In a move that will surprise many Dyson fans, the vacuum cleaner company has taken its first steps into the world of audio with the announcement of the Dyson Zone, a pair of over-ear headphones with a difference. Spending millions on R&D and taking six years to develop, Dyson has integrated its air-purifying technology into headphones to reduce the growing air and noise pollution that many of us experience daily.
Plot ? You should be. Here’s everything you need to know about the Dyson Zone air-purifying headphones, from release date and price to what the new hybrid headphones offer.
If you want a detailed breakdown of the experience on offer, take a look at our hands-on impressions of the Dyson area.
When will the Dyson Zone headphones be released?
While the Dyson Zone air-purifying headphones have been announced, we’re still a bit far from release.
Dyson originally committed to a fall 2022 release (or fall for those in the US) when first revealed in March 2022, although the company confirmed in early December 2022 that release had slipped to 2023.
Specifically, the Dyson Zone is set to debut in China in January 2023
The exact dates are yet to be confirmed, but we’ll update this section as soon as we know more.
How much will the Dyson Zone headphones cost?
Dyson confirmed in December 2022 that Dyson Zone headphones will start to $949 in the US and a bit more palatable £749 United Kingdom.
That’s still comfortably higher than even high-end headphones like Sony’s WH-1000XM5 and even Apple’s AirPods Max, but given the impressive mix of audio performance and air-purifying tech offered, it’s actually cheaper than some expected.
After all, Dyson’s air purifiers start at around $300/£300 and that’s not factoring in high-end audio performance.
Lewis Painter / Caster
Dyson Zone design and features
So what makes Dyson Zone headphones so unique?
As we mentioned, these are the first pair of headphones to combine audio with air purification, with the aim of combating air and noise pollution for people in travel, especially those in cities where noise and pollution are constantly increasing. .
In terms of design, the cans themselves look fairly standard – but with a Dyson design and similar grille to that featured on the Dyson Hot & Cool air purifier fan.
That’s because in addition to housing all the earphone technology, each box has a mini air purification system that draws in up to 2.5L of polluted air per second and “cleans” it to using an electrostatic media that effectively extracts particles as small as 0.1 microns from the air. Dyson says it should also filter out particles of Covid-19 in the air, tested with the almost identical H1N1 virus, which should give wearers greater peace of mind.
It will also protect against gases, including nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and ground-level ozone, which are typically not filtered out by standard air purification technology.
Tom William Chapman / Dyson
This purified air is then routed directly to your nose and mouth via a visor that magnetically attaches to the helmet. It looks a bit ‘bane’ in use, but Dyson is confident that won’t be a barrier for many as we have adjusted attitudes towards face coverings in recent years as we deal with the pandemic .
The visor does not come into contact with your mouth or nose; instead, it gently blows a “plume” of cool air through a mesh grille that feels nicer on the nose and mouth than a direct jet of air. Four settings are available – low, medium, high and auto – the latter automatically adjusting suction power based on air quality and other metrics using built-in air quality sensors.
Air quality information, and more, is also available to navigate through the My Dyson app where you can also control other cans functions and adjust the audio equalizer too.
The visor is not permanently attached to the helmet. Instead, it snaps into place using magnets, and there’s an additional “talk mode” that lets you lower the visor to chat with nearby people. When dropped, it will also turn off the fans and activate a transparency mode that lets you hear what’s going on clearly.
Of course, it’s headphones as well as an air purification system, and they’re top of the line. The Zone can sport 40mm drivers designed in-house by Dyson that deliver what it claims is “production audio” quality.
Tom William Chapman / Dyson
There are 11 microphones housed on the ear cups which monitor exterior, engine and interior noise and feed them through a system that will cancel low-pitched noise, with class-leading passive attenuation focusing on high-pitched sound cancellation. The result should be a noticeably quieter daily commute, with powerful bass that doesn’t impact vocals.
Battery life isn’t quite as exciting, with between 1.5 and 4.5 hours of use depending on the level of air purification you choose. Luckily things get better if you want to use them as a standard pair of headphones, managing 50 hours on one charge. Charging time isn’t quite as quick though, with a full charge taking around 3 hours according to Dyson.
We discussed the Dyson Zone concept and Lewis’ practical thoughts on a recent episode of our weekly Fast Charge podcast, which you can watch below:
Dyson area specs
- 200 x 210 x 240 mm (with visor)
- 595g (without visor)
- 670g (with visor)
- 11 microphones for ANC and telephony
- ANC up to 38dB
- Transparency mode
- Automatic mode (with activity detection)
- Air quality sensors
- Frequency response 6Hz – 21kHz
- 0.08% @ 94dB 1kHz distortion
- Bluetooth 5.0
- Support for SBC, AAC and LHDC codecs
- 40mm neodymium drivers
- Filter efficiency is 99% at PM0.1
- Can capture NO2, SO2 and O3 gases
- Filters last up to 12 months
- 2600mAh battery
- 50 hours of audio
- Low flow for up to 4 hours
- Average throughput up to 2.5 hours
- High throughput for up to 1.5 hours
- USB-C charging
- 3 hour charging time
- 3.5mm via USB-C cable
- MyDyson app support
- Available in Satin Silver/Ultra Blue, Ultra Blue/Prussian Blue and Prussian Blue/Bright Copper
Will you buy a pair of Dyson’s air-purifying headphones when it releases in 2023? Let us know on Twitter or Instagram.
Table of Contents
