OK. Here goes
There are 3 co-founders : a business guy, an electrical engineering PhD, and an ear surgeon / hearing science PhD with some firmware expertise. So I think in a way, the research and engineering was already built up over their respective lifetimes. They're of the start-up generation, and definitely can see a lot of careful thought has gone into this product at every step.
The concept alone is a pretty big departure from conventional headphones, and could be game-changing, honestly. The first time you plug your phones in, you run the app to get your profile. This process takes about a minute, and is comfortable. It works by sending a variety of frequencies into your ear. These tones are absorbed down into your brain, which generates its own signals in response, which the headphones listen out for. The more scientific components of this part elude me, but that's the jist. Your brain hears the frequencies and based on details specific to you, sends out its own signals.
Within 60 seconds, the technology has figured out your personalised frequency response profile. And your profile stays with the cans from then on. Just one scan when you first get the cans and you're all good. Yes, you can load and store more than one profile. The profiles are, I believe, stored in the headphones themselves- rather than in the accompanying software. So you can plug and play anywhere.
This does require power though, so the headphones run off a lightning/usb cable- not 3.5mm jack. Potentially controversial, I guess. But hey, this is the new school. Not going to be a dealbreaker for me.
I tried listening to some others' profiles, and none of theirs sounded as good as mine. Amazingly, everybody at the product demo said this - they liked their own profile the best. I guess this is the most compelling evidence that the tech works.
Other people's profiles mostly sounded as though they had been oddly filtered at various parts of the frequency spectrum, a bit noisy, and occasionally less wide in the stereo image. My profile, though, came through clear, deep and rich across the range. Tried a few A/B's with my Sony MDR 7506's and some Bose Quietcomfort 25's. Again, the results were deeper, richer and clearer on the Nuras, and the soundstage put the conventional headphones to shame. BIG stereo field. It was easier to pick out some of the instruments, even than on the MDR's.
There is also a bass function they are calling 'Kick it' which delivers huge, skull-shaking bass, and leaves the rest of the signal as is. I believe that this new combination of ear-bud and over-ear speaker is what allows this to happen, because I've never heard anything like it in a pair of cans. Ever. It is smooth, fast and game-changingly deep and rich. No rumble. No sudden spikes. And apparently safe on the ears!
I've seen skepticism about how accurate their scientific claims are. I can't really speak to that. But I was impressed by the sound for sure. And I listen with a critical ear, even more so with hyped products.
One of the more unusual things about these headphones is that they are essentially both in-ear buds and over-ear cans. I expected it might be uncomfortable, but it wasn't at all. The doctor on the team told me that they had options to refine the in-ear tech in a way other manufacturers can't, because Nura don't have to worry about keeping the buds from falling out- the build keeps them in. And with your earholes plugged by the buds, the over-ear part can vibrate and push bassier sounds against the ear without causing damage by sudden changes in air pressure going to your eardrums... Or something like that. They got pretty technical. I'll stick to the experience.
Basically, they get a 9/10. Clarity is excellent. Soundstage is wide. They drive well. Don't get too muddy or airy. Fantastically present across the spectrum. No sparkle or bite. The bass was even despite being very driven.
Not sure if that level of presence might get fatiguing after a while, as I only had 10-15 minutes to try them out.
If the claims are to be believed, the freq. response is the best on the market, because it's tailor made for you. It does sound very, very good. I was surprised they competed so well with my 7506s, which are famous for being a good, balanced reference can. The Boses weren't even close, sounded narrow and dull in comparison.
With the profile function disengaged, the signal was noisy, missing detail and had some high frequencies dropped out. In short, sounded cheap and nasty. But engaged, they sounded top end. The team acknowledged this. There isn't really a reason to have the profile off.
I know some folks on the board are into character, and some are into 'perfect flatness', but I can't speak to the authenticity of the response. They are going to be awesome for listening to and enjoying music. No clue about serious monitoring. I guess I would want to know in that case that I was hearing what others would hear, not something customised for me. In some sense, it is customised to be flat for you. It's a bit of a riddle which only more listening can solve.
Build-wise, also not sure what the deal is. The demo model was all prototype, and there was a mock-up of the early design for commercial release which wasn't functional. It was mostly a stylish, brushed aluminium- not the premium kind. With all that tech inside I hope they'll be durable. Cans were skinned with a soft and rubbery material, like what you find on ear buds. Ear buds were just normal ear buds that stick out from the cans. The heads are replaceable. The product has a modern, style-conscious look presumably intended for the commercial market.
Possible cons:
-They're planning to retail at US$399. This isn't cheap. I'm assuming they'll be looking to compete more with the luxury consumer brands, rather than pro-audio. They are certainly a threat to Bose and Beats. Would be great to see how they hold up against something like the Momentums. But honestly, I think we have a serious new contender arriving here. Currently kickstarting for a reasonable US$199.
-The lack of 3.5mm or 1/4" jack cable. There'll be USB only, which is fair enough, I guess. But I only have one USB socket on my MacBook Pro. Not sure I'll always want to use it up on my headphones. It looks like the USB cable will be replaceable. So... already better than half the headphones on the market in this respect. Also, I believe they're planning some adaptors.
-The cans themselves - on the demo model- were pretty large. Might be an issue if you got a small head. Personally I'm used to huge cans with giant sound stages, so no issue here.
Verdict : 8/10. Tentatively impressed. 9/10 at current price point, and have pre-ordered. I was about to write these off as a novelty dud, but I gave them a shot and really think they might set the world on fire this time next year.
Anyone else given 'em a try?
It is usually a subjective test in which the measurement result depends on the response from the examinee. But the response is either impossible or unreliable for certain examinees, such as infants. It would be ideal if there is an easy (i.e. non-intrusive) way to objectively measure the hearing threshold without needing examinee's response, Unfortunately, it is just simply not possible. The OAE test in such situation can be used only to make assessment on examinee's hearing capability. But it can not provide information about examinee's exact hearing levels. 
