Nuratrue Earbuds Review: Personalized Sound and Comfort for Your Ears
Nura’s focus on ultra-personalized sound gets even more precise with the release of the Nuratrue earbuds. With a novel way of customizing sound to a wearer’s unique hearing, Nuratrue puts a fresh spin on earbud audio quality.
These new earbuds from Australian company Nura have a quality-focused approach to audio.
The brand — which launched in 2016 and presented its first product in 2018 — uses patented technology to incorporate highly sensitive microphones in its earbuds. They listen for a wearer’s unique otoacoustic emissions for customization more intricate than that of the brand’s competition.
The brand knows, though, it has to focus on more than just high-quality audio to appeal to runners, fitness junkies, and the mass market. So the Nura team spent lots of time working on fit, comfort, and improving its charging, playback time, and durability.
We tried the $200 pair of Nuratrue earbuds. We used them while road and trail running, jump roping, and making phone calls to see just how well Nura accomplished its goals.
In short: The Nuratrue headphones deliver the audio quality and fit the brand claims to have while ticking the boxes you need for fitness, such as IPX4 protection, light weight, battery life, and fit customization. The earbuds may be on the spendy side and have a distinct look, but they deliver.
Getting Started: Fit and Setup
Out of the box, Nuratrue earbuds start the customization process. They come with four silicone ear tip options, one foam tip, and two wing attachments. Setting up the earbuds requires a download of the Nura app (for iOS and Android). One of the first steps it takes you through is making sure you’ve found the best fit.
From there, the app quickly and easily sets up your personalized hearing profile (more on that later), and then you’re off. Overall, it was a seamless process, especially considering the amount of personalization you get.
When it came time to test out the fit on the move, it succeeded. I don’t commonly find an earbud that fits well and stays in comfortably, especially during a run.
But the Nuratrue — with a wing attachment — didn’t once require an adjustment when I was moving and bouncing. This held up even when I was using the touch buttons to skip songs or change volume.
What’s That Personalized Sound All About?
Wondering how this all works? The ear’s cochlea emits vibrations in response to sound. Sensitive microphones in the earbuds listen to these vibrations and then create a fully personalized hearing profile.
Think of this as the most fine-grain EQ you’ve ever customized, with thousands of knobs based on your hearing alone, which is as unique as your fingerprint or voiceprint.
One of the company’s founders, Dr. Dragan Petrovic, says that because everyone’s hearing is different, getting the best audio quality requires this fine detailing. Even in normal hearing ranges, tones vary as much as 20 decibels from person to person. That’s the equivalent of seven clicks of phone volume.
The earbuds’ otoacoustic emissions process — done via the app playing tones and then using microphones to listen to your ear’s feedback — isn’t just lip service. The app shows you the difference between the earbuds’ default sound and your profile.
But if you don’t trust that, have a friend set up their own profile and hear the distinct difference for yourself. (You can have multiple profiles loaded in the app.)
Advancements in today’s microphones and processing chips allowed Nura to move the hallmark technology into a smaller earbud profile.
Add in extra features that allow you to dial up the immersive bass, and you get a bit extra personalization to go with your hearing profile.
The earbuds’ powerful active noise cancellation ups the audio quality by blocking external noises, with or without your favorite song or podcast playing through the earbuds. And with a touch of a button, you can turn the buds to social mode to welcome back the outside world.
Battery Life, Charging, Specs, and Connectivity
The Nuratrue buds last up to 6 hours playing music. And the fast-charging case gives you three more 6-hour charges, with a total of 24 hours without needing to find a power outlet. The case itself charges in 2.5 hours, and the earbuds take 2 hours to charge.
Designed to be worn for a litany of activities, the IPX4 rating handles splashing and sweat just fine. And at 7.4 g per earbud, they’re neither overly heavy nor the lightest earbuds on the market.
Each earbud has a tap button in the center, customizable in the app so you can select what each side does based on a single or double tap. You can adjust everything from pausing music to turning off ANC, skipping tracks, and changing volume.
Connectivity to Bluetooth 5.0, aptX, and Bluetooth QuickSwitch was simple. The Nuratrue earbuds connected immediately and had a decent rage; I never had pairing issues. There were (very) occasional blips in songs I was listening to, but that could’ve easily been my phone’s spotty service.
Add in quality voice calls both on my end and the person I was talking to and the Nuratrue made for an all-around product, from exercise to social life. (The same microphones used to help determine your personal hearing profile make for a high-quality phone call when combined with outer-ear microphones.)
Should You Buy Nuratrue Earbuds?
If audio depth and clarity are important and you want that package in earbud form, consider taking Nuratrue for a spin. Keep in mind, though, that the earbuds have a distinct aesthetic. (Let’s just say I didn’t win any style points with my teenage daughters.)
The quality fit made for improved comfort and ensured a full sound experience in an exercise-ready package that fit my needs.
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