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If you’re looking to buy for loved ones (or even yourself), consider the music lover, the podcast listener or the frequent commuter in your life and know that at least one time or another, owning a pair of noise-cancelling headphones has definitely crossed their mind.
I know I have – I’m obsessed when it comes to the quality of the audio that comes out of my headphones. A good pair of Bluetooth wireless headphones — one that can handle crisp highs and deep bass without static — genuinely makes a difference when listening to music.
And trust and believe, I want COMPLETE SILENCE when it comes to my headphones’ sound cancelling abilities.
While there’s loads of big names in headphones that you’d go to for the above, we’ve been left seriously impressed by a lesser expected contender... Dyson.
Yup, you may know them for their super powerful vacuums and the iconic Airwrap, but Dyson have officially entered the chat when it comes to headphones.
We weren’t sure what to expect when we tried out their new release – Dyson OnTrac™ headphones – but as it turns out, these might just be the best piece of tech we’ve tried out this year.
These bad boys boast a whopping 55 hours of battery life – we repeat 55 whole hours – and you can customise them with endless colour options for both their caps and cushions, which fit snuggly for a perfect over ear seal.
They’re super comfy and are designed for all day wear – we were a bit daunted by the sheer size of them at first (would it give Cyberman?) but actually, facts are facts, they’re maximalism at its coolest.
Alongside sound cancelling that plunged us into silence (apologies to the several drivers I missed thanks to just how good they were at cancelling out the noise of my flat’s buzzer), the sound the Dyson OnTrac headphones kick out is seriously impressive. The headphones feature 40mm, 16-Ohm neodymium speaker drivers, reproducing frequencies from 6Hz to as high as 21,000Hz – giving you a super crisp sound.
Most headphones operate on a frequency range from 20 to 20,000 Hertz – so Dyson have gone above and beyond with these headphones.
Sensors in the ear cups can tell when they’re removed from the ears and pause your audio – your audio simply resumes automatically once you put your headphones back on, without wasting any battery.
As for the sound cancelling specifics, the Dyson OnTrac headphones offer five options:
- Full isolation mode: The maximum level of Active noise cancellation (ANC), reducing surrounding noise.
- Reduced isolation mode: Allows a little external noise through. Ideal in silent spaces if the full mode feels too quiet..
- Full transparency mode: Hear outside noise to stay aware of your surroundings.
- Reduced transparency mode: Tones down the outside noise when the surrounding sounds are a little too distracting.
- Off: This deactivates the ANC. The ear cups still provide a natural reduction of noise (Passive noise cancellation).
Fortunately, swapping between modes couldn’t be easier – just double tap on either cup.
The MyDyson™ app was also a cracking extra we loved – by connecting your headphones to it, you can also control Equaliser settings (you can choose from enhanced mode, a bass boost mode and a neutral mode), monitor real-time sound tracking, toggle through ANC modes, troubleshoot, and get support.
It’ll even notify you if you’re blasting music too loudly, so your ears will thank you in the long run.
Our verdict? When it comes to high-end headphones, Dyson OnTrac headphones stand up against their long-established rivals and tick every single box (all while looking so good people will stop you to ask about them).
