Review: I tried Dyson’s OnTrac noise-cancelling headphones

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I first tried the new Dyson OnTrac headphones for Mashable back in July. After spending a couple of months testing them out, the verdict is in: These headphones sound incredible. They’re also supremely comfortable, making it easy to bliss out to my favorite music. I’ve been bopping my head and doing embarrassing air drums more in the past two months than I have in the last decade.

The OnTrac headphones also have a signature feature that I’m still wrapping my head around, even as the headphones are literally wrapped around my head. I’m talking about the 55-hour battery life — and that’s with Active Noise Cancellation engaged.

Overall, I’m loving the new headphones, but I’ve found some pain points that might make you hesitate before dropping $499.99 on your own pair.

Dyson breaks into consumer audio

Dyson has released headphones before. You might remember the bizarre and slightly dystopian Dyson Zone, the headphones with a built-in mask and air purifier. (We all got a little weird during the pandemic, right?). With the OnTrac, Dyson is launching a whole new product line, so let’s forget about the Zone, which is for the best.

With its headphones, Dyson enters a crowded market. Sonos recently launched the Ace headphones, the brand’s new high-end headphones. Dyson also has to contend with Sony, Master & Dynamic, Bose, Marshall, and others.

Dyson has a reputation for innovative engineering, and when these shiny new cans first dropped, I asked, “Can Dyson do for headphones what it’s done for vacuums and hair dryers?” I have an answer this time, and it’s not quite. They’re impressive, but they’re hardly the only headphones worth buying in 2024.

A clever design hack gets you 50+ hours of battery

When you look at the OnTrac headphones, they appear to have three cushions along the inner side of the headband. However, only the top component is actually a cushion. Dyson added batteries in the other pieces, letting them blow other brands away in the race for longer battery life.

For comparison, Sony’s flagship XM5 headphones offer 29-ish hours of battery life with ANC. Bose’s QuietComfort Ultras offer 24 hours. And the Beats Studio Pro also cap out at 24 hours. (Apple’s AirPods Max are now several generations behind, and don’t even break the 24-hour mark.)

With more than double the battery life of major competitors, this is much more than an incremental improvement. It’s the kind of genius Dyson design hack that seems totally obvious in retrospect, and we expect other brands to follow Dyson’s lead here. The gains are just too big to ignore.

(Read more about the battery life in the “How We Tested” section below.)

Colorful, swappable components

You can buy these headphones in three pre-set colorways: CNC Copper, CNC Black Nickel, and Ceramic Cinnabar. The machine-cut aluminum ear plates and cushions come in a variety of colors, and you can purchase the ones you like best to customize your headphones.

You can buy the extra accessories from Dyson, and this is another feature I hope other brands imitate. (I’m talking about expanded personalization, not making people pay extra for it.) The skin-tone headphones and transparent earbuds from Beats are always popular, and Apple’s mint AirPods Max are still a popular fashion accessory years after their release.

Let’s talk about the sound

Here’s the headline: The sound rocks. I’ve previously tested the Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones and earbuds for Mashable, and I’ve personally used Beats, Apple, and Jabra products in the past. These are the best headphones I’ve tested yet.

According to Dyson, “Most headphones operate on a frequency range from 20 to 20,000 Hertz. Our technology expands that range, from 6 Hertz at the low end to 21,000 Hertz at the top.” The brand says that results in improved bass, treble, and overall audio clarity, and I believe them.

These headphones sound superb, truly. They’re the second-best audio experience I’ve ever heard. The only sound that beats it? xMems ultrasonic audio technology, which isn’t yet available to consumers.

The sound really does sound true to life, and I’ve been listening on the Bass Boost mode because I have weak hearing on the low end of the spectrum. I can appreciate entirely new details in some of my favorite songs, and I’ve been listening to more music than I have in years thanks to these headphones.

If you want to disappear into a bubble of sound and enjoy your music to the fullest, these headphones deliver a powerful experience. The spatial audio isn’t as advanced as what you get with the newest Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones, but the overall audio experience is mighty impressive.

Noise cancellation: Also very impressive

Dyson promises these headphones will deliver 40 decibels of noise cancellation. The over-ear headphones provide plenty of passive noise cancellation, and with active noise cancellation added to the mix, most ambient noises drop away like magic. It’s not 100 percent noise cancellation, but it’s very good.

The noise cancellation works well on calls, too. During a test call, a friend was able to tell that I was calling on headphones, but they could barely hear the train passing in the near distance.

And did I mention you can listen to music with ANC engaged for up to 55 hours? Again, I say, holy shit.

Comfort is king

I won’t expand too much on the comfort of these headphones because I don’t need too many words to describe it: They’re really comfortable.

Between the design of the headband and the ear cushions, I’ve had no problems with fatigue, weight distribution, or discomfort while listening to music. You could easily wear these for a cross-country flight without issue. I found that I could angle the precise position of the ear cups, and the cups would stay firmly in that position, which added to the comfortable fit.

One drawback — they’re not particularly comfortable around your neck, i.e. when you’re not listening to music. So, I don’t expect people to wear them as an accessory like you see with the Apple AirPods Max.

My biggest gripe: The clunky design

For my Dyson OnTrac headphones review, I tried to set aside my feelings about the aesthetics and stay objective. But I have to say it: I hate that these headphones say “Dyson” prominently on the headband. Both sides of the headphones have the brand name above the cups. Unless I’m overpaying for a fancy new Burberry sweater, I hate when products have the brand name written on them.

Overall, I expect the aesthetics to be divisive, in a love-it or hate-it kind of way. Dyson embraced a chunkier design here, I suspect because of the camouflaged batteries in the headband. This contrasts with the slicker, more minimalist approach of other manufacturers.

Controls and connectivity

These headphones feature a mini joystick-like toggle that lets you control your music and volume. I found this a lot better than touch controls, and the headphones have proven to be super user-friendly.

The same goes for setup and the MyDyson app (the app tracks your usage and ambient sound exposure throughout the day). Unfortunately, they do fail in one respect: multipoint Bluetooth pairing.

I couldn’t get the headphones to easily switch between my devices. If I connected them to my MacBook for a Zoom call but wanted to switch back to my iPhone, I first had to go into my MacBook’s Bluetooth settings, disconnect the headphones, then go into the settings on my iPhone to reconnect. It was annoying.

Are the Dyson OnTrac headphones worth it?

That’s the $499.99 question. In terms of audio quality, battery life, and comfort, these headphones definitely justify that price tag. And if you like the customization aspects of the design, then they’re a smart purchase.

But if aesthetics and vibes are as important to you as comfort and audio quality, then your decision comes down to how much you like the OnTrac design.

The Dyson OnTrac headphones are available at Dyson, Amazon, and Best Buy for $499.99.