Technology company Dyson has announced that its Dyson Zone air-purifying headphones are set to go on sale, despite the product attracting widespread criticism when it was revealed earlier this year. In March of this year, Dyson introduced the “Zone”. Now the specifications of the probably most special headphones are known. The over-ear with air filter will be available in Switzerland next year.
Until now, Dyson has been cagey about releasing details about the “Zone”. Now the airflow is blowing in a different direction. After six years of working on the “Zone”, the manufacturer is letting the cat out of the bag.
In January of next year, the “Zone” will first be launched in China. The special headphones will also be available in Switzerland next year, but Dyson was unable to give an exact date upon request. Of course, I will test the “Zone” extensively. I should be able to get my hands on the test model in January.
Dyson Zone: air filter mask and headphones in one
The “Dyson Zone” is an air purifier and headphones at the same time. With this special gadget, Dyson wants to give the wearer purified air – including active noise cancellation.
The products of the technology company Dyson are known for their air streams. Now the wind is blowing in a new direction: namely directly into your face. That’s because the Singapore-headquartered company has unveiled the “Dyson Zone.” A gadget that is an air purifier and headphones in one.
Release in Switzerland: in 2023
Dyson gives a starting price of £749 – the price for Switzerland is not yet known. And the futuristic-looking device comes in three colours: Satin Silver, Ultra Blue and Bright Copper – with the copper version only available directly from Dyson .
These are the specifications
The battery life of the “Zone” is 50 hours for listening to music, according to Dyson. However, this only applies when the air purification is not turned on. There are three different levels of air purification, which affect the battery life differently: Low airflow gives 4 hours of runtime, medium 2.5 hours and high 1.5 hours. Within three hours, the battery is fully charged again.
The air purification visor, located in front of the mouth and nose, is removable. This means you can also just use the “Zone” as normal headphones. When the air purification visor is fitted, it filters 99 per cent of particles out of the air you breathe, according to Dyson.
Not because of Covid
They spent six years tinkering with the Dyson Zone and built more than 500 prototypes, he said. The global corona pandemic was not the reason the headset visor was created. The already globally increasing air pollution motivated the development.
However, “Zone” has not been tested for the detection of COVID-19 pathogens. This, because the spread of coronaviruses is “due to a complex multitude of variables”, Dyson writes in the press release. However, the H1N1 flu virus (Influeza) and MS bacteriophages have been tested.
The filtering system has not been tested.
The filter system and air supply would specifically eliminate widespread acidic and harmful gases produced in cities, the manufacturer says. Further, Dyson states that the “Zone” filters the following gases: NO₂, SO₂, O₃ – that is, nitrogen oxide, sulphur dioxide and ozone. The filters, which are located in the ear cups with the mini-fans, last for a year.
A built-in sensor on the headphones also elicits ambient nitrogen oxide levels and displays them in the MyDyson app. Ambient noise levels can also be viewed in the app.
To shield the wearer of the “Zone” not only from bad air but also from noise, Dyson has installed eleven microphones on the headphones that are supposed to reduce ambient noise by 38 decibels with active noise cancellation. In addition, the “Zone” is also supposed to sound good; Dyson describes it as high-fidelity headphones with a frequency spectrum of 6 Hz-21 kHz.
Without face visor, the “Zone” weighs 595 grams. That’s heavy – for comparison: Apple’s AirPods Max weigh only 385 grams. With the visor, the AirPods weigh in at 670 grams.
So, what are you getting for your money?
The Dyson Zone supports Bluetooth 5.0 and features a 3.5mm audio jack and USB-C port for charging. Dyson claims the headphones can achieve up to 50 hours of battery life for audio-only operation, which is reduced to a maximum of four hours for combined air purification and audio. Dyson does not specify if these runtimes are with ANC enabled. The headphones are wireless and feature a 2,600mAh lithium-ion battery, with Dyson claiming that the device can be fully charged in three hours.
The Dyson Zone is equipped with 11 microphones, eight of which are used by the device’s advanced noise canceling (ANC) system. Dyson claims that these microphones can monitor surrounding sounds 384,000 times a second, reducing background noise by up to 38dB. Two of the remaining mics are beamforming to suppress noise from the air filtration system, while a single microphone is actually used to detect voice audio for calls.
The Dyson Zone will first go on sale in January 2023 for the Chinese market followed by a March release for the US, UK, Hong Kong SAR, and Singapore. The device will initially be available for preorder by appointment only in the US before being made available at Dyson.com and at physical Dyson Demo stores.