Clean performance: The Dyson OnTrac is a comfortable pair of headphones that stands out not only because of its unusual interchangeable design. It also sounds really good, offers very strong noise cancellation and has a lot of endurance. Unfortunately, the OnTrac is also very expensive.
A year ago, Dyson surprised everyone with the Zone headphone-air purifier combination, which looked like a prop from a science fiction film. Surprisingly, the futuristic headset impressed in practical tests with great sound and effective noise cancellation. On August 1, the British manufacturer is launching its first headphone purist, the Dyson OnTrac, which is almost completely normal. ntv.de tried it out.
Like a zone without a filter system
The fact that the new headset is not a completely new development can be seen in its great similarity to its air purifier predecessor. The headband, suspension and surround of the speaker cups are practically unchanged. The controls are also almost identical, only the fan button on the OnTrac has been replaced by an on/off switch. The interchangeable ear cushions are also unchanged; you can even screw the Zone's ear cushions onto the new headphones.
Without fans and filters, the OnTrac is significantly lighter at around 450 grams than the Zone, which weighs just under 560 grams. After the predecessor proved to be surprisingly comfortable despite its heavy weight, it is no surprise that Dyson's new headphones are extremely comfortable to wear.
Comfortable and high quality
The flat transport box is open on the sides.
(Photo: kwe)
This is partly due to the large central padding in the headband and a clever distribution of the weight. Among other things, Dyson has placed the two batteries on the left and right above the joints on the headband and disguised them as padding. The fact that they are not soft does not matter, they do not lie against the head. In addition, the ear cushions allow the ears plenty of air and, like the cushion on the headband, are not covered with sweaty synthetic leather, but with a comfortable microfiber fabric.
Despite being so comfortable, the Dyson OnTrac sits firmly and securely with a well-measured contact pressure. And it's not just the use of a lot of metal that makes the headphones look very high-quality. This also applies to the tight-fitting travel case, in which the OnTrac takes up little space in your luggage when folded flat.
Stylish but expensive changeable design
Pads and metal caps can be changed in no time.
(Photo: kwe)
Without a filter system, it is actually not necessary to be able to remove the outer covers of the earcups. However, Dyson hopes to conquer a fashionable niche in the headphone market with an interchangeable design. The manufacturer therefore offers both the aluminum covers and the earcup pads in different colors, which makes many individual combinations possible.
However, you have to pay around 50 euros for a pair of metal caps or pads, which makes the exchange quite an expensive pleasure – especially since the headphones themselves cost almost 500 euros.
On the right is the joystick, on the left is the on/off switch.
(Photo: kwe)
The Dyson OnTrac is controlled via a joystick that is conveniently located on the right earcup and is easy to reach with your thumb. Pressing it starts or pauses playback. If you push it up or down, the volume changes; if you push it right or left, you skip forward or backward. It is just as easy to control it during phone calls. The only annoying thing is that you have to tap the left earcup hard to switch between noise cancellation (ANC) and transparency mode. That is unpleasantly loud in the ear.
App doesn't have much to offer
This can also be seen in the associated app, which shows the volume inside and outside the headphones. If you tap on the earpiece, it rises to values of 100 decibels (dB), which is above the recommended limit of 80 dB. Great: You can check your listening behavior using graphics that show the volume over different periods of time. If you want, you can limit the level to 80 dB.
The app doesn't offer many options.
(Photo: kwe)
The app doesn't offer many more settings. In addition to ANC or transparency mode, you can also decide not to use either effect, and there is an equalizer where you can choose between three modes. The company told ntv.de that more settings could be added later.
Great sound, powerful ANC
You don't necessarily need a more comprehensive equalizer, because the sound of the Dyson OnTrac is excellent. It seems to have been improved even further than the Zone. The bass is particularly impressive, which the headphones don't overemphasize, but which reaches very deep. Down to 6 hertz (Hz), to be precise. You can't really hear it, because it usually stops at around 20 Hz. But you can probably feel it. At 21,000 Hz, OnTrac also goes to the audible limits in the highs, or even beyond.
The OnTrac doesn't overdo it with the bass, nicely defined and cleanly placed mids set the tone. The highs are detailed and clear. If you want to complain at a high level, they could occasionally be a bit biting. Ultimately, however, that's a matter of taste. Overall, the sound is set to be fairly neutral and the headphones are fun for any style of music.
The active noise cancellation is of a very high standard. It hardly gives consistent noise a chance, and it also significantly dampens clattering keyboards and other office noise. Strong wind is no problem at all for the ANC and the inherent noise is very low. The transparency mode was also impressive in the test. It seems natural and is set so that the ambient volume is accurately reproduced.
A real endurance runner
The OnTrac also does a great job when making phone calls; you can easily reach the person you are talking to and understand them without any problem. The only small criticism is that the microphones are located directly under the switches. If you rub your thumb over them in search of the buttons, you can hear it very loudly.
Another highlight of the headphones is their immense endurance. Dyson states up to 55 hours of battery life, even with ANC activated. Three days of testing were not enough to verify this. Based on the charge level displayed, however, it can be said that the information is roughly correct.
Conclusion
Dyson has done a really good job with the OnTrac. The sound, ANC and endurance are first-class, plus they are very comfortable to wear and have a great design. The individual customization options are also impressive, but the price is pretty steep, as is the price of the headphones themselves.
