Nura recently rolled out an over-the-air update to its "self-learning" Nuraphone headphones that adds active noise cancellation and a social mode that lets you hear the outside world without having to remove your headphones.
nuraphone G2 with Active Noise Cancelling and the Social Mode
Noise cancellation is enabled by default; it works with noise-cancellation frequencies played through the ear cup speakers, allowing the inner ear tips to play high notes and melodies and block ambient noise. You can turn it off in the Nura app's settings. Social mode, on the other hand, lets sound pass through. Just press the Social Mode button on the homepage of the Nura app.
Plus, thanks to a recent software update, the Nuraphones also offer active noise cancellation (ANC) so you can enjoy your music, radio and podcasts without noise from the outside world impinging on your enjoyment. That software update also adds a selection of other features, including spoken battery status, the ability to pair to multiple sources and auto power-on and power-off.
The feature has only recently been added to the Nuraphones via a firmware update, but boy is it good. By combining the passive noise isolation offered by the in-ear tips and surrounding ear cups with active noise cancellation, the Nuraphones deaden both high-frequency sounds and low-frequency rumbling with frightening efficiency.
A great ambient mode is hard to nail, and Nura does a decent job although does come up short when compared to industry leaders like Sony and Apple. Nura would likely have been better served to just allow me to send specifically what the gaming mic picks up into the headphones and keep noise cancelation on. Sadly, that is not an option, and the Social Mode is the same with or without the gaming microphone attachment.
The nuraphone feels as solid as it looks. The steel headband has just enough spring to it without fearing it'll bounce off your head. The silicone rubber ear cups comfortably clings to the area around your ear, which forms the headphone's passive noise cancellation barrier.
The design isn't just for show though. The nuraphone utilizes two audio drivers, 15 mm for the in-ear buds and 40 mm for the over-the-ear cups. Each part delivers different audio ranges as well. The buds deliver the mids and highs while the cups take care of the bass. Specifically, the latter does so through tactile vibrations that "transmit" the audio through your skin rather than directly into your ear. This separation of duties plays an important role in the nuraphone G2's most important new feature: active noise cancellation.
The duality of the nuraphone G2's "inova" feature also comes into play in the latest firmware update. As mentioned in an interview with co-founder and CEO Dragan Petrović, active noise cancellation was on their radar but wasn't initially promised. In the end, they were able to implement a new feature that works just as well, sometimes even better, than the competition without having to develop and buy new headphones.
The major G2 update also introduced a new feature that could be seen as the anti-thesis of active noise cancellation. Nura calls it "Social Mode" and it lets sound in instead of blocking them out. More specifically, it uses the headphone's mics to allow voice to pass through uninhibited and lowers the audio volume automatically. As you can probably guess, it's meant to be used for making conversations less painful. In practice, however, it isn't as impressive as the ANC implementation and the volume doesn't go low enough to hear words clearly. You might be better off taking off the nuraphone in the process. Fortunately, it's smart enough to pause the music when you do.
The sensor technology allows individual functions for single and double-click per earpiece, which can be defined with ease via the app. However, there is no provision at the moment for wiping actions. Playback functions, call acceptance and termination, programming and switching of noise-cancelling functions, volume control by clicking and double-clicking are all possible. However, there are some drawbacks. Each time a function is triggered, an unavoidable click is part and parcel. I repeatedly triggered functions when touching the ear cups. Here, however, one can hope that the manufacturer comes up with some solutions in the future. After all, the Nuraphone is functionally updatable. In fact, the manufacturer has already proven it can take things further with the G2 version, which introduces active noise cancelling to the Nuraphone completely free of charge.
The passive noise cancellation of the headphones is quite effective due to the Inova design. It often works better in mid and high frequencies than with established ANC competitors. The update now allows for additional active noise cancelling, while the effect of which has been optimised for low-frequency signals as usual. The cancellation can only be switched on and achieved an effective reduction of external noises. Traffic noise, as well as speech sounds in the immediate vicinity, is pushed far into the background, allowing music to stand out much more clearly. Nevertheless, the Nuraphone does not come close to the industry leaders in certain areas, who often achieve higher levels of cancelling values. In addition, they often work depending on the situation and feature environment-dependent switching. Nonetheless, noise cancelling in noisy environments clearly improves the experience and increases the focus on music reproduction.
A practical feature is the so-called social mode, which uses outdoor microphones to reproduce environmental sounds. This is ideal for communication and public transport. Ideally, the operating mode should be set to touch function. The sound level of the music is slightly reduced and external noise is transmitted clearly to the ear.
The active noise cancellation on these cans is pretty fantastic; I was able to drown the on-going construction happening in my apartment complex, which has been bleeding into my workspace (and brain) for weeks now. Social mode cancels out the ANC and allows you to pick up the sounds around you, which is useful for commuters, or if you just refuse to remove your headphones for any reason whatsoever.
When the headset is plugged in you lose out on touch controls, which means you won't be able to toggle off social or immersion modes. Indeed, when plugged in, the Nuraphones tend to lose most of their standout wireless features. The Nuraphone averages around 20 hours of battery life. Since there is no on/off button, the headset will automatically turn off and on whenever you put it down, which is an excellent way to stretch out that battery a little further. Each time you put the Nuraphone on, you're greeted with a personalized hello along with the remaining battery life.
The active noise cancellation on the Nuraphone rivals that of any other headset I\u2019ve used this year. You can\u2019t hear even the slightest peep when someone else is blasting music through the Nuraphone next to you. While I was wearing them outside, on the bus, and on the metro I was utterly unable to listen to the train announcer, traffic sounds, or even people who were right next to me. The headset comes with a setting called \u201csocial mode\u201d which you can engage either through the app or with a button shortcut, that actually uses the microphone to allow outside noise into the earcup while lowering your music, so you can carry out your conversations without having to pause what you\u2019re listening to. I\u2019m as likely to use this feature as I am to actually let people talk over my music (which is to say not at all), but I\u2019m sure others will find it much more useful.
The Nuraphone has no physical buttons, not even a power button. The headset turns on the moment you put it on with a JARVIS-like voice greeting you by name. The side of each earcup has a touch button that has single and double taps commands you can customize through the Nura app. With these, you can set the buttons to change songs, pause/play, receive calls, or engage social mode which stops Active Noise Cancellation to let you hear outside noise. My review unit of the Nuraphone came with a full sized USB charging cable but you can order a USB-C, Micro USB, Lightning, or 3.5mm cable if you need them. That said, I found the Nuraphone lasted a full 20 hours over very extensive usage so it\u2019s safe to say you won\u2019t need to charge it very often. The voice that greets you on startup also lets you know how much battery is remaining, which is a neat touch.
But that would have meant headphones with no wireless capability, no noise cancelling and lower quality components all round. Not wanting to skimp on quality, the three founders went searching for funding and found it in the form of a $6 million series A round led by Aussie investing powerhouse Blackbird Ventures.
The Nuraphones by Melbourne-based Nura are one such example of over-the-ear headphones offering hear through capabilities. In 2018, their G2 software update introduced added noise cancellation features to their product, including what they call social mode. 2ff7e9595c
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