Nothing Headphone (a) Review: Standout Design, Surprisingly Premium Sound

Nothing Headphone (a) Review: Standout Design, Surprisingly Premium Sound | PCMag

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Editors' Choice 4.0 Excellent this.$refs.template.innerHTML, onCreate: (instance) => this.tippyInstance = instance, onShow: (instance) => { this.escapeHandler = (e) => { if (e.key === 'Escape') instance.hide(); }; window.addEventListener('keydown', this.escapeHandler); }, onHide: (instance) => { if (this.escapeHandler) { window.removeEventListener('keydown', this.escapeHandler); this.escapeHandler = null; } }, onMount: (instance) => { const closeBtn = instance.popper.querySelector('[data-tooltip-close]'); if (closeBtn) closeBtn.addEventListener('click', () => instance.hide()); }, }; }, }">   What Our Ratings Mean 5.0 - Exemplary: Near perfection, ground-breaking 4.5 - Outstanding: Best in class, acts as a benchmark for measuring competitors 4.0 - Excellent: A performance, feature, or value leader in its class, with few shortfalls 3.5 - Good: Does what the product should do, and does so better than many competitors 3.0 - Average: Does what the product should do, and sits in the middle of the pack 2.5 - Fair: We have some reservations, buy with caution 2.0 - Subpar: We do not recommend, buy with extreme caution 1.5 - Poor: Do not buy this product 1.0 - Dismal: Don't even think about buying this product Read Our Editorial Mission Statement and Testing Methodologies. The Bottom Line If you don’t mind the unique looks, the Nothing Headphone (a) proves to be a superb pair of noise-cancelling headphones with solid audio chops, strong noise reduction, and class-leading battery life for a reasonable price. MSRP $199.00 $199.00 Save $30.00 $169 at Amazon PCMag editors select and review products independently. If you buy through affiliate links, we may earn commissions, which help support our testing.

Pros & Cons Excellent sound Effective noise cancellation Outstanding battery life Comfortable, low-profile fit Easy-to-use controls Design may be off-putting to some Sometimes a little bass-heavy ANC struggles with wind outdoors Nothing Headphone (a) Specs Name Value tr:nth-of-type(n+6)]:hidden" :class="{ '[&>tr:nth-of-type(n+6)]:!table-row': open }"> Type Circumaural (over-ear) Wireless True Wireless Connection Type Bluetooth, USB-C, Stereo 3.5mm Water/Sweat-Resistant Active Noise Cancellation More Specs

The $199.99 Nothing Headphone (a) has much of the $299.99 Nothing Headphone (1)'s distinctive style and adds a splash of color to the mix. It produces bright audio, cancels noise effectively, offers outstanding battery life, and is easy to use thanks to well-designed controls. There's sometimes a bit too much bass in the audio mix, and wind challenges the circuitry from time to time, but finding this combination of features, performance, and price is a rarity, which makes the Nothing Headphone (a) our Editors' Choice for midrange noise-cancelling headphones.Design: Same Looks, Different Feel Left to right: Headphone (a), Headphone (1) (Credit: Mark Knapp) The Nothing Headphone (a) over-ears are the spitting image of the