Dyson is announcing its second pair of headphones today. The company’s first attempt, the Dyson Zone, was to combine air-purifying headphones and noise-canceling headphones into one product. But this time, Dyson is ditching the Bane mask and going all-in on customization.
New $499.99 OnTrac Headphones Feature Replaceable Ear Cushions And headphones, allowing you to completely change your style far beyond what’s possible with other manufacturers’ products. I’ve seen enough silicone cases and stickers on Apple’s AirPods Max to know that people are eager to put their own stamp on their earbuds.
The basics of the OnTrac—the headband, pivoting arms, and controls (with a joystick)—are pretty similar to the Zone. The headband still has three bumps; the left and right ones contain battery cells, while the middle one is just a soft cushion for your head. It’s around the outer caps where Dyson starts to mix things up.
The headphones come in four different colorways. Basically, you choose the headband color, as pretty much everything else can be customized later. “CNC Aluminum” has a gray finish with bright yellow ear cushions; “CNC Copper” features a purple headband and matching ear cushions with shiny copper ear cups; “Ceramic Cinnabar” has a light red (bordering on pink) headband, matte ear cups in the same color, and dark ear cushions. Then there’s “CNC Black Nickel,” and as the name suggests, this one has everything in black and looks demure compared to the rest of the lineup.
Of the ones I saw at a briefing in New York, the CNC aluminum one caught my eye the most. The silver and yellow combo gives off a fun audiophile vibe to me. The OnTrac ear cushions are made of foam, and Dyson will offer seven different colors in total, along with seven different styles of outer shells. The caps come off with a twisting motion that took only a few tries to remove. You can choose between metallic and matte options, and they retail for $49.99 per pair. You’re free to mix and match the colors however you like for some pretty wacky combinations. Dyson says there are “over 2,000 customizable color combinations for the outer caps and ear cushions.”
The goal here is to offer a level of customization never seen before. But it takes more than that to justify a $500 pair of headphones. To that end, Dyson claims the OnTrac offers best-in-class noise cancellation thanks to an eight-microphone system, and as was the case with the Zone, you can monitor the amount of noise around you using the companion smartphone app.
Battery life is another highlight of these headphones: they can last up to 55 hours of continuous listening on a single charge. That easily beats Apple, Bose, and Sony, but falls just short of the 60 hours of the Sennheiser Momentum 4, which also offers active noise cancellation. There’s on-head detection, so the headphones automatically pause music when you take them off, but unfortunately Dyson didn’t include multipoint.
The OnTracs feature 40-millimeter drivers that “reproduce frequencies from 6 Hz to 21,000 Hz, delivering deep bass you can feel and clear highs at the upper end of the frequency range.” And those drivers are angled toward your ears for more direct audio delivery. You can plug in for wired listening with a 3.5mm to USB-C adapter, but there’s no standalone headphone jack. As for Bluetooth codecs, the OnTracs support SBC, AAC, and the lesser known LDHC for better wireless audio. Unfortunately, the latter only works with select phones from Motorola, OnePlus, Nothing, and a few other brands. Samsung and Google fans are out of luck.
Dyson includes a collapsible carrying case with the OnTrac vacuums that offers limited protection; there’s plenty of room for water or dirt to get inside, so that’s something to keep in mind.
Dyson clearly isn’t ready to give up on the headphone market after its very unconventional first attempt. I think the OnTrac headphones make a lot more sense for broader appeal. They have the same “I’ve never seen headphones like this” effect as the Zone – but without the “I’d never be seen in public wearing these” part. I’m very curious to see how they fare once you factor in the unique styling and focus on sound quality and ANC. Can they really compete with the heavyweight competition? More on that soon.
For now, here are some more photos for those who would never consider purchasing the OnTrac but still want to take a close look.
Photography (excluding main image) by Chris Welch / The Verge