Received mine a few weeks ago (I was an early KickStarter backer but based in Europe which I think were the last units to ship) but one thing and another meant I only unpacked them a couple of days ago. Here come a few initial impressions.
Rewinding a little my first impressions were actually formed over the last several months by the pre-delivery communication from Nura. All through the inevitable delays while design, supply-chain, assembly and logistical gremlins were all resolved backers received frequent, transparent and earnest updates. This inspired confidence (at least in me) that Nura was a team that was serious about customer satisfaction, and not a fly-by-night outfit that would fail or disappear off into the sunset before I ever received my product.
The unboxing experience is quite something, these cans simply ooze quality. Everything from the outer packaging, the feel of the magnetic clasp on the carry case, the soft silicone “open-mouthed” cup (again, magnetically attached - niiiicce) therein to hold the cables - which are the rubbery anti-tangling sort à la Apple, the materials, the finishes (nice juxtaposition of matte and semi-matte), to the cunningly integrated touch-sensitive buttons sporting discreet logos give the impression of being the result of very deliberate and carefully weighed decisions by people who care - deeply. Hell, even peeling the protective film off the matte metal parts is a tactile experience! This goes beyond “quality”. I have to say the overall impression is one of carefully curated design-driven and immaculately executed luxury. This may sound like hyperbole but imho this is an Apple or Tesla-level experience, I was immeasurably impressed. How much did these cost again?
This high bar is maintained through set-up via the iPhone app which also feels extremely polished. This was a huge, and very welcome, surprise given the buggy, not-ready-for-prime-time feel of the apps accompanying some of the other KS projects I have bought in to. A voice in the cans guides you step-by-step as you calibrate your personal profile (although I would love to know if the little coloured “blotch” diagram actually corresponds to that profile in any way that makes it possible to interpret). You are then presented with the opportunity to listen to a test track (View2 by Sasha) while toggling the correction on and off at your leisure. The magnitude of the difference is quite shocking, at least for me, 51 y o and my hearing undoubtedly starting to roll off at the extremes. This is not strain-to-hear-the-difference subtle, this is sledgehammer-between-the-eyes (ears) obvious. Ymmv.
Then there is nothing else left to do except start listening. First impressions are of a very appealing sound, well extended yet smooth and non-fatiguing. The overall balance seems “light” to my ears, as if the EQ has been pushed up a bit in the upper midrange/low treble. Detail is good, although not as “fine grained” or “silky” as the best I have heard, although whether this is an inherent part of their sound signature or related to the source material or listening chain remains to be seen. Toggling the correction on and off makes such a huge difference that at times it seems like a “nerf” switch, with correction off some tracks sound like the well known “transistor radio playing in another room”. Re-engaging correction unleashes such a torrent of information across the frequency range, that comparisons are pretty much meaningless. What I am really looking forward to is comparing these - correction engaged - directly with my other cans! The soundstaging also seems excellent, extending well outside the head in a reasonably natural way. In fact nothing in the sound draws attention to itself in a negative way, first impressions are that I can live with these cans - very happily!
So far the Nuras have behaved impeccably. They switch on automatically and welcome you when you put them on and switch off when you take them off. Volume control, correction-toggling and battery charge reporting via the phone all work flawlessly. It is too early to report conclusively on battery life but if the iPhone battery gauge is to be believed they are hardly drawing anything! I have yet to hear any pops, dropouts or glitches while listening.
Comfort is very good. They are nice and light and sit securely on the head following your head movements without drawing any attention to themselves. The cups are soft and seal well, providing good isolation from background noise, although not quite on the same level as active noise-cancelling ‘phones. Being silicone they are a bit sweaty - however this is something I only notice when I take them off. The band is nicely padded (no pressure point), has a wide adjustment range and seems to exert exactly the right clamping force. The tips are also soft and sit reasonably lightly in the outer ear. Although one never quite forgets about them they don’t cause me any pain or discomfort, even after my longest listening session so far - ca 6 hrs.
Unfortunately I am travelling for the next week-or-so, so comparisons with my reference cans, and the cans I own which are closest in price (Oppo PM-3 and AT ATH-ESW9) will have to wait. I should also note that all listening so far has been via Bluetooth from CD-resolution Tidal-sourced material on an iPhone. I have not yet been able to listen via the cable or via any of my familiar sources/headphone amps so critical evaluation will have to wait.
Nevertheless, first impressions are very positive, well beyond my expectations, both relative to price and the fact that this is a start-up company’s first product. Huge kudos to the Nura team for producing such an innovative, polished and fine-sounding headphone with a real luxury feel straight off the bat. Thank you, you deserve all the success that comes your way!
I’ll write up some more impressions when I have been able to put a few more hours on them and have had the chance to listen to familiar material via the wired connection in a familiar system and compare with some other cans, comparably priced and TOTL.
PS Customers receive a referral link that offers a 20% discount. Anyone with money burning a hole in their pocket (although please don’t base a purchase decision solely on these impressions!) is welcome to use mine:
http://fbuy.me/hF5nk