The Dyzon Zone projects purified air into the wearer’s mouth and nose
(Picture: Dyson)Dyson’s air-purifying headphones caused a stir when they were revealed earlier this year. The bulky-looking cans boast active noise cancellation and a detachable face guard that filters out airborne nasties.
They were the company’s first steps into audio and wearable tech but it was the ultra-futuristic design that got people talking. Some said they’d make the wearer look like Batman villain Bane. Others thought it was all just an elaborate prank.
Well, it turns out they’re real and are coming out next year.
Dyson will release the Dyson Zone headphones in China in January and in the UK, Ireland, US, Hong Kong and Singapore in March. Prices start from £750, which Dyson is hoping to justify with a range of audio features and air-filtering tech.
The latter is built into the removable face guard that projects purfied air into the wearer’s mouth and nose. Dyson says the panel features compressors that spin at up to 9,750 rpm to draw air through electrostatic filters. These can capture up to 99% of particles as tiny as 0.1 microns in diameter, which is around a thousand times smaller than the diameter of a human hair, from sources such as brake dust and construction. The company claims the compressor tech creates a “small amount of noise” that those nearby can hear.
The Dyson Zone also targets harmful gases found in cities, like nitrogen dioxide (which mostly comes from cars) and sulphur dioxide, by trapping them with its potassium-enriched activated carbon filter. And it can even keep out unpleasant smells like construction fumes, sewage or stale air on the underground. An on-board sensor monitors air and noise pollution and beams that info to the MyDyson app for you to view.
Already a Dyson speciality, air purification certainly helps the headphones to stand out in a crowded category. It’s also a growing concern in cities like London, where nitrogen dioxide levels breached recommended limits this year to reach their highest levels since the start of the pandemic.
Filtration may be a cinch for Dyson, but it’s the audio part where it remains untested. In terms of sound, the Dyson Zone touts active noise cancellation (ANC) powered by eight of the 11 microphones crammed on to the headphones.
When ANC is turned on, these mics will monitor the surrounding din 384,000 times a second to block out environmental noise like traffic. All told, the headphones offer up 38 decibels of noise cancellation from 20 Hz to 20 kHz, and a frequency response of 6Hz to 21kHz.
At the heart of the speaker system is a 40 millimetre, 16 ohm speaker driver. While the Bluetooth codecs include Sony’s high-res audio wireless LDAC codec and AAC, which is also used by Apple, along with the more commonly used SBC. We’ll have to wait to test them out to deliver our verdict on their audio quality.
Still, the design could be the biggest impediment to their success, and Dyson’s self-professed goal of breaking into wearables. The fact that people were so quick to ditch face masks doesn’t bode well for a device that covers part of your face. If the reveal aroused so much chatter, imagine the reactions you’ll get wearing a Dyson Zone on the Tube. It doesn’t help that you’ll look like a Mortal Kombat character.
That may explain why Dyson is also targeting Asia – with China the first to get the headphones – where masks are a common sight and haven’t been politicised. Of course, pollution is more visible in some Chinese cities in the form of smog, putting it front of mind for locals. Other tech companies like LG and Razer have already launched wearable air purifiers, likely to be offered in overseas markets.
Though Dyson’s headphones don’t come cheap, the steep price isn’t unprecedented. At £750, they sit above the £549 Apple AirPods Max and the £699 Focal Bathys on the scale of premium headphones. Like many wireless headphones, you’ll also be able to take calls on the Dyson Zone and use voice controls.
The Dyson Zone will be available in three colours upon launch: silver on blue, blue on blue and blue on copper. You’ll be able to purchase them directly from Dyson on its website and in its shops.
