Here's How Dyson Headphones Compare To Other Top-Name Brands

Dyson is a name synonymous with vacuum cleaners and hair dryers, so it might come as a surprise that the company also manufactures and sells headphones. It actually tried entering the audio market in 2022 with the Dyson Zone — a pair of active noise-canceling headphones that doubled as a portable air-purifying mask. Needless to say, not a lot of people have been spotted wearing this contraption in public, but Dyson hadn't given up yet. Two years later, in 2024, the Dyson OnTrac headphones were showcased, except this time, they weren't filtering air. 

The OnTrac are a pair of ANC-enabled headphones that launched at a price of $500, which is a pretty premium class to be competing in. With popular alternatives like the AirPods Max or the Sony WH-1000XM6, the Dyson OnTrac headphones really need to be doing something special to stand out. Well, according to professional reviews and customer feedback, they do manage to get a few things right. However, when compared to the other established offerings, the OnTrac headphones aren't as easy to recommend.

In a comparison carried out by RTINGS, the Sony WH-1000XM5 managed to one-up the Dyson OnTrac in ANC performance and comfort. What Hi-Fi also mentioned how the Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones offer superior audio quality and ANC. In their own bubble, however, the Dyson OnTrac headphones seem to find an audience among users who prefer its bold design and customizability.

The $400 to $600 range is where a lot of great over-ear headphones compete, and the Dyson OnTrac headphones offer all the right features to justify their place in that range. They feature large ear cups with 40mm neodymium drivers and a construction that's built using aluminum and cushions made from high-grade foam and microfiber. For device and audio control, the headphones use a mini-joystick instead of messy gestures. You do get capacitive touch controls, but they are only used to switch between noise cancellation and transparency modes.

Dyson promises up to 55 hours of battery life with ANC turned on, which dwarfs most of the competition. The MyDyson app is where you can adjust the equalizer and view sound exposure scores that the headphones collect over time. There's also support for wear detection that automatically plays or pauses your music.

Customizability is a major selling point of the Dyson OnTrac headphones. The outer ear caps feature a protruding disc design, giving the headphones a very industrial look. You can remove the outer metal caps without any tools and swap them out with others of different colors and materials. These include finishes such as CNC aluminum, copper, and nickel. The ear cushions can also be replaced with a different color. If you own a few outer caps and ear cushions, you can always mix and match different combinations to create a pair that stands out from the otherwise uniform look that most premium headphones tend to have.