Review: Dyson OnTrac Headphones

If you know Dyson for anything, it’s probably for vacuums or air purifiers—products that somehow manage to fuse utility with design in a way that feels both futuristic and inevitable. That same energy is packed into the Dyson OnTrac headphones, and I’ll be honest: I didn’t expect to be impressed. I have had hit-or-miss results with Dyson gadgets and figured these headphones would be a design experiment with a steep price tag and so-so audio.

I was wrong.

Form

The OnTrac headphones are hefty—but in that “substantial” way, not “cumbersome.” They weigh about a pound and span over the ears like a noise-canceling exoskeleton. They’re built with anodized aluminum and CNC-machined ceramic caps that snap on and off magnetically. You can customize the look with different outer shells and ear cushions. It feels less like picking out colors for your tech and more like choosing trim on a luxury car.

Connectivity is handled via Bluetooth 5.0, with a USB-C port for charging. There’s no standard 3.5mm input, which is a bit of a bummer if you’re the kind of traveler who still uses airline seat audio. For that, Dyson sells a separate adapter. Controls are touch-sensitive, paired with a joystick nub that—thankfully—offers tactile reassurance without requiring a master’s degree in tap sequences.

Function

As you might expect from Dyson, where they really lean in is with the engineering. They’ve packed the OnTrac with eight microphones, tasked with a real-time analysis of ambient sound to deliver active noise cancellation that punches above its weight. It claims to reduce ambient noise by 40 decibels—and while I didn’t measure it with instruments, my experience supports the claim. Whether in a bustling airport terminal or during a neighbor’s home improvement binge, the OnTrac carved out a bubble of silence I didn’t realize I needed.

Audio is delivered via custom 40mm neodymium drivers, with a frequency range that dips as low as 6Hz and climbs to 21kHz. In layman’s terms: it covers more sonic ground than most human ears can process, and it sounds good doing it. The bass isn’t muddy or overpowering; it’s tight, intentional. Mids are crisp, and highs stay clean without veering into sharpness. There’s a slight studio neutrality to the sound—Dyson didn’t dial these up to make pop music sound punchier. These are headphones built for clarity, not coloration.

Battery life is impressive. Dyson promises up to 55 hours of use with ANC on. I ran them heavily over a long weekend—calls, music, videos, podcasts—and never hit zero. A 10-minute quick charge gives you nearly three hours of playback, which is ideal when you forget to top off before heading out.

Experience

I’ve been using the OnTrac headphones for a while, and they’ve quietly become part of my daily rhythm. I start most days with them on—writing, reviewing, hopping into virtual meetings. They drown out distractions in my office and make a compelling case for over-ear ANC headphones as productivity tools, not just travel companions.

What stood out most was the ease with which they blended into different contexts. I’d go from a Teams call, to editing a podcast, to catching up on a playlist, and the OnTrac never missed a beat. The touch controls work as advertised, though they can be a little sensitive. I did skip a track or two unintentionally while adjusting them on my head. But they’re intuitive enough that I never had to fumble for a button mid-call.

The weight—while noticeable—isn’t fatiguing unless you’re wearing them non-stop for hours. After about two or three hours, I’d find myself adjusting them slightly for comfort, but never feeling like I needed to take them off entirely.

Noise cancellation is perhaps the OnTrac’s most surprising strength. I was on a cross-country flight recently, and the engine noise, crying baby two rows back, and in-flight announcements faded into the background like someone turned down life’s volume dial. When I landed, I didn’t have that usual “acoustic fatigue” I get from cheap airline headphones.

Sound-wise, I appreciated the balance. My musical taste leans heavily into the bass, but I don’t need my headphones to artificially juice the low end. What I want is fidelity—and the OnTrac delivers. Listening to cinematic scores, jazz trios, or even dense electronic music felt immersive. You can hear the breath in a sax solo or the spatial panning in a synth sweep. It’s subtle, but it’s there.

I can also vouch for the fact that the Dyson headphones can take a slathering of mango yogurt and come out with no ill effects (and bonus—a slight hint of mango scent!). But that’s a story for another article, resulting from a series of events that nobody could have predicted.

The Verdict

At $499.99, the Dyson OnTrac headphones aren’t entry-level. But they aren’t trying to be. They’re a thoughtfully designed, meticulously engineered, and surprisingly effective piece of tech that delivers on more than just style. And, they’re currently 50% off at $249.99—so twice as worth it.

If you’re looking for ultra-lightweight portability or analog flexibility out of the box, they might not be your perfect match. But if you care about great sound, powerful ANC, long battery life, and a device that feels equal parts tool and tech-fashion, they’re absolutely worth a look.

For me, they’ve earned a permanent spot in my travel bag.