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  1. Home
  2. Headphones
  3. Compare
  1. Table of Contents
  2. Top
  3. Main Differences
  4. Design
    1. Style
    2. Comfort
    3. Controls
    4. Breathability
    5. Portability
    6. Case
    7. Build Quality
    8. Stability
    9. Headshots 1
    10. Headshots 2
    11. Top
    12. In The Box
  5. Sound
    1. Sound Profile
    2. Frequency Response Consistency
    3. Raw Frequency Response
    4. Bass Profile: Target Compliance
    5. Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
    6. Treble Profile: Target Compliance
    7. Peaks/Dips
    8. Imaging
    9. Passive Soundstage
    10. Virtual Soundstage
    11. Weighted Harmonic Distortion
    12. Test Settings
  6. Isolation
    1. Noise Isolation - Full Range
    2. Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios
    3. Noise Isolation - Voice Handling
    4. ANC Wind Handling
    5. Leakage
  7. Microphone
    1. Microphone Style
    2. Recording Quality
    3. Noise Handling
  8. Active Features
    1. Battery
    2. App Support
  9. Connectivity
    1. Wired Connection
    2. Bluetooth Connection
    3. Wireless Connection (Dongle)
    4. PC Compatibility
    5. PlayStation Compatibility
    6. Xbox Compatibility
    7. Base/Dock
  10. Comments

Nothing Ear (2) vs Nothing Ear (a)

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

Nothing Ear (2)
Nothing Ear (a)

Tested using Methodology v1.5

Updated Apr 09, 2025 01:27 PM

SEARCH
Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v1.8

Updated Apr 09, 2025 01:27 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Nothing Ear (2) Picture
Nothing Ear (a) Picture
TypeIn-ear
Noise CancellingYes
EnclosureClosed-Back
WirelessTruly Wireless
TransducerDynamic
MicYes
TypeIn-ear
Noise CancellingYes
EnclosureClosed-Back
WirelessTruly Wireless
TransducerDynamic
MicYes
  1. Recommended in 3 articles:
  2. Wireless Earbuds
  3. Wireless Earbuds Under $100
  4. Wireless Earbuds For Sound

Variants

  • Ear (2) (Black)
  • Ear (2) (White)
  • Ear (a) (Black)
  • Ear (a) (White)
  • Ear (a) (Yellow)

Review

See Nothing Ear (2) Review
See Nothing Ear (a) Review
0 
0 

Our Verdict

Nothing Ear (2)

Nothing Ear (a)

The Nothing Ear (a) and the Nothing Ear (2) are so similar that you may prefer whichever you can find at a better price. That said, the Ear (2) have a better mic and a higher IP-rated case.

0 

Check Price

Black
Ear (2)
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Black
Ear (a)
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White
Ear (2)
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White
Ear (a)
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Yellow
Ear (a)
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Read more

Main Differences for
Neutral Sound

Threshold 

0.10

Neutral Sound 

7.5
7.5

Treble Accuracy 
 

8.9
7.4

Mid Accuracy 
 

8.1
8.9

Full Comparison

Design

Style  

Design Picture 2  

Nothing Ear (2) Design Picture 2
Nothing Ear (a) Design Picture 2

Type  

In-ear
In-ear

Enclosure  

Closed-Back
Closed-Back

Wireless  

Truly Wireless
Truly Wireless

Transducer  

Dynamic
Dynamic
Show Text 

Comfort 
 

7.5
7.5

Comfort Picture  

Nothing Ear (2) Comfort Picture
Nothing Ear (a) Comfort Picture

Weight  

0.02 lbs
0.02 lbs

Clamping Force 
 

0 lbs
0 lbs
Show Text 

Controls 
 

7.7
7.7

Controls Picture  

Nothing Ear (2) Controls Picture
Nothing Ear (a) Controls Picture

OS Compatibility 
 

Not OS specific
Not OS specific

Ease Of Use  

Good
Good

Feedback  

Good
Good

Call/Music Control  

Yes
Yes

Volume Control  

Yes
Yes

Microphone Control  

No
No

Channel Mixing 
 

No
No

Noise Cancelling Control  

On/Off
On/Off

Talk-Through 
 

On/Off
On/Off

Additional Controls  

Voice Assistant
Voice Assistant
Show Text 

Breathability 
 

Breathability After Picture  

Avg.Temp.Difference  

Portability 
 

9.5
9.4

Portability Picture  

Nothing Ear (2) Portability Picture
Nothing Ear (a) Portability Picture

L  

1.4" (3.5 cm)
1.4" (3.5 cm)

W  

1.2" (3.0 cm)
1.2" (3.0 cm)

H  

0.8" (2.1 cm)
1.0" (2.5 cm)

Volume  

1.34 in³ (22.00 cm³)
1.60 in³ (26.25 cm³)

Transmitter Required  

No
No
Show Text 

Case 
 

8.0
8.0

Case Picture  

Nothing Ear (2) Case Picture
Nothing Ear (a) Case Picture

Type  

Hard case
Hard case

L  

2.4" (6.0 cm)
2.5" (6.3 cm)

W  

2.4" (6.0 cm)
1.9" (4.7 cm)

H  

0.8" (2.0 cm)
0.9" (2.3 cm)

Volume  

4.09 in³ (67.00 cm³)
4.18 in³ (68.43 cm³)
Show Text 

Build Quality 
 

8.0
8.0

Build Quality Picture  

Nothing Ear (2) Build Quality Picture
Nothing Ear (a) Build Quality Picture
Show Text 

Stability 
 

7.5
7.5

Stability Picture  

Nothing Ear (2) Stability Picture
Nothing Ear (a) Stability Picture
Show Text 

Headshots 1  

Angled Picture  

Nothing Ear (2) Angled Picture
Nothing Ear (a) Angled Picture

Side Picture  

Nothing Ear (2) Side Picture
Nothing Ear (a) Side Picture

Headshots 2  

Front Picture  

Nothing Ear (2) Front Picture
Nothing Ear (a) Front Picture

Rear Picture  

Nothing Ear (2) Rear Picture
Nothing Ear (a) Rear Picture

Top  

Top Picture  

Nothing Ear (2) Top Picture
Nothing Ear (a) Top Picture

In The Box  

In The Box Picture  

Nothing Ear (2) In The Box Picture
Nothing Ear (a) In The Box Picture
Show Text 
Sound

Sound Profile 
 

Sound Profile  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Normalization Frequency 
 

1,150 Hz

Bass Amount 
 

-0.43 dB
2.8 dB

Treble Amount 
 

0.01 dB
-1.2 dB
Show Text 

Frequency Response Consistency 
 

9.3
8.7

Consistency L  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Consistency R  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Avg. Std. Deviation 
 

0.14 dB
0.27 dB
Show Text 

Raw Frequency Response 
 

Raw FR L  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Raw FR R  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Bass Profile: Target Compliance 
 

9.1
9.0

Bass Profile: Target Compliance  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

RMS Deviation From Target 
 

1.31 dB
2.9 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

10 Hz
20 Hz

Low Bass 
 

-2.62 dB
2.74 dB

Mid Bass 
 

-0.36 dB
3.45 dB

High Bass 
 

-0.51 dB
2.3 dB
Show Text 

Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance 
 

8.1
8.9

Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

RMS Deviation From Target 
 

2.59 dB
1.21 dB

Low Mid 
 

-1.48 dB
1.35 dB

Mid-Mid 
 

-3.38 dB
-1.22 dB

High Mid 
 

-0.01 dB
0.24 dB
Show Text 

Treble Profile: Target Compliance 
 

8.9
7.4

Treble Profile: Target Compliance  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

RMS Deviation From Target 
 

1.61 dB
2.98 dB

Low Treble 
 

-0.42 dB
-0.17 dB

Mid Treble 
 

-1.2 dB
-2.65 dB

High Treble 
 

-4.17 dB
-9.26 dB
Show Text 

Peaks/Dips 
 

8.4
8.0

Peaks/Dips Graph 
 

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Peaks 
 

1 dB
1.12 dB

Dips 
 

0.99 dB
1.5 dB
Show Text 

Imaging 
 

7.6
8.1

Group Delay  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Phase Response Mismatch  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Weighted Group Delay 
 

0.28
0.54

Weighted Phase Mismatch 
 

5.23
2.26

Weighted Amplitude Mismatch 
 

2.56
1.5

Weighted Frequency Mismatch 
 

1.94
1.58
Show Text 

Passive Soundstage 
 

1.2
1.4

PRTF  

Nothing Ear (2) PRTF
Nothing Ear (a) PRTF

PRTF Accuracy (Std. Dev.) 
 

N/A
N/A

PRTF Size (Avg.) 
 

N/A
N/A

PRTF Distance 
 

N/A
N/A

Openness 
 

2.8
3.0

Acoustic Space Excitation 
 

2.1
2.6
Show Text 

Virtual Soundstage 
 

0.0
0.0

Virtual Soundstage  

Nothing Ear (2) Virtual Soundstage
Nothing Ear (a) Virtual Soundstage

Head Modeling 
 

No
No

Speaker Modeling 
 

No
No

Room Ambience 
 

No
No

Head Tracking 
 

No
No

Virtual Surround 
 

No
No

Weighted Harmonic Distortion 
 

8.1
7.5

Weighted Harmonic Distortion  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

WHD @ 90 
 

0.222
0.251

WHD @ 100 
 

0.086
0.217
Show Text 

Test Settings 
 

Firmware 
 

1.0.1.85
1.0.1.46

Power 
 

On
On

Connection 
 

Bluetooth 5.0
Bluetooth

Codec 
 

SBC, 16-bit, 44.1kHz
SBC, 16-bit, 48kHz

Test Instrument  

Audio Precision APx517B

EQ 
 

Balanced
Balanced

ANC 
 

High
High

Tip/Pad 
 

Silicone (small)
Silicone (small)

Microphone 
 

Integrated
Integrated
Show Text 
Isolation

Noise Isolation - Full Range 
 

7.2
7.0

Noise Isolation - Full Range Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Noise Cancelling  

Yes
Yes

Overall Attenuation 
 

-17.77 dB
-18.00 dB

Isolation Audio 
 

Bass 
 

-13.72 dB
-14.31 dB

Mid 
 

-18.79 dB
-19.28 dB

Treble 
 

-21.35 dB
-21.07 dB
Show Text 

Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios 
 

7.3

Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios Graph  

See details on graph tool

Airplane Noise Attenuation 
 

-18.01 dB

Airplane Noise Isolation Audio 
 

Office Noise Attenuation 
 

-16.57 dB

Office Noise Isolation Audio 
 

Street Noise Attenuation 
 

-18.91 dB

Street Noise Isolation Audio 
 

Show Text 

Noise Isolation - Voice Handling 
 

Female Voice 1 
 

Male Voice 1 
 

Female Voice 2 
 

Male Voice 2 
 

ANC Wind Handling 
 

ANC Wind Handling Graph  

See details on graph tool

ANC Wind Noise 
 

Show Text 

Leakage 
 

8.2
7.7

Leakage  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Leakage Audio 
 

Overall Leakage @ 1ft 
 

32.23 dB
35.5 dB
Show Text 
Microphone

Microphone Style 
 

Integrated 
 

Yes
Yes

In-Line 
 

No
No

Boom 
 

No
No

Detachable Boom 
 

No
No

Mic  

Yes
Yes

Recording Quality 
 

6.6
4.6

Microphone Frequency Response  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Recorded Speech 
 

LFE 
 

93.77 Hz
931.62 Hz

FR Std. Dev. 
 

6.01 dB
6.81 dB

HFE 
 

7,561.35 Hz
4,431.55 Hz

Weighted THD 
 

4.806
N/A

Gain 
 

-15.75 dB
19.46 dB
Show Text 

Noise Handling 
 

7.7
7.0

SpNR  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

SpNR 
 

27.6 dB
33.33 dB

Noise Gate 
 

Always On
Always On

Speech + Pink Noise Handling 
 

7.5
7.0

Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample  

Speech + Subway Noise Handling 
 

8.0
7.0

Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample  

Show Text 
Active Features

Battery 
 

6.2
6.1

Battery Type 
 

Rechargable
Rechargable

Continuous Battery Life 
 

5.6 hrs
≈ 5.5 hrs

Additional Charges 
 

4.0
≈ 3.5

Total Battery Life 
 

28 hrs
≈ 24.5 hrs

Charge Time 
 

1 hrs
≈ 1 hrs

Power-Saving Feature 
 

No
No

Audio While Charging 
 

Yes
Yes

Passive Playback 
 

No
No

Charging Port  

USB-C
USB-C
Show Text 

App Support 
 

7.5
7.5

App Picture  

Nothing Ear (2) App Picture
Nothing Ear (a) App Picture

App Name  

Nothing X
Nothing X

iOS  

Yes
Yes

Android  

Yes
Yes

macOS  

No
No

Windows  

No
No

Equalizer 
 

Graphic + Presets
Graphic + Presets

ANC Control 
 

Presets
Presets

Mic Control  

No
No

Room Effects 
 

No
No

Playback Control 
 

No
No

Button Mapping  

Yes
Yes

Surround Support 
 

No
No
Show Text 
Connectivity

Wired Connection 
 

0.0
0.0

Cable Picture  

Nothing Ear (2) Cable Picture
Nothing Ear (a) Cable Picture

Analog Audio 
 

No
No

USB Audio 
 

No
No

Detachable 
 

No
No

Length 
 

N/A
N/A

Connector 
 

No Wired Option
No Wired Option

Latency - Analog 
 

N/A

Latency - USB 
 

N/A
N/A

Recorded Latency 
 

N/A

Recorded Latency Connection  

No Wired Audio
Show Text 

Bluetooth Connection 
 

8.3
8.9

Bluetooth Version 
 

5.3
5.3

Multi-Device Pairing 
 

2 Devices
2 Devices

NFC Pairing 
 

No

Quick Pair (Android) 
 

Yes

Quick Pair (iOS) 
 

No

Line Of Sight Range 
 

334.65 ft (102.00 m)
334.65 ft (102.00 m)

Latency - SBC 
 

278 ms
188 ms

Latency - aptX 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - aptX Adaptive (High Quality) 
 

N/A

Latency - aptX Adaptive (Low Latency) 
 

N/A

Latency - LDAC 
 

286 ms

Recorded Latency 
 

Recorded Latency Codec  

SBC

AAC Support 
 

Yes

PC Latency (aptX HD) 
 

N/A

PC Latency (aptX-LL) 
 

N/A

iOS Latency 
 

111 ms

Android Latency 
 

196 ms
Show Text 

Wireless Connection (Dongle) 
 

0.0
0.0

Line Of Sight Range 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - Dongle 
 

N/A
N/A

Recorded Latency 
 

N/A

PC Compatibility 
 

Analog 
 

No
No

Wired USB 
 

No
No

Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No
Show Text 

PlayStation Compatibility 
 

PS4 Analog 
 

No
No

PS4 Wired USB 
 

No
No

PS4 Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

PS5 Analog 
 

No
No

PS5 Wired USB 
 

No
No

PS5 Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

Xbox Compatibility 
 

Xbox One Analog 
 

No
No

Xbox One Wired USB 
 

No
No

Xbox One Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

Xbox Series X|S Analog 
 

No
No

Xbox Series X|S Wired USB 
 

No
No

Xbox Series X|S Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

Base/Dock 
 

2.2
2.2

Type 
 

Charging Case
Charging Case

USB Input 
 

No
No

Line In 
 

No
No

Line Out 
 

No
No

Optical Input 
 

No
No

RCA Input 
 

No
No

Dock Charging 
 

Yes
Yes

Power Supply 
 

USB-C
USB-C
Show Text 

Check Price

Black
Ear (2)
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Black
Ear (a)
Searching
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White
Ear (2)
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White
Ear (a)
Searching
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Yellow
Ear (a)
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Nothing Ear (2)

Nothing Ear (a)

Comments

  1. Comparison
 • Posted 8 months ago

Nothing Ear (2) vs Nothing Ear (a): Main Discussion

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