NuraTrue Pro review: The first true wireless earbuds capable of lossless streaming

The NuraTrue Pro are set to start shipping this month following a successful Kickstarter campaign that saw around 8,000 backers pledge a total of $1.9m to the Australian manufacturer’s latest true wireless earbuds project.

I tested an early build in June but have since had a month with the final version, two weeks of which were spent testing the buds with the Asus Zenfone 9, one of the few phones currently capable of unlocking the NuraTrue Pro’s lossless streaming potential.

Lossless streaming combined with Nura’s audio personalisation technology, spatial audio, improved battery life and a handful of other improvements to the original NuraTrue position them as an attractive alternative to premium buds from the industry’s heavy hitters.

They’re not perfect, particularly where their social and noise-cancelling modes are concerned and access to aptX Lossless is limited, for the time being at least. But if you’re after future-proofed premium wireless earbuds to deliver stellar sound and a whole host of useful features, the NuraTrue Pro are a great choice.

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NuraTrue Pro review: What you need to know

The NuraTrue Pro join the Nuraphone, NuraLoop, NuraTrue and NuraBuds in the company’s headphones lineup and are its third pair to take a true wireless form. As their name suggests, they’re an upgraded version of last year’s noise-cancelling NuraTrue and come with a feature set to match any of their premium true wireless rivals.

Like the NuraTrue, one the Pro’s big hooks is their ability to create a bespoke sound profile from a hearing test that measures your ears’ sensitivity to various sonic frequencies. This unique Nura process has been sped up by roughly 20% and now uses the information from a greater number of hearing tests (around two million) to inform the creation of its profiles.

But the Pro have a number of new tricks up their sleeve, too. Bluetooth connectivity has been upgraded from version 5.0 to 5.3 and the NuraTrue Pro support multipoint pairing, so can be connected to two input sources simultaneously.

More significant is support for Qualcomm’s aptX Lossless – the latest capability of the chip manufacturer’s aptX Adaptive codec technology. This enables the NuraTrue Pro to transmit 16-bit 44.1Hz audio losslessly over Bluetooth. They’re the only wireless earbuds I know of with this capability, although you will need a phone powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chip to make use of it. In addition to aptX Adaptive, the NuraTrue Pro support aptX, aptX HD, AAC and SBC.

Their other big addition is a Spatial Audio mode that uses processing developed by Swedish audio innovators Dirac. The Dirac Virtuo technology adjusts the earbuds’ stereo soundstage to deliver an immersive audio experience that feels like it’s coming from speakers positioned in front of you rather than from inside your head.

Unlike with some implementations of spatial audio, the NuraTrue Pro’s spatial mode doesn’t use head tracking, which means you don’t need photos of your head or ears to take advantage of it. Their spatial audio processing can also be applied to any stereo content from any source or streaming platform, unlike key rivals such as the Apple AirPods Pro 2 or Sony WF-1000XM4.

Various other improvements have been made on the NuraTrue Pro’s predecessor and these will be discussed later in the review.

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NuraTrue Pro review: Price and competition

The NuraTrue Pro are available from Nura’s website for £299, which is £100 more than the base model cost at launch. That price positions them among the most expensive true wireless earbuds on the market.

The priciest I’ve reviewed are the Bowers & Wilkins PI7 (£349), which offer excellent audio quality and Bluetooth audio retransmission courtesy of their advanced charging case. Other premium alternatives include the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II (£280), the flashy Master & Dynamic MW08 (£279), Sony’s WF-1000XM4 (£250), the Apple AirPods Pro 2 (£250), Sennheiser’s Momentum True Wireless 3 (£220) and the Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Pro (£219).

The Sony WF-1000XM4 are our pick of that bunch thanks to their ability to automatically adjust the level of noise cancellation based on where you are and what you’re doing. But all of the options above have their own strengths and some are far better suited for use with certain smartphones than others, so it’s worth reading our full reviews to help decide which pair is right for you.

NuraTrue Pro review: Design and features

Although they look similar to their predecessors, the NuraTrue Pro have received a bit of an aesthetic upgrade. The core design remains unchanged – the buds consist of large discs, nozzles that end in eartips, and wingtips to stabilise them in your ears – but the outside of the discs are now framed in a glossy ceramic. The same material is used for the Nura logos in the centre of the buds and on the case and gives the Pro model a more distinguished look than its predecessor.

Comfort levels remain high, with the four pairs of silicone eartips, a single pair of foam tips and two pairs of wingtips ensuring most people will be able to achieve a comfortable and stable fit. An IPX4 rating for water resistance marks them splashproof and therefore a fine choice for use while exercising.

The NuraTrue Pro’s touch controls are pretty much identical to their predecessor’s following the firmware update they received in December 2021. They cover key commands including track skipping, volume adjustment and increasing or decreasing “Immersion” mode, which boosts or reduces bass.

Taps, double taps and triple taps were all registered without issue and the level of customisation on offer is pleasing. You can assign commands to double-tapping and holding either bud in addition to the three actions listed above and this gives you plenty of freedom as to how you want the controls set up. There’s no way to manually switch between sources you’re paired with via multipoint but by toggling on the “Music Takeover” option in the Nura app, the buds will immediately switch sources to a device as soon as they register audio is being played through it.

Earbud battery life is up from six to eight hours, with the charging case still providing three full charges, taking total battery life to a very respectable 32 hours. Wireless charging via a Qi pad is now supported, while charging times when using the included USB-C cable have been cut in half. The charging case now also features coloured LEDs that reflect the battery life of both the buds and case, which is handy.

While testing the early build of the NuraTrue Pro there were a couple of occasions when the earbuds failed to charge in the case. I’m pleased to report that the retail version reviewed here suffered from no such issues.

A more minor gripe I had remains present and relates to getting the buds out of their case. There’s a bit of space left in the case to get your finger under and prise the buds out but doing so wasn’t easy at first due to their slippery round edges. Once you’ve got the technique down it becomes a non-issue but be prepared for some initial frustration.

The microphone setup is more advanced than the original NuraTrue and makes use of four mics rather than two as well as a bone-conduction sensor to help reduce the impact of background noise on calls and improve voice clarity.

Despite this, there’s still room for improvement in the call department. At home, distractions such as the kettle, TV and washing machine were all picked up by my partner when I was speaking to her on the phone, although not to any significant degree. She said I sounded pretty clear but reported some sibilance and I also experienced this when listening back to audio recordings of myself.

In noisier outdoor environments, I struggled to be heard at times. Sitting at a railway station while on a Zoom call with the Expert Reviews team, I was intelligible for the most part but completely drowned out whenever a train approached the station. This is an extreme example, however, and in more general settings call qualiy is fine.

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NuraTrue Pro review: Sound quality

I’ve been consistently impressed by the audio quality of Nura headphones in the past, but the NuraTrue Pro set a new benchmark for the manufacturer thanks to their support for aptX Lossless. I got a brief taste of their lossless capabilities at IFA in September but having had the opportunity to fully put them through their paces, I can say they’re a definite step up from their predecessors in terms of musical fidelity.

Comparing how the 2018 Remaster of David Bowie’s “Let’s Dance” on Tidal sounded on an iPhone XR using AAC to how it sounded on the Asus Zenfone 9 using aptX Adaptive proved illuminating. The improved clarity of the latter was evident immediately and the track just sounded that little bit crisper throughout the frequency range. Small details such as the percussive elements of the song were better defined and Bowie’s vocals more cleanly articulated.

I found the difference less noticeable when contrasting how the track sounded using aptX HD and aptX Adaptive but the overall presentation was still more accurate and convincing. Bear in mind that your distance from your source will affect the efficacy of lossless transmission: the further away you are from your source, the lossier your content becomes, although this shouldn’t be an issue if your phone is close by.

The other key audio feature the Pro benefit from is the addition of Dirac’s Virtuo spatial audio, which serves to highlight spatial cues that already exist in stereo recordings to create a feeling that what you’re listening to is being played right in front of you. It has a positive effect on the whole, although the effect is more subtle than I had expected.

Mungo Jerry’s “In The Summertime” is a song that features clear stereo imaging and with spatial mode switched off, the left and right channels were well articulated but felt a little disconnected. Switching it on expanded the soundstage slightly and created smoother transitions between audio moving left to right and vice versa. It’s not a mindblowing addition but one that certainly added a bit of extra immersive impact when watching video content with grander more cinematic soundtracks.

Sound quality remains up to Nura’s usual high standards even if you’re using a less advanced codec without spatial audio engaged. Everyone’s profile will sound different due to the audio personalisation technology but mine was balanced to take into account a sensitivity to higher treble and mid-range frequencies. The resulting audio proved precise, energetic and impactful across multiple genres and the soundstage feels appropriately broad to communicate all the audio information being processed.

It’s worth noting that the graphical representation of my hearing profile looked rather different to the profiles I’ve created using past Nura headphones. I don’t think my hearing has changed dramatically in two years, so this is likely to do with a slightly different in-ear fit and the tweaks Nura has made to the hearing test, based on data compiled from its users.

In a first for Nura headphones, you’re also able to adjust the NuraTrue Pro’s EQ manually using a five-band graphic equaliser in the companion app. It’s a welcome addition if you’re not totally happy with your personalised profile but not one I felt the need to make use of very often.

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NuraTrue Pro review: Noise cancellation

The extra mics mentioned above are also put to use for noise-cancellation purposes, with the NuraTrue Pro now offering adaptive noise cancellation that adjusts attenuation automatically based on the external sound in your immediate environment. As was the case with the original NuraTrue, you have a choice between ANC and Social mode, which is Nura’s take on a transparency option.

Noise cancellation performance is definitely better than it was on the NuraTrue, but not to the point where the Pro shoot straight to the top of the ANC earbuds pile. Low-frequency attenuation is more effective and mid-range frequencies are also reduced to a greater degree but the overall listening conditions they create aren’t quite as quiet as the best noise-cancellers in the business. Notoriously difficult-to-cancel high frequencies and loud voices are still going to disturb your peace every once in while, as I discovered to my detriment when a particularly raucous group boarded my Elizabeth Line train.

The Pro’s Social mode is implemented in the same manner as it was on the NuraTrue, which is to say it reduces the volume of music and pumps in external sound so you’re more aware of your surroundings. It’s accompanied by an audible hiss, which is particularly apparent if you’re lying in bed or sitting at your desk, and isn’t as natural-sounding or effective as the excellent transparency mode on the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3. It does, however, achieve its aim of letting you converse with others without taking the earbuds out of your ears.

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NuraTrue Pro review: Verdict

Given how much more than the base model the NuraTrue Pro cost, you’d expect them to be far superior to their stablemates, and that is indeed the case in most areas. In others, the improvements are less pronounced but there’s no doubting the overall quality of the product.

I wouldn’t go as far as to say lossless streaming is a complete gamechanger but it does deliver a noticeable uptick in audio performance and, with no other true wireless earbuds manufacturer currently offering it, Nura has another unique selling point to add to its audio personalisation tech. Throw in the somewhat understated but effective spatial mode and you have some of the best-sounding true wireless earbuds available today.

That superb audio quality combined with a wide range of convenience features and customisation options justify the high cost of entry; all that prevents the NuraTrue Pro from securing our Best Buy award is noise cancellation that falls short of class-leading and the limited availability of aptX Lossless.