This was published 3 months ago
Did Dyson just launch the next must-have celebrity accessory?
First it came for your carpet, then it came for your heaters and your hair – now, Dyson is after your ears.
As Generation Z embrace the retro-appeal of Y2K wired headphones, which appear in campaigns for Chanel and Kim Kardashian’s underwear brand Skims, Dyson has pushed ahead with a futuristic over-ear wireless headphone.
I risked countless curious stares of the WTF variety to see whether the Dyson OnTrac ($799) can lure supermodels Kaia Gerber and Lily-Rose Depp, along with Drake and actor Paul Mescal, away from old-school wire headphones.
Kaia Gerber, Lily-Rose Depp and Paul Mescal champion the revival of Y2K wired headphones.Credit: Getty, supplied
The look
Like all Dyson products, OnTrac headphones have a distinctive look. “Is that a vacuum for your head?” a colleague asks me in the elevator at work, loud enough to be heard over the usually efficient noise-cancelling.
To be clear, there is no nozzle, but the outer ear aluminum caps, which come in four colours, have a chunky, industrial look that sits somewhere between sexy cyborg and a product designed to suck. So far, it’s not screaming something Gerber would wear unless taking part in a runway tribute to designer Thierry Mugler’s cyborg-inspired looks from the ’90s.
The Dyson OnTrac headphones, with interchangeable ear caps.
One area in which the OnTrac appeals to the fashion focused is the interchangeable aluminium caps and ear cushions available in various colours ($79). The attachments offer more opportunities for personalisation than Apple’s AirPods Max over-ear sets, with their replaceable ear cushions.
Even more distinctive is the headband, which sits higher on the head than the padded Alice band of a tradwife devotee. To achieve an impressive 55-hour battery life, with noise-cancelling activated, Dyson designers placed batteries on either side of the band, with a balancing pad at the top.
Beats and some Bose models only reach 24 hours of battery life, while Apple’s AirPod Max nudge 20 hours, making the personal style sacrifice worthwhile for those who find overnight charging a chore worse than a 10-step Korean cleansing routine.
The sound
When it comes to sound complexity, my knowledge doesn’t extend too far beyond the term bass – I’m lost when you mention woofers. To test the capabilities of the OnTrac, I listened to Sabrina Carpenter’s latest single Taste.
My conclusion? Sabrina Carpenter is very talented.
Using the OnTrac app, there are three sound settings that can be applied: neutral, enhanced and bass boost. The enhanced setting was my favourite, falling slightly short of my AirPods Max, which have the advantage of Spatial Audio. Sabrina Carpenter in Spatial Audio is a vibe.
Even without Carpenter trilling away, the noise cancellation of the OnTrac is effective, thanks to eight microphones positioned around the headset which reportedly sample external sounds 384,000 times a second.
Using Sydney’s new metro line as a testing ground, the AirPods Max were slightly more effective at eliminating background noise.
The OnTrac does have the cool functionality of tapping the ear cup to switch between noise-cancelling and a transparent sound mode. This requires more of a gentle thump than a tap, and it’s difficult to resist asking to be “beamed up” each time.
Functionality
Where Dyson steps ahead of the competition is with intuitive functionality. Basics like the on/off button and joystick control are as easy to master as a stick vacuum. Pressing the joystick also lets you access your phone’s assistant if you’re worried about Siri or Google withdrawals.
Colour options for the Dyson OnTrac headphones.
Head Detect mode pauses the music you are listening to when you remove the headphones, and picks up where you left off when you return them to your head.
Bluetooth connectivity is efficient and the app is to the point, although a sound exposure graph highlighting the past 30 seconds is as useful as an ashtray on a motorcycle.
Comfort
The headphones have been ergonomically designed to evenly distribute the weight of the batteries, which bring the OnTrac to 451 grams, heavier than AirPods Max 385 grams or a Prada bucket hat.
If you’re the type of person who enjoys wearing over-head devices it won’t make too much of a difference. I don’t enjoy it. When I take both Apple and Dyson’s headsets off I experience a relief equivalent to undoing my top jeans button after a slice of mum’s chocolate ripple cake.
Pressure on the head and ear sweating make long term listening an uncomfortable experience that’s only worthwhile on long-haul flights and as a passive-aggressive Do Not Disturb signal in the office.
The verdict
When it comes to battery life, the OnTrac is a clear winner. The jury is out on noise cancellation and sound quality, although Sabrina Carpenter is more of a groove on Apple.
The look will be the deciding factor for many people. If Dyson headphones were a shoe, they would be Crocs – functional, immediately recognisable and still waiting to arrive in Kaia Gerber’s wardrobe.
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