough bass (for this style of audio product) that you aren't left completely wanting. Both have some EQ features, but the EarFun has a brief audio mini-test called "My Sound Profile" where you can customize the sound based on your hearing. It's very different from other audio test features I've seen before. Here, you go through the EQ bands and turn them down until you can't hear them anymore. The end result becomes your EQ band settings. I'm not sure how I feel about this in theory, but in practice, it actually seems fine. There are also EQ presets for Bass Boost, Treble Boost, Bass Reduction, Treble Reduction, Vocal Enhancement, Vocal Attentuation, Rock, Pop, Country, R&B, Classical, Jazz, Electronic, Dance, Hip-Hop, Metal, Blues, Soul, Hits, Latin, and Natural. It feels like EarFun is gunning for Soundcore when it comes to EQ options. You can also modify the 10-band EQ yourself and save your own presets. The Baseus has presets for Hi-Fi Live, Treble Boost, Rock Classic, Deep Bass, Jazz, and Acoustic. I found the Jazz setting most to my liking. But you can also create your own EQ presets with the 8-band equalizer. Just note that the bands aren't labeled, so you may need to tinker. If I attempted to make the EQ curve similar to what the My Sound Profile setting was on the EarFun, it made them sound less similar and I ended up going back to the Jazz preset. If the My Sound Profile feature works well for you, I think this could be an advantage for the EarFun, along with the extra 2 bands you can customize for your own EQ presets.

Microphones
The EarFun have 2 noise-canceling microphones and the Baseus have 4. The 2 extra microphones do seem to have an effect; the Baseus record louder and do a better job of reducing noise in the background. If microphone quality is very important to you to the extent you'd make a purchasing decision over it, you should probably go with the Baseus. However, the EarFun voice quality is acceptable for calls in a quiet room. It just isn't the best for noisy surroundings.

Connectivity
My connectivity star of late has been the very inexpensive Boytond YYK-S19, another clip-on style of earbud. They don't sound anywhere near as good as these two products, but I can wear them outside and in my basement with no dropouts. The EarFun are almost as good, allowing me to fetch my mail with a closed front door with only a tiny hiccup at the mailbox. The Baseus lose connection in my bathroom and at the edge of my kitchen farthest away from my desk.

Conclusion
To be honest, this is a difficult comparison for me. Both clipbuds sound good and the difference in soundstage is neither an advantage nor disadvantage to me. I prefer the EQ options with the EarFun but the better microphone performance and better resistance to dust and water are definite advantages I do care about. So for you, it really does come down to what you value. If you don't care about microphones, the EarFun's better EQ options may appeal to you. If you want to use the clipbuds outside or for working out, the better IP rating on the Baseus may sway you. I was personally convinced I'd stick with the EarFun until I did the microphone test and now, I'm conflicted. You may need to try out both as well to make a final decision unless clear bugaboos have already been laid out for you.

Specs

EarFun Clip - list price $89, but often on sale at Amazon

https://a.co/d/hpTe4n7
BT 6.0
Hi-Res Certified with LDAC
10.8mm Carbon Composite dynamic drivers
2 mic AI noise canceling
Multipoint connection (with LDAC turned off)
IP55
40 hours - 10 hours on the buds with 30 hours in the case (10 mins yields 2 hours)
Low-latency game mode
EQ presets, Custom EQ

Bowie MC1 Pro - list price $89, but often on sale at Amazon

https://a.co/d/fuOpqE8
BT 6.0
Hi-Res Certified with LDAC
"3 magnet" dynamic driver (Polyurethane +PU + Liquid Crystal Polymer)
4-mic array with AI wind noise shield
Multipoint connection (with LDAC turned off)
IP67
40 hours - 9 hours per charge (10 mins yields 2 hours)
Low-latency game mode
EQ modes, Custom EQ

YouTube Comparison: