NuraTrue 660 – personalised sound, Bluetooth, ANC, earphones (AV review)

NuraTrue 660 analyses your hearing then adapts music, speech, podcasts – any audio – to your ears. It is an Aussie invention – developed by Doctors Kyle Slater, Luke Campbell, and Dragan Petrovic, with a wealth of experience in hearing science, electrical engineering, and medicine.

No – they are not your typical earphone. You can use them as such, but the real purpose is to develop your sound profile and use it to reinforce the frequencies you have trouble with. Does it work? Well, 80% yes and 20% no.

They are a capable pair of earphones in their own right but not in the flagship class like Sennheiser, Bose and Sony.

Nuratrue first impression

They are large, heavy and round with a silver logo – not discrete.

What you get

• BT 5.0 with SBC, AAC and aptX (not high res)
• Battery 6 hours plus 18 in the case. USB-C charge (no Qi)
• Noise cancellation – on/off/conversation – fairly basic mix of passive and active
• Auto pause (can alter this to one bud use)
• Transparency (conversation) mode
• Immersion mode – basically bass boost (dial it back)
• Touch control custom setting
• Voice assistant compatible
• Four size ear gels and extra wingtips
• IPX4 – sweat resistant
• App

Setup

• Download the Nura App
• Create account
• Once charged, take them out of the charge case, place them in the ears and pair via BT.
• Return the App
• It plays ear fit tones – its vital to get good sound isolation and a comfortable fit
• Personal profile. It plays a set of otoacoustic emissions for about a minute. The mic inside each bud measures the feedback. You can create three profiles. The image below shows (what I already knew) that the left ear is less sensitive than the right and that I need help for the higher frequencies where sibilance is an issue.

I ran the tests three times with different ear gels and finally got the best fit and passive noise isolation. But there is no way to adjust a profile except to delete and start again.

Sound

Closed-back means a narrower sound stage – inside your head. Left/right separation is OK, but there is not that concert hall depth that you can experience with other brands.

Think of the profiling as your personal Equaliser (as there is no separate one). You must remember that all music is adapted to your sound profile. So, it is not necessarily what the artist intended. I get a far better sound from Sennheiser Momentum or Sony WF-1000XM4.

Immersion mode is too artificially bassy, and I backed it off in the App. The musically important mid-and-high-bass are there. Mids seem a little recessed. Treble was crisp.

I can’t help feeling that this manufactured sound had lost some authenticity. Of course, you can use the neutral mode if you wish, and it gets closer to the natural sound. But you lose the point of the Nuratrue – personalised sound.

ANC

Practical rather than totally effective. It is not close to the standard of Sony, Bose, or Sennheiser, but it does cut out voice frequencies quite well. I can hear the heavy rain in conversation mode and nothing with ANC.

Handsfree

Volume was a little low, and the person at the other end commented on the lack of tone in my voice. I could only find two mics on each bud – one external and one internal, so the mics are doing double duty for voice and ANC.

Pulsatile tinnitus, itchy ear, and hay fever sufferers beware

Due to the closed-back and sound isolation, Pulsatile tinnitus (hearing your heartbeat in your ears) sufferers cannot use these. While they are comfortable to most, they are not for you if you have hay fever or itchy ear. And if you produce a lot of wax, your hearing can vary from the profile, so use ear wax remover regularly.

CyberShack’s view – NuraTrue 660 is not for normal hearing folk

Sure, the non-hearing impaired can use them, but you can get better sound and ANC for $299.

• Jabra Elite 7 Pro
• Beats Fit Pro
• Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro
• Sennheiser Momentum 2 (on runout and the absolute choice for audio enthusiasts)
• Or spend $90 more to get the OPPO Enco X Dynaudio or Sony WF-1000XM4

If you are hearing impaired, these may bring back some fond memories of your favourite classics – albeit the manufactured version.

Rating: 8/10

Pro

• Personalise audio helps hearing impaired
• Noise cancellation is adequate
• Set up is easy

Con

• Closed-back design is not suitable for Pulsatile tinnitus sufferers
• Heavy and not all that comfortable for all-day use
• Fairly conspicuous
• Often very slow to BT re-pair
• Need to create a new profile if hearing changes

Nuratrue detailed specs and tests

STYLE
POD (not in-ear canal)	Round flat outside ear
Buds	In-ear canal
Sports (with wing)	Two types of removable wingtips
IP rating	IPX4
Ear tip type	Four ear gel sizes
Colour	Black
Class	Premium
CONNECTION
Bluetooth	5.0
Codecs	SBC, AAC, aptX (not LL/HD or Hi-res)
A2DP, AVRCP, HFP	Yes
True Wireless (Qualcomm)	Yes
Google Fast Pair	No – standard BT and then the App – can be quite slow
Windows Swift pair	No
Multipoint	No
SIZE
Weight each	7.4g
Dimensions W x H x D mm	24.8 x 24.8 x 21.9
CONTROLS
Type	Touch volume, track, voice assistants, ANC
Autopause	On one or both buds
NOISE
ANC	One level – always on unless switched to conversation mode
Ambient passthrough	Conversation
Conversation mode	Yes
Game mode	No
AUDIO
Speaker size mm	?
Frequency response	Tested 20Hz to 20kHz
Impedance	?
Driver sensitivity 1kHZ/1mw (dB)	?
BATTERY (unless cabled)
mAh in each bud	?
mAh in case	?
Case charge type (USB or Qi)	USB-C
Case size/weight	72.4 x 30.2 x 35mm x 37.1g
Charge voltage rating	?
Battery time with ANC on	6 hours (tested)
Additional battery time in case hours	18 hours
Charge time case	2+ hours
MIC
On each bud	2
Other	AI mic noise cancellation
VOICE ASSISTANT
Type	Google, Alexa
APP	Nura
Features	Earbud fit test (for ANC)
EQ	Hearing test
Find my buds	No
Other	Immersive (bass boost) is overpowering
Spatial	No
OS support	Android or IOS app and will then work on any BT device
SPECIAL FEATURES	Hearing test and personalisation
GENERAL
Website	Product page
Warranty	12 months
Price	$299
From	Nura and major retailers
Accessories included	Four gel sizes, two ear tips, charge cable
MISSING	Qi
PRO 1	Personalise audio helps hearing impaired
2	Noise cancellation is adequate
3	Good battery life
4	Easy setup
5
CON 1	Closed-back design is not suitable for Pulsatile tinnitus sufferers
2	Heavy and not all that comfortable for all-day use
3	Fairly conspicuous
4	Often very slow to BT re-pair
5	Need to create a new profile if hearing changes
RATING	Nuratrue
Features	8
	Love the fit and hearing test, but the App is otherwise limited
Value	8
	Unless you need this, there are better value earphones
Performance	8
	Manufactured music can lack that sparkle
Ease of use	9
	The App does it all
Design	7
	Overly large round external pads with garish logo and conspicuously stick out
Score /10	8

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