How We Research
We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
If you want a wired, studio-grade monitor you can trust for critical listening and music production, choose Amazon Renewed Listen Professional Closed-Back; if you need wireless freedom, adaptive noise cancelling and marathon battery life for commuting and daily life, choose Nothing Headphone Hybrid Active.
• Amazon Renewed Listen Professional Closed-Back — biggest strength: a wired, closed-back over-ear design with a custom driver tuned for tonal balance and precision across a 20Hz–20,000Hz range, plus sound isolation and a built-in volume control.
• Amazon Renewed Listen Professional Closed-Back — biggest trade-off: it is wired only (3.5mm jack), so there is no Bluetooth, no active noise cancelling and no battery; the "Renewed" listing also carries a shorter 90-day limited warranty.
• Nothing Headphone Hybrid Active — biggest strength: Hybrid Active Noise Cancellation with four modes, up to 80 hours of playtime (35 hours with ANC on), Hi-Res/LDAC audio, Spatial Audio with head tracking and a 6-mic array.
• Nothing Headphone Hybrid Active — biggest trade-off: it is the more complex, app-dependent product, its controls lean on the Nothing X app, and its 120ms audio latency is a real consideration for latency-sensitive work.
• Who each pick is for: the Listen Professional suits producers, engineers and wired-listening purists; the Nothing Headphone (1) suits commuters, travellers and anyone who wants one pair to do everything wirelessly.
The Listen Professional is built around one idea: accuracy. It is a circum-aural (over-ear) closed-back headphone with a custom driver spanning 20Hz to 20,000Hz, and the whole design is aimed at evaluating the quality of a mix rather than flattering it. The closed-back enclosure delivers sound isolation, which matters when you are tracking in a room with background noise or just trying to keep your work to yourself. There is also a built-in volume control with push-button control, so basic level adjustment lives on the headphones themselves.
The interesting claim in the design here is that these stay lively despite being closed. The description notes that the driver membrane was developed specifically to preserve the dynamics of the original track while reproducing detail across the full spectrum, and that the result feels closer to a semi-open headphone while still isolating. For someone mixing or producing, that combination — isolation without a dead, boxed-in sound — is exactly the trade-off you want. Physically, it ships as a single item at roughly 2.6 pounds with a package footprint of about 9.53 x 8.5 x 4.41 inches, so it is a substantial, desk-and-travel piece rather than something you forget you are wearing.
Who should buy it: producers, mixing engineers, students of audio and anyone who wants a dependable wired reference pair for a laptop, interface or controller. The color is red, the enclosure mixes plastic, silicone and fabric, and the included cable means it is ready to plug into a 3.5mm source out of the box. Who should skip it: anyone who wants Bluetooth, active noise cancelling, or a headphone they can wear untethered on a flight or at the gym. There is no wireless here, and the warranty is a 90-day limited one, which is worth weighing carefully given it is a renewed item.
The Nothing Headphone (1) is the opposite philosophy: one pair that handles everything, wirelessly. Its headline feature is Hybrid Active Noise Cancellation powered by next-gen processors and adaptive mics, with a Smart Adaptive Mode that adjusts to your surroundings, a Transparency Mode for awareness, and four selectable ANC settings (High, Mid, Low, Adaptive). That range means you can go maximum isolation on a plane and dial it back in an office without touching your phone.
The audio side is a collaboration with British audio brand KEF, with Hi-Res Audio support including LDAC, USB-C audio and a 3.5mm jack. So even though it is primarily wireless, it still offers a wired path — useful when you want zero latency or a dead battery doesn't matter. Dual Connection lets you switch between two devices, which is genuinely handy if you jump between a laptop and a phone all day. Endurance is the other big story: up to 80 hours of playtime, 35 with ANC on, and a 5-minute charge yielding 5 hours. For a daily commuter, that is close to a charge-once-a-week product.
Comfort is addressed with an ergonomic frame and memory foam cushions for all-day wear, and the controls use a roller-and-paddle interface for volume, playback and noise modes, with deeper customization through the Nothing X app — including an 8-band EQ, Ultra Bass mode and remappable touch buttons. The 40mm dynamic driver covers 20Hz to 40kHz, impedance is 16 ohm, Bluetooth is 5.3 with a range around 32.81 feet, and it ships with a cable, protective case and manual under a 1-year manufacturer warranty.
Who should buy it: commuters, frequent flyers, remote workers and anyone who wants strong noise cancelling, long battery and app-level tuning in one pair. Who should skip it: buyers who want a purely wired, latency-free studio reference, or who dislike app-dependent controls. The 120ms audio latency is the spec to note here — fine for music and calls, less ideal for tight, real-time monitoring.
• Best for critical listening and mixing → Amazon Renewed Listen Professional Closed-Back. Wired, closed-back and tuned for tonal balance across 20Hz–20,000Hz.
• Best for noise cancelling → Nothing Headphone Hybrid Active. Hybrid ANC with four settings plus Adaptive and Transparency modes.
• Best for battery life → Nothing Headphone Hybrid Active. Up to 80 hours, or 35 with ANC on, plus a 5-minute quick charge for 5 hours.
• Best for wireless freedom → Nothing Headphone Hybrid Active. Bluetooth 5.3, Dual Connection and a 32.81-foot range.
• Best for plug-and-play, zero-latency work → Amazon Renewed Listen Professional Closed-Back. A straight 3.5mm wired connection with on-board volume control.
• Best for app-based personalization → Nothing Headphone Hybrid Active. 8-band EQ, Ultra Bass and remappable buttons via the Nothing X app.
• Best for a simple, single-purpose tool → Amazon Renewed Listen Professional Closed-Back. One cable, one job, no app, no charging.
• Best for warranty peace of mind → Nothing Headphone Hybrid Active. A 1-year manufacturer warranty versus a 90-day limited warranty on the renewed Listen.
In my opinion, the Nothing Headphone Hybrid Active is the better buy for most people, because it covers music, calls, travel and focus in one wireless package with ANC, huge battery life and app tuning. That said, I would pick the Amazon Renewed Listen Professional Closed-Back without hesitation if my priority were honest, wired monitoring for production work — that is a different job, and the Nothing's 120ms latency and app-first design make it the wrong tool for it. Decide which of those two jobs is really yours, then commit. If you are still weighing it, check the current price on Amazon for whichever one matches your use case.
Not universally. The Nothing wins on noise cancelling, battery and wireless features; the Listen Professional wins on wired accuracy and isolation for studio work. They serve different buyers.
It offers USB-C audio and a 3.5mm jack, so yes, you can go wired. But its listed 120ms audio latency makes it less suited to tight, real-time monitoring than a dedicated wired studio headphone.
Up to 80 hours of playtime, or 35 hours with ANC on, and a 5-minute charge gives about 5 hours of use. The Listen Professional has no battery because it is wired only.
It is listed with a 90-day limited warranty. The Nothing Headphone (1) carries a 1-year manufacturer warranty. Weigh that difference if long-term coverage matters to you.
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