The NuraLoop has taken on a mission to be smarter than everyone and they’re doing it with headphones like the ones from Australian startup, Nuraphone. In 2018 this was no easy task but fortunately for them, their new line of “over-ear” models have been successful so far.
Although the NuraLoop may not have the sleek design of some of the greatest earbuds, such as the Apple Airpods, Jabra Elite Active 75t, it more than covers up for it with audio quality and well-implemented functionality. It has active noise cancellation, configurable settings, and a secure gel-tip fit, as well as an aux cord connection and unique listening profiles. Despite all of its features, the Nuraloop is still cost-effective.
- Price: $199/£199
- Colors: Black
- Battery life (rated): 16 hours
- Weight: 25g (0.88 ounces)
- Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.0
Pricing and avalibility
Nura, a Melbourne-based audio firm, will release their second device in May 2020, continuing the torch that the over-ear Nuraphone started in 2017. The NuraLoop costs $199 (£199, AU$299), which is much less than its elder sibling’s $399 (£349, AU$549) list price.
Aside from the NuraLoop, the packaging includes alternate ear gel pads, a Micro USB charger cable with a custom connector, a headphone jack-tipped aux cable with the same proprietary connector, and a travel case to transport everything.
- Price: $199 in the US
- Price: AU$299 in Australia
Design
With the NuraLoop, Nura’s design concept appears to be functional first and form second. The Nura emblem on either bud distinguishes these all-black earbuds, which are certainly made for enthusiast usage rather than fashion. However, due to the bulk of the unit’s glossy surfaces, it will readily fade into the backdrop.
The NuraLoop’s least attractive but most practical elements are the cable ear hooks that run along the outside of your ear and the circular connection with its seven copper-colored pogo connectors. These characteristics make the NuraLoop look outdated in comparison to many popular earbuds’ slick constrained designs, but they mostly give the NuraLoop an advantage in terms of performance.
Features
The NuraLoop is IPX3 certified, so it will resist adverse weather and is a fantastic partner when sweating it out. It comes with a handy neoprene case that is neat and small, however, it becomes a little tight if you attempt to stuff both the cords and the device into it.
The connections in concern make it possible to connect to a USB-A port to recharge the NuraLoop’s remarkable 16-hour runtime, or a 3.5mm headphone connector to use your NuraLoop while it’s plugged in. The earpiece cable flows down your back since they both attach magnetically through a patented connector in the center of the headband.
Since this arrangement is not conventional for customer headphones, it is customary for musicians utilizing in-ear monitors while playing live (a market Nura excels in), and given how uncommon it is to run sound to cordless in-ears via a cable, any criticism of this design decision is irrelevant.
The NuraLoop’s interface design comes with two big capacitive buttons that may be tapped or ‘dialed’ up or down to interact with. When altering the fit of the ‘buds, we frequently found ourselves accidentally activating them, but more on that soon.
The other ‘dialing’ control mechanism requires you to wrap your fingertip over the edge of the button to increase or decrease the volume or ANC levels of some functions. I didn’t use these dials very frequently since we wanted more exact control in each of the parameters, but it’s wonderful to have the choice.
We believe that using the dial for movement controls (skipping songs forward and back) would be a more useful use, and we hope that this can be adopted and implemented.
- It’s possible to utilize it with an aux cord.
- Comfortable and Secure
- The price that is reasonable
- Audio is excellent and configurable.
- The design needs to improve
- Use property connection to charge
Performance
You’ll have to acquire and set up the software before you can listen to your NuraLoop, but it’s totally worth it. Nura’s signature gimmick (which has been mimicked but never surpassed) is its customizable hearing profiles, which modify the frequency range of sounds to better fit your real frequency sensitivity.
For a more extensive explanation of the intriguing science underlying it, see Nura’s website, but for the sake of simplicity, all you can do to know is that it’s really simple and works magnificently.
It only takes a moment or two to create a profile, and it’s fully automated. You’ll notice a significant change between conventional sound and that that has been altered once you’ve completed it.
Although it’s difficult to explain the frequency response of this sound in terms of quality (since everyone will hear it differently), the bottom line is that the sound is really well balanced, with a strong feeling of clarity and spaciousness, especially at higher levels. However the procedure is completely automated and works well, it would be wonderful to have an ‘advanced’ option that allows users to fine-tune their profile’s EQ settings if they have particular tastes.
Because the hearing account you build here is different from the one you generate if you possess a Nuraphone, you won’t be able to transfer it between devices. This is owing to the fact that the NuraLoop uses whole different drivers and processors, yet (more significantly) achieves the same outcomes.
While it isn’t as strong as the version found in the over-ear cousins, the NuraLoop’s 8.6mm drivers are more than capable of delivering on this front.
Resumen
Although the previous NuraPhones were a fantastic product, I found them to be too inconvenient and unpleasant for my listening demands. The NuraLoop, on the other hand, is far more my style, and I believe many other casual music fans would agree, especially if they have the cash. Now, $200 is a lot of money for earphones, but if you’re staring at the AirPods Pro or similar goods, it’s nothing out of the ordinary. All you have to do is accept the presence of a connection linking the buds.
The NuraLoop’s appearance, and, more crucially, the unique connector, may make you feel obligated to keep the provided cords with you at all times to ensure you need them. However, this is unlikely to be essential because the battery life is sufficient and the Bluetooth connection is secure. What truly stands out are the TouchDial buttons and the general sound quality with a customizable setting.
