These insane air filter headphones will actually be on sale in 2023

In the spring, Dyson introduced amazing headphones: they combine sound with a removable air filter. The product called “Zone” will be available from January and the price is reasonable: the striking active noise-cancelling (ANC) sound converters should cost at least 749 British pounds (about 860 francs). Dyson initially did not disclose the exact price for Switzerland. However, the article should appear on Digitec sometime during the year.

The filter unit is held on the headphones magnetically, enclosing the mouth and nose like a brace, but not resting there. Doubly cleaned air flows out of the bracket. Feeding stops when you slide the bail down or remove it completely.

According to the manufacturer, electrostatic filtration should capture up to 99 percent of particles down to 0.1 microns in size, such as dust, pollen and bacteria. And a carbon filter enriched with potassium would clean the air we breathe from gases such as nitrogen dioxide or ozone. The filters have a shelf life of up to one year.

In addition to air pollution, the zone also wants to help against noise pollution: According to Dyson, the ANC system in the Bluetooth 5.0 headphones works with eight microphones and should be able to dampen the disturbing ambient noise by up to 38 decibels (dB). At 595 grams, the headphones are quite heavy, with the air filter added another 75 grams.

The 2600 mAh battery in the headphones fully charges via USB-C in three hours. That is enough for up to 50 hours of pure music listening or for up to four hours of combined audio and filter operation at the lowest airflow rate. The combination time decreases accordingly at medium (up to 2.5 hours) and high airflow rate (up to 1.5 hours).

An accelerometer in the headphones monitors the user’s activity and automatically adjusts the speed of the airflow if desired.

There’s also head and headband sensing for power savings, allowing Zone to go into standby when not being worn, or enter audio-only mode when the filter headband is lowered slightly or removed altogether.

A built-in sensor monitors the nitrogen dioxide level. These are displayed in the “MyDyson” app, as is the ambient noise level. Airflow, ANC, some audio equalizer modes and volume limitation can also be controlled through the application.

(dpa, t-online, leo)