Dyson OnTrac Review: Do Dyson's First Over-Ear Audio-Only Headphones Measure Up?

Technology giant Dyson has unveiled its most advanced audio device to date. Meet OnTrac, the brand’s first over-ear audio-only headphones. Remarkably customisable and (unsurprisingly) loaded with technology, the new headphones confirm Dyson‘s long-speculated move into the world of high-end personal audio. Less of a toe-dip and more like a Ron Burgandy-style cannonball, OnTrac will undoubtedly make a splash in the audio industry, but just how big remains to be seen.

I was lucky enough to get my hands on a pair before the official launch, and after spending a few days tinkering and testing, it’s clear that OnTrac is not just a cash grab. With stellar sound quality and impressive active noise cancellation features, I can confidently say that Dyson has thrown down the proverbial gauntlet to the likes of Sonos, Bose, and Sennheiser. This is Dyson’s brave new world. And what’s more, there is not a vacuum cleaner in sight.

Dyson OnTrac Headphones – What You Need to Know

Up to 55 hours of playtime with Active Noise Cancellation enabled
Best-in-class Active Noise Cancellation – technology that samples sounds 384,000 times per second
Ability to reduce unwanted noise by up to 40dB
Impressive audio frequency, as low as 6 Hertz through to 21,000 Hertz
Over 2,000 customisation options with the new CNC aluminium design
Multi-pivot gimbal arms that reduce pressure on the listener’s ears

Dyson OnTrac over-ear headphones | Image: Supplied

Into the Dyson-Verse

As a technology sceptic, I am always wary of new audio players promising to fulfil my high-fidelity hankerings, so when the call from Dyson came in, I was cautiously dubious. Of course, the iconic British brand has no shortage of runs on the board from an innovation perspective, but audio is a completely different game and I was eager to see how the new addition measured up. So I packed up my things and travelled to the British brand’s well-guarded Hullavington production facility, which is housed inside a former World War II aircraft hanger, to find out for myself.

Two days of hands-on experience followed, with a series of engineers running me through each and every element of the new audio device in mind-boggling detail, from audio response to testing and development. The dedication to audio clarity and quality was an unexpected delight and seeing the manufacturing process up close gave me a new appreciation for the logistical and mechanical challenges of crafting high-end technology. Of course, the whirlwind OnTrac experience was not enough to completely convert this sceptic to the Church of Dyson, but I have to admit, I smelled the Kool-Aid…and it wasn’t bad.

Out of the Comfort Zone

Now, as many tech heads will remember, OnTrac isn’t Dyson’s first foray into the world of audio. Last year, the legendary British brand unveiled the Dyson Zone, a wearable air purifier that doubled as a handy, if not slightly ridiculous, set of headphones. Initial reviews were generally positive, but the Zone failed to land a knockout punch, and it wasn’t simply due to the fact that everyone who wore them looked and sounded like Bane.

In many respects, the Zone was a well-intentioned product that should have captured a burgeoning market. Released in the wake of a global pandemic, at a time when air quality was being regularly critiqued to ensure maximum health efficacy, the Dyson Zone represented a unique blending of worlds. On one hand, you had a device capable of purifying the air around you, backed by the world leader in cyclonic technology, and on the other, you had a tech-heavy audio device that promised to deliver pumping bass and triumphant highs. What we got instead, however, was a set of headphones with an inaccessible design and subpar audio.

Dyson OnTrac over-ear headphones | Image: Man of Many

Thankfully, Dyson has learned from past mistakes, revisiting the audio functionality to ensure that the listening experience remains paramount. The changes have been monumental and in an interesting development, have come at the expense of Dyson’s most iconic technology. The new Dyson OnTrac headphones are just the second product in the entire lineup to not feature cyclonic technology anywhere, the other being a hair straightener.

“Certainly, the Zone was completely radical. No one’s ever done that before,” Jake Dyson, chief engineer at the technology company told me. “It gave us a base point for a wonderful product to enter the audio market and obviously, we wouldn’t do this unless we had a lineup of new products. With OnTrac, we’ve done over the ear, because it’s for people who appreciate high-quality audio and noise cancelling, as earbuds can’t do that so well. It’s for people who really, really value listening to music and really understand the quality of it.”

All-In Audio

Dyson’s decision to jettison its most famous innovation comes in response to feedback surrounding the Zone’s design and functionality. That original headphone concept featured an electrostatic filter in each earcup, designed to remove city fumes and ultrafine pollutants to deliver purified air. Great in theory; the only downside is that air purifiers aren’t exactly quiet, and when you are effectively strapping them to your face, things are going to get loud.

To combat this, Dyson engineered a stellar noise cancellation system, but with that much tech under the hood, the Zone wound up being astonishingly heavy. In essence, the Dyson Zone’s great misfire was simply that they were $1,000 air purifiers that doubled as headphones rather than $1,000 headphones that doubled as air purifiers. The Dyson OnTrac changes all of that.

“Dyson’s audio engineering mission is to preserve the integrity of the artist’s sound wave, free from interference,” Jake Dyson explained. “We also wanted to create a set of headphones that people would cherish, be excited by, and be proud of.”

Dyson OnTrac Audio Capabilities

From a technical perspective, the Dyson OnTrac headphones feature two 40mm, 16-ohm neodynium speaker drivers that boast a frequency response of 6Hz to 21kHz. At the top end, that’s less than the 40kHz figure touted by Sony’s much-loved WH-1000XM4 but more than last year’s Bose QuietComfort 45.

At this stage, OnTrac does not have the capabilities for user-controlled EQ; however, the brand suggested that this may come in the future. Instead, the new headphones feature three preset EQ levels: Bass boost, Enhanced, and Neutral. The company’s in-house team of audio engineers has balanced these options with the goal of interdisciplinary coverage.

“The sound is geared to a wide range of music. A lot of other headphones are very focused on one type of music, so it’s quite a broad offering,” Jake Dyson told me. “If you’re going to wear headphones, it is because you want to listen to music or shut yourself off from the world and talk without any influencing sound. A lot of people wear noise-cancelling headphones just for a bit of peace, so you’re in a quiet zone in a noisy environment. Fundamentally, it’s to listen to music. So if you’re going to do anything else with that, it has to be useful as well.”

Dyson OnTrac Active Noise Cancellation

Where Dyson has focused the bulk of its efforts is in the Active Noise Cancellation (ANC). The Zone’s capabilities in this area were surprisingly strong but fell desperately short by virtue of design. For the OnTrac, Dyson has integrated a custom ANC algorithm that uses eight microphones, sampling external sound 384,000 times a second. The brand claims that this, when combined with the new CNC-milled aluminium material, can cancel up to 40dB of unwanted noise.

“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,” Jake Dyson said. “Our first over-ear audio-only headphones deliver best-in-class ANC, exceptional sound quality, and all-day comfort through unique materials, design and customisation.”

Dyson OnTrac Connectivity

As you would expect, the OnTrac has a suite of connectivity options, the most pressing of which is the MyDyson app. Here, you can control EQ options, explore features, and have software updates integrated automatically. Capacitive sensors also detect when earcups are removed from the ears, signalling to pause your audio, with the sound resuming automatically once replaced.

Dyson OnTrac Battery Life

In terms of battery life, the new Dyson OnTrac headphones offer up to 55 hours of playtime with ANC enabled. Considering buds like Sony’s WF-1000XM5 are capable of just eight hours of ANC-enabled listening, that’s a monumental amount. So much so that the team hasn’t even bothered to share non-ANC-enabled figures. When asked how long OnTrac will last without ANC turned on, Dyson’s engineers simply shrugged their shoulders and exclaimed, ‘A lot, we guess’ – which I’m taking as blinding confidence.

Importantly, the extra battery capacity hasn’t resulted in a huge increase in heft, with Dyson confirming that each battery weighs just 30g. The most impressive part, however, is where they are. When I removed the ear caps to switch colours (more on that later), I was shocked to see no batteries at all. Instead, Dyson has made the genius move of suspending the two high-capacity lithium-ion battery cells in the headband, which not only improves weight distribution but keeps the silhouette streamlined.

Dyson claims that three hours of charging will get you back up to full power, with fast charging also enabled. As per the official release, 10 minutes of charging will get you 2.5 hours of ANC-enabled play-time, while 30 minutes of charging will give you 9.5 hours of ANC-enabled use.

Dyson OnTrac Design

Right from the outset, the Dyson OnTrac makes a bold statement. While we are used to seeing the brand approach consumer technology with a more understated tone, OnTrac leverages vibrancy as a differentiator. I got my hands on a set of brushed CNC-aluminium headphones adorned with vivid chrome yellow ear cushions, which make for a striking contrast that feels innately premium. However, the biggest upgrade in design is simply how streamlined they are.

The Zone’s bulk and heft have been replaced with a sleek, slimline design that weighs just 451 grams. Admittedly, that’s not the lightest release on the market, but it’s a huge step up from Dyson’s previous audio efforts. The intuitive joystick, which allows you to play, pause, skip, fast-forward, and rewind through tracks, isn’t quite as intuitive as the name would suggest, but I personally never use these kinds of functions anyway.

Improved Ergonomics

Popping them on, it’s clear that ergonomics have played an important role in the brand’s testing process. The integration of dual gimbal arms reduces the pressure on your head, and the use of soft microsuede ear cushions makes the wearing experience second to none. In all honesty, these are the most comfortable headphones I’ve ever worn.

“We’ve really studied comfort. When I say that, I mean thinking about every head shape, so a very broad range of heads; adapting to the 95th percentile,” Dyson told me. “I’ve done a lot of research, and for the noise cancelling to be able to cancel out motors and wind, and then transfer that when you don’t have motors and wind, means you’ve got something quite advanced. Our competitors haven’t had to do that.”

Customisation

Complementing the new ergonomics are the Dyson OnTrac’s customisation features. While the headphones themselves come in four colourways; CNC aluminium, CNC copper, ceramic mandarin, and CNC black nickel, you are able to add a touch of personality with 2,000 customisable colour combinations for outer caps and ear cushions. You can simply twist and snap the ear caps off whenever you like, replacing them at will. A simple feature, but arguably one of the most impressive from a technology perspective.

Dyson OnTrac Price Australia

Dyson has confirmed that the OnTrac headphones will be available in Australia on Wednesday 28th August; with pricing starting from AUD$799. Considering the Dyson Zone is still going for close to AUD$1,000 on JB Hi-Fi, it’s not a bad result. Make no mistake, $800 for headphones is a lot, particularly one from a largely untested player in the audio space, but after spending a few days trialling them in person, I’m cautiously optimistic about their potential, and so is Dyson.

“We would be stupid to go out there with something twice as expensive, so we’re not going to do that,” Jake Dyson told me. “Obviously, there’s a certain amount of quality to the product; there’s technology, there are apps. There’s a limit to how cheap you can make something, but we won’t be out of reach, and good design and quality aren’t cheap.”

Admittedly, Dyson still has an uphill battle on its hands with OnTrac. With a premium price tag and a product that is still largely untested in the market, it will be difficult to convince consumers to make the leap away from the established players, but therein lies the beauty of Dyson. As chief engineer Jake Dyson told me, where there is opportunity, you’ll find the means for disruption. If the Dyson OnTrac is a sign of things to come, then bring it on

“Nothing to nothing’s a given, especially as you’re a relatively new kid on the block when it comes to kind of audio playback, but I think it’s quite exciting to be a new kid on the block,” he said. “There are a lot of established brands but I wouldn’t say there’s a lot of movement going on there, necessarily. Obviously, there are always improvements in music technology, not as big as we would like and not as fast as we should like, but I certainly don’t think there’s enough design going on in that area. We’re always really excited when we enter a new category because we’ve already seen an opportunity in it.”

View the Dyson OnTrac at Dyson

Disclaimer: The author of this article, Nick Hall, was invited to attend the Dyson factory for a test and learn session as a guest of Dyson.