Dyson's humongous ANC headphones look great for Princess Leia impressions from the side, but from the front, I'm not convinced

When you think of Dyson, you probably think of vacuum cleaners. Or perhaps those fancy hand-dryer thingys that force you to move your hands up and down in a slot in posh pub toilets. But think again! It's just announced a set of noise-cancelling headphones, and they look absolutely humongous.

The Dyson OnTrac headphones are not the first set that Dyson has tried its hand at producing, as who could possibly forget the Dyson Zone, a set of cans with an attachable air-purifying «travel visor» that made you look like an extra in Mad Max. Not a convincing sell for many, I'd imagine, but the OnTrac's design suggests that style may be a top priority for its latest models, as you can apparently customise it to your heart's content.

The outer chassis comes in four different colourways, but the options don't stop there (via The Verge). You also get a choice of ear cushions, and a plethora of outer plates in metallic and matte finishes to choose from, for $50 a pair.

That's just for extra plates, you understand. The headphones themselves have an MSRP of $500, so for that, you'll be expecting some premium features. Beyond the 2,000 possible colour combinations of outer caps and ear cushions, Dyson says the OnTrac also features «best in class» noise cancelling thanks to eight external microphones, along with a companion app to monitor how much noise is going on around you.

The 40 mm drivers have a 5 Hz to 21 kHz rating and are tilted inwards towards your lugholes (that's British for ears) for direct sound, and a USB-C port for wired connection, although you'll need to use an adapter for 3.5 mm input. A collapsible carrying case is also included, which actually seems like a genuinely useful idea.

Carrying cases for headphones are all very well when protecting your cans, but when you're wearing the set themselves the case does often take up a fair bit of room in your bag. Innovation at Dyson, y'see. Not just for things that suck and blow.

What I'm really not sold on, however, is