Nuraphone G2 Update Adds Active Noise Cancellation And A Prime Day Deal

The consumer tech market today seems to have embraced a "launch and forget" strategy. That's almost true for smartphones, at least after two years, and even more so for other accessories. But just as nura rebelled against the status quo with its successfully crowdfunded nuraphones, the startup is bucking the trend with its latest G2 software update that does more than just breathe new life into its headphones. It also makes them feel like the nuraphone v2.

That's a big deal when you consider the nuraphone headphones are part of Amazon's Prime Day 2018 sales today. There's a 25-percent saving off the usual $399 price, bringing the headphones to under $299 for a limited time.

The nuraphone G2 update brings a couple of new things to the table, both for the headset itself as well as for the mobile app. One of the most important one is the much-desired active noise cancellation or ANC. A staple feature among premium headphones, the nuraphone's ANC implementation is just as unique as the headphones themselves. And to understand what makes its ANC special, you have to know what makes the nuraphone itself special.

nura calls it "inova", which is short for "in & over architecture". While some headphones use in-ear buds and others use over-ear cups, the nuraphone uses both, each with its own speaker. The smaller buds deliver higher frequencies, like melodic sounds or vocals, directly into your ear canal while the larger cups deliver bass through the skin around your ear. This inova technology is what powers the nuraphone's Immersion feature that lets you experience surround sound in various locations without even moving an inch.

nura uses that very same technology to solve one of the biggest problems with any ANC implementation: the high-frequency "hiss" that is produced when canceling out lower frequency rumbles. Because the nuraphone already separates frequencies, ANC is just a matter of ensuring that low-frequency noise simply isn't delivered into your ears. Our own Vincent Nguyen has been testing the beta version of the G2 update and the active noise cancellation works amazingly well as advertised. In our chat with nura co-founder and CEO Dragan Petrović, we were told that while ANC was definitely on their radar thanks to their inova technology, they didn't publicly discuss it. Unlike other companies, nura didn't want to overpromise only to end up disappointing their loyal fans.

But while ANC blocks out unwanted sounds, there are times when you do want to let your child's voice in. With the nuraphone G2 update, you won't have to take of your headphones or stop the music to do so. Simply activate the new Social Mode and the headphones will use its four external microphones to let voice frequencies in. You don't even have to pause your audio as it will automatically lower the volume until you tap to turn of Social Mode.

With yet another mode added to the nuraphone's growing list of features, you would probably think that you'll be running out of quick ways to switch features on or off. After all, there are only two touch buttons on the headphones. Good thing, then, that nura has now added a distinction between tap and double tap, giving users a total of four possible actions. Now that Social mode (on and off) and volume up/down are available as possible actions, those added controls are definitely needed.

Unfortunately, those touch buttons have also become one of the biggest complaints users have with the nuraphone. It's too easy to activate them, even when you don't intend to, like when you're adjusting or removing the headphones. Listening to feedback, nura has implemented a simple yet ingenious solution. The nuraphone will now first measure how long that touch was. Anything more than 100 ms will be registered not as a tap but as something else and the nuraphones will take no action.

All of these new features will, of course, be available in the updated nura app, which itself gets a few new features. One is support for German and French languages and the other is offline use. All nuraphone features, settings, and controls except for measuring your personal hearing, can be used offline. Perfect for those long flights. Of course, those long flights might have you worried about your nuraphone's battery. The headset will audibly inform you about its remaining battery when you put it on (after a long delay or when the battery percentage has changed). And when you plug it in, it will also beep to let you know it's charging. No need for LEDs.

While nura is just one of the latest in a growing number of headphone makers that tout personalized hearing profiles for consumers, it easily sets itself apart with its unique design and innovation. Now it's raising the bar higher with a G2 update that delivers a new level of experience that other companies would have reserved for a second gen, more expensive pair of headphones.

SlashGear uses affiliate codes, and sometimes if you buy something we'll get a small commission on the sale