Nothing Headphone (1) Pro: Studio-Grade Quality

The best Nothing headphone doubles down on design, comfort, sound quality, and highly customizable EQ settings.

The best nothing headphones double down on design, comfort, sound quality and highly adjustable EQ settings.

Great sound quality. Premium construction materials Highly adjustable EQ Most comfortable headphones Nothing. Excellent ANC and clarity.

Love-it or hate-it case. ANC is great, but not the best.

No headphone has always stood out from the competition, and the (1) Pro headphones are no different. It's the brand's most premium option yet, pitting it against the best from Sony, Bose and Apple. After nearly a month of testing, I'd say these headphones are among those top-notch choices, while bringing some unique ideas to the table.

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Design is the first highlight of the Nothing Headphone (1) Pro. On the outside, it follows the same formula as the Nothing (1) and Headphone (a), with a distinctly square shape and transparent, two-tone outer shell.

The (1) Pro headphones take this design up to 11 by using premium materials instead of plastic. The square cans are made from a solid aluminum block. The arms are made of titanium. The transparent outer window is made of glass. There's very little (if any) plastic to be found, but they actually weigh 2 grams less than the Nothing (1) headphones.

The case is interesting. It's basically a hard version of the case-like case for Apple's AirPods Max 2 — an almost universally hated case, I might add. The (1) Pro headphone case offers better ear cup protection, but leaves the headband exposed. It's something you use once, then instantly forget.

All that said, these are Nothing's most comfortable headphones yet. The softer, thicker cushion, wider headband, and reduced clamping force make these significantly more comfortable than headphones (1).

Noise cancellation and clarity are also excellent, thanks to additional microphones and impressive sound insulation. It's not quite as bulletproof as the Sony and Bose, but it was more than adequate for every New York City situation I threw at it.

Inside, things get more interesting. These headphones use a three-driver design - a dynamic bass driver, a precision dynamic driver and a triple xMEMS driver. The idea is that each driver handles a different frequency range, delivering clearer, fuller, and less distorted sound. When every major ANC headphone brand uses a dynamic driver for the full frequency range, this triple driver design is a big risk. Fortunately, the sound quality is excellent.

I'm not going to pretend to be an audio engineer (I'm not). But songs I've listened to for years came to life with the (1) Pro headphones, with more emphasis, clarity, and energy in the midrange and treble than I expected.

I don't usually get cranky with "Staring at the Sun" played by TV on the radio, but I did consistently with these headphones. Stevie Wonder's "Another Star" sounded more spacious with a dense mix of vocals, hi-hats, trumpets, and guitars. There are no headphones like the Sony WH-1000XM6 and the Bose QuietComfort Ultra (2nd generation) headphones. Bass is clear, but not as much as headphones like the Sony XM6. I didn't mind it, but it was a little fun with artists like Bad Bunny and Kendrick Lamar or anything in the EDM genre. A simple EQ adjustment changed this (more on that later).

This focus on attractive mids and highs meant that the music on the Nothing headphones held more of my attention. I actually had a harder time achieving deep focus at work with these headphones than with the more bass-forward mixes on the Sony XM6 and Bose QC Ultra 2nd Gen.

It was a lot of audio talk and everyone has different ears, different hearing and different tastes. Fortunately, you don't have to settle for one sound profile with these headphones.

The Nothing (1) Pro headphones have some of the most adjustable EQ settings I've seen in a consumer ANC headphone.

First, there is a physical "FLAT" switch on the left ear cup. When you turn it on, it switches to a neutral EQ designed for "music review, production, or mixing." As someone who does none of these things, I still had a lot of fun using this mode. I even started to prefer Flat with certain songs and certain genres. One quirk: it turns up the volume—I constantly had to turn the volume down two stops.

Second, the Nothing X app offers many EQ settings. There are two EQ modes: Simple, with the familiar three-band EQ (bass, mids and treble), and Advanced, where things get a little crazy. In advanced mode, you can dial in a +6dB to -6dB shift by changing individual frequency bands in the master driver and precision driver. This level of control is rare in over-the-ear ANC headphones, and will frankly impress some people. That's why I think more people will enjoy the Explore tab, where Nothing has a selection of five EQ presets to try out.

Add spatial sound modes, and you have plenty of options to find your ideal EQ. Although I suspect many people will be happy with the out-of-the-box sound.

I think the Nothing (1) Pro headphones fit nicely into that mix. No, they don't win on ANC performance or clarity (although both are solid). But it stands out with its unique design, on-ear touch controls, excellent sound profile and deep EQ customization. Whether I'll use these or the Sony XM6 as my daily driver is up for debate, and that's for Nothing's first impression of premium over-the-top headphones.