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The connection between selling vacuum cleaners and then pivoting to headphones might seem tenuous. But for Dyson, the switch seemed quite organic. After all, they have been working for 30 years, figuring out how to make the quietest vacuums one can own. With the new Dyson OnTrac, the British brand’s first-ever noise-cancelling headphones, this expertise is put to the test.
Design
If looks were all that mattered, the Dyson OnTrac would win many hearts and call it a day. Its design is completely customisable! By default, you get lovely aluminium finish variants in copper, aluminium and black colourways, apart from a lovely Ceramic Cinnabar finish. If and when you decide to buy one, you can swap out the metal or ceramic ear cups as well as the ear cushions and choose from different finishes and colours, making for some really unique eye-catching combinations.
The headphones come housed in a lovely soft-touch matte case. However, the open design of the case doesn’t fully keep dust and debris away from the headphones.
I generally tend to stay away from over-the-head headphones because I have a low tolerance for any weight bearing down on my head and neck for an extended period. While the headphone isn’t the lightest I’ve worn — it weighs around 451 grams — it certainly feels snug and well-enclosed.
Dyson is said to have worked on better weight distribution by placing the batteries on the headband rather than on the earcups. I definitely think it lends to how comfortable and well-balanced the headphones feel when worn.
Controls and Ease of Use
Unlike many of its competitors, the OnTrac has a joystick-style mini button on the right earcup. The controls on both earcups rest towards the back of my ears while the headphones are in use. I would have found the placement more accessible if they were designed to rest just above the shoulders — makes for easy tweaking.
The joystick-style control lets me “push” forward or backward to go to the next or previous track. A long push down helps reduce or increase the volume levels. I found it quite interesting that I could track both the in-ear decibel levels as well as the environmental decibel levels simultaneously on the MyDyson app.
Dyson OnTrac
There are three equaliser presets on the Enhanced, Bass Boost, Neutral and a fully customisable option. I was also easily able to toggle through noise control options for full isolation, transparency mode or none at all. It’s worth noting that the noise cancellation on the Dyson OnTrac is excellent. Cutting out ambient noise really helps me focus on the task at hand, and the Dyson OnTrac did a brilliant job of it. I used the headphones to take work calls and also leave voice messages. Despite a fairly noisy fan in the background, when I was played my recording back, there was absolutely no noise in the background.
The Dyson OnTrac also auto-pauses music when I take the headphones off to attend to something else.
Acoustics
I was pleasantly surprised by how well-balanced the music sounded — across genres — on the Dyson OnTrac. By default, the headphones deliver sound that might sound a little flat. So I had the Bass Boost preset on for the entire duration of the review.
In The Box by Roddy Ricch, the bass thumps are unmistakable, complemented by clear high notes in the vocals, making the hip-hop track sound great. The guitar strums in Too Sad To Dance by Jung Kook (BTS), along with his golden vocals, truly shine through.
In Huzur (Reprise) by Rusha & Blizza, an-EDM style remix of the cult classic song, the beats really did make me bop along. Both the heavy instruments as well as the voice carried clearly, without one overpowering the other.
Battery
Due to my low threshold for donning headphones, I had the Dyson OnTrac on for no more than an hour or so each day. About 30-40 minutes of music playback lead to a 10 per cent drop in battery levels, with full isolation and noise cancellation on.
A 1.2 metre braided USB-C cable is shipped with the device, through which a quick 10-minute charge is said to deliver about 2.5 hours of playback time.
Verdict
The Dyson OnTrac is a very unique product — both visually as well as functionally. It gets a lot of things right as a premium product: the sound quality, appearance and build quality, battery life, and noise cancellation.
However, the premium segment is a very competitive space and consumers also look for features such as multipoint connectivity and a lightweight design. If these are not your priorities right now, the Dyson OnTrac makes for a great companion for your acoustic adventures.
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