A premiere with powerful sound and guaranteed eye-catchers - Nothing Headphone (1) review

With the Headphone (1), Nothing has made an appealing debut in the over-ear headphone segment. This is not only due to the unusual design, but also the fact that they do not have any sensor surfaces for controlling them, which sets them apart from many of their competitors. Although this may seem a little nostalgic, it is definitely an added value in everyday use, especially as the buttons are well positioned and can be handled intuitively. Less nostalgic is the lack of a passive mode.

In terms of sound, the Headphone (1) deliver a rich sound with a lot of depth, only the high frequencies are a little weak, which is why they can only be recommended to audiophiles to a limited extent. It is also a pity that the headphones have to be sent in to have the cushioning elements changed.

The Headphone (1) are available directly from Nothing, but can also be purchased from Amazon or KEF.

The Nothing Headphone (1) are a first from the London-based company and want to take a different approach to the competition. They want to impress with an unusual design, rely exclusively on physical controls and offer good sound.

With a retail price of 299 US-Dollar, they are certainly not cheap, but they are cheaper than comparable products from the competition.

The base of the Nothing Headphone (1) consists of an aluminium body with a transparent plastic element on top, revealing the Nothing's typical design. At 329 grams, they are not quite light, but the soft artificial leather and headband padding make them very comfortable to wear, even after hours of use. There is also plenty of room for your own ear.

The headphones are also IP52 certified and therefore protected against the ingress of harmful amounts of dust and dripping water.

The Nothing Headphone (1) headphones come in plastic-free packaging and have a CO₂e footprint of 14.84 kg (life cycle). They cannot be repaired by the user and even the ear pads have to be sent in for replacement.

Google Fast Pair and Microsoft Swift Pair are available for pairing the Nothing Headphone (1). If you want to initiate the Bluetooth pairing manually, there is an inconspicuous button on the inside to do so. Alternatively, the headphones can also be connected via USB-C or using the 3.5 mm jack. Unfortunately, passive mode is not supported in case the battery runs out. The headphones are switched on via a slide switch.

They can be operated via a connected device or using the physical buttons on the Headphone (1). There is a roller for this, which can be rolled (volume control) or pressed (start/stop, long press: ANC on/off). There is also a paddle that can be used to skip to the next or previous track; if you hold it longer, you can rewind, provided the app supports this. The AI button can be used to start a voice or AI assistant.

Many settings can be made and firmware updates installed via the Nothing X app. The button settings can also be viewed and customised here.

The battery life is specified as up to 80 hours. If you use LDAC and ANC, this is reduced to 30 hours. The quick charge function allows the headphones to be fully charged within two hours. A playback time of over two hours (with ANC) is possible after just five minutes.

The headphones are fine-tuned by the British audio specialist KEF. The two dynamic 40 mm drivers of the Nothing Headphone (1) with PU diaphragms, edge and dome of the loudspeaker have a nickel-plated coating, turn out to be very playful and deliver present mids and a powerful bass. Only the high frequencies are a little weak and we miss a little clarity, but this will only be noticed by audio enthusiasts who use appropriate source material.

With LDAC, a high-resolution codec is available for Bluetooth and USB and the 3.5 mm jack connection can also be used as input devices. The Nothing Headphone (1) also support spatial audio, customisable equalisers and a bass enhancer.

The transparent mode is low-noise and the active noise cancellation (ANC) is very effective. However, the latter is not at the level of Bose's or Sony's top models, but the differences are not huge either. However, pressure against the headphones or if they slip when you lean against them can worsen the ANC. Phone calls are clearly reproduced on the headphones, but the user of the Nothing Headphone (1) sounds a little hollow and tinny.

THD (Total Harmonic Distortion): Harmonic distortion quantifies the distortion caused by non-linear components (harmonic content) in relation to the original signal. THD specifically refers to the fundamental component. It's important to note that while the term "distortion factor" is often used interchangeably, it actually refers to the overall signal, not just the fundamental component.
THD+N (Total Harmonic Distortion + Noise): This value is comparable to THD, but in addition to measuring the interference power of harmonics, it also takes into account the impact of noise as an effective value. For the measurement, a low harmonic sinusoidal signal (typically at 1 kHz and > 0 dB) is played back through the headphones under test. This signal is then recorded by a linear measuring microphone (placed at a measuring distance of approximately 0.40 inches) in an artificial head.

Both values are expressed as percentages. The lower the value, the higher the fidelity of the signal.