Nura was founded in 2016 by medical doctor and hearing scientist, Dr. Luke Campbell, and electrical engineer, Dr. Dragan Petrovic.

Inspired by Dr. Campbell's research, they set out to answer a question, "what if each of us could hear music perfectly tuned to our unique hearing?". They didn't anticipate they would be reinventing the headphone from the inside out.

How it works?

Using the Nuraphone app, and following the setup procedure, the Nuraphone plays a range of tones into the ear, and then measures a very faint sound that your ear generates in response to these tones called the Otoacoustic Emission (OAE). This tiny signal originates in the cochlea and vibrates the ear drum, turning it into a speaker and playing sound back out of your ear. Yes our ears make sound! This sound is about 10,000 times smaller than the sound that went in.

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Encoded in the returning sound wave is information about how well you heard the sound that went in. The nuraphone uses an extremely sensitive microphone to detect this returning sound wave, and a self learning engine built into the nuraphone to create your profile. No buttons or knobs. It all happens automatically and in about 1 -2 minutes. It is a little bit of magic.

Once the Nuraphone has created your hearing profile - think of it as a personalised graphic equaliser (though you can't manipulate it yourself). it sonically shapes your music so that it matches your hearing system and delivers all the detail of the music.

How does it sound?

I'll start out by saying - me and headphones don't get on. If it's the not the fit that falls at the first hurdle, it's the sound and the position of the sound. Some headphones position the sound right behind your nose - those ones make me sneeze. Some the bass is so strong that my jaw vibrates. Then there are microphonics caused by rough cables, headbands, badly fitting in ear plugs, faux leather pads. That's why I've stuck with the in-ears that came with my iPhone.

There are a bunch of reviews around, and I admit to being quite sceptical. What I found is an open sound, immense detail.

Some thoughts on the Nuraloops

The fit is really very good. The adjustable loops over your ear ensure a secure fit and the ear bud options made it very easy to get a good seal.
Really top notch build quality, high class look and feel and great packaging.
Some applications of ANC make you feel you've dived to the deeps of Mariana Trench and compress the music by a similar pressure. The Noise cancelling of the Nuraloops is the best in class experience.
The touch sensitive is the resistivity type. This means the slightest touch activates something. On a particularly windy and rainy evening, I put my hood up and that created so many touch responses that it bricked the headphones. This was fixed by connecting the headphones to the charger.
The immersion setting works well with classical and jazz music, not so well with heavy bass tracks.
The soundstage is expansive. The position of instruments, vocals and background sounds are so clearly defined.
In order for headphones to deliver the right sound, they must be matched to the listener. Nura even recognizes you when you put them on.

Some thoughts on the Nuraphones

It takes a little getting used to. It feels a little wrong, Like you're being probed by some Alien device.
Really top notch build quality, strong and feels very durable. High class look and feel with great packaging.
Get passed the weird fit and there is no headphone at this price that offers such a revealing experience.
The immersion setting is a little strong on some tracks

Whether it’s the loops or phones - these are well worth a consideration as your next headphone, and according to Forbes “Nuraphone Are The Last Headphones You Should Ever Buy“

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Thanks for Reading -

Max, James & Justin - Audio T Bristol

Nura can be found at the following Audio-T stores