Congratulations Nothing, the Ear (a) are a sure-fire hit.
For the money, these are some of thebest noise-cancelling earbudsof the year thus far.
That would beSony’s class-leading WF-C700N.
Nothing Ear (a) on the left, Ear (2) on the right. Yes, there are key differences
a tad more expansive to boot.
I have to admit that the Nothing Ear (a) performed far more admirably than I’d anticipated.
I enjoyed them more and more as the listening tests cruised by.
Hello, yellow!
OK, let’s get that moniker out of the way, shall we?
Both the Ear (a) and Ear were unveiled simultaneously in April 2024.
(You’re doing great, by the way.)
The Nothing X App is a fuss-free, wholly positive experience
well done for paying attention.
Why go with yellow?
Want somethingbetterthan the basics?
Voice AI using ChatGPT is coming using Nothing Ear (a) using your Nothing smartphone…
Well, Nothing’s got an ace up its sleeve here too.
However comfortable you feel with AI, it certainly adds value at the level.
Now, the noise cancellation.
The new Ear (a) next to the Ear (2): a fun game of Spot the Difference
High is very good: the hairdryer we use in our meticulous and methodical testing was largely nixed.
Heading over to the Transparency option, this is signified by a woman exhaling, which is fun.
Anything missing where it should be?
See how Ear (a) is just slightly bigger than Ear (2), across the board?
For dynamic build and nuance, the Nothing Ear (a) are best described as meaty and arresting.
For me, there’s so much here to celebrate sonically that I cannot pick fault.
Want to see what I mean?
Rarely have I had so many colleagues strike up a conversation with me over a set of earbuds
Play the intro of The Who’sSubstitute.
However Nothing has achieved it, I certainly agree that the sound from said driver is greatly improved.
The new case makes a lot of sense.
Nothing’s pinch stems also work really well.
These stem-squeeze controls also work with gloves on, unlike many touch-capacitive solutions.
You have a Sony phoneFour words: LDAC support for $99.
Don’t buy them if…
You want spatial audio wizardryNo dice here.
Ive been testing audio products for well over five years.
Read more about how we test earbuds at TechRadar
USB-C for juicing up, but there’s no wireless charging
