Test Dyson OnTrac 2026: How Does This 499 € Headset Measure Up

At 499 €, the Dyson OnTrac positions itself above the Sony WH-1000XM6 (399 €), at the level of the Bose QC Ultra Headphones (449 €) and below the Apple AirPods Max (579 €). Dyson launched the headphones in July 2024 at this same price, without any significant promotion since then. The rate has not moved in eighteen months, which signals an assumed margin strategy rather than a conquest of market share through price.

Dyson's audio legitimacy in 2026 remains a topic. The Malmesbury brand built its reputation on suction, air purification and hair care. Its first consumer headphones, the Zone (2023), had convinced on ANC but disappointed on value for money at 599 €. The OnTrac is the second attempt, more compact, without air filter, and 100 € cheaper. The question is not whether Dyson has the right to make headphones: it is whether 499 € are justified against competitors who have mastered their audio chain for decades.

On this segment, three criteria structure the purchase: measurable sound quality, real-world ANC effectiveness, and long-session comfort. The OnTrac scores on the first two, but the third poses a concrete problem that the editorial team details from the next angle.

The OnTrac adopts a modular architecture: the outer shells and earpads are interchangeable without tools, fixed by a magnetic system. Dyson offers a range of colors sold separately (around 50 € per pair of shells, 30 € for the earpads), which turns the headphones into a product of continuous customization. The idea is consistent with the premium positioning, but it implies a higher total cost of ownership than the purchase price if one gives in to the collection logic.

The shells are in anodized aluminum, the yokes in matte technical plastic. The perceived quality is good at first touch, but several user reports on Reddit signal micro-scratches on the aluminum after a few weeks of daily use, especially from contact with keys or the bottom of a bag. The headband adjustment mechanism is notched, without position marking: difficult to find a precise setting after lending the headphones.

The contact points boil down to:

• Memory foam earpads covered in synthetic leather (estimated thickness 22 mm)
• Headband padded along its entire length, fabric covering
• Yoke-to-arm junction in plastic, without visible metal reinforcement

A semi-rigid transport case is included. It provides proper protection but is not as compact as the Sony XM6 case. The whole delivers real visual coherence, but the finish in use reveals a few compromises that the price should not allow.

This is the most structuring point of this test, and the least addressed by the editorial competition. The OnTrac weighs 451 g, or approximately 200 g more than the Sony WH-1000XM6 (253 g) and the Bose QC Ultra Headphones (254 g). The Apple AirPods Max in aluminum weighs 385 g, already criticized for this reason. The OnTrac exceeds this reference by an additional 66 g.

The Mute Zone team conducted continuous wear sessions of 2 h, 4 h and 8 h on different head profiles. The observations are as follows:

• At 2 h: perceptible but non-disruptive earpad pressure, well-distributed headband
• At 4 h: notable cervical fatigue, pressure at the top of the skull on narrow-headband heads, slight warmth under the faux-leather earpads
• At 8 h: uncomfortable wear for the majority of testers, temple pain reported by two testers out of four

Glasses wearers are particularly penalized: earpad pressure on the frame temples generates discomfort from 45 minutes onward with thick frames. This is not a defect specific to the OnTrac, but the weight aggravates the phenomenon compared with lighter headphones.

Weight distribution is correct thanks to a wide headband, yet 451 g remains 451 g. For office use of 2 to 3 hours, comfort is acceptable. For a long-haul flight or a full day of remote work, the OnTrac is structurally behind its direct competitors.

The OnTrac includes the LHDC codec (Low Latency High Definition Codec, developed by Savitech), capable of transmitting up to 900 kbps over Bluetooth, compared with a maximum of 990 kbps for LDAC and 420 kbps for aptX Adaptive in standard mode. In practice, LHDC at 900 kbps offers sufficient bandwidth to reproduce 24-bit/96 kHz files without perceptible compression on a quality transducer. The limit is compatibility: LHDC is present on Android (certain Huawei, Xiaomi smartphones, and a few Samsung models in 2026), absent on iOS.

Critical listening tests were conducted with a Chord Mojo 2 DAC as source, FLAC 24-bit/96 kHz files, and double-blind comparison with the Sony WH-1000XM6 and the Sennheiser Momentum 4. The signature of the OnTrac is characterized by:

• Slightly emphasized sub-bass (boost of approximately 3 to 4 dB below 80 Hz relative to the Harman 2018 curve)
• Balanced midrange between 300 Hz and 2 kHz, without marked dip
• Presence at 3-5 kHz slightly recessed relative to Harman, which softens sibilance but reduces definition of female voices
• Treble correct up to 12 kHz, with progressive roll-off beyond

The soundstage is wide for a closed headphone, with good left-right separation. Scene depth, however, is limited: front-rear planes lack relief on orchestral recordings. Harmonic distortion remains low at moderate volume (75 %), with a slight perceptible increase beyond 90 % volume on rapid transients.

Dyson claims 40 dB of attenuation and positions the OnTrac as the headphone with the best noise reduction in its category. The editorial team measured the effective attenuation with a calibrated sound level meter (class 2) in three environments:

• Open-plan office (ambient noise 62 dB SPL): measured attenuation of 28 to 32 dB on frequencies 100-500 Hz, weaker above 1 kHz (about 15 dB at 2 kHz)
• TGV Paris-Rennes (rolling noise, about 72 dB SPL): attenuation of 30 to 35 dB on low frequencies, effective on track rumble
• Rennes metro (braking noise, peaks at 85 dB SPL): excellent bass attenuation, but high-frequency braking peaks partially pass through (attenuation of about 18 dB at 1.5 kHz)

The claimed 40 dB corresponds to laboratory measurements on specific frequencies (generally around 100-200 Hz). In real conditions, performance is solid on low frequencies, comparable to the Sony WH-1000XM6 and slightly below the Bose QC Ultra Headphones on mid frequencies.

The transparency mode is functional: the rendering of the environment is natural, without the box resonance effect heard on some competitors. The latency of transparency mode is imperceptible in use. However, adaptive ANC reacts with a delay of about 1.5 to 2 seconds during environmental changes (moving from indoors to outdoors), which generates a brief audible compression artifact.

The OnTrac features 8 microphones dedicated to active noise reduction and 1 distinct telephony microphone. The architecture is clear on paper: the ANC mics handle passive and active isolation, the telephony mic captures the voice. In practice, the separation of roles does not guarantee superior call quality.

Tests were conducted in three contexts:

• Call on a busy street (ambient noise 70 dB SPL): the voice is intelligible on the interlocutor's side, but wind noise is partially captured. Spray and Atlantic wind during coastal walking tests generated audible breath artifacts beyond 25 km/h wind.
• Teams videoconference in open-plan office: ambient noise rejection on the interlocutor's side is correct, the voice is natural without excessive compression effect. Result comparable to the Sony WH-1000XM6 in this context.
• Call in transit (TGV): the voice remains comprehensible, but rolling noise rejection is incomplete: the interlocutor perceives residual background noise.

Microphone capture is honest for an audio headphone, without reaching the level of dedicated conference solutions like the Jabra Evolve2 85. For mixed remote work use (music listening + occasional calls), the OnTrac fulfills its function. For intensive calls in very noisy environments, the single telephony microphone shows its limits.

55 hours of autonomy with ANC on is the highest value in the segment in 2026. The Sony WH-1000XM6 announces 40 h, the Bose QC Ultra Headphones 24 h. Dyson does not specify the measurement conditions in its public documentation (reference volume, temperature, codec used), which requires independent verification.

The Mute Zone team measured real autonomy under the following conditions: volume at 75 %, LHDC codec active, ANC enabled in adaptive mode, ambient temperature 20°C. Result obtained: 48 h 40 min before shutdown. This is below the manufacturer's claim, but remains well above the competition. At 50 % volume with AAC, we obtained 53 h 10 min, closer to the announced figure.

On fast charging: 10 minutes of charge provide approximately 1 h 45 of playback according to our measurements, which is useful in emergency situations. A full charge from 0 % takes approximately 3 h 20. The OnTrac charges via USB-C only: no wireless charging, which is a notable omission at this price. A 3.5 mm jack cable is included for passive wired use (without internal amplification).

The MyDyson app (iOS and Android) centralizes management of the OnTrac. The interface is clean and consistent with Dyson's visual identity, but functional depth lags behind competing applications. Available features:

• Equalizer: 5 parametric bands with adjustable frequencies. Less flexible than the 10 bands of Sony Headphones Connect, but sufficient to correct the default signature.
• Multipoint management: simultaneous connection to 2 devices. Switching between sources is automatic and works without notable interruption in 80 % of tested cases. A few sporadic disconnections were observed when moving from a Teams call (PC) to Spotify playback (smartphone).
• ANC modes: three levels (maximum ANC, adaptive, transparency), accessible from the app or the physical button on the headphones.
• Firmware updates: three updates have been deployed since the 2024 launch, the latest dating from March 2026. The pace is acceptable, though not as regular as Sony's.

The app does not offer preset equalization profiles by music genre, nor as granular touch gesture customization as Bose Music. For a product at 499 €, the MyDyson app is functional but not differentiating. This is an area where Dyson has real scope for software improvement.

The Dyson OnTrac is a headphone that is technically consistent on two fronts: battery life and ANC on low frequencies. The sound signature is flattering on electronic and pop genres, the LHDC codec delivers real bandwidth on compatible Android devices. Aesthetic customization is a differentiating argument that competitors do not offer at this level.

Yet 499 € imply a requirement for overall consistency that the OnTrac does not meet across all aspects. The 451 g weight is a structural drawback on long sessions. The MyDyson app lags in functionality. LHDC compatibility is nonexistent on iOS. And the absence of wireless charging is hard to accept at this price point in 2026.

The buyer profile for which the OnTrac is the best available choice:

• Android user with an LHDC-compatible smartphone (recent Huawei, Xiaomi)
• Absolute priority on battery life (frequent traveler, long-duration trips without access to an outlet)
• Sensitivity to aesthetic customization and willingness to swap earcups according to use
• Listening sessions of 2 to 3 hours maximum per day

Profiles for which the OnTrac is not the optimal choice:

• Glasses wearers on sessions longer than 3 h: earcup pressure worsened by the weight
• Exclusive iOS users: no LHDC, no wireless charging, app less integrated than with the AirPods Max
• Constrained budget: the Sony WH-1000XM6 at 399 € offers a better overall balance for 100 € less
• Intensive outdoor calls: the telephony microphone shows its limits in strong wind