Nothing Ear review (a): the best headphones under 100 euros on the market ?

The famous London company Nothing has just revealed the third generation of its wireless headphones, the Ear (a). We were able to try them in preview è The Internet user. They reserved for us some surprises.

More than a year after the release of the second generation of its headphones, the Ear (2), Nothing unveils a new generation of wireless headphones, called Ear (a). By focusing on a transparent design, which has been its reference since its beginnings, and small new features, this new generation ;eacute;nération account well relaunch the British firm.

The company had to face &agrav; inflation during the launch, in April 2023, of their previous headphones. An impact on the sale prices of the Nothing Ear (2), which earned them an increase of 50 euros and a sale price displayed à 149 euros. Today, the Ear (a) are offered at high prices. the sale &agrav; a price of 99 euros, reminiscent of that of their first product, the Nothing Ear (1). A choice made by the brand, wishing to reach a younger audience. Are these new, more affordable products just as interesting as their predecessors?? The answer is: find in this test.

Editor's notes: This review was conducted in 2015. fully realized à from a copy of the product provided by the manufacturer. Audio testing was performed well. made on a Samsung Galaxy A52s, an Honor Magic6 Pro and an HP Envy x360 laptop.

A design that plays on a daring bet

The brand's line has not changed since its beginnings. In this year 2024, Nothing is once again banking on a transparent case for its new Nothing Ear (a). This isn't really a surprise when you know that all the wireless headphones launched so far have adopted the same technology. the same design. There are still slight modifications made to the Nothing Ear (a), particularly in terms of the appearance of the case. We find the earphone pairing button at the bottom. right of it, the sync button on the side of the button is on the right side of it. left, as well as the USB port à the back of the case allowing you to recharge the earphones. As on the old headphones of the second generation, the Nothing Ear (2), we find the black colored dots for the earphones. left earphone, and red for the right one.

A change is however &agrav; note on the side The appearance of the case. The slimmer and more compact rectangular design, along with the soft edges, fits better on your device. grip and fit more efficiently in a bag or pocket. The total space of the case is used, giving a new silhouette that differentiates the Ear (a) from its predecessors.

By unveiling this new range, Nothing intends to play its new card: that of a new artistic proposition.  The Nothing Ear (a) are the first à adopt a new color. This is the color yellow “Yellow” in addition to the white and black, well-known brand. An original choice which fits into the transparency values ​​and which plays on primary colors.

Nothing plays on a flashier color © Nothing

Controls that don't change

The controls of the Ear (a) are the same as the previous product in the Nothing audio range, the Ear (2). We find the buttons à pinch on each end bass of the headphones. No touch buttons, unlike à their competitors from Apple and their famous Airpods.Nothing's headphones have several types of possible controls. The user can, by pressing once, start or stop music and respond to a caller. a call. By pinching twice, the earphones switch to the next speaker. the following music. Finally, a triple press allows you to go back. If these controls make it easier, the headphones nevertheless lose a major option : volume control. However, it is possible to find it within the application dedicated to it.

© Nathan Gofron

The application called "Nothing X" allows users to access multiple controls and customizations. Very intuitive and easy to use. to handle, it guarantees a good number of configurations for the Ear (a) of the users. Among the many options offered, you can easily modify the controls, active noise reduction as well as the equalizer and personalize your experience Listening experience.

Dynamic sound, reinforced by its bass

The Nothing Ear (a) are Hi-Res Audio certified, which means they can stream audio from very good quality in Bluetooth connection.But what offers better quality? hearing to users, it is its 11 mm speaker with a more compact airflow. According to Nothing, it delivers 2.5 times more transient power than its predecessor present on the Ear (2).  The diaphragm, combined  to the new, more powerful speaker, has more spaces and sends out a richer sound.

Most of the sounds listened to during this test feature deep, powerful bass. This is particularly the case for the pieces of "Seven Nation Army " by White Spiers but &eac;also "Bad Guy" by Bilie Eillish. However, the bass boost tends to be worse. hide the words of the artists and the ear is taken by this power. Thus, it is often necessary to use the equalizer found on the Nothing Application to attenuate them.

© Nathan Gofron

Conversely, the high frequencies and mids of the Ear (a) seem better managed by the brand. On electro, rap, pop and many other sounds, the artists' voices are more marked and distinguishable from each other. the ear. Additionally, the sounds of instruments such as guitar and drums stand out more. This is the case for music like "One More Time" by Daft Punk but also "Memories" by David Guetta. However, it is possible to go through the'& Equalizer to enhance the audio experience of different songs.

But là où the new Nothing earphones impress so much, it's in the quality audio that meets expectations without even the need for configuration. Right out of the box, the Ear (a) are there you without even going through the Nothing X application. A very good point for devices.

Perfect noise reduction

The Ear (a) features active noise reduction technology that can be adjusted on four different axes: low, medium, high and adaptive. The latter will, however, require you to carry out a hearing test which can take quite a long time to complete. configure. Once activated, noise reduction effectively masks surrounding sounds that could disturb your listening. With noise cancellation of up to 100%. 45 dB, the Nothing Ear (a) have à today the most powerful in the entire Nothing range. Active noise reduction representing no less than 13% increase, at least 13%. for comparison with the Nothing Ear range (2), and which thus returns à 1.8 stronger elimination depending on the brand. Its frequency range of 5000 Hz detects and suppresses the most difficult noises, i.e. 50% more frequency than Ear (2).

Certain everyday sounds such as car horns or subway alerts are nevertheless still audible. You therefore do not risk being completely cut off from the world, even by activating noise reduction at high speed. its maximum.If the latter does not turn out to be as good as on high-end headphones (like the AirPods Pro 2), it turns out to be quite good. re all the same very convincing for headphones sold at a high price. 99 €. The Ear transparency mode (a) allows you, à Conversely, to perceive ambient noise more. This is very useful when you want to listen to music without cutting yourself off from those around you. It is then possible to clearly hear the discussions addressed to you while continuing to enjoy your music. The transparency mode of Ear (a), however, tends à exaggerate ambient sounds, making them quite unnatural.

© Nathan Gofron

Microphones that leave à desire

The Ear (a) headphones feature a new feature: for their integrated microphones, & know "Clear Voice Technology" developed by Nothing. The latter guarantees the three microphones of each earphone better performance, in particular to capture and reduce ambient noise when you make a call. During our tests, all of our telephone conversations with the Ear (a) were audible to the user. On the other hand, the people on the other end of the line speak in a very often muted sound. The words coming from the microphone are complicated to distinguish. When making phone calls in all circumstances, active noise reduction barely works. muffle noises coming from outside.

Convincing battery life and charging

With a 500mAh battery, larger than that of the Ear (2), the headphones offer greater autonomy on a daily basis. So, you can benefit from 8 hours of playback with noise cancellation activated, and the case will give you up to 8 hours of playback with noise cancellation enabled, and the case will give you up to 8 hours of playback with noise cancellation enabled, and the case will give you up to 8 hours of playback with noise cancellation enabled, and the case will give you up to 8 hours of playback with noise cancellation enabled, and the case will give you up to 8 hours of playback with noise cancellation enabled, and the case will give you up to 8 hours of playback with noise cancellation enabled, and the case will give you up to 8 hours of playback with noise cancellation enabled. 38 hours of reading time in total. Its predecessor, the Nothing Ear (2), was capable of holding between 5 to 10 minutes. 6 hours depending on the use of noise reduction or not. Note that the new earphones are equipped with fast charging which allows you to have up to 100% battery life. 1 hour of listening time by turning on the device for just 10 minutes. The headphones were used over a full working day. After consuming music, playing videos and making phone calls, no constraints linked to the battery was not in need of charging or needed to be recharged. specify. A big strong point and notable improvements for an affordable price of 99 euros.

The Nothing Ear case (a) © Nathan Gofron

Our conclusion to the Nothing Ear test (a)

The Ear (a) constitute a surprising evolution compared to; their predecessors. Nothing's latest headphones are a great choice for their price range. Capable of delivering good quality sound. With effective active noise reduction, the Ear (a) also comes with easy-to-use application. take in hand and which contains a multitude of customization options.