Nothing Headphone (a) After a Month: The Value Play
After using the Nothing Headphone (a) over-ear headphones as my one and only pair for a month, including long-haul flights to and from London, I think they offer a really, really interesting value proposition. They are not the most premium-sounding or most comfortable headphones I own, but if you care about unique design, physical controls, and seriously strong battery life, they are a compelling option.
The design is a serious selling point
The Nothing Headphone (a) carries across the same kind of striking, unique design language that people liked about Nothing’s flagship headphones, and for me, that matters. I know design is not the most important thing with headphones, but I also think it is more important than a lot of people give it credit for.
Nothing already has a more budget-friendly over-ear headphone product in the CMF Headphone Pros, but those have a much more generic design. The Nothing Headphone (a) actually feels like it has character. It stands out in a way that, as far as I’m concerned, is a big win.
Physical controls give the Nothing Headphone (a) a real edge
The controls are one of my favorite parts of the Nothing Headphone (a). If you are someone like me who struggles to learn all the different swipe and tap gestures that seem to change on every pair of headphones, physical switches are by far the way to go.
There is a physical toggle for turning the headphones on and off, a paddle for navigating forwards and backwards, and a roller for volume. The roller also handles play and pause with a single press, plus noise cancellation and transparency mode with a long press. I love this setup.
The only button that is somewhat difficult to press is the Bluetooth pairing button, because it sits kind of flush on the inside of the headphone. Honestly, that is probably a good thing, because it stops you from accidentally pressing it when you do not want to.
the physical switches on these headphones are by far the way to go.
— Sam BeckmanComfort is good, but not the best for long sessions
The Nothing Headphone (a) has the same kind of comfort trade-off I felt with the flagship headphones. They can feel a little heavier on the head than some other over-ear headphones, so I would not call them the most comfortable option if you always use headphones for long extended sessions.
That does not mean they become painful. I wore them for about 8 hours straight on my first leg to the UK and had no problems at all. It is just that there are other headphones that feel slightly more comfortable.
Battery life is the big practical win
Battery life is one of the most interesting selling points of the Nothing Headphone (a). I described it as industry-leading in the video, and it is much, much better than the battery life on Nothing’s flagship headphones.
That is not because the battery itself is noticeably larger. The better battery life comes partly from an updated Bluetooth chip with slightly more efficient power management, but the bigger reason seems to be the lack of some more advanced features found only on the flagship headphones.
There is no proper spatial audio or head tracking here, and the audio processing chain is simpler. If you care about those extras, no sweat, these probably are not for you. But if that stuff does not really bother you, like me, the trade-off is very, very good battery life.
Audio quality is very good, just not flagship-level
I was chatting with Nothing CEO Carl Pei during the launch of these headphones, and he said the Nothing Headphone (a) does not sound quite as good as the flagship headphones, at least in his opinion. I found that honesty pretty damn refreshing, and I also think it is a pretty apt description.
The Nothing Headphone (a) is definitely not quite as premium-sounding as Nothing’s flagship headphones, but to my non-audiophile ear, it still sounds very, very good. Some people might even prefer the way these are tuned straight out of the box.
Nothing also still gives you equalizer options inside the Nothing X app, with simple and advanced control. So even if you do not love the sound immediately, you can fine-tune things to your liking. For me, again, as someone who is not an audiophile, I have been really, really happy with the sound quality.
Noise cancellation is solid, especially for low-frequency noise
The noise cancellation on the Nothing Headphone (a) is really solid for this price point. It is particularly good at cutting out low-frequency noises, probably in part thanks to the suction of the ear cups and also thanks to some solid noise cancellation tech.
I used the Nothing Headphone (a) on long-haul flights to and from the UK, and they were tremendous in that regard. I also used them on the 4-hour train ride from Edinburgh to London, and again, they did really well.
The trade-off is higher-frequency sound. People’s voices, for example, can leak through a little bit. Transparency mode is also pretty solid, though it is not quite as good as what you will find on higher-end headphones. For the price, it does a decent enough job.
Would I choose them over my Sennheiser Momentum 4?
The Nothing Headphone (a) will probably not replace my Sennheiser Momentum 4 over-ear headphones, which I have been using for a couple of years now. Even though the Nothing Headphone (a) has much better battery life, the Sennheisers are a little bit more comfortable to my ears and have slightly better audio quality.
That said, I really do not like the touch gesture controls on the Sennheiser headphones. I far prefer the physical controls on the Nothing Headphone (a), and that genuinely matters in day-to-day use.
From Sam Beckman
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