Dyson OnTrac Headphones Review: On Track To Rule Its Class

It is uncanny to associate Dyson with headphones, despite the brand’s expensive ‘air-purifying’ Zone failing to draw everyone into the… zone… (err, couldn’t resist that pun).

In a market where the majority align with the latest offering from Sony, Bose and Sennheiser, choosing something like Apple’s AirPods Max feels like a huge risk. Hence, spending INR 44,900 on a pair of Dyson OnTrac seems like a move fit for gamblers. I would be happy to see the Dyson name on a fancy air purifier or a vacuum cleaner but on a pair of expensive headphones – that’s where my value-conscious side draws a line. 

Hence, it would require a lot of effort from me as a reviewer to convince you otherwise. The Dyson OnTrac is surprisingly good for what it's meant to be – a pair of premium headphones complementing your lifestyle and pampering your ears. 

But that’s not everything, is it? 

Since the answer is obvious, I will straightway jump to my detailed account on the Dyson OnTrac headphones after living with it for a couple of days. 

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Dyson OnTrac design: New style icon?

Ever since we received the OnTrac in our mailbox, I can’t think of anything else that is ideal for being featured in a Sabrina Carpenter number. The OnTrac is equal parts classy, beautiful and chic. 

The aluminium outer caps with a choice of multiple colourways and patterns allow the OnTrac to be tailored to an individual’s taste. The same goes for the soft ear cups available in multiple colours. Although Dyson encourages a mix-n-match of these components, note that any additional outer cap and inner cup come at an additional cost – INR 4,500 for each. Hence, you need to be careful while configuring your pair of OnTrac with a colour combination that works well for most occasions. 

Having metallic components on a pair of on-ear headphones is usually not a clever idea, especially when it comes to comfort. However, Dyson’s design team has somehow managed to make the OnTrac a comfortable wear for an entire day. The headband and its arrangement of cushions spread the weight nicely across the head, with the ear cups managing the pressure nicely. At no point does the OnTrac feel cumbersome! Not suitable for gym or any place where vigorous body movements are involved though! (shhh, no naughty thoughts here!)

Kudos to Dyson for getting the design right, especially for a lifestyle headphone.

What could have been done better, however, was the carrying case. I get the reference to the bikini-inspired carrying case of the AirPods Max but having an enclosed box/bag design could have helped keep debris and dirt away from the precious innards of the OnTrac. 

A mix of controls!

Although most of you, like me, would pair the OnTrac with a phone or a laptop and control the playback from the mother device, having an intuitive control interface at hand always helps. Dyson doesn’t do old-school and hence, the OnTrac gets a four-directional joypad for altering the volume levels and controlling the playback. The joypad seems gimmicky at first but on a daily basis, it works seamlessly. 

The left outer cap also hosts a touch-sensitive surface that allows switching between the various noise cancellation profiles. A vigorous double-tap action only switches between isolation and transparency mode – there’s no option to have the third option of disabling the ANC system. Maybe Dyson could add the capability with a future software update but as of now, you have to resort to the companion phone app for disabling the ANC system altogether. 

For all those wondering, there’s a physical power button to bring the OnTrac to life. The headphone automatically pauses playback once you take them off and resumes audio playback after you wear them. Note that you need to manually switch off the power, or leave the headphones dormant for at least 30 minutes to let them turn off automatically. 

Since we touched upon the Dyson companion app, let’s discuss it in brief. Dyson requires you to log in to your account upon which you get access to the OnTrac’s controls and other associated features. Other than the controls for noise isolation and equaliser presets, the interface allows one to download firmware updates and turn off the wear detection. The app also offers a decibel meter for keeping an eye on the ambient noise levels and what’s reaching your ears. You do get an option to limit the volume levels to keep it safe on your eardrums – a nice touch that every brand should implement in their premium headphones.

Now, let’s talk about how it sounds.

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Dyson OnTrac audio: On track!

The OnTrac’s game is right up with the best we have heard in this segment. The soundstage sits right between the flat tuning of Sennheiser’s Momentum 4 and the bass-centric tuning of Sony’s WH-1000XM5 headphones. 

In its standard equaliser preset, the OnTrac sounds fairly flat but with a clear distinction between the various frequencies – good enough to pamper the Sennheiser crowd. Since I like my playlists served with a zingy tune profile, I found the ‘Enhanced’ preset to be the ideal of the three available. The Bass Boost tends to create pressure for extended periods and is best suited for bass heads. 

With the ‘Enhanced’ preset enabled, the OnTrac has been satisfactory for almost all genres, especially with its emphasis on making the highs energetic and the enhanced lows. The mids, despite in a trough, hold on to their might. Whether rendering ‘Intehan Ho Gayi Intezar Ki’ from Sharabi (1984) or ‘APT’. by Bruno Mars and Rosé, the OnTrac left me and Anubha impressed with its versatility to put up a distortion-free show. This wasn’t surprising given the wide-frequency band of 6Hz - 21kHz, which is wider than Sony’s equivalent in this range but on par with Sennheiser’s Momentum 4. 

To save you from the mumbo-jumbo, the Dyson OnTrac sounds great for most music genres, especially with the ‘Enhanced’ equaliser preset enabled. 

Good isolation from the world

To complement the great soundstage, Dyson has implemented a solid Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) system. For a pair of on-ear headphones, the noise isolation performance is great. Most of the ambient noise is dialled down or erased, thereby enhancing the soundstage. However, high-frequency disturbances like horns, high-speed wind noise and metal clanking make their way past the ANC system. If you venture out a lot, the noise isolation mode will help you stay aware of your surroundings, although we recommend switching to transparency mode for safety. 

The Transparency mode is brilliant – it feels as if you aren’t wearing anything. The passive isolation from the earcups is decent and is ideal for staying in touch with the world while filtering out low-frequency disturbances. 

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Dyson OnTrac battery

So far, the OnTrac has left us impressed with its design and the soundstage. The battery stamina performance, however, adds cherry on the cake. 

In my 10 days of use where the OnTrac worked for two hours daily, the battery level dropped from 80 per cent to 63 per cent. At this rate, it should take me a month to exhaust the battery totally on the OnTrac! Dyson claims that most users, in the ideal situation, should extract up to 55 hours on a single charge. 55 hours! That’s insanely good by all standards!

When the battery depletes, you need a USB-C charger to replenish it. Dyson claims that a 10-minute charge should be good for 2.5 hours and leaving it up to 30 minutes should make it good for nine hours. Leaving it on an overnight recharge should be the ideal way to top up the battery and then forget about it for a month!

Dyson OnTrac review: Verdict

The Dyson OnTrac commands a premium for what is essentially a posh package for music lovers. I am blown away by the supremely balanced soundstage and Dyson’s sweet equaliser presets, especially the ‘Enhanced’ profile. Never have I ever adored a manufacturer-tuned equaliser preset profile as greatly as this one. 

The noise cancellation performance is on par with what the competition has to offer and there’s certainly room for improvement. The supremely superior battery life, however, makes up for this deficit and I hope Dyson joins Sennheiser in making battery anxiety a thing of the past. 

The aesthetics of the OnTrac add a cherry to this lovely cake, thereby making Dyson’s latest audio product an easy recommendation for everyone in the market for a premium pair of headphones. 

At INR 44,900, the Dyson OnTrac is a pricier affair than the Sony WH-1000XM5 and the Sennheiser Momentum 4 but a lot more affordable than the AirPods Max. Considering the lifestyle proposition it brings to the table, the OnTrac makes sense for those who are unwilling to compromise on style and audio performance across a wider spectrum of device ecosystems.

For everyone else, Sony and Sennheiser still offer the best bang-for-buck propositions. 

Pros:

- Great audio performance

- Looks beautiful

- Supreme battery stamina 

Cons:

- Pricey

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