Dyson Ontrac in the test: Why Dyson is expecting the Nokia effect with these headphones

2024-08-18 17:17:01

After its intriguing headset debut, the vacuum cleaner company is following up with a new model. But even though the “Ontrac” is surprisingly heavy, Dyson does a lot of things with the product. Does the manufacturer come up with something special when it comes to design – or copy it?

Dyson’s “vacuum factory” has come to your senses. He certainly wouldn’t describe himself that way. Dyson now also makes machines for hair care, indoor climate and lighting. And two years ago it entered the headphone market with the Dyson range and also installed an air filter. In our test, we thought it was a dystopian intersection that you wouldn’t dare go out in public with. Dyson apparently heard and followed up.

With the new “Ontrac” you can still clearly see Dyson’s design language. We already thought that Apple’s Airpods Max is really heavy. But Ontrac adds a little more: at 450 grams it is not far from half a kilogram, which is a lot for headphones.

Dyson only manages this with clever weight distribution, where two batteries are housed in the head. Along with soft microfiber ear cushions, they are also comfortable to wear.

Operating the headphones is easy. On the left side there is only one button for on and off and for Bluetooth connection. On the right side there is a mini joystick that controls music and volume. There is no misunderstanding here. You can switch from noise cancellation to transparency mode by double-clicking the headphones twice.

Fortunately, Dyson processes this through an acceleration sensor so the user doesn’t have to hit the touch screen. A double tap on the headset also brings up the result. The sound is full of detail and there is more in the hot range.

The sound volume is wide, Dyson shows a frequency range of six hertz to 21 kilohertz, while 20 hertz to 20 kilohertz is more common. But older listeners are unlikely to notice any difference in peripheral areas. Dyson has installed 40 millimeter speaker drivers here.

In the smartphone application for Android and Apple’s iPhones the equalizer comes with three modes that either emphasize the high frequencies and voices or emphasize the bass more. We like neutral mode best. However, users should be sure to listen to music in either noise canceling or transparency mode. If the volume control is turned off completely, which is possible through the instrument, the music sounds rather flat.

However, the application does not add much added value. If you are interested in data, you will also find information about the noise level inside and outside the ear. But you don’t really need that. Noise cancellation is effective, but nowhere near the Sonos Ace or Sony’s WH-1000XM5.

Transparency mode works well for this. Fortunately, Dyson has retained the rich “whomp” sound you hear when the headphones switch to noise cancellation: it’s like pulling a curtain with a vacuum cleaner tube. This is very suitable for Dyson.

Let’s go back to design. Because Dyson expects Nokia’s role here. The Finnish mobile phone manufacturer introduced its interchangeable covers in 1998, which allowed users to easily change the appearance of their mobile phones. Nokia now secures market leadership. Dyson is introducing this system to its headphones.

Both the color ear pads and the end caps are very easy to replace. There are seven different colors to choose from. In total, more than 2,000 color combinations should be possible to personalize your headphones. Dyson is selling the headphones for 499 euros, the ear pads and the end caps each as a set for 49 euros.

Thomas Heuzeroth writes about WELT Customer issues and about Technology. You can find your things Here.