Nothing’s new flagship Headphone 1 Pro put you in the studio

Nothing has been on a bit of an audio tear this year, releasing the solid Headphone A and the surprisingly good Ear 3A earbuds. The Headphone A released at $199, while the earbuds are under $100, leaving room for something fancier. That something is the Nothing Headphone 1 Pro, the company’s new $399 flagship over-ears that surprised me with everything they offer. They include what you’d expect from a pair of flagship headphones, such as active noise cancellation (ANC), multiple sound profiles, and easy-to-use controls. They also have a few things you might not: a triple-driver design, Auracast, and something I’ve never seen before: a Flat EQ switch that removes processing.

If anything, the recent trend has been to add EQ customization to headphones. Even Apple finally added a 3-band equalizer option for the AirPods with its recent iOS 27 update. But the Headphone 1 Pro have a switch to disable the EQ and spatial audio options in the Nothing X app. The goal is to give studio professionals the ability to hear what they’re mixing without coloration from the headphones, and the idea came through a partnership with Metropolis Studios, a recording and mastering space in London where Mark Ronson produced Amy Winehouse’s Back in Black.

Nothing’s default Balanced EQ setting is forward in the mids and highs. Vocals sound present with a bit of bite, and cymbals are extra sizzly. It’s a marked difference when the switch is flipped. Turning on Flat EQ brings those mid and high frequencies more in line with the bass: nothing sticks out too much, although it does take away some of the airiness to the music. For regular listening, I preferred taking off some of the high-end edge by using the advanced parametric EQ in the app instead of using the Flat EQ switch.

The switch is small and on an inside corner of the left ear cup, far away from any of the other controls, so there’s no worry about accidentally turning it on or off while using the headphones.

The idea of a flat EQ response curve is one that sounds appealing, letting the user hear what it might sound like in the mix room without the headphones adding their own sound signature. But extensive research conducted by Dr. Sean Olive and his colleagues at Harman shows that most people prefer a curve with elevated bass response, relatively neutral mids for natural sounding vocals, and slightly boosted highs (before they start to roll off above around 5kHz). It’s what’s referred to as the Harman Curve. So while there’s use for an unaffected EQ curve while doing studio work, a flat EQ for most people will sound off and wrong. (There’s also an argument to be made that even in a studio environment, flat EQ headphones are unnecessary because most studio monitors are tuned to the Harman Curve as well.)

Another thing that sets the Nothing Headphone 1 Pro apart from mainstream headphones like the Sony XM6, AirPods Max 2, and Bose Ultra Headphones Gen 2 are the drivers. While those three competitors use a single driver for each side, the Nothing use a triple-driver design. There’s a 40mm dynamic driver for bass, a separate midrange driver, and a xMEMS driver (which is a small solid-state driver) for upper frequencies. This design allows for each driver to focus on specific range, so things like the attack of higher frequencies is faster and cleaner.

The Nothing Headphone 1 Pro supports LDAC, wired and wireless high-res audio up to 24-bit/96kHz, as well as wired lossless over USB-C up to 24-bit/192kHz. The headphones can also act as an Auracast transmitter or receiver with the Nothing X app — something I think all flagship headphones should include, as do the Sony XM5 and XM6 and just recently the Bose Ultra Headphones.

The ANC performance impressed me during my short time with the Nothing Headphone 1 Pro. It does an excellent job blocking out low-end rumbling, such as A/C units or airplane noise, and a good job with street traffic. It’s not quite as good as the current top three — Sony XM6, Bose Ultra Headphones Gen 2, and Apple AirPods Max2 — but with music playing I was suitably isolated from the world around me. And it’s definitely the best I’ve ever heard from Nothing, by far.

There’s no chance of mistaking the Headphone 1 Pro for anything other than a Nothing headphone. It has the same design style as the company’s other headphones, and uses the same tactile controls, which I really like, particularly the volume roller. What I don’t like is the AirPods Max-esque case, which closes around just the ear cups and leaves the headband exposed, acting as the case handle. One benefit over the AirPods bra case is that it’s a hard shell, but I wish the case protected the entire headphones.

The headphones are IP52 rated, and get up to 30 hours of battery life with ANC on, or up to 68 hours with it off.

I haven’t had quite enough time with them to come to a full verdict, but after some more time and comparison, I’ll update this review with a full score.

Nothing makes a pretty strong statement with its flagship Headphone 1 Pro, and they’re definitely the best Nothing headphones I’ve used. The Flat EQ switch will be a novelty for most regular users, but studio professionals could find the option useful. And for everyone else, the ANC performance is comparable to the big competition and they sound good (especially for someone that likes more high-end presence). Plus they have the unmistakable Nothing look for those that want to stand out.

Photography by John Higgins / The Verge

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