When I was looking through all the reviews I’d written for TechRadar this year – my Tomify Unwrapped – I was surprised to see that I’d reviewed or tested over 30 pairs of headphones or earbuds since the start of 2024. The reason I was surprised is that I only strongly remember using one.
That’s not to say that every pair of the best budget earbuds or best running headphones I’ve trialed throughout these last 12 months has been totally forgettable, but when the testing time is through, there’s been one pair I return to over and over.
This is the Nothing Ear (a) earbuds, released in April as the cheap alternative to the Nothing Ear. I initially only reviewed the latter, with Audio Editor Becky Scarrott giving the Ear (a) five stars. But I listened to the former for a comparison article, and I found myself returning to them the whole rest of the year… I’m listening to them right now!
I’ve narrowed it down to three reasons that I keep using the Nothing Ear (a), and none of them is actually the price, since I already have them. But if I had to buy them now, the $99 / £99 / AU$169 price tag would be pretty easy to swallow – especially since they now regularly fall to around $70/£70.
The first draw I’ll address should probably be the Nothing Ear (a)’s sound quality, since the whole point of earbuds is to play music. I’ve tested loads of sub-$100 (or equivalent) earbuds this year that are really competitive on this front, but the (a) takes the cake.
The real draw here is the amount of bass the Nothing Ear (a) can offer from their tiny bodies. Thanks to some modes in the Nothing app, you can tune the buds to really pack a punch, but not so much that it drowns out treble or mid. It’s energetic and moreish and refreshing to return to once I’ve finished testing buds that don’t have the same determination.
Sound is important, but (controversial opinion time) I don’t think it’s the single most important factor in a good pair of earbuds. I place a lot more stock in design and feature set, and the Nothing buds trump here too.
That’s most evident in the design section, because these are really small buds. I can put them in my ear and they’ll fit securely, without feeling like they’re weighing me down – you’d be surprised at how infrequently I get to write that in reviews. So many earbuds I’ve tested offer amazing audio but won’t stay in my damn ears! My floorboards do as much earbud testing as I do.
I love how small the case is too – it can slip in the recess of my pocket or in a pouch in my bag without taking up loads of space. Again this is something loads of other earbuds struggle with, and I’ve tested plenty of pairs that require me to carry about a veritable boulder in case I need to charge the buds.
The best part of the design – and also the third and final thing that puts the Nothing Ear (a) ahead of the rest – is its touch controls. This is a feature of earbuds I use all the time, and you’d be surprised at how few manufacturers have cracked the code yet.
Touch controls let you pause your music, answer calls or skip songs just by tapping the buds, but more often than not it doesn’t work properly. I’ve pressed buds half way up my ear canal trying to get buttons to work; I’ve stroked stems until the plastic casing is peeling off; I’ve prodded and twisted and bopped various buds to try to pause my music throughout those 30+ tests.
Few have been as simple as the Nothing Ear (a). You simply pinch the step, with some big responsive buttons to pick up the gesture, and that’s it. When I use the Ear (a) I don’t have to worry about how I’ll pause my music, or actively harm myself in doing so, and it’s great. This is one of the most undersung features of the AirPods Pro 2, as well as the pricier Nothing Ear.
Some people might be wondering why I use the Nothing Ear (a) instead of the more expensive non-A option, since price isn’t a concern (I’m loaned them to test). And there are some valid reasons to opt for the pricier alternative, especially with the listening test that I wrote an entire article about.
Largely, this is actually down to one other, more vapid, design reason: yellow. I really like the yellow look of the Nothing Ear (a), even though it dramatically clashes with any shirt, jumper or top I have in my wardrobe. It’s a lot more fun than the blacks, beiges and grays of most of the best earbuds I test, and I like it!
Technically speaking, the non-(a) Nothing buds are a better product, with extra useful features and improved audio – but because of their high price, bigger case and lack of a yellow option, the (a) still have their pl(a)ce in my heart.
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tom.bedford@futurenet.com (Tom Bedford)
