Disclaimer: All contents are from NXT Singapore with NXT angel Vanessa.
Boy was I excited for my first time trying Nura, a relatively new brand that made its break on Kickstarter, with a promise of personalised sound as its differentiating factor from the crowded space of earbuds. I trust advanced technology, but I wanted to feel advanced technology too.
My first impression of NuraTrue? The disc-shaped earbuds reminded me of large fashion earrings or vinyl (perhaps a DJ job hazard). The case was simple, and I like the metallic design on the earbuds. Together with the case, NuraTrue was really light and compact enough for daily use.
One of the reasons why I rave about it is that the fit is great, as many earbuds require a fair bit of adjusting before staying securely in my ears. This pair fits well with the wing attachment even when I’m on the go. It comes with 4 other ear tips and a secondary wingtip to find the best fit, but I quickly settled on the default one.
The bass is strong, especially when I turn up the immersive setting to a maximum, which may be attributed to the larger earbuds. Noise-cancelling is also another factor that is very important to me, especially when I use it to commute or take meetings in a cafe (finally!). Nura calls the active noise cancelling function the Social Mode, which can be switched on and off via the app or a preset tap, and I believe this is another perk for a slightly bigger earbud as well.
I was not confident of how much better music will sound with the personalisation, because what can a few minutes DIY detection do for you? I have seen earphones with customised ear tips to fit our ears securely, but not customising the sound itself.
Within 5 minutes, I have set up the Nura app, customised the touch button controls and the music controls. During the personalisation process, a tune that sounded like it came from a sci-fi movie was played. This was how my sound profile looks like:
When the sample track played, the neutral and personalised track did not make a significant difference, but when I tried both on my current track on repeat, Bad Habits by Ed Sheeran, the personalised version gave me a brand new auditory experience. The sound was more robust and dynamic.
How does this personalisation work? According to the brand, NuraTrue uses an extremely sensitive microphone to detect this returning sound wave, and a self-learning engine built into the Nuraphone to create a profile. It all happens automatically and in about 60 seconds, with the otoacoustic emission, the characteristics of our hearing are determined. I was impressed that such advanced tech can fit into a pocket-friendly consumer device.
For a new brand to surpass expectations in audio technology, instead of being one of those gimmicky and aesthetic gadget brands, is truly impressive. The personalisation was simpler than I imagined and made a difference to the hearing experience. NuraTrue is worth a shot if you would like to tune your sound to your preference and experience your favourite tracks differently.