In a move surprising to many, the Dyson company has unveiled a new range of products that its engineers have been working on for some time. These are headband headphones that incorporate an external air purifying filter.
Yes, you read that right, music headphones.
Of course, these aren’t just any earphones, as Dyson uses its top-of-the-line air-purifying technology to ensure that the outside air is filtered for users who use them when out and about in big cities.
That’s surprising because it’s Dyson’s first foray into this market for single-person audio and wearables, an area that so far hasn’t been explored by other companies either, at least unifying both features in one product.
Dyson technology in miniature
Dubbed the Dyson Zone, the new air-purifying headphones aim to tackle rising noise and pollution levels, especially in big cities, with an intuitive design filled with Dyson firsts.
The idea is simple; There are compressors and filters built into each ear cup to actively filter air, and that air is then channeled out of the faces through a visor that attaches to the ear cups using a system of magnets.
Of course, the execution is anything but simple, and Dyson says a lot of research and development has gone into the technology built into every part where every filter sits.
The filters used in the pods use a new manufacturing process that uses an electrostatic filter media to negatively charge the filters, actively drawing airborne contaminants into the filters.
Dyson claims this can filter out 99% of airborne particles down to 0.1 microns, and this includes harmful gases like nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide and ozone at ground level, which are not filtered by traditional particulate filters.
The supercharger’s job is to suck in air, and it’s described as the company’s smallest and best-balanced motor. Despite their small dimensions, the compressors (one in each ear cup) can extract an impressive 2.5 liters of air per second at 10,500 rpm.
But they are not only small and powerful, because they must also be silent in their operation, because they are so close to the ears, and because they do not affect the quality of the sound reproduced by the headphones.
Dyson has achieved this with a balanced turbine (as opposed to a propeller) that reduces movement, and the system is suspended in the ear cups, rather than directly attached, to keep vibrations to a minimum.
The end result is almost inaudible when using them, as I experienced during my short demo.
breathe more comfortably
All that clean, purified air is channeled to your face with the Dyson Clean Air Supply hood. The visor looks a little odd when worn, and that’s probably the most important factor buyers will need to overcome.
In this regard, Dyson is convinced that public attitudes are changing after the pandemic period and the need to wear a mask as soon as you leave the house. Still, he looks a bit like Bane, the Batman comic book character.
Visuals aside, the visor works great, channeling air to the face with a mesh cover so it doesn’t blow air directly into your nose and mouth. It would be uncomfortable, Dyson says, so there’s no skin contact.
Instead, the mesh cover creates a “plume” of clean air around the mouth and nose without the need for direct contact. The amount of air varies depending on what you’re doing, so Dyson has included sensors to adjust the flow between low, medium and high.
It should be noted at this point that it is not designed for exercise, which may disappoint runners or cyclists.
If you take the metro, the airflow will be slower than if you walk on Gran Vía, partly in order to also optimize the battery life, which varies from 1.5 hours to 4 .5 hours with air purification on.
The visor may seem stiff, but it’s surprisingly flexible and, using magnets to snap into place, it’s easy to put on and take off at any time. It even has a talk mode, which is activated by lowering the visor from the mouth.
This will not only turn off the fans to save battery while you chat, but also activate a “Transparency” mode to make it easier to listen to your surroundings or get around town.
high quality sound
As well as being an outdoor air purification system, the Dyson Zone is a very premium pair of headphones, according to Dyson, including all sorts of features and technology found in premium wireless headphones
The Zone earbuds have 40mm drivers, developed by Dyson, delivering high-frequency response, resulting in an immersive audio experience that the company describes as production-grade sound.
Although my testing time was limited, I was impressed with the clear vocals when listening to podcasts that were unaffected by the deep, punchy bass which also ensures great listening.
What’s more impressive is the active noise cancellation. The Zone earphones contain no less than 11 microphones that measure ambient, engine and ear noise, with sources connected to an ANC system that cancels external noise such as traffic.
Two of them also double as beamforming microphones, allowing us to take and receive calls with the headset. Zone also offers seamless passive attenuation, which cancels high-pitched noises like the click of laptop keys, a Zone where other ANC headphones lack.
It’s an incredibly quiet environment, so quiet I couldn’t hear the Dyson rep standing a few feet away speaking when I turned on the active technology.
There are a few caveats; noise cancellation is not adjustable like the popular feature on
If you just want to use the Zone as single earbuds, battery life extends to over 40 hours in total, and once the earbuds need recharging, fast-charging technology provides 60% charge in just 20 minutes. .
They also come with a host of other premium features, including real-time air quality monitoring, ventilation from previous trips, and a sleek hard case to keep them neatly stored on the go.
Nothing is known about the price yet, while the launch date has not been specified, except that they will hit the market this fall. We can imagine that its price will be equivalent to high-end sound products.
After all, typical Dyson air purifiers start at a price of £329, and that’s without offering audio functionality. Still, if you really want to reduce your exposure to polluted air and noise on the go, the Dyson Zone is the only real option. At least for the moment.
This is an article published in our sister magazine TechAdvisor United Kingdom