Dyson has revealed the strangest headphones we've ever seen, combining a pair of over-ear noise cancelers with a pollution mask that filters the air you breathe.
Dyson Zone air-purifying headphones are designed to capture city pollution like gases, allergens and particles, while blocking out unwanted noise with ANC and what the company describes as "pure, high-fidelity sound."
Leveraging the company's 30 years of experience in developing airflow, filtration and motor technology, the earcups contain compressors in each earcup that draw air through filters to a double layer and then project two streams of purified air through the user's nose and mouth.
The visor-like mask element of the helmet is not fully enclosed like a surgical mask and does not actually contact the wearer's face, thus preventing irritation and discomfort. To prevent crosswinds from drawing polluted air into the visor, sculpted returns keep purified air close to the wearer's nose and mouth.
The purification level can even automatically adapt to what you're doing, with four different modes: low, medium, high and auto. In automatic mode, the earphones' accelerometers detect your movements and switch between high, medium and low purification speeds. So if you're running and breathing hard, the Dyson Zone will increase the level of purification.
Dyson has taken the same science-based approach to developing the audio performance of on-ear headphones, using a team of sound engineers and acoustic specialists to create "great sound driven by metrics, backed by more in-depth listening tests." . According to the company, the result is a wide frequency response, precise left-to-right balance, and low distortion, with neodymium drivers that deliver "true reproduction as a musician or creator desired."
To preserve audio quality and allow listeners to enjoy their music without interruption, the air-purifying headphones use a combination of passive and active noise cancellation, with large, angled cushions that mold around the wearer's ears. And if you just want to listen to music, you can remove the visor entirely and use the Zone simply as a pair of wireless headphones.
There are three ANC modes, including Isolation, Talk, and Transparency. Isolation blocks out more ambient sound, while Transparency mode amplifies "key sounds like emergency services sirens from news announcements," similar to the Sony WH-1000X4. Talk mode activates every time you lower the sun visor and automatically turns off air purification and amplifies the sound of voices.
As well as being Dyson's first audio device, the Zone noise-canceling headphones are the brand's first wearable devices, and as such the company has gone to great lengths to ensure they're comfortable.
The headset is inspired by the shape and design of a horse's saddle, in that it is designed to distribute weight to the sides of the head, rather than the top, much like a saddle. saddle curves over the horse's spine and distributes the load to the left and right areas of the spine.
long to come
While the air-purifying headphones could be seen as a response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Dyson Zone headphones have been in development for six years and are focused on tackling urban pollution, which chief engineer Jake Dyson describes as a " global issue". . ".
Even if you wanted to use the air purifying headphones to prevent Covid-19 infection, the filter that the Dyson Zone uses will not be enough. The company claims that it can filter out 99% of pollution from particles as small as 0,1 microns, such as dust, pollen, and bacteria. Viruses, including coronaviruses, are much smaller than that.
That's not to say that headphones aren't useful. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 9 out of 10 people worldwide breathe air that exceeds the WHO guideline limits for pollutants and, as Dyson puts it, affects us "in our homes, school, work and when we travel, whether on foot, by bicycle, or by public or private transport. The WHO states that this exposure leads to "an increased risk of diseases such as heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cancer and pneumonia."
Then the Dyson Zone could be a fantastic solution to a global health problem that can have devastating consequences. The company certainly took great care in developing its first wearable device; The Zone Air Purifying Headphones are the result of over 500 prototypes and have been extensively tested to ensure they are durable and can withstand any climate or humidity level. Dyson even tried a snorkel-like design before settling on a much less intrusive visor.
Dare we say, people are more likely to wear an air filter if it's connected to a pair of headphones. After all, many of us like to wear headphones while traveling, especially noise-canceling ones that block out the sound of our surroundings and allow us to listen to our music in peace.
Carrying a pair of noise-canceling headphones along with a separate portable air filter would be quite cumbersome. By combining a couple of cans with an air-purifying visor, Dyson may have found a way to combat both noise and air pollution.
There's no word yet on how much the headphones will cost, but Dyson says they'll be available online and at Dyson demo stores in late 2022. Don't expect them to be cheap; While the Zone looks similar to previous Dyson products, it won't be particularly cheap.