STEREO GUIDE verdict
The Dyson OnTrac is the second headphone from the cult brand. Dispensing with the air purifier brings several advantages and also makes the over-ear significantly cheaper. The OnTrac justifies its still considerable price with its solid workmanship, many high-quality metal parts and, above all, impeccable sound and good active noise-canceling.
Advantages
- Balanced sound tuning
- Very solid workmanship
- Good active noise-canceling
- Very good app with customization by ordering accessories
- Long battery life
Disadvantages
- The use of ANC lifts the noise floor
- Relatively large and heavy for a mobile handset
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Tonal Balance / transparency9.1
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Bass / Dynamics9.1
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Ease-of-use / Conncetivity9.2
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Price/Performance9
When I reviewed the first Dyson headphones, the Zone, last year, I asked in my conclusion: Why doesn’t Dyson just make such good headphones without technical gimmicks like air purifiers? I was obviously right to think so. The household appliance specialist recently presented its first pure headphones, the Dyson OnTrac. With a recommended retail price of 500 euros, it is still not a bargain. But it is lighter, more compact and the absence of air purification ensures greater sound purity. Finally, the whirring of the compressors in the two listening capsules disturbed the silence, especially in quiet passages and the pauses between the individual tracks. This was a particular hindrance for classical music lovers.
The Dyson OnTrac features high-quality Active Noise Cancelling (ANC) with a new algorithm. And it promises up to 55 hours of battery life. When its two 2,500 mAh batteries are empty, they can be recharged in around 10 minutes for another two and a half hours of playtime. A full charge takes around 3 hours. The supplied USB-C cable, which is covered in fabric, is only used for charging via a mains adapter, a power bank or a computer. Unlike the Dyson Zone, music playback is not possible via this, except with the optional airline adapter, which we will discuss in more detail later in this review.
Dyson’s proprietary noise-canceling technology, which uses eight microphones, processes ambient noise 384,000 times per second to effectively reduce noise by up to 40 dB. The combination of active noise-canceling and high-quality materials ensures good noise attenuation.
Low impedance for powerful mobile performance
Dyson did not simply place the 40 mm neodymium drivers directly above the ear canals. The geometry of the speakers, which is tilted forward by 13 degrees, is intended to enable more natural hearing by incorporating the so-called outer ear transmission function. Bluetooth 5.0 is available for connecting to a laptop or smart device, albeit without aptX support. This may not matter to Apple users, as AAC support is available for them, while others have to transmit their sounds using the LHDC or SBC standard codec.
The USB-C cable supplied is of high quality with its fabric sheathing and solid plugs and is generously sized in length. However, unlike the Dyson Zone, playback via the USB interface is not possible with the OnTrac. However, Dyson offers an airline adapter for the double jack sockets in airplanes for 19 euros. This makes it possible to feed sound into the Bluetooth handset via the USB port using a cable. It should be noted that power must be supplied via the USB charging cable in addition to the sound connection.
This also answers the question of the generous length and the exceptionally elegant design of the supplied cable. The hard case, which is also included, is rather simple but very space-saving, allowing the Mobild headphones, which can be folded with their solid metal mountings, to be transported safely.
Practical and customizable design
Dyson also focuses on well thought-out details when it comes to wearing comfort: an ergonomic design, certified by US Ergonomics, as well as soft microfiber pads reminiscent of suede and a headband with integrated lithium-ion batteries ensure even weight distribution. A double tap on the ear cups activates or deactivates the ANC function without having to go through the app. The clear left and right labeling inside the ear cups is exemplary – a point with which many headphone manufacturers have incomprehensible difficulties.
The over-ear is available in four color variants – yellow/aluminum, midnight blue/copper, black/nickel and black/cinnabar. Each variant of the Dyson OnTrac is finished with durable coatings developed by Dyson’s in-house Color, Materials & Finish (CMF) team. The OnTrac offers additional customization options by changing the upholstery or the very elegant metal caps, which are made of CNC ceramic or anodized aluminium.
App with additional functions and store connection
As usual with Dyson, you can order the exchange parts for customization directly from the app. The English company’s strategy is to use the My Dyson app for more than just the company’s headphones. Other items from the range can also be registered here and kept up to date.
But it’s not just the connection to vacuum cleaners and other household appliances that makes the Dyson app available for iOS and Android unique. It also makes it possible to keep an eye on sound emissions. To do this, it measures the sound pressure outside the headphones and compares it with what is coming in. The sound pressure from the music playback is also taken into account. This not only allows valuable conclusions to be drawn about the strain on the hearing.
Always keeping an eye on ear strain
You can even see what passive and active noise suppression of the Dyson OnTrac can do during music breaks. In the Dyson Zone review, the app also displayed the level of nitrogen oxide pollution in the ambient air. However, this feature, which is more interesting for pedants, fell by the wayside along with the air filter function on the OnTrac. The app can be used to switch the ANC on or off or to switch to transparency mode. The ambient noise is then played in via the external microphones so that you can hear announcements at the station or airport, for example. Three sound presets (“Optimized”, “Bass Boost” and “Neutral”) can also be used to adjust the sound of the OnTrac with the My Dyson app. There is no individually adjustable equalizer.
By the way, since I had to register with an e-mail address in the app in order to use it, my mailbox has been flooded with tons of advertising e-mails for vacuum cleaners and hair care products. This is collateral damage, so to speak, of the versatile My Dyson app.
Purist sound without a purifier: listening test of the OnTrac
As already mentioned, the first product from the vacuum cleaner, hair and hand dryer specialists made people sit up and take notice. It impressed with its balanced sound and high resolution. Expectations of the Dyson OnTrac were correspondingly high. And the comparatively purist successor delivered across the board. It pampered the ears caressed by the cuddly pads with balanced and very finely resolved sounds. The powerful, deep bass was well balanced and suited every style of music.
The playlist with the test tracks from our listening test
The sound image offers a high degree of neutrality. In addition, the spatial imaging was relatively open and transparent for a closed over-ear. On tracks such as “Swimming Pool” from the latest Trevor Horn album “Echoes”, Tori Amos’ nuanced and natural vocal reproduction was convincing. But tracks with driving percussive elements such as “Sing It Back” by Moloko or electronic beats like “Game Of Love” by Daft Punk were also a real joy to listen to with the Dyson headphones. Even if your ears get a little warm under the tight-fitting pads, you want to listen to the well-dosed, powerful sounds for hours on end.
Experience from practical use
The bass boost is not too exaggerated, “Optimized” is very suitable for all kinds of music, while “Neutral” could just as well be called “Sober”. The sound difference between activated and deactivated ANC was very small, contrary to what I had read about the Dyson OnTrac in previous reports (perhaps a result of updates?). This is because many ANC headphones use different sound tuning settings, which can be used to boost the bass when noise-canceling is activated.
However, the ANC loses a touch of precision in the bass range with high-quality music like the one from our Qobuz playlist at the bottom. If you use the Dyson in a quiet environment, you should definitely deactivate the ANC. This not only saves power, but also eliminates the background noise that accompanies the noise canceling and transparency modes. Compared to the equally expensive Sonos Ace, it is not only the lower noise level that is noticeable. The closed over-ear also provides even better shielding from external noise.
As far as the controls in the sound test are concerned, it took some getting used to the touch commands and joystick. For example, when I wanted to switch between ANC and transparency mode for better perception of the environment by double-clicking on the left ear capsule, this didn’t always work with the first touch. You have to press firmly and also hit the center. On the Joytsick on the right side, start/stop by pressing worked smoothly, but swiping to the left or right to skip tracks or up and down to adjust the volume sometimes led to undesirable results.
Dyson OnTrac: Conclusion and alternatives
A truism is being honored anew: “Less is more”, as the saying goes. And for a long time, this phrase has not been as apt as in the case of the Dyson OnTrac: without the ambition of wanting to create a technical monument, the English company has not only succeeded in creating very good over-ear headphones. They are also practical for everyday use by normal people, whom they adorn instead of making them look like aliens from a sci-fi movie. And now the price-performance ratio also looks much better, as long as you compare the OnTrac with other headphones and not with air purifiers.
If you like it classy and are prepared to dig deeper into your pocket, the Bowers & Wilkins Px8 offers something with the same look and function. Those who value low-noise and highly effective active noise-canceling will be well served by the Sonos Ace.
Dyson OnTrac: Technical specifications
- Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price: 500 Euro
- Type: Over Ear
- Transducer principle: Dynamic
- Weight: 451 g
- Special features: Bluetooth 5.0, active noise-canceling, headset function for phone calls, app control, hard case
