REVIEW: Nothing Headphone (1) Offers A Clear Deal with Premium Audio

Once you’re chasing a set of headphones that stand out from the gang, then stop wanting, you’ve found them. Nothing Headphone (1) might have a weird establish, nevertheless the wi-fi headphones have a extremely distinctive style, one factor that’ll help set you other than the flood of people sporting Airpods.

Nothing’s over-ear headphone gives a dangling clear design, one factor that offers a pleasing connection to experience from the earlier. These included the Apple iMac G3, the Nintendo 64 controllers, Recreation Boys and Nintendo DS’ and seeing a model new agency maintain this tradition alive is good to see.

This allows a glimpse into the interior workings of the earcups, a design various that’s every retro and futuristic. Whereas they’re offered in a black, the silver is definitely the one to get, a refreshing departure from the monotonous sea of black and silver headphones that dominate the market.

Nothing has an precise give consideration to tactile controls proper right here, so that you simply gained’t uncover any contact sliders, in its place bodily buttons are in.

The headphones creation as part of a partnership with audio veterans KEF, the Headphone (1) targets and whereas I wasn’t acquainted with KEF merchandise, I can assure you they sound good, nevertheless we’ll dive into additional component inside the effectivity a part of the whole evaluation.

Design

From the second you unbox the Nothing Headphone (1), it’s evident that design is on the forefront. The first hint there’s one factor a bit distinctive is the headphone case that comprises a dent. This isn’t sensible, nevertheless is designed to create a tactile, fidget-friendly experience, very like the amount knob on their earbuds case.

The clear earcups are the first event proper right here, showcasing the meticulous affiliation of elements inside. It’s a deliberate switch away from the minimalist and sometimes indistinguishable designs of rivals. It’s a dialog starter, a piece of tech that’s meant to be seen.

These are such a dramatic departure from the Dell Premier Wirelss Headset I reviewed currently and I’d take these day-to-day of the week.

The assemble top quality feels premium, with a satisfying heft and use of top quality provides that counsel sturdiness. This ruggedness moreover comes with a bit further weight at 329g, nevertheless that’s solely barely bigger than one factor identical to the Sonos Ace at 312g and actually decrease than the Apple Airpod Max at 384g.

Almost about your interactions with the headphones, Nothing has opted for bodily controls. This incorporates a bodily roller for amount, which moreover doubles as a play/pause button. If this wasn’t distinctive enough, there’s a paddle straight underneath it for observe skipping.

Nothing might need merely used two rollers, perhaps one on each earphone, nevertheless in its place opted to leverage two completely completely totally different controls, which create gratifying tactile strategies that’s sometimes missing in trendy headphones.

One aspect of the design that you just’ll should cosnider in your looking for selection is that these aren’t foldable, which means they’re the size they’re, and don’t fold inwards. Sure, the earphones rotate flat, allowing you merely slide in a backpack in entrance of a laptop computer laptop, nevertheless in the event you occur to have been attempting to swimsuit these in a purse the glovebox or center console in your car, you may wrestle.

Possibly an vital attribute on my looking for itemizing for headphones is the question of comfort. Regardless of how good one factor appears or sounds, if it hurts my head after 2 hours of sporting it, I gained’t placed on it. Thankfully the good news is that Headphone (1) feels cozy for multi-hour listening courses. Once you’re anyone who commutes every day, or takes the follow sometimes, and even wish to make use of headphones at home to avoid annoying family or room mates collectively together with your music, then these are good!

Effectivity

Putting the Nothing Headphone (1) to the verify, the audio experience is spectacular, though with some caveats. The 40mm dynamic drivers, tuned by KEF, ship a transparent and well-balanced sound profile. The bass is present and well-defined with out overpowering the mids and highs, resulting in a listening experience that’s satisfying all through assorted genres.

For people who crave a additional personalised sound, you should defintiely uncover the Nothing X app which gives a personalized 8-band equaliser for granular administration.

The energetic noise cancellation (ANC) is one different sturdy degree. It efficiently minimises the drone of public transport and the ultimate hum of an office environment, creating an immersive listening bubble. Having travelled with these on the follow recenlty, I can attest to how good these are at tuning out the pores and skin noise and allowing you to provide consideration to the responsibility at hand.

There are a variety of ANC modes to pick from, along with a transparency mode that sounds pure and permits for consciousness of your setting. You’ll be capable of entry this by pressing and holding the roller button, or use the app to set this as a press and keep chance for the button on the outside face of the appropriate earmuff (yep, a 3rd style of button).

Being a Bluetooth headset, these moreover provide the facility to make and take calls. To make calls, straightforward use the voice assistant (fired by the equivalent button as above) and ask it to call your contact.

In the event you’re on a reputation, the other participant sounds good, and I’ve had no complaints regarding the identify top quality from my end, potential a outcomes of the the quite a few microphones doing an outstanding job of isolating your voice from background noise. Whereas the out-of-the-box sound is nice, I’d undoubtedly recommend spending time inside the app to get basically probably the most out of these headphones.

Choices

The Nothing Headphone (1) is stuffed with choices that enhance the buyer experience.

Clear Design
A novel aesthetic that showcases the interior elements, setting it other than totally different headphones within the market.

KEF Tuned Audio
Collaboration with the renowned audio mannequin KEF for a high-fidelity sound experience with 40mm dynamic drivers.

Superior Equaliser
The Nothing X app provides an 8-band equaliser for detailed sound customisation, along with presets for quick modifications.

Hybrid Full of life Noise Cancellation
Various modes of ANC to efficiently block out exterior noise, plus a natural-sounding transparency mode.

Spatial Audio
Head-tracking permits to experience audio as if it was coming from a single path, like a stage ahead of you. As you flip your head, the audio swings to return again from the left or correct. This choice is on the market by the use of the Nothing mobile app and default is Off.

Tactile Controls
Bodily buttons, along with a roller for amount and a paddle for observe navigation, provide intuitive and reliable administration.

Twin Gadget Connection
Seamlessly change between two linked Bluetooth items.

Prolonged Battery Life
Benefit from as a lot as 80 hours of playback with ANC off and a nonetheless spectacular 35 hours with ANC enabled. A quick 10-minute price provides as a lot as 8 hours of listening time.

Factors and Options

Whereas there’s tons to love regarding the Nothing Headphone (1), there are only a few areas for potential enchancment.

I’m on board with a variety of the daring selections Nothing made with this machine, nevertheless what’s truly uncommon is the selection to make an audible sound when switching between Noice Cancellation modes.

Noise cancellation: When switching to this mode, you hear an audible ‘Thunk’.
Transparency: As you alter to this mode, you’ll hear a female voice whisper ‘aaahh’.. yep, it’s as weird as a result of it sounds.
Off: Flip off ANC and in addition you’ll hear a digital ‘blip’ comparable to you’re collaborating in Portal.

Defaults are one issue, nevertheless having no option to disable these sounds is definitely annoying. It was cute for the first day or two, nevertheless is unquestionably is now annoying. Having 3 completely completely totally different soundscapes for this looks as if a name that shows the three very completely totally different button types on the machine. Personally I would like consistency over variation and after just a few days of possession you’d research what’s what.

The match, whereas normally cozy, is likely to be longer. The headband gives a novel design in one of the simplest ways that it attaches to each earmuff. This means the size adjustment has to happen further up the headphones and I placed on them nearly on probably the most extended measurement. I’d merely see conditions the place this restricted adjustment means they don’t match larger heads correctly.

Price and Availability

The A$549.00 price tag for the Nothing Headphone (1) places it inside the premium part of the market, an space at current dominated by heavyweights from Sony, Bose, Sennheiser, and Apple. Proper right here’s a comparative take a look at how Nothing’s offering stacks up in direction of its key rivals in the case of worth:

Apple AirPods Max: For purchasers carefully invested inside the Apple ecosystem, the AirPods Max keep a top-tier various. Nonetheless, they arrive with the heftiest price tag on this comparability, retailing for $899 in Australia.

Sonos Ace: The first headphone offering from the multi-room audio giant, the Sonos Ace, has entered the Australian market with a premium worth degree. It’s on the market for $699, making it a significantly costlier chance than Nothing’s debut model and inserting it inside the increased echelon of the market.

Sony WH-1000XM5: A perennial favourite and extensively thought of among the many best inside the enterprise for noise cancellation and normal effectivity, the Sony WH-1000XM5 generally retails for spherical $549 in Australia, though prices can fluctuate with promotions. Its successor, the newly launched Sony WH-1000XM6, has been launched with an RRP of $699, pushing the boundaries of the premium shopper headphone market.

Bose QuietComfort Extraordinarily Headphones: Bose, one different titan inside the noise-cancelling headphone home, prices its latest flagship model, the QuietComfort Extraordinarily Headphones, at roughly $649 RRP, making them a costlier chance as compared with the Nothing Headphone (1).

Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wi-fi: German audio specialist Sennheiser gives its highly-rated Momentum 4 Wi-fi headphones with an RRP starting from $549.95, inserting them in direct opponents with the Nothing Headphone (1) on worth.

The Nothing Headphone (1) is on the market from the subsequent retailers:

On the time of writing, Optus could be offering a promotion the place it’s possible you’ll get the Nothing Headphone (1) with out spending a dime when shopping for a Nothing Phone (3) on a plan.

Normal

The Nothing Headphone (1) is a compelling first entry into the over-ear headphone market for the mannequin. It effectively marries a novel and attention-grabbing design with a perform set and audio effectivity that largely justifies its premium price tag. The tactile controls are a pleasure to utilize, and the ANC is extraordinarily environment friendly.

It’s a headphone for the style-conscious specific one that needs to face out from the gang and appreciates a thoughtfully designed piece of experience. Whereas die arduous followers of various producers couldn’t come all through, I like that there’s a refreshing new technique and well-rounded totally different.

For people who price design and shopper experience as loads as sound top quality, the Nothing Headphone (1) is a implausible various and a sturdy assertion that Nothing is a extreme contender inside the audio home. It represents good price for a lot of who’re captivated by its distinctive aesthetic and secure effectivity.