Updated: Demoing Nura, Over-Ear & In-Ear Headphones That Adapt to Your Hearing

Update 10/03/2017: Nuraphones (Nura headphones), known for calibrating your hearing profile and providing musical playback tailored just for you, are currently available for $399. The units being sold at the moment are wireless and include the nura case and USB charging cable. For those who are interested, you should act fast as the first shipment is nearly sold out. Orders placed now through October 8 include free shipping and should be received by customers in 4-6 weeks. Grab ’em here.

Th company that for orders placed now through October 8, shipping is free. You may want to act fast seeing as the first shipment is nearly sold out

Nura is an over-ear and in-ear headphone all in one! The two-speaker headphone analyzes  the user’s musical preference and adapts to personalize the wearer’s audio experience.

Updated: Demoing Nura

Updated: Unbelievable sound quality optimized just for me! That’s the only way to describe my Nura headphones experience. 

COO Dragan Petrovic visited our NYC headquarters to show us how Nura really works and the results are fascinating. As Petrovic explained, the headphones act as a transmitter and your ears are the receiver. Your ears cannot be adjusted, but headphones can. While some start-ups are looking at a personalized fit to your ear canal, Nura is looking at how we receive sound waves. Their unique technology analyzes the cochlea’s response to vibrations from sound waves. It can detect what sounds went into your ear and which are released back out, giving Nura a better idea of what sounds are better heard by you. In comparison to my co-worker, I was able to hear lower frequencies much better than she was. 

The headphones are designed as both an in-ear and over-ear model in order to clearly deliver all elements of your music. The in-ear monitors play higher frequencies while the bass is played through the over-ear unit and received via vibrations of your overall ear. It’s pretty sick! 

The headphones literally take 30 seconds to analyze your sound profile. If the AC is loud or you are in a very loud area it can take up to a minute. Either way, the entire process is speedy and only needs to be performed on you once. The headphones will store your profile on a companion app along with the profile of other users. Next, the headphones have a few demo tracks for you to test in generic mode, your personal profile, a previously stored profile, and kick it up (super bass mode). 

Using a sort of ear recognition technology, the headphones can recognize who you are when you put them back on within 2 seconds. Believe me, I was also quite shocked when Nura said “Welcome Back Sade” – name pronounced correctly!

The headset is truly a phenomenal piece of technology and can be snagged on Kickstarter at the discounted rate of $199 until July. After then, they will be sold at $399. A decent price for personally optimized headphones. I’d say these are cans you definitely need to demo to realize how truly great they are. The company seems to think so too, as they are offering a 30-day money back guarantee with their orders. Nura will begin shipping in April 2017.

Nura, Over-Ear & In-Ear Headphones That Adapt to Your Hearing

Nura’s technology is based on the fact that no one person receives audio the same as someone else. The way we perceive and receive sound waves are different from one another and thus our hearing profiles are different. Using soundwave technology, the headphones will play a series of notes which will send a signal from the outer ear all the way to the brain that analyzes and adjusts the music accordingly. Did we mention this all happens in 30 seconds?

To ensure listeners experience a top-notch audio experience, the headphones are constructed as both an over-ear and in-ear model. The earbud’s driver delivers the higher range audio, like high-pitched vocals. The over-ear speakers pack the bass. Working in tandem with Nura’s adaptation technology, the double speakers provide two-way sound isolation while providing unparalleled clarity – filling in the musical black spots.

With the use of an app, Nura records the wearer’s hearing profile. If a friend wants to use your Nura headphones, the app allows for additional accounts.

From what we’ve learned, it appears the only problem is whether or not the user minds wearing an in-ear bud while sporting an over-ear simultaneously. Personally, I’m not a fan of in-ear buds because they’ve just always been a uncomfortable for me – prior to a tragus piercing. On the other hand, the buds have gel-filled tips designed to conform to the shape of any ear so the choice is yours.

Engadget sampled the Nura headphones and reported the difference between a generic and personalized profile as “astounding.”

“The lows, mids and highs were all audible and didn’t feel like they were competing with each other for my attention,” admits Engadget writer Kris Naudus. She also swapped profiles with a younger, self-proclaimed audiophile. They listened to each other’s settings and found vast differences, including volume and clarity.

If this sounds like your kind of can you are able to snag a pair at a discounted rate on Kickstarter. Nura launched on today retailing Nura at prices of $179 and $249 before it plans to hit the market at $399 in April 2017.