In a parallel universe, these headphones are Nothing’s latest product. Because, like the Nothing Ear (a) earbuds, they’re significantly more affordable than their direct rivals, they have an unusual design that exposes their innards, and they have all the tech you could want (aside from ChatGPT integration Nothing Earbuds, of course) – including active noise cancellation. But these headphones are not the Nothing headphones. It’s the Mondo of Defunc.
Defunc comes straight from Stockholm, where it claims to “create purposeful audio products to simplify choices for sound-conscious personalities around the world” by combining Swedish style with carefully chosen technology. Mondo is the brand’s flagship, but premium doesn’t necessarily mean pricey: the Mondo headphones are currently listed on Amazon for £125 in the UK and $166 in the US (which is about AU$240).
That price undercuts the May-launched Beats Solo 4 (which doesn’t offer ANC) by some distance – in fact, it makes Defunc’s Mondo cheaper than most of the best over-ear headphones out there.
Mondo by Defunc over-ear: key features and specifications
The Mondo headphones have serious staying power, with 180 hours of standby time and a claimed 45 hours of listening time. Things get even more interesting under the hood, with dual drivers of 40mm and 10mm respectively and dual microphones. You also get Bluetooth 5.2 with aptX HD and what Defunc calls Environmental Noise Canceling, which reduces background noise during calls so others can hear you more clearly. They are relatively light at 275 grams, and if you are not a fan of the transparent design, they are also available in black or “greige”. The frequency range is 20 Hz to 20 kHz and the charging time from standstill is just under two hours.
These aren’t the brand’s first transparent headphones; there’s also a model called Mondo Freestyle with the same transparent approach, but this time paired with orange foam to create a distinctly late ’70s Sony Walkman vibe.
There are some interesting designs coming out of Defunc: an upcoming Bluetooth speaker, also in the Mondo range, looks like someone locked an ’80s boombox in a hotel room with a cheese grater and Barry White’s greatest hits. Hopefully it sounds as good as it looks…