When I looked through all the reviews I’d written for Ny Breaking this year – my Tomify Unwrapped – I was surprised to see that I’d reviewed or tested more than 30 headphones or earbuds since early 2024. The reason I’m surprised is that I only have a strong memory of using one.
That doesn’t mean that every pair of the best budget earbuds or best running headphones I’ve been trying for the past twelve months and it’s been completely forgettable, but when testing time is over there’s one pair I’ll come back to again and again.
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 first one for a comparison article, and I found myself going back to them for the entire rest of the year… I’m listening to it now!
I’ve narrowed it down to three reasons why I continue to use the Nothing Ear (a), and none of them are actually the price, since I already to have them. But if I had to buy them now, the $99 / £99 / AU$169 price tag would be quite easy to swallow – especially as they now regularly drop to around $70/£70.
The first draw I’ll discuss should probably be the sound quality of the Nothing Ear (a), since the whole purpose of earbuds is to play music. I’ve tested a lot of sub-$100 (or equivalent) earbuds this year that are very competitive on this front, but the (a) takes the cake.
The real draw here is the amount of bass the Nothing Ear (a) can deliver from their tiny bodies. Some modes in the Nothing app let you tune the knobs so that they really make an impact, but not so much that the treble or mids are drowned out. It’s more energetic, flavorful, and refreshing to return to when I’m done testing buds that don’t have the same determination.
Sound is important, but (controversial opinion time) I don’t think it’s the most important factor in a good pair of earbuds. I place much more value on design and functions, and the Nothing tops are also trumps here.
This is most clearly seen in the design section, as these are very small buds. I can put them in my ear and they fit securely without feeling like they’re weighing me down – you’d be surprised how rarely I write that in reviews. So many earbuds I’ve tested provide great audio, but don’t stay in my damn ears! My floorboards test as many earbuds as I do.
I also love how small the case is: it fits in the recess of my pocket or in a pouch in my bag without taking up much space. Again, this is something that a lot of other earbuds struggle with, and I’ve tested many pairs where I have to carry an actual boulder in case I need to charge the earbuds.
The best part of the design – and also the third and final thing that puts the Nothing Ear (a) ahead of the rest – are the touch controls. This is a feature of the earbuds I use all the time, and you’d be surprised how few manufacturers have cracked the code yet.
The touch controls allow you to pause your music, answer calls or skip songs by just tapping the buttons, but more often than not it doesn’t work properly. I pressed the earbuds halfway up my ear canal in an attempt to get the buttons to work; I stroked the stems until the plastic covering came off; I poked, twisted, and knocked on various buttons during those 30-plus tests to try to pause my music.
Few have been as simple as the Nothing Ear (a). You simply squeeze the step, with some large 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’m going to pause my music, or actively harm myself in the process, and that’s great. This is one of the most underrated features of the AirPods Pro 2, as well as the more expensive Nothing Ear.
Some people might wonder why I use the Nothing Ear (a) instead of the more expensive non-A option since price isn’t an issue (I borrowed them for testing). And there are some valid reasons to choose the more expensive alternative, especially on the listening test which I wrote a whole article about.
Largely this actually has to do with another, more boring design reason: yellow. I really like the yellow look of the Nothing Ear (a), even though it contrasts dramatically with every shirt, sweater or top I have in my wardrobe. It’s much nicer than the black, beige and gray tones of most of the best earbuds I test, and I like it!
Technically, the non-(a) Nothing buttons are a better product, with extra useful features and improved audio – but due to their high price, larger housing and lack of a yellow option, the (a) still have their pl(a) ) in my heart.