Today, Nura is announcing its latest true wireless earbuds dubbed the NuraTrue Pro. These enhanced earbuds offer a number of improvements over the previous-generation and we’ve spent the past few weeks using them ahead of today’s launch. Delivering CD-quality lossless audio over Bluetooth, these earbuds are some of the first to market with Qualcomm’s latest aptX Lossless technology. On top of that, NuraTrue Pro also pack Nura’s patented custom-tailored audio experience, spatial processing, and adaptive active noise cancellation. So, how well do NuraTrue Pro hold up to Apple’s AirPods Pro, and when do they officially launch? Let’s take a closer look below.
NuraTrue Pro are feature-packed true wireless earbuds
NuraTrue Pro are the latest true wireless earbuds from the most unique headphone company most have never heard of. A bit of backstory. The company debuted around five years ago with a crowd-funding campaign to change the way we listened to audio. Essentially, Luke Campbell, Nura’s current CEO and one of the co-founders that we had the pleasure to sit down with about the NuraTrue Pro launch, were in the medical field studying in the field of ENT (ears, nose, throat).
Part of this lead Luke and others to think “how can we adapt this technology to headphones and enhance the user’s listening experience.” Well, long story short, NuraPhones (then) and NuraTrue Pro (now) play a series of sounds when inserted in your ear for the first time, listen for a response tone, and then create a 100% custom EQ profile for you to enjoy. This profile is nothing less than stunning and everyone I’ve had go through the EQ process is amazed at the difference it makes since it’s tailored to your specific hearing.
This process used to take a decent bit of time with the original NuraPhones, but it has actually been sped up a bit with NuraTrue Pro thanks to faster processors and newer technology. It takes a minute or two overall (maybe a bit longer depending on your environment) and you do have to be fairly still and quiet for it to work. The quieter, the better, but you can always re-run it later if you’re in a coffee shop when setting it up or something. Once you get through the profiling stage, the Nura app will then show you what a sound track sounds like without the profile enabled. It sounds…normal? Maybe a tad flat, but fairly normal.
Then, turning on the new EQ profile is pretty stunning. I’ve toggled back and forth between having the profile on and off even when listening to songs that I’ve heard dozens of times and Nura allows me to pick out individual sounds from the tracks I’ve never heard before. If you’ve never experienced it, it’s nothing short of stunning. Another thing that happens at the start of inserting NuraTrue Pro for the first time is “perfect fit detection,” which uses sensors to ensure the buds properly fit your ears. There are four sizes of silicone ear tips, a set of foam ear tips, and two sizes of secure-fit wings to ensure there’s an option for all shapes and sizes. On top of that, each bud has an in-ear sensor that automatically pauses the music when you pull one out and starts it again when re-inserted.
NuraTrue Pro improves on the speed and size required for Nura’s patented EQ technology, but it doesn’t actually push a ton of user-facing innovation forward there. Instead, NuraTrue Pro focused on improving the overall user experience when listening to music. These new true wireless earbuds pack a number of all-new features that we really haven’t seen on headphones so far…ever. For starters, there’s the introduction of Qualcomm’s aptX Lossless technology, which we expect to start seeing in mainstream smartphones over the next 6 to 12 months or so, though it could take as long as 18 to 24 depending on the market adopt rate. This technology supports true lossless CD-quality streaming over Bluetooth, something we’ve never seen before. The Bluetooth codec can transmit 16-bit 44.1kHz audio to your new NuraTrue Pro when used with a supported headset, or should you have Nura’s own transmitter. That’s right, Nura is working with Qualcomm to launch a USB-C transmitter that works with any device, be that macOS, iOS, iPadOS, Windows, or even Android, so long as the platform supports audio over USB-C. The aptX Lossless version of the dongle will be launching at a later date, though during the Kickstarter campaign there’s an aptX Adaptive dongle available for $29, which offers around 80% of the lossless data rate, and is still a big step up from most Mac or Windows computers.
Moving onto other new features of the NuraTrue Pro, you’ll find Bluetooth 5.3 with multipoint support, which while I didn’t expect it to work that great to start with, it’s actually quite nice. I’m used to being in the Apple ecosystem, right? I have AirPods on and they can intelligently switch between devices. With other headphones? It’s just not even worth it. Or, it hasn’t been. NuraTrue Pro have easily switched between listening to audio on my MacBook Pro to being used with my iPhone and back again no problem. Plus, NuraTrue Pro offer one of the biggest features from AirPods that I normally miss on most true wireless earbuds: dynamic primary earbud switching. This means that you can have either the right, left, or both earbuds in at one time and they just flip back and forth. I always miss this feature when not using AirPods as I like to sometimes have a single bud in while the other stays in the case, and with NuraTrue Pro, I can do just that.
There’s also a bone conduction sensor built into NuraTrue Pro alongside three other microphones to help deliver “crystal clear voice calls.” This comes from a better signal-to-noise ratio and allows NuraTrue pro to help make your voice clear to callers even when there’s “a lot of surrounding background noise.” Nura also improved the charging case, which chargers over USB-C and has a built-in Qi receiver so you can set it on a wireless charger to top off. Each NuraTrue Pro bud has a customizable touch button that can be programmed to have up to eight unique functions.
Continuing on, you’ll find improved Adaptive Active Noise Cancellation, which can dynamically adapt to ensure that you’re always getting the best experience. Plus, there’s now Spatial Audio support with NuraTrue Pro, something that wasn’t possible with the original NuraTrue buds.
NuraTrue Pro will launch on Kickstarter today with Super Early Bird discounts starting at $199, though the retail price will be $329. It’s slated to ship in the coming months.
9to5Toys’ Take
I loved my original NuraPhones. They were so great…except…they weren’t comfortable. The original over-ear headphones had an in-ear counterpart that just made them not comfortable to wear for long periods of time, even though they sounded great. Eventually, I sold them as they just weren’t for me. Then, there was NuraLoop, which I was also excited about. It was NuraPhones but more comfortable. Sadly, those didn’t work either, and it seems like they only actually fit about 80% of people who wore them according to Nura.
Now, however, I’ve found the Nura that I actually want to wear. Though I still keep AirPods Pro around, NuraTrue Pro have a spot at my desk and in my workshop for when I want to enjoy music in the best quality possible.
When I’m not at my desk writing deals posts or reviews, you’ll likely find me in my garage workshop where I have a CNC router and other woodworking tools. One of the things I love about AirPods Pro is that I picked up Comply tips and they added extra hearing protection while in the shop, even when I don’t have audio playing through them. NuraTrue Pro? Well, they’re also up to the task, if not a little better than AirPods Pro for blocking out sound. With dB reading of over 100 from all the tools running, I can have NuraTrue Pro inserted with ANC turned on and no audio playing and comfortably sit there without worrying that I’ll have long-term hearing loss.
Overall, I’m very impressed with NuraTrue Pro, even without being able to experience aptX Lossless yet. I love that I can now have the completely personalized sound experience that Nura is known for in my pocket and always ready to go, instead of having to carry a pair of big, bulky, over-ear headphones around with me…though I do wish they would revamp those for desk use at some point.
If you’re in the market for a high-quality pair of true wireless earbuds that honestly give Apple’s AirPods Pro a run for their money in many aspects, then NuraTrue Pro is probably the best set on the market to do just that.
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