Dyson unveils new headphones without air-purifying feature

After causing a commotion with a new launch in 2022, the tech giant appears to have listened to its customers and “gone back to basics”.

Dyson has just unveiled a new pair of headphones – but this time, the product doesn’t come with the air-purifying visor that sent the world into a spin.

The British tech-giant caused a commotion when it announced the Dyson Zone, the brand’s first foray into the audio market, back in March 2022 – but not in the way it had hoped.

While the product delivered sound quality of the highest standard, it also featured an air purifier that ran from ear to ear that filtered pesky pollutants while walking outside.

It’s appearance was so striking, some compared the device to the helmet worn by Darth Vader, as others questioned whether it was an April Fool’s joke.

The reaction was so strong, Dyson had to step in and confirm the Zone was in fact, a legitimate product.

So it’s fair to say, the product’s musical abilities were lost in the chaos.

But now it seems the British brand, famed for inventing the bagless vacuum, wants everyone to know it’s firmly in the audio biz.

Dyson has unveiled the OnTrac headphones which promise to deliver ‘enhanced sound range’ and ‘best-in-class noise-cancellation’. Picture: Supplied

It's the first audio product for the brand that come without the controversial air-purifying feature on its Zone. Picture: Supplied

Dyson reckons its new OnTrac headphones, which are priced at $799, deliver “best-in-class noise-cancellation” as well as an “enhanced sound range”.

For the music junkies who like to get deep into the details, the new headphones reproduce frequencies from as low as 6 Hertz to as high as 21,000 Hertz, which provides listeners with a “deep sub-bass that you can feel” as well as clear highs at the upper end of the frequency range.

The headphones have also been engineered to have the speaker housing tilting at 13 degrees towards the ear, which Dyson said gives listeners a “more direct audio response”.

Meanwhile the tech that keeps noises out, so music can be enjoyed interruption free, is also top notch.

Jake Dyson, Chief Engineer, said the brand ‘wanted to create a set of headphones that people would cherish, be excited by, and be proud of’. Picture: Supplied

Dyson said it has created an “optimal listening environment” within the OnTrac headphones that features a custom Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) algorithm which uses 8 microphones, sampling external sound 384,000 times a second.

This combines with superior materials and carefully designed internal geometry to cancel up to 40dB of unwanted noise, Dyson claimed.

“Dyson’s audio engineering mission is to preserve the integrity of the artist’s sound wave, free from interference,” Jake Dyson, Chief Engineer said.

“We also wanted to create a set of headphones that people would cherish, be excited by, and be proud of.

“With over 30 years of experience in aeroacoustics, we’ve mastered sound physics. By reducing noise through in-house anechoic chambers and expert engineers, we’ve applied and further expanded our audio knowledge to develop the Dyson OnTrac headphones.”

You can customise the colour of the device with interchangeable outer caps and ear cushions Picture: Supplied

The result is the brand’s “first over-ear audio only headphones deliver best-in-class ANC, exceptional sound quality, and all-day comfort through unique materials, design and customisation”, he added.

For those that like to change up their look regularly, the OnTrac headphones feature over 2000 customisable colour combinations on its outer caps and ear cushions.

No matter whether you opt for blue, green or yellow, each ear cushion is crafted from ultra-soft microfibre and high-grade foam to give users a “superior comfort and acoustic seal”.

And the battery, which is “uniquely positioned in the headband ensure balanced weight distribution”, can last for as long as 55 hours.

Reaction to the $799 device is already much more positive than to the Dyson Zone. Picture: Supplied

It’s a much more subtle and confident approach to an audio product for Dyson compared to the Dyson Zone which can still be purchased for $999.

The product, which took six years to develop in a bid to solve poor city air quality, became the butt of many online jokes following its release – with one expert even declaring it “the worst tech product” of that year.

In contrast, the OnTrac headphones have received much more positive welcome.

“Dyson’s dropping the mask and going back to basics,” one wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Thursday.

“Thank God that bizarre air purification system is gone,” another said.

The Dyson OnTrac hits shelves in Australia from August 28 in four colourways, including CNC Aluminium, Copper, Nickel and Ceramic Cinnabar. The custom outer caps and ear cushions in various colours and finishes will be available to purchase at an additional cost.