STEREO GUIDE verdict
+ balanced sound tuning
+ full bass response
+ smart app with exceptional range of functions
+ solid workmanship
+ effective ANC and very good mechanical noise attenuation
- Air purifier disturbs quiet music passages and drains the battery
- with visor unlock via face recognition on iPhone does not work
- very high weight and bulky hardcase
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Sound: naturalness / transparency8.9
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Sound: Bass / Dynamics9.4
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Practice / Connectivity8.9
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Price/Performance9
What a surprise that was: With the Dyson Zone, the British vacuum cleaner and hand dryer specialist not only presented its first headphones. One feature in particular of the wireless Bluetooth over-ear gave rise to fears that it could just be an April Fool’s joke. But no, I really should have known before my first short review. The inventor company founded by James Dyson really manages such a cross between two fundamentally different species. As if I needed proof, I stopped by the Deutsches Museum right after the presentation of the prototypes in Munich. There are taps with integrated hand dryers from Dyson in the rooftop restaurant. And they even work really well in their dual function – at least once you have grasped the concept and make the right movements under the sensors.
The concept of the Dyson Zone and its operation is very simple. To turn it on for the first time, you have to press and hold the shiny metal button located at the bottom of the left ear cup. This concept is common, even though the function could theoretically also be connected to the small joystick on the right capsule. However, even without the quick-start guide, which also refers to the app available for Android or iOS, even inexperienced users should be able to get the thing up and running quickly.
Fresh air overdose for couch potatoes
In any case, pairing via Bluetooth 5.0 is no obstacle and the fresh air function runs on autopilot, so to speak. You only have to bring the visor, which is packed separately like a pair of ski goggles in a cloth bag inside the comparatively large hardcase, in the right direction near the two ear cups. The rest is done by strong magnets that dock it surprisingly reliably.
This even works very well when you already wear the headphones on your ears. After the “mouth guard” with its tight-fitting rubber lips at the bottom and top has snapped into place with a rich click, a light turbine noise is perceived. It almost feels as if you are in a plane at cruising altitude, especially since the air conditioning fans you with fresh air. The source of the sound is also the source of wind energy: Dyson not only accommodated the 4-centimeter-diameter transducers of the over-ears in both ear cups of the Zone. The daring developers also packed a two-stage air filter system including the necessary turbines under the very high-quality grills of the metal casing. According to the manufacturer, the combination of statically charged filaments and activated carbon should remove 99% of pollutant particles with a size of 0.1 microns, including viruses, from the air drawn in.
MyDyson app controls the high-tech handset
The air supply, which can be controlled via the MyDyson app or the button on the left, might be the perfect gadget for brand fans who prefer to take their Dyson air purifier “Purifier” with them all the time. However, the benefits and drawbacks are open to debate. For example, in the editorial department of the venerable HiFi magazine AUDIO (for which I also reviewed the Dyson) or in the video review of the American YouTuber Marques Brownlee, which makes you think. The tech gadget specialist asked a pulmonologist friend, who promptly warned of drying mucous membranes. The sense and benefits of the air purification function could therefore be debated passionately, as could the really blatant appearance of the visor, which I frankly shied away from in broad daylight on the open road.
Clearly, the dual function of the Dyson Zone has a significant side effect on the sound. It hums even when the turbos are running at low power. We can’t really be surprised, since electric fans and airflow right at the ear go together about as well as a meditation group on an airport runway. The ANC is activated with the fan at the same time. By the way, the noise cancellation is hidden in the MyDyson app “Isolation”. This doesn’t even seem like an exaggeration thanks to the remarkable effect of eliminating external noise, especially as the 670 gram device with its visor and huge, ear-enclosing capsules really does increase the feeling of total isolation.
The battery runs out of breath faster when blowing
Also unsurprising: The batteries also suffer from the high ambitions of integrating an air purifier into Bluetooth headphones. After two hours with “air conditioning,” there was not absolute silence in our practical tests. Then, however, the monotonous murmur of air died away. To keep the music playing for a while, Dyson deactivates the Bi-Turbos at a battery level of 20% to save power. Then, if you want to have a fresh breeze blowing around your nose, you first need a universal USB power supply to refuel the over-ear with its fabric-covered, pleasantly long charging cable.
You should allow a good three hours for a full charge. Use via an analog headphone output, such as in the Teufel Real Blue Pro Bluetooth over-ears, is not possible with the Dyson Zone. However, this functionality is available as a bonus with an airline adapter in the more expensive Dyson Zone Absolute+. If you limit yourself to just listening to music with the Dyson Zone, you can ideally manage up to 50 hours without ANC. The headphone even records the usage time in the app. And it also indicates the noise level to which you have exposed your ears. This applies to noise that still gets through despite mechanical muffling and ANC, as well as the listening level of the music combined with a warning.
The Dyson Zone breaks every test scheme
Of course, some testing methods inevitably come to mind with the Dyson Zone, which deviate from the standard procedure for Bluetooth headphones. For example, measuring the NO2 content of the air at the exhaust pipe of the classic car in the garage. Or the effect of ANC on the Dyson vacuum cleaner at full power. Then my V11 roars quite loudly – 96 dB according to the measurement (see corresponding screenshot of the MyDyson app). Unfortunately, such extra tours dragged out the test a bit. Because every time there was an opportunity for such extra trips, the Zone’s battery was discharged. I was sure that I had not only relied on the automatic shutdown when taking the handset off the head, but that I had caused a proper shutdown by pressing the fan button on the left capsule for a longer time.
Operation: Innovative from front to back
Even though we can’t avoid the preceding criticism from a hi-fi expert’s point of view with the best will in the world, there is a lot of positive things to report about the household appliance specialist’s first headphone. The workmanship and operating concept of the Dyson Zone is something that many others who have been offering headphones for ages could take a leaf out of their book. Not only the idea of the intuitively usable joystick for playback control and volume control is convincing. Especially the implementation with metal is convincing. The handling has improved compared to the pre-production model that we checked a few months ago. At that time it happened to me several times that I triggered a track jump (sideways movement) or stopped the music when trying to turn the playback level louder or softer (still guide the stick down or up).
The app also deserves praise. It is true that in the MyDyson app – available for free in the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store – the designers combined the Air Purifing headphones not only with their Purifers, but also with vacuum cleaners or hair dryers at the same time. But here the balancing act succeeds perfectly in terms of function. Whether you like having to register your email address with Dyson to use the app is another matter. It is true that you automatically get your warranty extension. You can even order replacements for the velvet-covered ear pads or the air filter inserts directly from the app. For the latter, the software even monitors the operating status and indicates the change. But for full functionality, you also have to share your current location with Dyson and receive a flood of advertising emails as a result.
G-Class for the ears
After all, the Dyson Zone uses GPS data for a really cool feature that headphones from Sennheiser, Sony or Teufel can’t compete with: The app displays the air quality values provided by measuring points. In addition, there is a local NO2 measurement, which can measure the nitrogen dioxide content of the local breathing air. To take the topic of isolation from the rest of the world even further, the Dyson Zone also keeps its wearer informed about the noise level measured by the ANC system’s microphones anyway. And it simultaneously shows the noise exposure due to the volume level of music playback in a second curve.
Users who prefer to pick up their offspring from daycare in the Mercedes G-Class – that’s for sure – should feel very well protected with the Zone. Yes, it is hard to refrain from a bit of irony here and there in view of this extraordinary engineering feat, even as a satisfied user of a Dyson V11 cordless vacuum cleaner. The British certainly had that on their radar when they went into action. Likewise, that someone who ventures out into the street with their Bluetooth headphones or takes the subway like Jake Dyson, son of the company founder, in a press photo could attract not only all eyes, but also some ridicule.
Practical test and detailed sound check
Based on the above-mentioned considerations, it takes some effort to dare to take the Dyson out on the street or even into the subway with a full visor for a practical test. But even without the plastic application trimmed to a mirror finish, you feel drawn to your couch with the decidedly bulky over-ear. It is then something like the continuation of Sennheiser by other means. A heavy caliber of headphones, against which even a Sennheiser HD 800 S, intended for audiophile couch potatoes, passes as compact lightweight construction, only mobile and contemporary without cables.
The velvet pads around the ears and on the solid, steel headband can then conceal the Dyson Zone’s high weight well. And in the summer, you don’t sweat under the tight-fitting, circumaural headphones like you do outside in the blazing sun. The ANC can also be saved in the good room, which increases the battery life and reduces the noise. The visor of the air purifier should then also be unnecessary. And if not, you should definitely air the room properly or check whether you’ve left a charred roast in the oven while listening to music.
Purrs perfectly
Without the slightly increased noise of the Active Noise Cancelling and the whirring of the motors, the Dyson Zone plays at a level that definitely deserves the term audiophile and ennobles its creators, who have so far been inconspicuous in terms of acoustics. When you consider that Bowers & Wilkins, for example, charges around 700 Euros for the over-ear Px8 , which is also excellently manufactured, you can ignore the question to what extent you pay for the name or the gimmicks in the Zone. You can also turn a blind eye to the weight, at least on the couch.
The sound does not need to hide behind established headphones
One then listens to a coherent headphone with a very wide transmission range and very low distortion. Dyson emphasized at the presentation of the Zone that its series of tests do not follow the specifications of a “sound guru” with golden ears. The best tuning was determined in long, scientifically designed test series with a large number of test subjects.
What Dyson calls “neutral” in its three equalizer presets also deserves the name. Only a slight emphasis on brilliance is noticeable. And even “Optimized” doesn’t sound exaggerated despite a slight loudness characteristic. Rather, two other things are noticeable: The bass shows a somewhat soft, discreet characteristic in dynamic terms in comparison. Drums or electronic beats seem somewhat restrained on “Neutral” and lack a bit of punch and contour compared to the Teufel Real Blue Pro, which has an excellent sound for its price. This can be eliminated with “Optimized”. Actually, this is the vote of choice, especially for rock and pop. On the other hand, we would advise against “Bass Boost”. The resulting boost in the low frequency range is too much at the expense of the transparency, which is good for a closed over-ear.
All around successful
Dynamically, the Dyson Zone is a bit restrained even without the switchable level limiter. Dyson really managed an all-around successful tuning in the first attempt, which also makes classical music or jazz a great pleasure. But in the end, it doesn’t quite manage to stand out from other good mid-range headphones in terms of sound quality alone, not to mention the high-end range that its fresh-air gadget pushes it into in terms of price. If it sets standards anywhere, it is with its very effective ANC and high passive shielding, which really justify the term “isolation”. As our experiment proves, only 63 dB of the 98 decibels of sound pressure produced by the Dyson V11 cordless vacuum cleaner at the highest setting reached the user’s ear.
Ultimately, a technical balancing act like the one Dyson performs with the Zone goes beyond any evaluation scheme. That’s why we took our time with our detailed test. But in the end, it turns out that even weeks or months are not enough to reach a simple verdict. You have to like these headphones. More than any other headphones, you should try them out personally before you buy them, regardless of what we reviewers say and what the pure scores say, which were not originally intended for such a stroke of genius.
The Dyson Zone does not fit into any scheme
For some, it might already be a knockout criterion if you cannot use the face recognition of your iPhone with the visor. So all that’s left is to type in one’s code under silent curses or to pull down the visor. But then the music playback stops and the ANC switches to transparency mode, because this function was actually meant to be very smart: Dyson had the convenient communication with its environment in mind. But this then gives rise to new problems. Somehow the Zone reminds a bit of the 1963 Chrysler Turbine Car. This was intended to revolutionize automotive engineering by using a jet engine, but like many an overly audacious invention, it ended up as a collector’s item. Whether the Turbo headphones with their compressors will suffer the same fate remains to be seen. But it is also an ingenious masterpiece in all cases.
Conclusion and alternatives to the Dyson Zone
There’s no question about it: the Dyson Zone is an extraordinary feat of engineering. And it’s also a very good over-ear with natural, clean sound tuning plus powerful, accurate bass. However, from the point of view of many users, among whom I can count myself in this case, it carries a considerable handicap in terms of weight and price because of an expendable, although spectacular, additional function. A Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2 that plays on par in terms of sound weighs and costs considerably less. (After all, Dyson has since lowered the prices for the Zone and Zone Absolute Plus to 650 and 700 Euros, respectively.)
Perhaps Dyson should get over its inventor pride and release a Pure Audio version as a clone of the Zone without Purifier at a competitive price. The brilliant Brits could be sure of an enthusiastic following here as well. Whether the monstrous two-in-one approach, driven more by technology than user experience, will pay off on Dyson’s track record remains to be seen. After all, even we don’t know of a remote alternative that covers the same range of functions – except perhaps a do-it-yourself solution of Teufel Real Blue Pro in combination with FFP2 mask.
Dyson Zone: technical specifications
- Manufacturer’s suggested retail price: 650 euros
- Type: Over Ear
- Transducer principle: Dynamic
- Weight: 670 g w. visor, 695 without
- Special features: Active noise-canceling, headset function for phone calls, app control, air purifier function with removable visor.
- More at: www.dyson.com
