I ditched Sony and Bose to try some unique British | Tech News

There are a lot of wonderful noise cancelling over-ear headphones on the market however most of them have comparatively drab and uninteresting designs. Market leaders akin to Bose, Sony and even Apple play it comparatively secure when it comes to headworn audio.

If you’ve been ready for a pair of headphones to arrive on the market that can really stand out from the gang, at present is your fortunate day.

UK tech firm Nothing has simply introduced the Nothing Headphone 1, its first ever over-ear headphones, and there’s no means you would accuse them of being drab.

Launched alongside the new high-end Nothing Phone 3 Android smartphone, the £299 Headphone 1 has a daring steel and clear plastic design that echoes the look of the model’s telephones and wi-fi earbuds. They include noise cancelling tech, assist for Hi-Res audio, lossless playback through USB-C, and even a 3.5mm headphone jack for connecting through a provided cable to audio gadgets which have one.

But it’s the divisive design that’s the primary speaking level. I’ve had the Headphone 1 for a couple of weeks, and displaying them to people elicits responses from principally reverse ends of the spectrum – it’s both love or hate. The rounded reminiscence foam earcups are one half of a three layer sandwich that additionally takes in a rounded steel form with oval plastic on the skin, which is clear.

Similar to different Nothing merchandise, this reveals intentional design prospers moderately than precise inner elements.

I’ve discovered the look to have grown on me. At first I thought them ugly however after a few days they appeared a lot much less offensive. They’re actually unique.

Perhaps it helps that I didn’t thoughts having them clamped to my head. They are comparatively mild regardless of steel getting used as half of the construction. At simply 329 grams, they’re more comfy than the 386 gram Apple AirPods Max. 57 grams doesn’t sound like a lot, nevertheless it makes a distinction when it’s in your head for hours at a time.

But none of this issues if the Nothing Headphone 1 would not sound good. Thankfully, I assume they simply about justify their £299 price tag, although this is not precisely pocket change.

The noise cancellation is great, blocking out most workplace and practice sounds in addition to voices. People had been attempting to discuss to me a metre away and I couldn’t hear them. The transparency mode can also be good, and has little or no static so you possibly can chat away with out taking the cans off.

Like Beats headphones, these cans are tuned for all of the bass-heads on the market. The low-end is effectively represented, making the Headphone 1 an wonderful decide in case you hear to a lot of hip hop or dance music. That stated, I discovered most genres sounded great, with a little tuning.

Using the Nothing X app on each iPhone and Android, you possibly can modify the EQ both with presets or a more granular slider set up. The soundstage of the headphones is superb, with a baseline of audio high quality that sounds on par with Bose headphones I’ve examined across the similar price level.

Streaming Spotify utilizing an iPhone sounds first rate, however you possibly can unlock higher sound high quality with the Headphone 1 in case you pair them with a suitable Android cellphone that helps Hi-Res Wireless requirements. Nothing additionally ships the headphones with a USB-C cable for charging but additionally to plug into a cellphone for lossless audio playback, plus there’s a 3.5mm headphone cable to plug them into a gadget with a headphone jack.

Nothing says the Headphone is “designed for both audiophiles and everyday listeners”, which shines by means of with the pleasing quantity of audio choices at your disposal.

Unfortunately, Nothing’s spatial audio mode makes most tracks sound worse, usually muddying and scaling down vocals. Ironically, audio sounds much less spacious when the mode is on. It additionally doesn’t work with the bass enhancement or equaliser choices, turning them off when triggered.

Thankfully, bass enhancement is superb. It actually attracts out the bass guitar on tracks akin to Abel by The National and Scratchcard Lanyard by Dry Cleaning. But Kendrick Lamar’s Money Trees really comes alive right here and showcases the Nothing Headphone 1 at their best. Rock tracks sound good however hip hop sounds phenomenal, partly as a result of the headphones cope higher with the bass and high ends, and battle a little more with the mids, the place a lot of rock and guitar music performs.

Hopefully Nothing can tune a little of this out in software program replace enhancements, which it is vitally good at with its smartphones. What doesn’t need enhancing are the controls, that are great. I’m glad Nothing has primarily buttons for this, with solely quantity a swipe motion. It’s a lot simpler to press a button when you possibly can’t see it than use all contact controls, like Sony insists on.

The Nothing Headphone 1 is impressively refined for a first go at over-ears. I’d fortunately use them as my important pair, and they undercut the Sony WH-1000XM6 and Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones by more than £100. That’s a win in my guide – as long as you just like the look.

You can pre-order the Nothing Headphone 1 from July 4 for £299 from Nothing.