Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Audio / Video
  3. News

The Nuraphone uses machine learning to digitally mold sound to your hearing

Brendan Hesse
By

1 of 7
nuraphone-app-lifestyle
nuraphone-lifestyle-1
nuraphone-lifestyle-2
nuraphone-cup-driver-crossection
nuraphone-full-package
nuraphone-lifestyle-desk
nuraphone-1
No matter how good a pair of headphones is, and no matter how much care goes into the engineering and design, the simple truth is your own hearing capabilities play a huge role in your experience with them. Nura’s newly launched Nuraphone headphones have been crafted with the aim of adapting audio playback to your own hearing, incorporating novel technology and a hybrid in-ear-meets-over-ear design for better sound.

The big draw here is the ability to adjust the sound equalization to your hearing. Nura says the Nuraphone uses otoacoustics emissions (OAE) — a phenomenon produced within the cochlea, the organ located in the inner ear that changes waves entering the ear into the signals sent to the brain — to “learn” and adjust to your hearing ability. The brand claims the headphones then sonically “molds” the sound signature for the best possible sound quality.

Related Videos

The process is interesting; the Nuraphone’s drivers play a range of different tones, sending sound to the cochlea, wherein three tiny bones vibrate and convert the sound into signals that are sent to the brain. But the vibration also reverberates back through the ear canal to the eardrum, which acts as a “speaker,” emitting those tiny OAEs. The Nuraphones pick up those OAEs, and then an app adjusts the playback EQ (the app will be available for both iOS and Android devices). This information is then saved on the app, which can store up to three separate profiles. Once that data is stored, the headphones are said to able to automatically recognize who is wearing the headphones.

Related

Best of all, the entire process is automatic, and completes within 60 seconds. It’s an exciting feature if it works as advertised, and there’s more to these headphones than EQ adjustment technology as well. The Nuraphone headphones are designed as a hybrid between in-ear and over-ear headphones. According to Nura, this design allows the melodic channels to be directed to the inner-ear portion of the headphones, while the over-ear section delivers bass via physical vibration through your skin, which the company says prevents any one part of the mix overpowering another, and allows users to adjust the sound isolation through the app.

The Nuraphone can handle both wired and wireless connections, supporting Bluetooth with AptX and AptX HD for Android users, and features a 20-hour battery life when used wirelessly. Wired connectivity includes standard 3.5mm connection as well as Apple Lightning, USB-A, USB-C, and micro-USB connection. A USB-A cord is included in the retail package, while other cables can be purchased optionally. In addition to the Nuraphone and USB-A cable, the Nuraphone will also ship with a magnetically sealed carrying case.

The Nuraphone are available now for $400. You can learn more about them on Nura’s official website.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Pioneer Elite’s latest flagship AVR is jammed with new audio tech
Pioneer Elite VSX-LX805 AVR with a TV.

Pioneer electronics makes some of the best AV receivers money can buy, and its flagship Pioneer Elite brand is about to push that envelope further with the announcement of its latest AVR (audio video receiver), the Elite VSX-LX805. The 11.2.4-channel network receiver will be available this Spring for a premium $2,999, but that big price gets you big power at 150 watts per channel, a new 32-bit digital audio converter, some AI-driven room calibration, and some audiophile upgrades.

The Pioneer Elite VSX-LX805 is the first Pioneer receiver to be designed in cooperation with Premium Audio Company since its licensing agreement with Pioneer/Pioneer Elite in 2021, which put them in charge of marketing and selling the brands' AVR business globally (except in China). PAC is a powerhouse of home audio gear, with huge brands under its umbrella, including Klipsch, Onkyo, Teac, and Energy, so expectations are high for its new arrivals. 

Read more
I used two of the year’s oddest tech gadgets so you don’t have to
The open Nokia 5710 XpressAudio and Huawei Watch Buds

If you’re intent on not keeping your true wireless earbuds in a normal charging case, and want to hide them inside a different gadget, now is your time. The Huawei Watch Buds is a smartwatch with a pair of true wireless headphones inside, and the Nokia 5710 XpressAudio is a 4G phone that stores a pair of earbuds in the back.

It’s a bizarre niche that I’m surprised contains two products. I’ve used them, so it's my duty to report that both are a bit silly — and I don’t want to use any more of them, thank you very much. However, for the few people out there thinking they want to buy one, this is what they're like. For everyone else, you get to marvel at two of the oddest tech products seen in a while.
Phone or smartwatch?

Read more
What is Dolby Vision? The dynamic HDR format fully explained
An example of the difference between Dolby Vision and regular HDR.

Of all the new TV technologies to emerge over the last few years, it's arguable that none has had as big an impact on overall picture quality as High Dynamic Range, or HDR. When properly implemented, HDR makes everything pop, while enhancing details and improving color. We think it has been more impactful than the move from Full HD (1080p) to 4K Ultra HD or even 8K resolution.

But not all HDR is created equal; in fact, HDR is a catch-all term that refers to several distinct and competing technologies. The one with the biggest brand recognition is Dolby Vision. Dolby Labs has done such a good job of marketing Dolby Vision as its own platform, many consumers aren't even aware that it's an HDR format.  That shouldn't be a surprise: TVs that have Dolby Vision technology are often labeled as "4K HDR TV with Dolby Vision," making it seem as though the two terms aren't related.

Read more