Nothing's $399 Headphone 1 Pro brings triple drivers, Auracast and a studio Flat EQ switch

Nothing has launched the Headphone 1 Pro, a $399 flagship pair of over-ear headphones that pushes the company well above its recent budget releases and into direct competition with Sony, Apple and Bose.

According to The Verge, which published early review impressions, the new headphones sit above the $199 Headphone A and the sub-$100 Ear 3A earbuds that Nothing released earlier this year. Alongside the expected flagship features — active noise cancellation, several sound profiles and the company's tactile physical controls — the Headphone 1 Pro adds a triple-driver arrangement, Auracast support and an unusual Flat EQ switch.

A switch built for the studio

The Flat EQ toggle, located on the inside edge of the left ear cup where it cannot be knocked accidentally, disables the equaliser and spatial audio processing offered in Nothing's X companion app. The Verge reports that the feature came out of a partnership with Metropolis Studios, a London recording and mastering facility, and is aimed at engineers who want to hear a mix without the headphones adding their own sound signature.

The site's reviewer found the default tuning pushes vocals and cymbals forward, and that switching to the flat response pulls the mid and high frequencies back into line with the bass, at the cost of some airiness. For ordinary listening, he preferred softening the treble through the app's parametric EQ rather than engaging the flat mode.

The Verge also points to research by Dr. Sean Olive and colleagues at Harman showing that most listeners prefer elevated bass, natural mids and modestly boosted highs — the so-called Harman curve — meaning a truly flat response will likely sound wrong to most people. The piece adds that many studio monitors are themselves tuned to that curve, which limits the case for flat headphones even in a studio.

Triple drivers and high-res audio

Where Sony's XM6, Apple's AirPods Max 2 and Bose's Ultra Headphones Gen 2 each use a single driver per side, the Headphone 1 Pro uses three: a 40mm dynamic driver for bass, a dedicated midrange driver, and a solid-state xMEMS driver for the upper frequencies. The Verge says dividing the work this way makes high-frequency attack quicker and cleaner.

The headphones support LDAC and high-resolution audio up to 24-bit/96kHz over wired or wireless connections, plus lossless playback up to 24-bit/192kHz over USB-C. They can also act as an Auracast transmitter or receiver through the Nothing X app, a capability The Verge argues should be standard on flagship models.

Noise cancellation, battery and design

ANC performance is described as excellent against low-frequency rumble such as air conditioning or aircraft noise, and good against street traffic — slightly behind the current Sony, Bose and Apple leaders, but comfortably the best Nothing has produced. The headphones carry an IP52 rating and run for up to 30 hours with ANC switched on, or 68 hours with it off.

The design keeps Nothing's distinctive styling and its volume roller, and ships with a folding hard case. The Verge criticises the case for covering only the ear cups, leaving the headband exposed to serve as a handle.

The review is preliminary, with a full score to follow after longer testing, but the initial verdict is that these are the best headphones Nothing has made, with the Flat EQ switch likely a novelty for most buyers and a genuine tool for studio professionals.

Why it matters

A $399 price tag places Nothing in flagship territory for the first time, against entrenched rivals with far longer audio track records. Rather than competing purely on noise cancellation, the company is betting on unusual differentiators — triple drivers, Auracast and a studio-oriented flat mode — at a moment when Apple and others are adding ever more EQ options to their headphones. If the approach pays off, it gives Nothing a credible premium line above its budget audio range and signals that the young brand intends to compete on engineering, not just distinctive design.