Beebom Score
Nothing already has experience with wireless earbuds, and I’ve reviewed them in the past. So when I heard Nothing was making their first pair of headphones, I was concerned. Only because I have had a love-hate relationship with their previous audio products. My concern only grew louder upon learning the $299 price tag of the Nothing Headphone (1). I was left thinking how Nothing’s first headphone will compete against the likes of Sony and Apple. But having used the Nothing Headphone (1) for a week, I think I judged them too early.
Nothing Headphone (1): Box Contents
Like their design, Nothing has kept the contents of the Headphone (1) to the bare minimum. Here is what you get inside the retail box:
- Nothing Headphone (1)
- A textured carrying case
- A USB Type-C to C cable
- A 3.5mm to 3.5mm cable
- User manual guide
Nothing Headphone (1) Design: It’s New, It’s Retro
You have got to give it to Nothing, they always do something bold in terms of design across all their product categories. And that’s the case with the Headphone (1) too. It has a unique look that makes it look straight out of 2001: A Space Odyssey. It’s futuristic and retro at the same time, with white cassette tapes (in the case of my white unit) slapped over rectangular metallic cups and covered underneath a transparent shell.
I wasn’t a fan of this look when I first saw it in a leaked image. However, the design started to grow on me, given how unique it is. When I wore these headphones on the metro, I received all sorts of attention because they looked so different. Strangers approached me to ask about the cans; some recognized the pair immediately, while even those who weren’t into tech expressed their curiosity.
This is what I love about the Headphone (1). Their design, while divisive, still sparks intrigue among users, which I feel has been lost in this increasingly tech-ed-out world. Another thing I like about the Headphone (1) is their fit. They sit well on my pumpkin-sized head without any issues. That’s thanks to the rubberized plastic band and the soft cushioning on the earcups, making them more maneuverable.
They are a bit on the heavier side, weighing 329 grams. Still, they are lighter than the AirPods Max. I had them on throughout my hour-and-a-half tiring commute to the office, and the only thing I was not tired of was having the Headphone (1) on my ears.
That said, the large metallic rectangular earcups don’t allow for a lot of movement when you have them hanging by your neck. It restricts movements to a certain extent, almost as if I am wearing a neck brace.
Apart from the design, the buttons also need some special attention. There’s no touch control here; instead, you get a roller that you can slide left or right to change volume. It also acts as a button to switch between ANC and transparency modes. To switch songs, Nothing offers a paddle that you can push to the sides to jump to the next track or fast-forward songs in Spotify or Apple Music. It’s a really cool implementation, and it sits perfectly with the retro motif that Nothing was going for.
Nothing has also added another button on top of the metal casing. It powers a new feature called Channel Hop. It lets you quickly jump into your selected Spotify or Apple Music playlist. I found it quite convenient, as I could access my downloaded tracks without even touching my phone. At the bottom of the earcup, you will find ports for charging, a 3.5mm headphone jack for audio out, and a power-on switch.
Nothing Headphone (1): Sound Quality
When I first received the Headphone (1), the out-of-the-box sound was horrid, to say the least. The bass was tearing up, almost to the extent of scratching my ears. But one replacement unit and two updates later, all of its issues were fixed. So, what’s my impression of the sound of the Headphone (1)?
Well, these cans sound surprisingly enjoyable, and I must credit KEF. They are a British-based high-end audio equipment maker who have tuned the sound of the Headphone (1). These offer mostly everything you could expect from a pair of $299 headphones. Clean audio, deep bass, and good highs, thanks to the use of custom 40mm drivers and nickel-plated diaphragms.
It has a balanced output, so none of the frequencies are taking over each other. The bass has an oomph to it, the vocals don’t feel muffled, and the treble is also responsive without any shrilling or sharp spikes. I listened to tracks like “Limit to your love” by James Blake, which emphasizes a lot on mid-bass, and the Headphone (1) handles it mildly well, but the tearing does come back if you listen to it at max volume.
Those who prefer a more jumpy bass can turn on Bass Enhancement to achieve that, but it only worsens the tearing problem. Another thing to mention about the sound compared to other cans in its league is the sound stage, or the lack of it. There’s no wideness to it, so you can’t tell which instrument is where or how far behind. You can tell it in tracks like “All Directions” by Son Lux, where you can’t feel the depth and distance of instruments. It all falls flat on your ears.
Details and richness in audio are also not as good as the Sony XM5 that I use almost every day. For reference, I used them with the LDAC codec with Apple Music’s Hi-res Lossless tracks, and even that did not help improve the details. Even after connecting the Headphone (1) to my FIIO DAC through the 3.5mm jack did not turn out to be helpful.
I hopped over to the Nothing X app, and the preset EQs helped fix some of the issues, bringing a little more detail back into my collection of tracks. The companion app also offers an 8-stage equalizer with an option to adjust the Q factor. I tinkered with it, and here is my custom EQ setting that adds more emphasis on the mids and minor lift to highs, something that I like.
But hey, not everyone is as analytical as I am, and overall, the Headphone (1) sounds quite good. Even comparable to the Sony’s in the $299 price bracket, while only a couple of steps behind. I guess that KEF tuning bore some fruit after all.
Nothing Headphone (1): ANC and Transparency
The noise cancellation is strong on this one. From my office to the metro rush, the Headphone (1) managed to get me through all of it, without any unwanted noise trespassing my ear canals. They already cancel out some noise passively as the earcups create a tight seal around the ears, and the high option in the Nothing X app can further block more environmental sound up to 42 dB.
But it is still a smidge behind the XM5s. Sony’s cushions offer better passive noise cancellation, and the ANC is much quieter. I tested the noise cancellation on both during my office’s post-lunch foosball match, which can get very, very loud. While listening to music, I could still hear occasional cheers of “GOAL” on the Nothing Headphone (1), but the XM5s kept me in complete silence.
That being said, the transparency mode on the Headphone (1) turned out to be better than Sony’s. Since there is not as aggressive a seal here, it felt more natural to carry out a conversation while having them on. If it weren’t for the weight reminding me that I was wearing headphones, I would have completely forgotten that I was even using them. They are that good.
“Good” is also a word I would use to describe the microphone quality on the Headphone (1). The six-mic setup does a decent job of picking up my voice during calls. The other person could hear what I was saying, without much distortion, but this was only possible within fairly silent areas.
As soon as I stepped out of my office and into the traffic-riddled streets of Delhi, my words turned into mumble rap. These cans did not remove background noise as well as I expected. This could be improved with updates, but as it is, I wouldn’t want to use them for calls much.
Nothing Headphone (1): Battery Life
During my entire review period, I had to charge the Headphone (1) only once, even though that was to test the charging speed. Nothing has outfitted this pair of over-the-ear headphones with a 1,040 mAh battery, which might not seem much, but can last you for almost 3 days with 8 – 9 hours of listening every day. Even with LDAC and ANC turned on, they can go on for more than 30 hours easily.
This makes the Headphone (1) a perfect companion for road trips or long weekend getaways. I had them going on overnight, trying to deplete their battery. And when I finally managed to drain them, it took only 2 hours to get them charged up to 100%.
Nothing Headphone (1): Is It Worth the Money?
All things considered, Nothing managed to surprise me more than I expected. For $299, they have delivered a high-end pair of headphones, even if you have mixed opinions on the design. The team at Nothing managed to come up with a look that has stirred up a lot of conversation. I mean, when was the last time you saw people debating over the design of some headphones?
Whether you like it or not, one thing you can’t deny is that it is uniquely Nothing. I liked the sound profile too. Despite the lack of depth or detail, these are still fun to listen to while working, relaxing, or commuting. I feel that they fall short of their competitors in a bunch of departments. Hopefully, Nothing fixes or improves on these issues later on. But till then, I can recommend the Headphone (1) if the price drops during sales or offers.
