Dyson engineers do the impossible, balancing advanced filtration technologies with precision acoustic engineering and delivering high-fidelity, immersive audio on the go, without compromising on performance. 

Expertise in audio and electroacoustics isn’t new to Dyson. From across our sensing, electronics and acoustics teams, Dyson engineers pooled their experience on the Dyson Zone project, to deliver high quality audio and an innovative new approach to ANC.

Following five core principles, the Dyson Zone noise-cancelling headphones draw upon decades of experience in acoustics and advanced expertise in audio to deliver an exceptional immersive listening experience. Many audio developers rely on a golden listener; this has become common practice across the audio industry, where a trained individual determines what ‘good’ sounds like. Dyson engineers opted to take a more scientific approach, led by audio research and validating the resulting specification targets with extensive user trialling.

All speakers, whether in headphones, cars, laptops or loudspeakers are aiming to replicate a specific audio wave – that of the input signal, the music or sound that the user wants to play. An exact replica isn’t possible, so all speakers experience some level of distortion – it could be significant and noticeable, or not at all. Distortion is the difference between the original signal input and the output produced by the headphone. The bigger the distortion, the more audible it may be.

The speaker driver and electronics, mechanical system, materials, and acoustics have been carefully designed to minimise distortion. The driver output is further equalised by intelligent signal processing 48,000 times a second which combines with the noise cancellation to neutralise harmonic distortion to inaudible levels across the full frequency range (0.08% @ 94 dB @1 kHz).

Detailed research into head and face geometries meant engineers could measure how the Dyson Zone™ noise-cancelling headphones would sit on and perform on different heads– informing the clamp force of the headband, the geometry and materials of the visor, the adjustability of the machine and much more. The ear cushions are purposefully flatter than conventional ear cushions for both passive attenuation and comfort, and the cushions are angled to align with the ear for optimal comfort.

Any lack of balance between the left and right earcups challenges Dyson’s goal of delivering a highly immersive listening experience. To accurately position an instrument in a stereo mix, it is important that the left-right matching is very good at all frequencies – when the seal to the head varies across individuals due to head size or shape, the balance at specific frequencies, and therefore the stereo image, may sound off to different people. Testing with a broad range of head shapes and sizes in our acoustic chambers, as well as with our listening panels in real-world scenarios recreated in our bespoke listening room, ensures our engineers are confident that the L-R balance will be optimal no matter the wearer.