Nothing’s new flagship Headphone 1 Pro put you in the studio

Nothing’s Headphone 1 Pro arrive as the company’s $399 flagship over-ear model, carrying forward the brand’s recognizable design and tactile controls. The headphones include standard premium features such as active noise cancellation, multiple sound profiles, and a rolling volume control, while also introducing a few uncommon additions for this segment. A key studio-focused novelty is a hardware-accessible Flat EQ switch, developed in collaboration with London’s Metropolis Studios. Flipping the switch disables EQ and spatial processing in the Nothing X app to present an uncoloured response intended for monitoring and mixing. In everyday listening the reviewer found the default Balanced setting emphasized mids and highs, and that the Flat EQ reduced that perceived edge at the cost of some airiness; many users may prefer using the app’s parametric EQ instead of the flat mode. The Headphone 1 Pro use a three-driver architecture — a 40mm dynamic driver for bass, a dedicated midrange driver, and a xMEMS solid-state driver for high frequencies — allowing each transducer to handle a specific frequency band. The headphones support LDAC and high-resolution wireless playback up to 24-bit/96kHz, plus wired lossless over USB-C up to 24-bit/192kHz. They can act as an Auracast transmitter or receiver through the Nothing X app. On performance the review reported strong ANC that effectively suppresses low-end rumble and reduces street noise, though it did not quite match the top-performing ANC headphones named. Battery life is rated up to 30 hours with ANC enabled and up to 68 hours with it off. The build includes an IP52 rating and a folding hard case that protects the ear cups but leaves the headband exposed. Overall, the reviewer called the Headphone 1 Pro the best Nothing headphones to date, noting the Flat EQ switch as a niche feature that could appeal to studio professionals while mainstream listeners may prefer adjusted EQ profiles.