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

Sep 28, 2026 at 9:00 PM EDT

"Nothing has been on a bit of an audio tear this year, releasing the solid Headphone Aand the surprisingly good Ear 3A earbuds. The Headphone A released at $199, while the earbuds are under $100, leaving room for something fancier. That something is the Nothing Headphone 1 Pro, the company’s new $399 flagship over-ears that surprised me with everything they offer. They include what you’d expect from a pair of flagship headphones, such as active noise cancellation (ANC), multiple sound profiles, and easy-to-use controls. They also have a few things you might not: a triple-driver design, Auracast, and something I’ve never seen before: a Flat EQ switch that removesprocessing.

If anything, the recent trend has been to add EQ customization to headphones. Even Apple finally added a 3-band equalizer option for the AirPods with its recent iOS 27 update. But the Headphone 1 Pro have a switch to disable the EQ and spatial audio options in the Nothing X app. The goal is to give studio professionals the ability to hear what they’re mixing without coloration from the headphones, and the idea came through a partnership with Metropolis Studios, a recording and mastering space in London where Mark Ronson produced Amy Winehouse’s Back in Black.

Nothing’s default Balanced EQ setting is forward in the mids and highs. Vocals sound present with a bit of bite, and cymbals are extra sizzly. It’s a marked difference when the switch is flipped. Turning on Flat EQ brings those mid and high frequencies more in line with the bass: Nothing sticks out too much, although it does take away some of the airiness to the music. For regular listening, I preferred taking off some of the high-end edge by using the advanced parametric EQ in the app instead of using the Flat EQ switch.

The switch is small and on an inside corner of the left ear cup, far away from any of the other controls, so there’s no worry about accidentally turning it on or off while using the headphones.

I love the tactile buttons on the Nothing headphones, and never accidentally triggered one, as can happen with capacitive buttons.

Photo: John Higgins / The Verge

The idea of a flat EQ response curve is one that sounds appealing, letting the user hear what it might sound like in the mix room without the headphones adding their own sound signature."