As earbuds have change into commonplace, over-ear headphones have been lots much less widespread and, actually, they don’t get a lot love as they need to. Nothing, widespread for its earbuds, stepped into the class final yr with Nothing Headphone (1) which, for $299, was already an incredible deal. Now, Nothing Headphone (a) has arrived and, one way or the other, manages to be a fair higher worth.
Launched alongside the brand new Nothing Cellphone (4a) sequence, Nothing Headphone (a) is, in some ways, fairly darn acquainted.
Actually, these are the identical headphones as Nothing Headphone (1) – which I already actually appreciated – simply with some modifications in materials and a decrease beginning worth of $199 which, actually, is simply an absolute steal.
Beginning with the bodily {hardware}, Nothing Headphone (a) delivers the identical core look as Headphone (1). The footprint is a rounded rectangle with an ovular plastic portion on the highest, missing the casette look of the flagship pair. This time round, the entire construct is plastic, the place Headphone (1) was partially metallic. Frankly, I couldn’t care much less in regards to the swap. There’s zero noticeable distinction in high quality, and the construct feels simply as sturdy. It’s additionally nonetheless metallic within the locations that rely, just like the connection between the earcups and the scarf.
Buttons are additionally acquainted right here, with the identical setup of getting a curler wheel for adjusting quantity and a paddle for skipping tracks. A Bluetooth button is hidden above the fitting earcup, and a customizable button is on the outer part. There’s additionally a bodily change for energy alongside the three.5mm and USB-C inputs.
It’s a complete lot higher than CMF Headphone Pro, which is on a similar track, but just doesn’t feel quite as good in terms of actual implementation. I also prefer the overall look and fit of Headphone (a).
Nothing’s black and white color combo is nice and neutral, with some good contrast, though the limited edition yellow color might be the most underrated of the bunch. It’s great to have the choice of colors, with the black pair being even more understated, and the pink offering another delightfully different look.
Headphone (a) is pretty comfortable in wear, too. I’ve not had a chance to take them on a flight just yet, but 2-4 hour listening sessions comes with little to no ear fatigue, and the headband feels nice too. The slight reduction in weight from Headphone (1) helps too, but these are still noticeably heavy compared to, say, Sony’s over-ear flagships.
Under the hood, battery life is simply incredible. Nothing claims Headphone (a) can handle 135 hours between charges and, so far, I’m thrilled. I’ve not had to charge these at all with quite a few extended listening sessions over the past month. Battery life is something you simply will not have to think about with Nothing Headphone (a), but they charge quickly when the need does arise.
But, as with any pair of headphones, it often boils down to sound quality.
That’s where I still have some mixed feelings.
In its earbuds, Nothing at one point offered an incredible, balanced sound profile that was easily my favorite listening experience. The company has since leaned into the bass-heavy preferences of the general public, which is certainly not my favorite. That said, Nothing Headphone (a)’s default sound profile sounds pretty decent. “Balanced” is best at medium volumes, with the details being lost as the volume goes up. “More Bass,” as the name implies, pumps up the low-ends, but also improves on that volume issue a little bit.
One of my favorite songs lately, “Be With You” by Muse, tends to feel a bit muffled at points through Nothing Headphone (a) on its default profiles as there’s just a lot going on. The door is wide open to whatever you want though, as Nothing has a full advanced EQ in the Nothing X app. Using the same custom EQ settings as I was on Headphone (1), I found the budget model caught up a fair bit.
That app, by the way, remains one of the best reasons to use Nothing audio gear. It’s clean, easy to understand, very customizable, and just works. I’d love to know why so many headphone companion apps are terrible, but Nothing has done a great job with its option. You’ll get the most added features with a Nothing Phone – the new Phone (4a) Pro is really good – but you don’t miss out on anything with other smartphones either.
Between solid sound quality, tremendous battery life, a good companion app, and excellent hardware, Nothing Headphone (a) are a really well-rounded set of over-ear headphones.
And, at $199, they’re a great deal too.
This is 99% of what you get with Nothing Headphone (1) – the biggest points I’ll give that set is audio quality, which is a hair better – for $100 less. When Nothing’s “expensive” set was already priced well below competitors such as AirPods Max and Sony WH-1000XM6, Nothing Headphone (a) reaches “no-brainer” status.
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