Nothing Headphone (1) Pro Brings Studio Bypass, Tri-Driver LDAC Audio at $399
Nothing has announced Headphone (1) Pro, its new flagship audio product, priced at $399 and available to buy now in the US via Nothing's site, Amazon and Best Buy stores. Engadget
The official product name is Headphone (1) Pro. Nothing Nothing describes it as its most advanced headphone ever, marketed under the tagline "Studio-level precision." The launch was scheduled for September 29, 2026, at $399, a figure confirmed at announcement. In Europe the same model is priced at €349, which puts it $100 above the existing Headphone (1). 9to5Google
On industrial design, Nothing is staying with its established language. The Headphone (1) Pro is offered in white and black, retains physical controls and see-through panels, and uses machined metal construction. It ships with a hard case that surrounds the headphone cups. The headband is 10 percent wider than its predecessor. Ear cushions are 50 percent softer than Headphone (1) and adapt better to glasses. The enclosure is rated IP52.
The acoustic architecture centers on three drivers aimed at bass, vocal and instrumental ranges. Wireless support includes LDAC, 24-bit high-res audio and wireless lossless connections. For professionals, there is a physical switch to turn off equalizer and spatial audio. The flat equalizer setting was developed with Metropolis Studios, the London-based mastering studio.
That studio orientation is unusual in this segment. Most flagship noise-cancelling headphones apply house tuning and spatial processing with no true bypass. Nothing is keeping both paths in one product. Leave processing on for everyday listening. Flip the switch for unprocessed monitoring.
Noise control combines active and passive measures. The Headphone (1) Pro uses 10 microphones for active noise cancellation. It also uses a silicone baffle wall intended to create a better physical sound barrier. Passive isolation does much of the work before ANC engages, which matters for consistency across fit variations and for high-frequency content where feedforward and feedback loops are less effective.
Battery is rated at up to 32 hours with ANC on and up to 68 hours with noise cancellation off. Connectivity includes Auracast support as both transmitter and receiver when connected to the companion app. That bidirectional implementation allows the headphones to receive a broadcast stream and to transmit one, with app control handling role selection.
Distribution in the US is direct and retail at launch. Nothing states that purchases on nothing.tech include free delivery, 30-day returns, flexible payments, price match, and warranty included. To mark the launch, Nothing named V from BTS as a global brand ambassador, supported by an "On set with V" campaign featuring V as its Global Brand Ambassador for Headphone (1) Pro.
Looking at what this means for expert buyers, the interesting decision is convergence. Tri-driver staging, LDAC and lossless wireless, 10-mic ANC, bidirectional Auracast, and a hard bypass for EQ and spatial audio do not normally sit in the same bill of materials at $399. Nothing is treating reference-style playback and travel-grade noise cancellation as modes of one device rather than separate product categories. In this author's view, that is a pragmatic response to how these headphones will actually be used, for mix checks on the road, for focused work in noisy offices, and for long listening sessions where comfort around glasses and extended battery life determine whether the rest of the specification matters.
If the tuning holds up, the bypass switch may prove to be the defining feature. It gives engineers a known baseline and gives consumers a way to hear what processing adds or removes. Either outcome is useful.
