A company known for cleaning things up is about to find a way to clear both what you ears and nose deal with on the day to day in its first pair of noise cancelling headphones.
What happens when a company known for creating innovative takes on cleaning and purifying gadgets attempts to transform its tech for your regular day to day in a different way?
We might soon find out, as Dyson looks set to actually release its headphones in the near future.
Announced earlier in the year, you might have thought the Dyson Zone headphones were a bit of a joke, but these things are real. And no joke, we thought they were a joke, too, actually writing to Dyson’s local arm to ask if they were indeed that.
They’re not, though, with Dyson targeting January 2023 as the time when eager buyers are keen to see what happens when Dyson tackles cleaning the air in more ways than one, with just about the most unique pair of headphones yet.
While Focal threw in a high-res DAC with the Bathys headphones, and Ray-Ban and Facebook put cameras in its earphone “Stories” sunglasses, the Dyson Zone will go for a different addition, packing in an air purifier, not unlike the tech found inside Dyson’s purifier-equipped fans.
That alone will make the Dyson Zone unlike any other pair of headphones, with the purification technology aimed at dealing with noise and air pollution in the one device.
On the side of the headphones, air will be brought in through compressors at each ear, traveling through dual-layer filters before landing at your lips and nose, filtering it in the weird Bane-like mask you might have seen from the promotional images, including the one below. The mask can reportedly filter pollutants down to 0.1 microns, making it ideal for air pollution, and potentially other nasties you might be accidentally breathing in.
You won’t have to wear the mask, mind you, and the Dyson Zone can work just like any other pair of ANC headphones, filtering out the drone of the outside world, as well.
When working as ANC headphones, Dyson has taken a very science-focused approach to the world of sound, using eight microphones to monitor various sounds around 384,000 times per second to engineer a response to noise, while the sound of the headphones themselves relies on a 40mm driver with a wide range of sound capability. It’s likely enough for high-res audio, with Dyson noting the Zone covers a full audio spectrum, running between 6Hz and 21kHz, which is designed to achieve clarity, regardless of what we can physically hear.
Essentially, the Dyson Zone headphones are Dyson’s attempt to make city living cleaner and clearer, dealing with pollution that we face almost quite literally. The battery life will differ based on what you have them do, though, offering as much as 50 hours without the air purifier working while ANC is switched on, or as much as four hours when both are active.
There will also be an app for phones to tweak the sound, and to tell you the sort of pollutants you’re regular dealing with, providing a little bit of what the Dyson fans do, except on your face.
About the only issue for most people may well be the price, because there isn’t one yet.
While Dyson has released more details about what its Dyson Zone does and that no, it’s not a joke, it hasn’t revealed the price for Australia, or indeed any other part of the world yet. We know Dyson is targeting a 2023 release, first in China in January, and then the rest of the world later on, but there’s no local price just yet.
Our initial expectation is these headphones won’t be cheap. With Apple able to charge over $700 for its AirPods Max and Focal over the thousand mark for its Bathys, we wouldn’t be surprised to see Dyson pitch the Zone between $1100 and $1500 locally, making for some of the most expensive wireless and noise-free headphones yet.
However if you’re thinking this is the next step for you to walk around town, protecting your face and ears at the same time, better start saving. You’ll need it when these launch in 2023.
