We saw a hint of audio ambitions from Dyson last year with the gimmicky Zone headphones-slash-air-purifying-mask, but the company is really stepping into the space with the OnTrac, its first dedicated high-end noise-cancelling headphones.The Dyson OnTrac over-ear headphones feature 40mm, 16-ohm neodymium speaker drivers with a frequency range of 6Hz to 21kHz. That’s wider than most headphones’ 20Hz-20kHz stated ranges and identical to the Dyson Zone’s. The OnTrac also has an active noise cancellation (ANC) system that uses eight microphones that sample outside noise 384,000 times per second. According to Dyson, it can block out up to 40dB of noise. That’s more advanced than the Dyson Zone, but appears to be the same ANC configuration as the upgraded Zone Absolute+, which we have not tested.We weren’t very impressed with the original Zone, which launched at $950 and is now available for a still-steep $700. Its air filter helps reduce both harmful particles and unpleasant smells, but it’s heavy and expensive. Its sound and ANC performance are both good, but not “$950 good.” The OnTrac might fix those issues with a less clunky design since it doesn’t need to accommodate an air filter system, and its noise cancellation system is more advanced.
(Credit: Dyson)
The OnTrac is more customizable than either Zone, with four different finishes (CNC aluminum, black nickel, copper, and ceramic cinnabar) and swappable earpads and earcup caps. The earpads and caps each come in seven different colors, which adds up to 2,000 different color combinations, Dyson says. The additional pads and caps are $49.99 per set.
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Even without an air filter, the OnTrac is still a Dyson product, so it’s not cheap. It retails for $499.99 direct from Dyson’s website, putting it in line with noise-cancelling heavy hitters like the Editors’ Choice Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones and the Apple AirPods Max.Dyson has a lot to prove in the headphone space, but it’s established itself as a top name in vacuums, fans, air filters, and even styling equipment, with products that have earned Editors’ Choice awards in each category. It doesn’t always hit it out of the park, though; Dyson has yet to impress us with its robot vacuums. We’ll have to see just how serious the company is with headphones when we test the OnTrac, and if it can justify the price as well as it has for Dyson cooling and cleaning products.
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