Air-purifying headphones are here: trying out the Dyson Zone

Last year, Dyson shared what many thought was an April Fool’s joke on a Thursday in Munich. We’re talking about the Zone, Dyson’s first headphones. I was allowed to try out the hybrid product – an air purifier and headphones in one – and I’ll begrudgingly say it like it is: this strange set of headphones does make sense in some circumstances. But it comes with a big price tag: 900 to 1,000 euros depending on the model.

The principle works in my first simple test

There are multi-layered filter units in the Zone’s ear cups. From there, the cleaned air blows through the face visor in a new direction: namely directly into the nose and mouth. As absurd as that sounds, a simple test shows that it works. With the visor on – it turns on automatically as soon as you put it on – I can no longer smell the food from the buffet in the event room, which may not have been put there entirely at random.

However, the filtered air from the Zone smells slightly artificial at first and has a plastic aftertaste. I stop noticing it after about 30 seconds. And somehow there’s something about having such a fresh breeze in my face, even though I’m inside in the middle of a meeting room.

The visor’s light and made of plastic

Having the Zone on my face makes me feel like Bane from The Dark Knight Rises, just «very weird» rather than very dangerous. Still, the visor doesn’t restrict your view and the weight isn’t burdensome. As it only directs airflow to the face and there are no electronics inside, it’s very light. It also sits over the nose and is adjustable. I don’t feel it when I’m wearing it – but I do get funny looks from passers-by in Munich when we’re allowed to walk around outside.

I can walk around with just the headphones. The visor can be easily and quickly separated using magnets on the sides. Or I can fold it down and put it back up later. I can speak normally. However, it does feel a little breezy around my mouth at the highest of the three airflow levels.

Depending on the model, the front of the visor gleams in copper or silver, making it look even more futuristic than it already is. And it folds up for easy storage if you get tired of strangers’ funny looks.

The headphones are big and heavy

Without the filter, the Zone looks like an ordinary set of headphones. Close up, the ear cups with their many small holes look like ventilation – which is what the Zone with the visor actually is. The headphones weigh 600 grammes. For comparison, Apple’s AirPods Max only weigh 385 grammes. I can feel the Zone’s weight on my head, but the headband and ear cups are so soft that I don’t mind wearing them for a short time. At the same time, it all fits tightly enough that it doesn’t fall off my head despite the weight.

However, using the Zone is difficult. The headphones have an approximate sensor rather than touch controls. That means I have to tap hard on the ear cup to switch from noise-cancelling mode to transparency mode and be able to hear my surroundings again.

Contrary to the concept of these headphones, the sound of the Zone – as far as I can tell after a five-minute test listen – is calm but clear. I find them rather cold and balanced. The bass is pleasantly mixed and, unlike many other headphones, takes the upper hand on my test piece Burn the Witch from Radiohead.

There’s one app for everything, which you can use to select settings and make adjustments. The exciting thing about Dyson is that the app shows you how loud it is around you and provides information on the air quality.

It filters pollen, gases and fine dust

Moving on from the sound to the electrostatic filters. According to Dyson, they should absorb 99 per cent of particle pollution down to a size of 0.1 microns, but I can’t test that. Allergy sufferers, on the other hand, will be interested to hear that the zone also filters pollen. The Zone also claims to filter out nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide and ozone, i.e. what makes up air pollution in cities. However, the Zone wasn’t tested for catching COVID-19 pathogens.

Long spring walks during the high pollen season are probably not an option. Low airflow gives you four hours of battery life, medium lasts two and a half hours and high lasts one and a half hours. Without air purification, you get 50 hours of listening time. The battery is fully charged again within three hours.

Loud ventilation: the Zone cancels itself out

At the lowest air purification level, you can hardly hear the Zone, while the highest is as loud as a computer that’s overheating and conking out – so, annoying if someone is sitting next to you on the train. But the lowest level is enough anyway, as a Dyson engineer explains to me at the event. The highest level is intended for outside, where it’s noisy anyway.

The Zone’s active noise cancelling comes into its own when out and about in the city. It’s supposed to reduce noise by 38 decibels. I can still hear the voices of the journalists present at the event, but they’re much quieter. Other than that, I wasn’t able to test the noise cancellation.

And, as Dyson assured me at the event, you can still make calls with your visor and the airflow on. Apparently, the Zone uses beamforming technology to filter out its own noise. It actually works in a short telephone test on-site – the person I’m talking to can hear me well despite the fan.

Conclusion: good, and a pity that it has to exist

I hate to admit it, but these completely odd headphones are kind of good. And they make sense in places with high air pollution, such as large cities and subway stations. Unfortunately. So, wearing the Zone can benefit you – although more environmental protection and less pollution would be a much better solution. In terms of workmanship and the built-in technology, you can’t fault the Zone much either. Although that really doesn’t change anything about the curious overall concept.

The air pollution in this country isn’t high enough for me to buy the Zone after this short test. But it could find a market in people with severe pollen allergies. But, it was inevitable: on the train back from the Dyson event, someone with a smelly tuna sandwich was sitting right in front of me. In that moment, I wished I had the Zone back. But only temporarily.

The Zone is set to launch in Germany in July, but Dyson had to postpone the Swiss launch. The latest information suggests this will be in 2024.