The Absolute+ is the subject of this first-look review. It’s essentially the same as the Dyson Zone, but with extras including an additional pair of changeable filters and an adapter for a wired connection (audio only).
: See which models aced our lab tests (and those to avoid)
Dyson Zone Absolute+: they're no joke
When a manufacturer has to clarify that its latest product is not, in fact, an April Fool’s joke (Dyson did this on Twitter, shortly after revealing the Zone headphones on 30 March 2022), it knows it's in for a potentially rough ride. And there’s no doubt you’re going to attract attention when wearing these headphones in public.
However, while we had to initially endure howls of laughter from onlookers (various sci-fi comparisons were made, especially to the visor of Star Trek’s Geordi La Forge), their ridicule soon turned to curiosity. Just what is that visor for, how does it work and is it any good?
How does the air purification feature work?
Before taking a closer look at the actual headphone features, we’ll explain a little more about the Zone’s unique selling point: air purification.
Each earcup contains a motor, air-purifying filter and compressor fan, which makes them noticeably bulkier than traditional headphones.
The filters don’t come preinstalled, so you have to insert them yourself, but we found it relatively easy: you simply spin the silver cover anti-clockwise to unlock and remove it, place the filter inside (this requires some gentle force), then replace the cover.
The air purifier visor attaches to the headphones magnetically, allowing you to quickly remove it. With the visor removed, the headphones continue to work as normal. The visor is adjustable, allowing you to move it up and down as well as in and out, but it took us a few goes to achieve the best fit. It's also incredibly easy to accidentally knock the visor off.
When activated, the motor pushes the filtered air to the inside of the visor. We haven’t lab-tested the air purification, so we can’t say for sure how effective it is, but we found the filtered air both cool and refreshing.
Dyson claims the Zone and Absolute+ are capable of capturing and filtering out ‘99% of pollutants as small as 0.1 microns’. The company also lists some examples of these pollutants, including bacteria, industrial emissions and pollen. However, in the small print it's quick to point out that this was done in lab conditions and ‘capture rates may differ depending on real life usage’.
You can change the intensity via the accompanying app or set it to automatically change depending on the conditions you find yourself in. Even when set to maximum, the air flow never feels uncomfortable, but as you increase the air purification the noise made by the internal fans increases in volume.
At the lowest setting it's a non-intrusive hum, but when we ramped it up we could hear the internal fans clearly, even with noise cancelling turned on. Turning up the volume of what we were listening to helped drown out the fans, but people around us could still hear them whirring away.
We also noticed some noise leakage when playing music at high volume.
: see which models aced all our lab testsWhat’s the audio quality like?
Regardless of air purification features, when you’re paying this much for a set of headphones you want them to sound decent.
As with all headphones, we’ll reserve final judgement on the Zone Absolute+ until we’ve fully lab-tested them. However, during several hours of use with a mixture of music and podcasts, our initial findings are that the headphones perform well, producing rich, clear sound.
You also get two noise cancelling modes. Isolation mode keeps background sounds (and derogatory comments from passers-by) to a minimum, while Transparency mode allows for sounds around you to be amplified (useful if you want to listen out for announcements, for example). You can switch between the two modes by double-tapping the ear cups or using the app. There's also the option switch off noise cancelling completely.
A button on the right earcup to adjust volume, pause/continue playback and cycle through tracks.
Are they comfortable?
The cushions on each ear cup feel soft, and we found they fitted comfortably around the ears. The headband is both cushioned and adjustable, so you should be able to find the right fit for you.
In terms of build quality, the visor itself feels considerably less premium than the headphones. It's made of a somewhat flimsy-feeling plastic with a softer rubber fitting around the sections that rest over your nose and mouth. The visor is also washable under the tap, but must be completely dry before reusing.
What’s in the box?
With the Absolute+ you get a number of goodies. Beyond the headphones and the detachable visor, you also get a hard travel case with detachable straps, separate soft protector sleeves for the headphones and visor, two changeable filters (more on these later), a wired connection adapter and a small cleaning brush.
To charge the headphones, Dyson provides a cable with a USB C connector at both ends.
The MyDyson app (available for iOS and Android) is compatible with these headphones and lets you monitor the filters’ lifespan, check air quality around you and even see current levels of pollen and nitrogen dioxide If you enable tracking, it can also alert you to air quality in the areas you travel to.
The app enables you to monitor the lifespan of the filter.
What's battery life like?
Battery life depends on the intensity of the air purifier and whether you have noise cancelling activated. It’s also something we won’t have full results for until we’ve lab-tested them.
However, after several hours of constant use (with full noise cancelling active and the air purifier switched between various intensities), they still had some power remaining.
Dyson Zone Absolute+ first-look verdict
These Dyson headphones are undeniably unique. Despite their bulky design, they were largely comfortable to wear, but the extra weight is noticeable after prolonged use. They have a premium feel that matches the price, and you get a decent assortment of protective gear to make travelling with them easier.
However, the peculiar design and high price are likely to be enough to make most people look elsewhere. If you fall into this category, check out the popular (and more traditional) alternatives listed below.
We’ll post our full review and verdict once the headphones have made their way through our tough lab tests.Popular alternatives to the Dyson Zone Absolute+
We've picked five of our most popular noise-cancelling Bluetooth headphones that offer an alternative to the Dyson Zone. These models are the most-viewed headphones by Which? members since the beginning of 2023.
1. Sony WH-1000XM5It's no surprise that the XM5 are so popular, as Sony claims that the WH-1000XM series delivers ‘industry-leading noise-cancelling' in its over-ear Bluetooth headphones.
Read our 2. Sony WH-1000XM4You can usually pick up a pair of these wireless headphones, the precursor to the XM5, for a bit less. Still a popular choice, despite being an older model, they have most of the same features as the XM5, except they only have five built-in microphones that help optimise the active noise cancelling, whereas the XM5s have eight.
Read our full 3. Sony WH-XB910NA more budget-friendly option from the Sony Extra Bass range, the WH-XB910Ns still have noise cancelling and wireless capabilities. Unlike the WH-1000XM series, these have a mix of touch controls and physical buttons, which some people might prefer.
Read our full 4. Anker Soundcore Space Q45Anker claims that the Space Q45s have a 65-hour battery life without noise cancelling, and up to 50 with it on. They're cheaper than similar models, so might be a good choice if you're on a tighter budget.
Read our full 5. JBL Live 650BTNNCThese aren't the newest or flashiest pair of wireless noise cancelling headphones, but they're still popular with members, not least because they're available at a decent price.
Read our Additional reporting by Lars Stannardsource https://www.which.co.uk/news/article/dyson-zone-absolute-air-purifying-headphones-first-look-review-a60iW9b1pMUQ