When Dyson Zone headphones with a visor for beaming fresh air into your nose were released a couple of years ago, we were taken aback by the idea. Although the prospective buyers didn’t show much affinity towards the unconventional ANC cans costing $1,000, we knew Dyson was working under wraps to reclaim lost glory in the headphones segment. They were poised to take the heat to Sony 1000XM5, Bose QuietComfort Ultra, Apple AirPods Max, Bowers & Wilkins PX7, and Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless.
This time the UK-based consumer tech giant has come up with a more conventional pair of headphones that are ultra-customizable. Meet the Dyson OnTrac headphones that tout class-leading ANC performance akin to the QuietComfort Ultra and AirPods Max. Audio quality is also the USP just like B&W PX7 or Momentum 4 Wireless. Priced at the upper end of the consumer tech segment, the cans have enough meat to pack a punch.
Designer: Dyson
The color customization of the headphones makes them stand out from the crowd with more than 2,000 possible combinations of the interchangeable outer cap covers and ear cushions made out of ultra-soft microfiber material. This is on top of the 4 basic color options in different material choices including CNC Copper, CNC Aluminium and CNC Black Nickel. OnTrac will also come in a special Ceramic Cinnabar version draped in a painted finish with a ceramic feel.
The headphones have an eight-microphone system capable of 40 decibels of reduction in unwanted sound courtesy of the 384,000 sound sampling per second. Good sound quality is a priority for the creators of the headphones, hence, the OnTracs feature 40mm drivers to reproduce the frequencies as intended by the artist. The frequency range of 6Hz to 21,000Hz makes you feel the rumble of sub-bass without muffling things and the highs are crystal clear. The Bluetooth codecs supported include SBC, AAC and the newer LHDC version.
The superior performance of the ANC doesn’t take a toll on the battery as Dyson promises 55 hours of impressive backup with Active Noise Canceling turned on. A charge of half an hour will juice them up for around 9 hours of playback. The controls for toggling volume levels, track change and ANC on/off are done with a tactile joystick button on the outside of either cup. Comfort is also important so the multi-pivot gimbal arms ensure the right amount of clamping force to prevent any pressure on the ears.
