Not an April Fool’s joke: Dyson announces apocalyptic headphone and filter combo

In an announcement dangerously close to April 1st, Dyson confirmed this week that it is working on the Dyson Zone, one of the most intense consumer masks we’ve ever seen. What’s more, the company has chosen to pair this facial air purifier with its first noise-canceling headphones, which aid the filtering process.

At least one store claims to have tested this perfect addition to your Mega Man cosplay project, which means it’s a real product and not an April Fool’s joke. Curiously, the world’s first face-to-face impressions of the device provided by The Verge talk about the company’s press release before getting to the heart of why a dominant face system like the Dyson Zone has us concerned.

“The Zone headphones are very large and noticeably heavy,”says The Verge’s Chaim Gartenberg, and one look at this head system makes it clear why that might be the case.

Compressor problems

Dyson seems to outperform the Zephyr, at least using headphones to secure his Zone system with a head strap and headphones, and Dyson literatureoffers careful engineering to distribute the weight across this strap. But unlike other popular noise-canceling headphones, Dyson’s first hit in the product category includes a filter-focused airflow system. This sucks air in through the dust filters in the earpiece and then directs that air to the nose and mouth (via a pair of bulky plastic pieces on the cheeks that Dyson says don’t touch the face) where further filtering awaits. As Gartenberg points out, this airflow system requires compressors, and not only do they add weight, they also generate sound that headphone noise-cancelling doesn’t necessarily compensate for.

It’s unclear if the noise of the compressors drowns out the wearer’s speech, which is the main reason I don’t recommend the first generation Razer Zephyr. In addition, The Verge’s Dyson Zone test did not specify how quickly heat is generated by either air retention on the face or the built-in battery. By comparison, the Razer Zephyr includes a pair of small fans that improve airflow inside a plastic translucent trap; fog and heat can build up without them, but the resulting noise makes it difficult to talk when they’re on.

Nice way to be alone on the bus

To Dyson’s credit, this head system targets air pollution rather than viral particles as the reason for daily use. And I could see that its aesthetic is tolerable when air pollution is part of a public transit trip where users are already blocking people with music or podcasts.

However, the Dyson Zone is not by default an N95 or KN95 rated camouflage system due to its “face-off”design (it has passages open between the earcup’s air intake and the user’s nose and mouth). Gartenberg says the best Dyson offers is a separate mount that turns the system into a “proper full contact”face mask. While this will better focus the filter’s attention on airborne particles, it doesn’t necessarily mean it will be anywhere near hospital grade on delivery (and its promotional materials try not to suggest that).

Dyson’s announcement says the project began in 2016, long before the COVID-19 pandemic, as “a snorkel-like clean air mouthpiece paired with an engine and internals backpack.”Since then, the Dyson zone has clearly gone into a less intimidating state, even if its facial lining obscures all the important social cues of the wearer’s mouth.

The same announcement does not say that we should expect further changes to the model tested by Gartenberg ahead of its global launch “Fall 2022.” Once it arrives, the world will be able to tell if the Dyson Zone’s odd design, noise filters, and (importantly) Dyson’s first portable audio system add up to something worthwhile for pollution-averse passengers.