When Dyson revealed It is Zone Helmet In early 2022, the company combined its air filtration expertise with noise-canceling headphones. COVID-19 was still very much a part of our lives at the time, but the Zone doesn’t protect you from the virus. Instead, it’s supposed to provide less polluted air as you move through the day, battling things like urban toxins and seasonal allergens. However, extremely short battery life and a $949 price tag marred this early model, making it a less than accessible device for the general public.
The company is back today with its first “audio-only” over-ear headphones, the Dyson OnTrac. There’s no Bane-like mask or air filtration system here, just a pair of noise-canceling headphones with a decidedly Dyson design and a premium price tag of $500. Battery life is no longer an issue, and the company is touting both the active noise-canceling (ANC) performance and audio quality on the OnTrac. There are also over 2,000 customization combinations for the outer caps and ear cushions, letting you change the look to your heart’s content.
The design of the OnTrac earbuds certainly looks like something that would come from the same company that built the V12 stick vacuum, Airstrait hair straightener, and Cool air purifiers. Dyson combined premium materials with ergonomics to create the proper seal for audio and ANC while maintaining comfort. The company used aluminum, copper, nickel, and ceramic for the earcups’ outer caps and “ultra-soft microfiber” foam cushions on the ear pads. There are also “multi-pivot gimbal arms” to help increase comfort and relieve pressure. Additionally, Dyson moved the battery to the headband for better weight distribution.
Inside, the OnTrac is equipped with 40mm, 16-ohm neodymium drivers that Dyson says are capable of a frequency response of 6Hz to 21kHz. That covers more of the audio spectrum than the standard 20Hz to 20kHz range most headphones offer. The company also angled the drivers 13 degrees toward your ears for better acoustic performance. All of this combines to deliver “deep bass you can feel and clear highs at the top end of the frequency range.” Dyson promises that the OnTrac will also “reveal hidden details.”
The OnTrac’s ANC setup is comprised of eight microphones that Dyson says sample external sound 384,000 times per second. These work with a custom noise-cancelling algorithm and “carefully engineered internal geometry” to achieve 40dB of noise blocking, according to the company. Battery life won’t be an issue either, as long as Dyson’s claims hold true. The company says the OnTrac is capable of up to 55 hours of use with ANC enabled, thanks to two high-capacity lithium-ion battery cells. A 10-minute charge will give you up to 2.5 hours of use, while 30 minutes will get you 9.5 hours (with ANC enabled in both cases). Meanwhile, inline playback and volume controls are handled by a “joystick” on the back edge of the right earcup. You can double-tap the outside of either earbud to turn ANC on or off.
The OnTrac earbuds will be available in aluminum/orange, copper/blue, black nickel, and ceramic red from Dyson for $500. Replacement eartips and cushions will be available for $50 for a set of two. Only a few colors will be available from other retailers, so you’ll have to buy most options directly from Dyson.