Tried & Tested: Are The $1,399 Dyson Zone Headphones Worth The Money?
We put the noise-cancelling Dyson Zone headphones, which come with air purifying capabilities, to the test. Here's what to expect
It’s a pair of headphones. It’s also a portable air purifier. And it costs $1,399 in total.
Last year, when Dyson announced the launch of the Dyson Zone headphones, it garnered a lot of buzz. Partly because of the fact that it’s the first time that the brand is tapping into the headphones category with its new innovation, partly because of the price tag, and also partly because well, wearing the headphones has you resembling a certain supervillain in the DC Comics universe (read: Bane, specifically the Tom Hardy version).
The Dyson Zone is a set of high-fidelity over-ear headphones that offers active noise cancellation (ANC). But unlike other ANC headphones currently in the market, the Dyson Zone has a notable addition: an air-purifying detachable face visor for purified airflow to the nose and mouth. The headphones have been in development for over six years, pre-dating Covid-19, though the pandemic definitely further highlighted its appeal.
There are actually two different Dyson Zone models you can choose from: one is in Ultra Bue/Prussian Blue, and costs $1,249, while the other is the Dyson Zone Absolute+ in Prussian Blue/Bright copper that costs $1,399. Both are identical in terms of specifications, and besides the colourway, the only real difference is what you get in the box – the latter offers an extra set of filters, airline adapters, and a different carry case.
We had the opportunity to give the Dyson Zone Absolute+ a test run for two weeks, and well, if you’re wondering what the sound quality of the headphones is like, if it can help keep your lungs clean, and if the ANC can muffle the quiet murmurs and baffled stares from strangers on the street, read on to find out.
Unboxing the Dyson Zone felt very much like unboxing a new luxury handbag: the headphones are nestled protectively within a giant, luxurious hard case that’s designed to protect your headphones whilst you’re travelling, and the visor component is stored safely in a silky pouch. The rest of the components, which includes carbon filters for air purifying, a cleaning brush to remove dust and dirt from your visor, an in-flight adapter kit, and more were stored separately.
I totally understood the need for the giant case as I slowly unboxed the headphones – the Dyson Zone is enormous and heavy. It weighs nearly 600 grams. For comparison, Apple’s AirPods Max, wireless headphones that are widely considered to be heavy by industrial standards, weigh 385 grams. I typically wear the Sony WH-1000XM4 wireless headphones, which weigh at a nice and light 254 grams. Doing head bops to a song with the Dyson Zone on feels akin to a neck workout – is this what F1 drivers go through for their neck training?
In the Zone’s defence, however, I guess a portable air purifier combined with a high-fidelity headphones design will definitely not be light. Though heavy, the ear cups are large and cushiony, which makes the Zone still comfortable to wear.
Weight aside, the headphones look incredibly sleek. A button on the left controls the airflow to the visor as well as Bluetooth pairing, and on the right is a really useful audio joystick that you can use to control music. A double tap on either ear controls the ANC. My pair of headphones came with the filters already within the earcups, but fitting the replaceable filters into the earcups should be relatively quick.
Pairing the headphones to my phone was also really easy using the MyDyson app, which also allows you to view the air condition around you. Within a few minutes, I was ready to go.
Let’s dive into the sound quality first, since this is Dyson’s first pair of headphones. The ANC on the Dyson Zone is truly exceptional, providing one of the finest experiences in this regard – taking the train turns into a relatively soothing experience, thanks to the eight ANC microphones that monitor surrounding noise 384,000 times a second, which mutes nearly all background noise. The headphones aren’t the loudest, but the sound isolation and low distortion does create an immersive audio experience.
I also took a call with the Dyson Zone on (and my camera off), and am pleased to report that the audio quality was crystal clear, which is due to Dyson’s beamforming microphone developed for clear voice calls.
Now, for the wearable air purifier that sits in front of your nose and mouth. The Zone features Dyson’s two-stage, sealed filtration system as well as an electrostatic filter with statically-charged threads that capture 99 percent of particulates – some of which are as small as 0.1 microns, such as allergens.
Translation: you get clean, purified air fanned directly into your mouth and nose.
The visor is magnetically attached to the headphones and is designed to sit over your face – it doesn’t actually touch your face directly, which I found was a great relief whilst walking down the street in the sweltering heat of our sunny island. Snapping the visor on will automatically start the air purification process, while lowering it will place it in ‘idle mode’.
With the visor in position, the cool air flowing across my nose and mouth – which doesn’t really smell or taste like anything – felt really pleasant. As someone who suffers from “sensitive nose” (aka rhinitis), I didn’t have to reach for my Zyrtec at all these past two weeks. Coincidence or the Dyson dual air filters working to make sure that the ultra-fine pollutants are staying out of my nose?
I do, however, have to mention that if I pause my music, the fans whirring in my ears are noticeably louder. It’s not as perceptible on the train as compared to the office, where it’s quieter, but it’s definitely there.
Now, the part where you ostensibly came to read about – wearing the headphones with the visor on…in public. I was apprehensive (hey, for good reason) about wearing them out, and I did do a test run in the office first to garner courage. My only two colleagues who were in the office that day drew similarities between me and several Transformers characters, but they seemed pretty impressed by the sleekness of the headphones more than anything.
On the train, I did receive a few curious stares when I snapped my visor on, though I was largely ignored by most commuters around me.
I did a test run at the hawker centre, though having the headphones on (do not recommend) meant that I couldn’t hear the coffee stall uncle asking if I wanted my iced yuan yang in a small or big cup, which meant that he kept shouting at me (as told to me by senior digital writer Shazrina, who was with me) while I kept repeating my order.
I also snapped the visor on whilst waiting for my order to see if it could hide my face of shame, though the stall uncle was too (angrily) making my drinks. The drinks stall auntie, however, walked past me and was coolly nonplussed by my new look.
My most major gripe with the headphones, however, is not the visor, but its battery life. The headphones have a 50-hour battery life for audio, but that drops to four hours if you want to continuously breathe fresh, clean air. The Zone also does not have an auto-off function, which most headphones feature. This means that even if I took them off and leave it to the side for a couple of hours, it’s still running – and thus, the battery drains really quickly.
All in all, I actually did enjoy testing out the Dyson Zone – more than I thought I would, which was a surprise. The ANC and sound quality is fantastic for Dyson’s first go at a pair of headphones, and the air filtration did make me feel better walking around, especially during these painfully polluted times. The filters supposedly last a whole year, and you’ll be reminded by the app to switch them or purchase more once they’ve served their purpose.
The Dyson Zone is definitely not designed for the everyday consumer – the price tag is indicative of that. Audiophiles – presumably those with really deep pockets – will likely delight in this innovation, which, of course, accounts for the air-purifying capabilities.
Dyson’s Zone headphones is fun and absurd, but you’ll definitely have to be in the zone to enjoy it.
Text: Cheryl Lai-Lim/Her World