It was a bold move for Dyson to jump into the audio deep end. Dyson is allowed to experiment, but with the Dyson Zone, it tried to be a lot of things. On the one hand, it’s a pair of headphones, but it’s also an air purifier? It’s as if the brand was unsure of its foray into the audio space and was still clinging to the iconic fans that made it famous in the first place. Those two disparate functions—audio fidelity and air purification—found a tenuous middle ground in the Zone, but not only was the design ridiculous (Bane, anyone?), it was heavy, and in some cases, the air purification sensors weren’t as accurate as they should have been. But the noise cancellation and audio fidelity showed promise, which brings us to the brand’s first audio-only headphones: the Dyson OnTrac.
Drawing on 30 years of aeroacoustics research and development, Dyson has developed its own custom Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) algorithm. The ear cushions on the earbuds create a seal over the ears and each earbud is equipped with eight microphones that cancel external sounds at 384,000 times per second and reduce noise by up to 40dB. Armed with 40mm, 16-ohm neodymium drivers and advanced audio signal processing, you get clear audio. You get your highs and lows with a wide frequency range, from a resonant 6 Hertz to a crisp 21,000 Hertz. Another feature is the 13-degree tilt of the speaker housing towards the ear for a more direct audio response.
The battery life is up to 55 hours. For weight distribution, instead of being housed in the shells, two high-capacity lithium-ion battery cells are positioned at 10 and 2 o’clock on the headband. The ergonomics of the headset are excellent. We’ve been wearing it for about two hours and we have no tension in the neck or temples. The high-quality foam ear cushions and multi-pivot gimbal arms relieve pressure on the ears, while the soft micro-suede ear cushions and optimized clamping force ensure a consistent and comfortable fit.
Design and customization
What sets this headset apart from all the others is that the Dyson OnTrac allows you to customize the ear cushion and outer shells. Usually, this type of feature is disabled to preserve the integrity of the speakers, but Dyson is confident enough that even when you swap out the modular ear cushion and shells, the Dyson OnTrac will work as well as it should.
The Dyson OnTrac comes in four basic colours: aluminium (finished using CNC machining); copper; nickel and a cinnabar ceramic variant with a painted finish similar to ceramic. Then you have customisable caps and pads in different shades, giving you over 2,000 colour combinations. The caps are made from high-quality aluminium and are available in anodised or ceramic finishes.
THE Dyson OnTrac Headphones retails for SGD699 and will be available in September 2024 at all Dyson retail locations and online.