Dyson Zone
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Did Dyson go too far? One can legitimately ask the question when discovering the latest addition to the English manufacturer, the Zone, which is attempting an association as unique as it is unusual. Judge for yourself: it is a question of bringing together in a single nomadic product a personal air purifier and a Bluetooth headset with active noise reduction. This brand new product, whose launch is scheduled for 2023, will not only have the mission of protecting its user from surrounding noise, but also from pollution and allergens, while offering them a listening experience worthy of the name.
The very particular design of the helmet gives a certain allure…
According to the visuals and the first information shared by the manufacturer, the Zone is not just a simple test resulting from a very inventive spirit since it is the fruit of six years of research and 500 prototypes. This very first step in mobility for Dyson constituted many challenges for the English brand, both to miniaturize, make portable and viable its personal air purification solution, but also to develop a comfortable, high-performance Bluetooth headset. and able to effectively reduce all sources of noise, including that generated by the air purifier system. The result is materialized by a portable helmet generously encompassing the ears of the user, combined with a wide visor hiding part of the lower face (nose and mouth), all with a very imposing and identifiable look.
A famous nomadic headphones with active noise reduction are hidden among these prototypes. Can you find it?
A unique personal air purification system
Initially consisting of a backpack coupled with a kind of snorkel, the Zone has benefited from many innovations developed by Dyson to become the compact and autonomous solution as it is presented to us. The air purifier is based on a fairly “conventional” system: the compressors located in each ear cup suck the air through double-layer filters (one electrostatic dedicated to capturing ultra-fine particles, another with carbon enriched in potassium for town gas pollutants), the filtered air then being projected in two streams at the user’s nose and mouth.
The brand’s engineers would have equipped themselves with a dummy carrying an architecture specifically designed to measure the level of efficiency of particle filtration (mechanical lungs reproducing human respiratory patterns and sensors), all placed in a controlled room.
The visor system is, so to speak, atypical, as it maintains the flow of purified air near the user’s nose and mouth without coming into contact with the user’s face, in particular to avoid any risk of discomfort or irritation. Dyson specifies that the visor has flexible edges and is able to adapt without any problem to the shape of each face. Four air purification modes are available: High, Medium, Low and an Auto mode switching between the first three modes according to information received by the accelerometers integrated into the helmet. In addition, this visor can be completely detached for the use of the audio headset alone, and a face covering accessory, “compliant with the FFP2 standard”is provided to be attached to it.
First attempt in the world of sound
Dyson has a fair amount of experience in air purification, but it can’t claim the same when it comes to sound reproduction. The Zone indeed represents a first for the English manufacturer in this field, which in no way prevents it from claiming excellent performance with “pure and rich sound”a “faithful reproduction, neutral [et] low distortion”. However, no sound technical information has been communicated for the moment.
Dyson specifies that three ANC modes will be present on the Zone: Isolation will offer the strongest attenuation, Conversation will be activated automatically with the visor lowered (also cutting off the air purification system) to facilitate communication, and Transparency which will be similar to any mode of listening to the surrounding sounds on classic mobile headphones.
Dyson has not confined itself to strict sound reproduction since the Zone also symbolizes the manufacturer’s first attempt in the field of active noise reduction. Again, little information on the design of this feature has yet been revealed, except for the manufacturer’s particular attention to designing circum-auricular earpieces to optimize passive isolation (foam density, ear cup orientation, clamping force) and wearing comfort. With such an integrated air filtering device, we can only remain skeptical about the helmet’s ability to provide effective insulation, but Dyson tries to reassure by specifying that the active noise reduction has been specifically calibrated to also filter noise. caused by motors.
For the moment, Dyson also remains evasive on the technical data sheet of the helmet, its connection possibilities, its various functionalities, autonomy, etc. We will most likely have to wait a few months before knowing more about it, without forgetting the price and the exact launch date of the Zone, still kept silent.