What would you like out of a pair of over-ear headphones? No, actually. Like, what would you like? I don’t imply that as a problem; I imply that as a menace. Private audio is a severe factor, and you must make a sound selection whenever you’re choosing a tool that protects you from the horrors of different folks’s speaking, different folks’s music, or different folks, usually talking. Nevertheless it’s not that straightforward. If selecting over-ear headphones have been based mostly solely on sound, then we’d be strolling round with ugly-ass blocks on our ears like we simply stepped out of a reproduction Apple Retailer constructed inside some dweeb’s Minecraft server. The actual fact is, we wish all of it in terms of headphones. We wish one thing that sounds good, that appears cool, and that feels good on our heads—and we don’t wish to pay an excessive amount of for it. That’s a excessive bar, to make sure. Not unattainable, however excessive, and a uncommon one on prime of that. It’s the bar that I choose virtually each wearable audio machine by, however particularly the bar that I choose Nothing’s first pair of over-ear headphones by. I say “particularly” right here not as a result of I’ve a bone to choose or an axe to grind or another analogy that doesn’t contain bones or axes or pointy objects, however as a result of Nothing, as typical, is speaking an enormous discuss, and it’s my job to say whether or not or not that discuss has any advantage. And to do this, we’ve got to begin from essentially the most superficial place we will. Cool-looking headphones with a aggressive worth that maintain their very own towards AirPods Max. Professionals Enjoyable design Strong sound Very snug Competetive worth Cons Finnicky buttons Not fairly AirPods Max sound They Positively Look… Completely different Once I first noticed leaks of Nothing’s $299 Headphone 1, I assumed to myself… uh-oh. It’s not that I hated the look off the bat, however extra that—because the leaks urged—I noticed that these headphones have a definite vibe. As is the case with any gadget that has “A Look,” that vibe isn’t going to be for everybody. Personally, I used to be on the fence. I might inform precisely what Nothing was going for with the Headphone 1: an almost-retro pair of over-ear headphones that evoke a cassette participant or one of many many units of yore that Nothing is clearly (pun meant) impressed by. It’s a swing, and never one which I used to be positive would join.
© Raymond Wong / Gizmodo However after really getting the Headphone 1 in my hand and sporting them on my head, I’m glad to report that I really like how they appear and the way they really feel. They’re completely different, and that’s precisely what a pair of Nothing headphones needs to be. The edges nonetheless evoke Nothing’s signature transparency with two cassette-like ovals made from plastic sitting on prime of an aluminum casing that homes the interior parts (drivers and all that great things). Some folks is likely to be turned off by the oblong aluminum design just because it’s not oval-shaped like each different pair of headphones, however that’s the entire level—to be eye-catching. In case you noticed the leaked photos and thought to your self, “These look approach too massive,” then you must suppose once more. My head is small, which makes it arduous to purchase hats and suppose good (not sufficient mind cells), but additionally makes me susceptible to trying like some Dickensian orphan in earmuffs after I put on over-ear headphones. Whether or not I look foolish or not after I put on the Headphone 1 is subjective, however what issues is that I don’t really feel foolish after they’re on my noggin. They’re measurement, and so they match snugly on my head. Additionally they stand out, which is nice as a result of that’s sort of Nothing’s entire factor. Nothing and its designers might fill a George Carlin-sized swear jar with the quantity of phrases they’ve exhausted speaking shit about Apple for being boring, and in the event that they launched a pair of headphones that simply duped AirPods Max, I’d be the primary individual to forged a proverbial iPhone-shaped stone. That isn’t what occurred right here, nonetheless. © Raymond Wong / Gizmodo The look received’t be for everybody, however in order for you a pair of over-ear headphones that aren’t determined to attempt to vanish out of your head like Homer Simpson sliding right into a leafy hedge, then these ought to do the trick. Who is aware of, they could even elicit some questions whenever you put on them, which is nice in the event you’re that sort of one who desires to really feel drippy after they’re sporting a gadget. If that’s not your factor, AirPods Max or Sony’s wonderful WH-1000XM6 are nonetheless round and won’t offend you or anybody else who passively takes the headphones into their eyeballs. If there’s one grievance in regards to the design, it’s that the “white” pair that I examined is definitely low-key grey. I really like the grey, to be trustworthy—it’s giving PlayStation 1—however in the event you needed this stuff to be 2001: A Area Odyssey white, then you’ll be dissatisfied.
However sufficient about seems to be. Let’s get to how they sound. Nice Sound and Sturdy ANC In case you’re shopping for a pair of over-ear headphones, what you’re saying tacitly is, “I would like extra.” Extra bass, extra quantity, and better constancy. As nice and handy as wi-fi earbuds are, they simply can’t supply the identical degree of readability of energetic noise cancellation (ANC) as a chunky pair of headphones. Nothing’s Headphone 1 are positively extra. To assist deliver Nothing into the over-ear headphone age, it tapped hi-fi audio firm KEF, which did the audio tuning a part of these headphones—sufficient to earn a “Sound by KEF” shoutout printed on the correct earcup. KEF additionally had a say in selecting the precise {hardware}, in keeping with Nothing, which consists of a 40mm dynamic driver, a nickel-plated diaphragm with a rim and dome that provides rigidity, and in Nothing’s phrases, is designed to “improve readability within the highs and energy within the bass.” No matter KEF and Nothing cooked up is working for me personally, and I’ve really loved the tuning greater than I assumed. Like Nothing’s different audio merchandise, the Headphone 1 are appropriate with the Nothing X app so you’ll be able to alter the sound manually. I principally listened on “balanced” mode, which is what the headphones default to out of the field. Even with out adjusting the sound manually, I discovered the tuning to work nicely with a lot of completely different genres.
© Raymond Wong / Gizmodo Even when cranking songs like “Solely Shallow” by My Bloody Valentine on the subway to drown out ambient noise, I didn’t discover a lot distortion. For a bassier, extra digital take a look at, I selected TV Woman and George Clanton’s “Fauxllennium” and was additionally happy with the outcomes. Headphone 1 performs particularly nicely within the lows and mids, however might come up rather less crisp and clear with vocals and excessive ends, which each get a bit misplaced within the sauce on balanced mode. I nonetheless suppose Apple’s AirPods Max have a slight edge within the sound division—mid-to-highs simply have barely extra texture and room, which makes vocals really feel extra natural and clear. That being stated, Nothing holds its personal towards a competitor that costs a really hefty premium. On prime of that, you additionally need to issue within the Nothing X app, which permits each preset and granular EQ. This route isn’t for everybody—some folks simply desire a pair of headphones that sound good for many issues out of the field, no screwing round. However if you’re prepared to get in there and begin tweaking frequencies, you’ll be able to alter the EQ of your Headphone 1 to your liking. This isn’t assured to get your headphones to the identical readability as AirPods Max for every little thing you hearken to, nevertheless it’s a serious perk for Nothing audio merchandise that I believe is undervalued by Apple audio followers. © Raymond Wong / Gizmodo The earcups are made from vegan leather-based. © Raymond Wong / Gizmodo Within the ANC division, I used the Headphone 1 on the subway and felt sufficiently insulated from folks and prepare noises. These headphones don’t have essentially the most ANC (42 decibels of cancellation), however they nonetheless do a stable job, particularly as a result of the vegan leather-based earcups (that are hella snug, by the way in which) match snugly round my ears. The ANC is adaptive, too, so it may well auto-adjust based mostly on the noise ranges round you, and as typical, you’ll be able to select the extent manually within the Nothing X app in the event you don’t need adaptive cancellation.
My verdict within the sound division is that Nothing’s Headphone 1—particularly as a brand new entrant into the over-ear audio area—holds its personal towards the facility gamers within the area, and in the event you’re prepared to present the Nothing X app a shot, you may even discover that the sound is similar to AirPods Max. KEF and Nothing’s partnership is a brand new factor, but when the Headphone 1 is any indication, they’re already setting the bar excessive sufficient. There Are So Many Buttons There are some things right here that will not have been in your bingo card however are additionally price referring to. Actually. Buttons. I’m speaking about buttons. On the correct aspect of the Headphone 1, there’s a Holy Trinity of buttons—a curler, a paddle, and a regular-old button. I’m not counting the pairing button on the within of the ear or the on/off swap on the underside right here, both. Altogether, that’s a whole lot of bodily issues you’ll be able to push along with your actual palms, and I really like buttons… in concept.
First, there’s a quantity curler—a bit pill-shaped button on the aspect of the correct ear that does just a few issues. Primarily, it controls quantity; roll it to the correct and the quantity goes up, roll it to the left and the quantity goes down. It additionally doubles as ANC on and off, which might be toggled by urgent and holding the curler down. Then, there’s the paddle. The paddle additionally has a twin goal. A single press to the correct strikes the tune ahead, whereas a single press to the left sends the tune again to the start. Urgent the left paddle two instances sequentially will return to the earlier observe. On prime of observe choice, the paddle additionally acts as a fast-forward or rewind button whenever you press and maintain it to the correct or left, respectively. The oblong-shaped button on the highest of the correct earcup is the curler. The switch-looking button is the paddle. © Raymond Wong / Gizmodo Lastly, there’s a round button within the top-right of the left ear for activating a voice assistant in your cellphone. That’s it. That’s all there may be to say about that.
All of this performance and the inclusion of buttons, as you will have gathered from the ominous opening of this part, are nice in concept, however I even have some main gripes with how each of them work—or sort of don’t work, to be trustworthy. The quantity capsule, whereas purposeful, isn’t tremendous responsive, so there’s a little bit of a delay at instances whenever you’re adjusting quantity with it. Which will compel you to present it a tough roll, however watch out with this technique, my buddy, since you may find yourself jacking the quantity up unexpectedly on your self. The paddle, although it really works simply superb response time-wise, can also be a bit finicky. As I discussed, you should use it to skip a observe or return to the start of a tune, however going again to a earlier observe is the place issues get difficult. Technically, a consecutive press to the left goes again, however you’ll be able to’t rapid-press (suppose: click on, click on); as an alternative, it’s important to click on left, wait a beat, after which click on left once more. It’s sort of a stilted gesture for going again to a earlier tune and, except I’m loopy, a departure from how most buttons of that type work. It’s a small factor, to make sure, however annoying underneath the correct circumstances. I like that Nothing included buttons on this factor, however I’d have favored to have seen them executed with a bit extra finesse, even in the event you don’t technically ever want to make use of them. Outdoors of the buttons, it’s additionally price speaking about battery life—not as a result of there’s so much to unpack, however as a result of there isn’t. Nothing advertises about 35 hours of battery with ANC on (streaming AAC, not LDAC, which is a beefier codec) and 80 hours with ANC off. That’s 15 extra hours of listening time with ANC on in comparison with the 20 hours you get with AirPods Max. I’ve used the Headphone 1 for a number of hours of listening over the previous few days, and so they’re nonetheless going sturdy with virtually no charging out of the field—I’ve barely put a dent within the battery, which is now at 50 % as of time of writing. Oh, there’s additionally yet another factor: the headphones have a 3.5mm headphone jack for wired listening. That is helpful in the event you’re on a airplane or just only a wired connection to your audio supply.
Nothing Is Onto One thing I didn’t know what to anticipate from Nothing’s first over-ear headphones, however no matter I’ve skilled over the previous few days seems like a more-than-solid begin. With the assistance of KEF, Nothing has delivered a formidable AirPods Max competitor at a a lot lower cost level (Apple’s cans price $550 retail) and managed to achieve its oft-stated purpose of “being completely different” on the identical time. The look of the Headphone 1 received’t attraction to everybody, however that’s the purpose of taking a swing. In case you needed headphones that appear like every little thing else and, in consequence, sort of like nothing (no capital “N” right here), then you definitely’d purchase AirPods Max (or Sony or Bose whatevers). In case you don’t need that, then Nothing is supplying you with one thing to skate to—and never only a gimmick that depends on seems to be alone to lure you in. The very best half is that, at $299, Nothing’s Headphone 1 is supplying you with its most costly audio proposition thus far, but additionally possibly one in every of its most compelling. In case you’re out there for over-ear headphones and feeling bored by your choices, the Headphone 1 is extending a retro cassette-inspired arm and saying, “come on, son… we’ve received some bizarre shit to hearken to” and for that alone it’s price contemplating.
