Tested Nuratrue

The in-ear buds that analyse your hearing then tune themselves to compensate are back… and this time they’re fully wireless

Futuristic true wireless buds that let you hear what it’s like inside Cliff Richard’s head

£199 / stuff.tv/nuratrue

■ Whether you think true wireless in-ear headphones are liberating or a recipe for “NOOO, NOT THE STORM DRAIN!” mishaps, they’re everywhere – and the latest brand to join the revolution is Nura. As with the interconnected Nuraloop, the Nuratrue buds subject your ears to a beepy hearing test then adjust their sound accordingly.

■ These things are not small but they sit in the ear snugly, aided by ‘wings’ in a choice of two sizes. They’ve got active noise-cancelling, an IPX4 rating means they should put up with some gym sweat, and they’ll handle voice calls.

■ Audio control is via the app or by tapping the buds’ outer discs. The Nuraloop’s clever but awkward trick of rubbing your finger around the edge to change the volume has been dropped, which is no tragedy.

■ My hearing test creates a profile that scoops out a big slice of mids. It’s as musically pleasant as it is technically impressive, even if at times it feels a little forced, with a strangely uncentred stereo image. Caveat alert: in theory, your profile should sound the same to you as mine does to me, but there’s really no telling until you’ve done the test. Well, unless we swap ears.

■ There’s no scope for adjusting the EQ beyond bypassing your profile entirely (which sounds well rough) or tweaking the bass ‘immersion’. Neither can you adjust the ANC, or even turn it off to save battery life when there’s no noise to cancel.

Tech specs

Audio 10mm dynamic drivers Connectivity Bluetooth 5, USB-C charging Battery life 6hrs (buds), 18hrs (case) Waterproof rating IPX4 Weight 7g each, 37g case

Closed to you The pill-shaped USB-C charging case is as compact as it could be given the size of the buds, but too big to slip into a tight trouser pocket.

■ Tap of the world While you’re in the app, it’s worth taking a minute to set up the buds’ touch controls how you want them. The obvious ones you’ll need are play/pause and enabling/disabling social mode for the noise-cancelling.

■ Ticket to hide You’ll need to sit somewhere quiet for a few minutes while your hearing profile is created. The procedure is quick and slick, and you can set up multiple profiles if you fancy sharing your earwax with friends.