It’s 1998, and like my parents, yours are likely pushing a Dyson DC04 around the house.
That vacuum, that grey and yellow bagless upright, offers memories of its slinky tube being stretched to the max up the stairs hoping it would reach the landing without having to change the plug socket.
It’s a core memory of my childhood when we said goodbye to the black and orange Vax 111 and hello to Dyson.
Fast forward almost thirty years and Dyson continues to innovate. We’ve still got Dyson vacuum cleaners. But now we have hair dryers, hair straighteners, hair stylers, air purifiers, humidifiers, hand dryers and lighting.
And the Dyson OnTrac is the brand’s second foray into the premium noise cancelling over ear headphone market. I have to say I am relieved that these OnTrac headphones come without the over mouth air purifier, (thankfully detachable) unlike their first attempt with Dyson Zone.
With a price tag of £449.99/ $499 close to that of the Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones, Dyson really needs to deliver here.
OnTrac Design
So what are the Dyson OnTrac headphones like? First impressions, design-wise they’re quite nice. We’ve stepped away from the Tin Man leanings of the Dyson Zone with a more sleek look to fit their category. The ear cushions are generous in size with a deep padded headband.
My review unit came in metallic copper and navy blue accents. With the OnTrac model, Dyson gives you the option to swap out colours for both the ear cushions and outer caps. It’s quite easy to do. With a 90 degree twist (as with the caps) the ear cups are completely replaceable and for a cheaper price than the AirPods Max replaceable cups - £49.99/$49.99 vs £75/$69 for AirPods Max. Gimmicky? It depends if you’re the type of person who likes to match their ear wear with your mood, outfit or activity.
Although they are heavier (451g) than the Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones (254g), the Sonos Ace (311g) and the Apple AirPods Max (385g), they are comfortable to wear.
But, and it is a big but for me, if you have a dog, a hamster, a cat or your ear hairs are prone to malting, the OnTrac headphones seem to be as adept as a DC04 at picking them up. Whether it’s the small rubber strip on the hinge or the generously padded cloth ear cups or headband, they’re a dust magnet.
The headphone’s case also supplies the issue. There’s an outer carry case the OnTrac comes in that will likely last a month or two before you throw it away, then an open sleeve - it’s two pads of silicon joined together by elastic. The OnTrac’s cups fold inwards to slide inside their case but don’t fold as small as their competitors. As mentioned, the sleeve has open parts to it which allows dust to gather and won’t protect the headphones from bumps and scrapes; I’d be looking for an alternative case.
All that aside, the well-cushioned headband and thick fabric ear pads do offer up a secure fit around my ears, providing effective passive noise isolation, and they remain lightweight and comfortable on my head.
OnTrac Tech
The sound quality is excellent. If you do buy these Dyson headphones, make The Lion King Tiny Desk concert your first listen. It really does show off the depth and clarity of these headphones and may even bring a tear to your eye. Then go for Dave Burbeck’s Take Five. You’ll discover a balanced and authentic profile that is warmer and more engaging rather than overly bright, and I am all for it.
OnTrac Noise Cancellation
I took the OnTrac headphones on a trip to visit family in the North of England. To test out Dyson’s claim to an impeccable 40dB noise reduction, I ventured out to Manchester for a cup of specialty coffee (Pay a visit to either Idle Hands or Just Between Friends for the best the city has to offer) and a stroll through the Northern Quarter. The city was exceptionally busy, but, regardless of this, Dyson’s claims stacked up. The noise cancellation does a good job, though it's not the very best.
OnTrac Battery Life
The battery life is probably one of the best features of OnTrac.
Dyson says there’s 55 hours of runtime with ANC on, and a quick charging capability of 2.5 hours of listening from 10 minutes of charging with 9 hours from a 30-minute charge. Not bad considering Sonos Ace’s battery offers 30 hours of listening or 24 hours of call time while Aware Mode / Noise Cancelling is active. Though charging the Sonos Ace for 3 minutes will provide 3 hours of listening time. But the 55 hours runtime literally doubles that listening time of the Apple AirPods Max at 20 hours and yet they aren’t double the weight. Still, 451g is bulky.
What Dyson has done here is added batteries into the left and right headband cushions and make the top headband extra padded. This has not only resulted in greater battery life but also lifted the weight further off the ear cups which, if I was to wear these on a long-haul flight, will help massively.
OnTrac Functionality
In terms of usability, Dyson have opted to continue with their joystick control we saw on the Dyson Zone. It’s quite clever really. Packed into one joystick is a lot of functionality, which means you won’t be fumbling across a few buttons remembering which does what. Who wants to cut, cut, cut Celine Dion’s My Heart Will Go On just to turn up the volume. The joystick is 3D meaning controlling the volume, playing and pausing and skipping a track is all done from one place, easily. And the joystick is logically designed. Up and down for volume, left and right for skipping tracks, and, you guessed it, pressed inwards for play and pause. There’s a dedicated on/off button too.
Tapping between noise cancellation and transparency mode is done via the left cup; easy when it works, annoying when it doesn’t. The cap isn’t touch censored and so you really have to tap the cap firmly to travel in and out of external noise.
The expected on-head detection does work really well. The headphones are very responsive and will pause and play your music as soon as you remove and place headphones back on your head. You can also use the headphones across your devices at the same time; all standard fare for high-end headphones.
Dyson’s App is quite impressive. You can adjust the ANC modes, adjust the listening experience - neutral, enhanced, bass boost. You can monitor how loud it is outside vs inside the headphones over the last 30-seconds (not sure how useful), and the app tells you when your listening experience is causing damage to your hearing. I know, we all want to be oblivious to this but it is important.
THE GOODS Verdict
So overall, this is a great pair of headphones. They’re comfortable, they’ve got great battery life and noise cancellation and they look quite nice. Would I trade them for my Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones? I don’t think so. The sound stage and instrument separation is much more advanced with Bose. But the Dyson OnTrac headphones are more comfortable to wear over a sustained period of time and perhaps more interesting to look at.
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