Dyson OnTrac Headphones Review: On track to success

4 weeks ago 13

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Dyson’s entry into the audio tech segment was met with bemusement across the board after the launch of the hybrid Zone headphones in 2022. Realising that the air purifier and headphone combination caters to a very niche audience with a thing for dystopian aesthetics, the company went back to the drawing board to come up with new ideas. After two years, Dyson is back with a far more serious product – the premium OnTrac headphones. Focusing on the soundstage and noise cancellation, OnTrac seeks to go up against AirPods Max, Sony WH-1000XM5, Bose QuietComfort Ultra, and the likes. The top-of-the-line headphones cost a pretty penny too – currently priced at Rs 44,900. We were able to get our hands on it earlier this month and have been consistently using it for the last two weeks. Here is our in-depth review of the Dyson OnTrac headphones.

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Dyson OnTrac Headphones Review: Design

Here’s what you get inside Dyson OnTrac’s retail package:

Headphones
Hard case
USB Type-C to Type-C braided cable
Product guide
Safety booklet

Design

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Right off the bat, the OnTrac headphones look and feel like a Dyson product. The CNC copper caps and contrasting blue shades on the cushions are reminiscent of other products in Dyson’s extensive catalogue. The massive swivelling earcups are designed to attract eyeballs. The quality of material used for these cans amp up the premium factor of the headphones. The caps on these cans can be removed with one rotating motion and replaced with different units for customisation purposes. The ear cushions are customisable as well.

design

The soft padded ear cushions fit nicely around the ear and offer optimal comfort. We wore these headphones for hours on end and did not experience significant ear fatigue. The headphone band is similar to Dyson Zone. The segmented padding has three units. The top portion has a soft touch while the two ends are fitted with tougher pads.

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design

The plastic hooks attached to the headphone band hold the two earcups and allow them to swivel in either direction. The power button, ANC microphone, notification light, and USB Type-C port are positioned on the left earcup. The right earcup houses the joystick, another ANC microphone, and telephony microphone. Moving the joystick left and right switches to the next and previous track while motion along the X-axis controls the volume level. A simple press toggles the media playback. The two ear cups are touch-sensitive and toggle between ANC and transparency mode when double-tapped.

Performance

The hard case provided with the headphones functions more like a sleeve. There is no zipper mechanism to properly secure the headphones. It is open from both ends, allowing dust and grime to creep in. While we like its sleek form factor, a better locking mechanism would have been ideal.

Dyson OnTrac Headphones Review: Performance

Pairing the OnTrac headphones to your PC or smartphone is a simple and intuitive process. Long-pressing the power button puts the headphones into pairing mode. You can use the MyDyson app or your device’s native Bluetooth interface to connect the headphones. One minor complaint that we have with these headphones is that they employ Bluetooth 5.0 instead of Bluetooth 5.3 or even Bluetooth 5.4, considering the price tag.

design

The audio output on the Dyson OnTrac headphones is delivered by a 40mm dynamic driver on either ear cup. We put them through the test by playing a range of genres like alt-pop, classic rock, jazz fusion, and grunge. The versatile frequency range of the headphones adjusted nicely to every genre, bringing out the best in the mix. While playing The Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds, we were delighted to hear the nuanced instrumental layers and vocal harmonies in incredible detail. The soundstage does justice to the frequency range and does not muddle the mix with a huge serving of low end. The soundstage is balanced for the most part, and it is further elevated by Dyson’s signature audio profile.

The MyDyson app allows you to choose from three EQ profiles – Dynamic (default), Bass Boost, and Neutral. The Neutral profile in particular will appeal to audiophiles who want a studio-quality soundstage. The audio processing tech integrated into the headphones does a good job of stripping the output of Dyson’s signature profile and relaying a close-to-neutral sound. The ‘Bass boost’ equaliser profile amps up the low-end, but not to the point that it muddles the mids and the lows.

my dyson app

Overall, we were highly impressed with the audio output of these headphones. If we were going into this review blindly, we wouldn’t be able to guess that these are a pair of second-generation headphones from a company that primarily makes vacuum cleaners and hair care accessories. This is perhaps the biggest compliment we can give to the OnTrac headphones.

Apart from a high-end soundstage, the OnTrac also offers respectable sound cancellation. With ANC turned on, the headphones can nullify up to 40dB of surrounding noise. In an indoor environment, it was able to suppress ambient noises from the ceiling fan and the air conditioner. The general humdrum in earshot distance was blocked out as well. However, sounds emanating in near proximity like keystrokes and mouse clicks managed to filter through the ANC mechanism.

During the review period, we took the Dyson OnTrac on a few bus and car rides. We were impressed with the degree to which the traffic and engine noises were suppressed. While it isn’t the outright best in its category in this regard, it can certainly hang with the best.

Performance

The calling experience is another strong suit of the OnTrac headphones. The telephony microphone on the right ear cup does a great job of picking up the voice of the speaker and the noise cancellation tech does wonders to strip it of the surrounding noise. The difference in call quality offered by OnTrac compared to wireless earbuds is stark.

The MyDyson companion app for OnTrac headphones is very accessible to the average user. We like the live sound exposure graph that displays the external and in-ear sound levels. The app also has the toggle to turn off noise cancellation and transparency mode entirely, something that cannot be done with the touch-sensitive earcups. However, there is no option to change the level of ANC or set up a customised equaliser profile.

Performance

For a pair of headphones priced at Rs 45,000, the OnTrac misses out on some crucial features. The lack of multi-point connectivity is a big one for us. Other fringe features like spatial audio, aptX/LDAC codec support, and low-latency gaming mode are also missing.

The battery life on these headphones is very impressive. We were able to coast through the two-week review period without needing to charge the headphones. With ANC turned on, they can last up to 55 hours. With ANC disabled, the battery life extends up to 60 hours. During the review period, our daily usage of the Dyson OnTrac headphones spanned 3-4 hours with mixed ANC use. It took us almost 3 hours to fully charge the headphones. However, a quick 10-minute charge can offer up to 2 hours of playtime.

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Verdict

The OnTrac headphones are a statement piece from Dyson. Its premium soundstage, comprehensive ANC, and no-holds-barred design send a clear message that it can go toe to toe with some of the best headphones in the business. The rich, detailed soundstage produces an enchanting listening experience. Once you get the taste for it, it will be very hard to switch back to an average TWS. Its elaborate design and high-end construction separate it from the cookie-cutter headphones plaguing the market.