Nada has had audio problems this year, launching the solid Headphone A and the surprisingly good Ear 3A headphones. The A headphones launched 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-ear headphones that surprised me with everything they offer. They include what you’d expect from a flagship pair of headphones, such as active noise cancellation (ANC), multiple sound profiles, and easy-to-use controls. They also have some things you might not have: a triple driver design, Auracast, and something I’ve never seen before: a Flat EQ switch that eliminate treatment.
If anything, the recent trend has been to add EQ customization to headphones. Even Apple finally added a 3-band EQ option for the AirPods with its recent iOS 27 update. But the Headphone 1 Pro has a switch to turn off the EQ and spatial audio options in the Nothing Winehouse. back in black.
Nothing’s default balanced EQ setting is advanced in the mids and highs. The vocals sound present with a bit of bite and the cymbals are more sparkling. It’s a marked difference when the switch is flipped. Activating Flat EQ aligns those mid and high frequencies with the bass: nothing stands out too much, although it does take some of the lightness out of the music. For regular listening, I preferred to take away some of the treble edge using the advanced parametric EQ in the app rather than using the Flat EQ switch.
The switch is small and on the inside corner of the left earcup, 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 sounds appealing, as it allows the user to hear what they might sound like in the mixing room without the headphones adding their own sound signature. But extensive research by Dr. Sean Olive and his colleagues at Harman shows that most people prefer a curve with a high bass response, relatively neutral mids for natural-sounding vocals, and slightly boosted highs (before they start to dip above 5 kHz). This is what is known as the Harman Curve. So while an unaffected EQ curve is useful while working in the studio, a flat EQ will sound bad to most people. (It can also be argued that even in a studio environment, headphones with flat EQ are unnecessary because most studio monitors are also tuned to Harman Curve.)
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, Nothing uses a triple driver design. There is a 40mm dynamic driver for bass, a separate midrange driver, and an xMEMS driver (which is a small solid-state driver) for the upper frequencies. This design allows each driver to focus on a specific range, so things like attacking higher frequencies are faster and cleaner.
Nothing Headphone 1 Pro supports LDAC, wired and wireless high-resolution audio up to 24-bit/96 kHz, as well as lossless wiring over USB-C up to 24-bit/192 kHz. The headphones can also act as an Auracast transmitter or receiver with the Nothing
The ANC performance impressed me during my short time with the Nothing Headphone 1 Pro. It does an excellent job of blocking out low-end noises, such as those from air conditioning units or airplane noise, and a good job with street traffic. It’s not as good as the current top three (Sony XM6, Bose Ultra Headphones Gen 2, and Apple AirPods Max2), but with music playing I was adequately isolated from the world around me. And it’s definitely the best thing I’ve heard from Nothing, by far.
There’s no mistaking the Headphone 1 Pro for anything other than Nothing headphones. It has the same design style as the company’s other headphones and uses the same touch controls, which I really like, particularly the volume control. What I don’t like is the AirPods Max-style case, which closes around the earbuds and leaves the headband exposed, acting as a handle for the case. One advantage about the AirPods holder case is that it is a hard shell, but I wish the case protected all of the earbuds.
The earbuds are IP52 rated and offer up to 30 hours of battery life with ANC on or up to 68 hours without.
I haven’t had enough time with them to come to a full verdict, but after a little 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 are definitely the best Nothing headphones I’ve ever used. The Flat EQ switch will be a novelty for most regular users, but studio professionals might find the option useful. And for everyone else, the ANC performance is comparable to the big competition and they sound good (especially for someone who likes a louder presence). They also have the unmistakable Nothing look for those who want to stand out. outside.
Photography by John Higgins/The Verge
