One of the most popular audio sectors right now are active noise-cancelling (ANC) earbuds, and 2022 has seen an abundance of model launches with the likes of the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro, Google Pixel Buds Pro, Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2, and of course the mighty Apple AirPods Pro 2, to name a few. I’ve enjoyed listening to them all. They all offer a spectacular balance of noise-canceling capabilities and sound quality performance, and I’ve been impressed by all the models mentioned above and how they continuously manage to push ANC performance forward. But, there was one set that stood out above all other noise cancelling earbuds. But it’s not just better ANC performance that’s been driving audio developments over the past few months. One of the most exciting audio developments this year was the roll out of Qualcomm’s aptX Lossless Audio codec. Originally announced in 2021, the new codec promises CD-quality sound over Bluetooth wireless connection, which for audio nuts like myself sounds like the holy grail of codecs to free us from lossy compression techniques used to carry audio data over the bandwidth-limited wireless connectivity. So it was with eager ears that I took to listening to the NuraTrue Pro earbuds ($329 through NuraSound (opens in new tab)), the first model to be available to me with support for the new aptX Lossless codec. Intriguingly though, it wan’t the high-quality audio support that impressed me the most, although it was very welcome and paves the way for audiophile sound quality for the next generation of earbuds.
Personalized sound
The NuraTrue Pro earbuds have been something of a revelation to me ever since I was first introduced to them ahead of their launch earlier this year. In terms of out-and-out levels of audio engagement, these are the best-sounding earbuds I’ve heard this year, and it’s thanks to the extraordinary capabilities of Nura’s personalized sound tuning technology that worked perfectly for my ears. I’ve experienced similar kinds of optimized tuning tech before, but nothing that sounds quite like Nura’s implementation. In fact, the personalized setup really surprised me, and was a lot more powerful and effective than I imagined. By comparison, the mighty Apple AirPods Pro 2 continually adapt to optimize their sound output to individual ears, but they don’t manage to hit the levels of balance and engagement that Nura’s personalized sound tech managed to achieve in my ears. Once the setup process was completed, it was almost like listening to a pair of speakers as part of a hi-fi music system setup at home. The sound from the Nura was big in scale and got to the heart of the music in a way that I’ve only ever experienced through a home hi-fi. No other earbuds manage to sound this engaging and rhythmically exciting to my ears. They just sound right. Several elements make the sound performance so attractive to my ears. Firstly, the levels of presence and insight they bring to vocal performances is tremendous. Voices sound incredibly well articulated, and the balance of frequencies that makes the human voice sound so natural and convincing on the Nura is perfectly pitched. My NuraTrue Pro review highlighted a couple of tracks that struck me as sounding better than I expected during my listening sessions, including “Sunshine on Leith” by the Proclaimers and Wham’s “Club Tropicana,” but literally everything I’ve heard from Fleetwood Mac’s Christine McVie singing “Everywhere” to Micheal Bublé’s “Cry Me a River (Hollywood Edition)” and Joni Mitchell’s “River” is spellbinding and never sound anything less than spectacular. Vocals seem to hang mid air surrounded by their own acoustical space to make me feel like I’ve just taken a front row seat at an intimate performance. All the elements of my favorite recordings are present but in a more captivating and engaging way. Bass is a real strength of Nura’s sonic signature. There’s bags more energy and weight to tracks when listening to the same tracks through Apple’s AirPods Pro 2, for example. It digs deep and has bags of power and control in the same way you’d expect from a dedicated subwoofer to handle bass frequencies in home hi-fi setup.
These are my favorite earbuds of the year
It’s sometimes difficult to quantify what makes great sound, but with Nura’s personalization tech enabled on its latest buds it’s hard to find a more engaging and dynamic sounding pair of earbuds right now. I don’t know the exact make up of the drivers being used inside the Nura’s earbuds, but whatever they are, the result is a precise and entirely rhythmic performance that never fails to excite. These earbuds got me close to the kind of sound I expect to hear from a pair of standalone speakers, and achieved a level of musical connection that I’d more usually associate with a home hi-fi setup. Listening to the NuraTrue Pro is like having a pair of hi-fi speakers in your ears, and for that reason they are my favorite earbuds of the year without question.
