Daisy Sound Launches First Headphones – Premium, But a Little Cheaper

Daisy Sound, a new audio brand headquartered in California, has announced its first product: the Daisy One headphones. CEO and founder Jack Mulroe believes the premium headphone market is stale, dominated by black, uninspired designs and specification wars. He wants his California-inspired headphones to help people relax. “I just saw a pattern of there being kind of a dead space, honestly, in the headphone market, where the most recent culturally relevant brand was Beats,” Mulroe says.

The Daisy One headphones are priced at $399, undercutting major competitors like Apple’s AirPods Max (around $550) and Sony’s WH-1000XM6 (around $450). They feature a retro design with aluminum construction and a composite TR90 headstrap. Weighing 318 grams, they are slightly heavier than rivals. The ear pads attach magnetically and can be easily removed. Connectivity options include Bluetooth, USB-C, and a 3.5-mm auxiliary jack. Three color options are available: silver, Pacific (blue), and Kelp (greenish-brown).

The design draws inspiration from California chic, as most of the design team is based in the state. Some members previously worked as engineers at Harman Professional Solutions, an audio company owned by Samsung. The sound system is developed by Utah-based ((nxc)) systems. The headphones feature built-in ambient soundscapes recorded in California, such as ocean waves and forest ambiance from Big Sur, plus a guided breathwork exercise to help users decompress in stressful environments like airports.

Battery life is rated at 35 hours with active noise cancelation on and 45 hours with it off. However, the battery is not user-replaceable; Mulroe says this is something the company is addressing in future models. Early reviews have been mixed, with some TikTok testers criticizing the transparency mode—which lets in ambient sound—as lacking. Mulroe acknowledges the issue and says it can be improved via a software update. “Transparency, it's tough because we are up against Apple and Sony, who have great [intellectual property], great designers, great engineers, so they did it,” Mulroe explains.

The launch comes at a challenging time for the electronics industry due to memory shortages driving up costs. Despite this, Mulroe is confident in the build quality and hopes consumers will take a chance on the new brand. “Pick ours up next to Sony and Bose and tell me who you like more because I'm that confident in build quality,” he says.