Nothing Headphone (a) Review
Nothing Headphone (a) pros and cons
Fantastic battery life of up to 135 hours on a single charge.
Tactile, responsive physical controls.
Bassy sound, with support for high-resolution audio formats.
Attractive, modern styling at a great price of £149.
Simplified build replaces premium materials of flagship model.
Aggressive ANC in noisy environments.
Slight compromises in audio richness.
Positioned keenly below the brand's flagship Headphone (1), these cans from London-based technology manufacturer Nothing aim to deliver eye-catching aesthetics, arresting sound and stellar battery life at a price that makes them a serious alternative.
Do they succeed? Read our Nothing Headphone (a) review to find out.
Design and build
It is a strong first impression for the Nothing Headphone (a), sharing the contemporary styling of its premium stablemate, the Nothing Headphone (1).
An amalgam of polycarbonate plastics and glass fibre, the Headphone (a) is a thoroughly modern pair, right down to the avant-garde naming convention.
The already-iconic rectangular design adds genuine visual appeal, completed with a transparent oval outer perimeter on the earcups that gives the unit a sturdy and futuristic feel, albeit making for a fingerprint and dust-friendly device when it came to the glossy black model in for review.
Some protective anti-scratch plastic can be gingerly removed from the earcups to reveal their shiny, dot-matrix-font-branded glory, but doing so is certainly a personal preference.
They felt as securely attached as the pre-installed screen protectors applied to Nothing’s smartphones, so proceed with caution if looking to go naked.
Available in an array of hues from white to stark yellow accents as well as a striking pink, they have the aesthetic angle down. This is so true that a couple of people actually stopped me in public to enquire what I had on my head, an incredibly rare occurrence! The unique design language takes centre stage throughout, with Nothing taking as much care into considered comfort and controls as its striking profile.
Put them on and you will find a pair of memory foam ear cushions that deliver a smart and snug fit. There is not a huge amount of travel in the nylon sliding headband that can be adjusted for comfort, but its size means it easily fits most heads.
Weighing just 310 grams in total, the lighter heft (Headphone (1) is 329g and my daily driver Sonos Ace is 312g) and the change in materials for the Headphone (a) does also result in comfortable wear for long periods. The clamping force is firm but not painful, and they feel entirely balanced and secure on a daily commute.
They are also a very durable pair of cans, coming with an IP52 rating, which is essentially a statement that dust and light spells of rain will not be a problem. It is a good thing, as the included drawstring travel bag is a little flimsy against the likes of a dedicated case, so either keep them on your head or be careful with the Headphone (a).
Moving on to actually using the Headphone (a), every single aspect of navigation and user experience has been meticulously thought through, making daily use a joy. An array of physical, tactile, and fully customisable buttons have all been delicately and deliberately placed around the right earcup for easy and reliable access, which is a far cry from the imprecise prods and swipes that are a bugbear on premium audio equipment for me.
There is a chunky mechanical slider with an accompanying light for clear visual confirmation when turning on the Headphone (a), a chunky, ergonomic paddle to flick to skip tracks, which scrubs through audio at a click when held, as well as a gorgeously smooth roller to drag in either direction to set volume.
Each of these are cleverly complemented with dedicated audio feedback. The roller is met with satisfying ‘clicks’ to inform of every notch of volume, the power button is coupled with a very Nothing-esque crunchy digital flourish, and the Bluetooth pairing button on the inside of the earcup has its own distinct audio confirmation.
Special mention goes to the active noise cancellation switch, which is toggled with a long press of the multi-function roller. Two very different audio cues match the sensations of drowning out the world. An assured ‘clasp’ sound pushes out the din when ANC is turned on, and another long press is accompanied by what sounds like a crisp rush of air, returning you to reality.
This marriage of the physical prods and swipes with musical cues makes for an impressive and elegant sensory experience. It provides a relief from jarring disembodied voices or very unassuming and difficult to discern audio cues, enabling you to swiftly navigate around all of the Nothing Headphone (a)’s features and functions in a matter of moments. It does take a bit of getting used to, but is undoubtedly a highlight once familiar.
Not content with all of those, there is yet another button on the outside of the right earcup: a dedicated, customisable key which pairs with the Nothing X app. This can do everything from switching between music apps to muting your mic and even snapping a photo. Kudos to the infinite customisation, and another notch from Nothing in terms of thoughtful and practical design, making for a superb start at any price point.
One point to note is the lack of wear detection; audio tends to continue playing until manually paused by the physical controls or any connected device. The headphones do however feature an auto-standby timer that will eventually put them into a low-power state after a period of inactivity, but any pausing or powering off requires manual toggles, providing all the more excuse to have a fiddle!
Sound quality
Straight out of the gate, the Headphone (a) is loud.
The default audio profile comes out swinging, with a ceiling a good few notches higher than the over-ear and even some in-ear audio devices I normally use.
Powered by a pair of 40mm titanium-coated dynamic drivers, the Headphone (a) delivers a sound signature that is bouncy, bold and yet still very clear.
Bass is hefty on the default profile, which offers two levels of enhancement, making these a perfect fit for my daily commuting playlist. This is filled with everything from the oversaturated guitar-driven riffs of Sleigh Bells all the way to the swirly vaporwave of George Clanton.
Treble range is clean, and even the murkier audio mix did not see George’s tremulous vocals lost in the mix on ‘Make It Forever’, often a reference track for me due to the combination of clean drums and warbly melody tripping up even the most capable of cans.
Support for LDAC allows for high-resolution wireless audio when paired with compatible Android devices, with added bandwidth bringing out subtle detail and separation in layered tracks. For those devices without LDAC, AAC support still ensures Headphone (a) is serving great audio.
For fans of immersive sound, there are also a pair of spatial audio modes that approximate both concert and cinema. The latter gave great separation and clarity to watching War Machine on Netflix. While it can't quite replicate a multiplex experience, it provides a stellar soundstage for movies.
Active Noise Cancellation (ANC)
Digging a little deeper into an essential element of headphones is the ability to cut out the noise, both literally and figuratively. The Headphone (a) delivers a maximum noise reduction of up to 40 decibels, and are ambitious when it comes to trying to bring active cancellation to bear at a sub-£200 price.
It starts out entirely effective, with that ‘clasp’ sound leaving the user in no doubt that it is active. However, it did feel somewhat aggressive in the process of counterbalancing sounds, which often resulted in volume fluctuations during the daily commute on the Jubilee Line of the London Underground.
This is both a very common place to test and a challenging environment due to the incredible levels of noise and the constant fluctuations in air pressure, which change the type of outside disruption throughout.
So whilst it was initially able to clearly cut out a significant proportion of the clattering of the Tube on the track as well as fellow passengers, there were occasions where the windows were open and constantly changing the volume of outside noise. Here, the Headphone (a) tried a little too hard to overcompensate, resulting in what sounds like the volume rising and falling.
Trying to get a really firm seal around the ears minimised the impact, but taking the Sonos Ace on the same journey on the way back did see a more steady reduction in the underlying cacophony. In most other scenarios with a consistent base level of background noise, such as on a two-hour flight or in an open-plan office, they were more than capable.
The Nothing X app comes in clutch once again here, as there is a vast degree of customisation to audio profiles and noise cancellation levels. There are three levels of strength, as well as an adaptive mode which adjusts to environments.
It was the lattermost which naturally found those abrupt changes in volume and intensity of intrusions a tad challenging, but the others were rock-solid in most environments.
Transparency mode comes with that common degree of artifice that results from playing external sounds through a pair of headphones, and is decent as a consequence.
Beyond tailoring the Headphone (a) to individual listening tastes, a couple of firmware updates have tweaked audio and system performance throughout the review process, and no doubt will continue to do so.
Battery life
Battery life for the Nothing Headphone (a) touts a frankly outrageous 135 hours on a single charge, falling back to a still amazing 75 hours when using noise cancellation.
As someone used to nightly charges and 20 hours at a push on the usual headphones, I was frankly blown away by these headphones entirely matching those numbers with constant use.
Paired with fast charging support lending up to eight hours of ANC use from mere minutes of charging, it is a powerhouse when it comes to convenience.
To absolutely rinse it for a two-hour commute, a bunch of zoom calls and focussed work, and a 90 minute train ride back and to still be on 90% was a revelation, making these an essential for longer trips to be able to have the stamina without a worry.
Definitely one of the strongest reasons to consider the Nothing Headphone (a) is a battery life that puts much of the high-end competition to shame.
My Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones regularly do a mere 24 hours of ANC-powered playback, requiring a hefty charging time to come back to life, whilst the Sonos Ace are a little better at around 30 hours.
So with more than double the playback time with noise cancellation, thanks to a pair of hefty batteries in tow, battery life makes for a massive reason to consider the Headphone (a) over pricier competition.
Connectivity
Nothing Headphone (a) uses Bluetooth 5.4 for a stable and efficient connection, whilst dual connection pairing is supported, allowing you to stay hooked up to two devices at once.
Android devices, as one might expect from a Nothing device, benefit from Google Fast Pair integration.
The Nothing X app is the nerve centre where everything from low latency mode for gaming support to codec selection and noise cancellation tuning takes place. EQ is also present and correct, with simplified profiles like 'balanced' and 'more bass' alongside a full 8-band equaliser for the aficionado to get things just right.
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Nothing Headphone (a) UK pricing and availability
Another ‘wow’ factor is certainly the price.
Nothing Headphone (a) are just £149 in the UK and are available directly through Nothing’s own site.
The strength of the specs and battery life already make them a serious consideration.
The aesthetics and the price point turn them into a strong, viable option that effectively undercuts flagship rivals while delivering a suite of competent and unique capabilities.
Final verdict
The Nothing Headphone (a) largely succeeds in combining comfort, a bold design and essential features that make for a capable set of over-ear headphones.
The sound profile is certainly full-bodied and dynamic, but without becoming overbearing, and the active noise cancellation is highly effective, if a little less refined.
Rounding out the proposition with a fantastic battery life profile and a suite of customisable physical controls, it is a strong package.
There are a few drawbacks where the compromises to deliver such a compelling price point are evident, but it is insufficient to detract from Nothing’s overall offering in the value headphone space. At £149, the Headphone (a) delivers an assured and well-rounded offering that is easy to recommend for everyday listening on the go, whilst staying stylish doing so.
