LAS VEGAS—On this nippy January morning here, I tried the Dyson Zone air purifying headphones for the first time. My first impression: I was already chilly, so the purified airflow felt cold on my face. I almost wished there was a warm air option, but that seemed like an entirely separate engineering challenge—maybe an idea for a future iteration, I suggested to Dyson's representatives overseeing my visit with the Zone.
I'm weirdly obsessed with air purifiers, and use several of Dyson's tower models at home, so when I first heard about the Zone last March, I was excited—probably unreasonably so. The Zone is exciting not just because it marks Dyson's first venture into both audio and wearable technology, but because it's different from anything else on the market. Air purifying necklaces exist (and don't work well, according to Dyson Senior Design Manager David Hil), but the Zone is the first air purifier I've seen designed specifically for the face. And, oh yeah, it's also a pair of noise-cancelling headphones.
I'm not the only one intrigued: The futuristic device, which aims to combat outdoor air and noise pollution, went viral for its Bane-like aesthetic. Some say they wouldn't be caught dead wearing the thing, but I couldn't wait to get my hands on a pair. So when Dyson invited me to try them out during this week at CES, I made the meeting my top priority.
It's a Lewk
I spent about 30 minutes with the Zone, supervised by several Dyson reps the entire time (the same is true for every member of the media who has tried them so far). I'll reserve my full judgment until I have the opportunity to test the product at length in the privacy of my home. But based on my brief hands-on experience with the Zone, I'm impressed.
This might be a controversial opinion, but I think they look cool. Even if you dislike the design, you have to admit—it's a lewk. Plus, maximalism is in (just look at the Apple Watch Ultra). When I caught my reflection in the mirror while wearing them for the first time, I let out a chuckle because, yes, they are outlandishly big. Early adopters will need some confidence to wear these in public, for sure.
While wearing the Zone, the purified air gently blowing in front of my mouth and nose had no discernible odor, but the same was true for the ambient air. I suggested someone light a cigarette so I could test its odor-fighting performance, but no one obliged.
Inside each ear cup is a tiny compressor motor and a dual-layer air filter. The first layer, a negatively charged electrostatic filter, promises to capture 99% of inhalable particles down to 0.1 microns in size, particularly brake dust emitted from cars, as well as pollen and bacteria. The second layer, made of potassium-enriched carbon, absorbs dangerous city gases, such as nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and sulfur dioxide (SO2). A duct on each earcup allows clean air to flow into the visor, which sits around the lower half of your face without touching it.
Despite its size, the Zone felt pretty light and comfortable on my head. With the visor attached, the Zone weighs about 24 ounces. Removing the visor drops its weight to about 21 ounces.
The inside of the headband and the ear cushions are both lined with soft microfiber—if you're familiar with the Lululemon yoga mat towel, it's a similar fabric. The headband and the face visor are both easily adjustable to fit a range of head sizes.
The removable face visor magnetically attaches to the headphones. It took me a few tries to figure out how to snap it on, but once I adjusted it for size, it was easy. When you pull the visor down towards your chin, the air purification and any music you have playing through the headphones automatically stop. You can turn the music back on when the visor is down if you wish, but the air purifier only works when the visor is up.
The Zone has two buttons, one on the back of each ear cup. The left button lets you cycle through airflow speeds (Low, Medium, High, Auto, and Off), and the right button is a joystick that lets you control the audio (move it up/down to adjust the volume, left/right to skip tracks, press it to play/pause, or hold it down to activate your smartphone voice assistant (Siri or Google Assistant).
In Auto air purification mode, the Zone automatically adjusts its fan speed based on movement data captured by a built-in accelerometer. To test this feature, I got up from my seat and started jumping up and down, and the fan speed predictably ramped up on its own. As a side note, I don't necessarily recommend wearing the Zone while engaging in vigorous activity. It should be fine for a brisk walk, but it shifted and felt like it might fall off as I jumped up and down.
To correctly position the visor in front of your face (so it's covering both your nose and mouth), you may need to move the headband slightly back on your head. When I first started wearing the Zone, I had the headband too far forward on my head, and the visor only covered my mouth, leaving my nose exposed.
I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the visor is completely washable with cool water and soap. When it gets dirty, you can take the visor apart (it comprises four pieces), and wash it with the included cleaning brush.
The Audio Experience
While wearing the Zone with air purification enabled, you can hear the motor running. It sounds like a fan, and the volume gets louder as you increase the airflow speed. With music playing, you can only really hear the motor running with the airflow speed set to Medium or High. On the Low airflow speed, your music should drown out the sound of the fans.
Double-tapping the side of either ear cup switches between noise-cancellation modes (Isolation, which offers the highest level of ANC; Transparency, which amplifies outside sounds so you can be more aware of your surroundings; and Off). To test the ANC, I went out on the balcony, where a large air conditioning unit was running, and Transparency mode almost totally eliminated that background noise.
I'm no audio expert, so I plan to team up with my colleague Tim Gideon, who is in for a full Zone review. That said, music playing through the Zone sounded sufficiently loud and clear to me. Via its companion MyDyson mobile app, you can choose from three equalizer modes: Enhanced, Neutral, and Bass Boost. I didn't hear much of a difference between Enhanced and Neutral, both of which offer a fairly neutral sound signature, but Bass Boost noticeably punched up the audio.
In terms of availability, the Zone is slated to hit the market in China this month before launching in the US, UK, Hong Kong, and Singapore in March. In the US, it will be available in two colorways: Ultra Blue/Prussian Blue, and a premium Prussian Blue/Bright Copper version. Pricing starts at $949. Stay tuned for PCMag's full review later this year.