nwm ONE

The first thing that comes to mind when you see the nwm ONE is “less, but better”, which is one of the rules for successful design laid out by the industrial designer Dieter Rams. Every single component of these headphones has been assessed for its necessity with almost radical thoroughness. The most striking feature is probably the omission of conventional ear cushions. Despite this, the nwm ONE is still very pleasant to wear thanks to the light and comfortable fit of the headband and the ring-shaped components around the ear, which were designed according to the “minimal configuration” principle. In addition to wearing comfort, and despite the open-ear structure of the headphones, the listening experience is not impaired by sound leakage or ambient noise. The designers mastered this challenge by arranging the speaker units so that they float close to the ear and can be pivoted to deliver sound directly into the ear canal without immediate physical contact. The headphones are also ambitious in terms of technology. For example, the open-ear design allows the wearer to coexist with their surroundings rather than being immersed in their own world. Proprietary PSZ (Personalised Sound Zone) technology supports this by suppressing sound leakage, so that the wearer can enjoy their audio with privacy. It works according to the principle that when a sound wave is combined with its inverse phase wave, the waves nullify each other. By combining this principle with the unique headphone design, the sound is contained in the proximity of the ear without blocking it entirely. A two-way driver structure prevents sound leakage and optimises bass reproduction. The jury was impressed by the nwm ONE’s performance, wearing comfort, optimised weight distribution and low material consumption, as well as by the fact that the small details were no less important to the designer than the overall headphone aesthetic.