Nura could be about to change the way we listen to music

It's a bold claim to say that Nura could change the personal listening landscape - only a handful of products in recent memory have done so - but the humble headphone is an oft-overlooked device.

At almost 300 of your finest US Dollars, they don't come cheap - but with the benefits on offer, these have the potential to be groundbreaking. These folks at the Berlin Music Tech Fest were pretty impressed with the Nura Headphones, and although we've not actually got our mits on a pair yet (not many people have as they've only just entered the production phase), it's hard to ignore their impressive claims.

"Nura is a new headphone that integrates unique soundwave technology to automatically measure your hearing and adapts music perfectly to you," a brief sales pitch reads. "You don't need to answer any tests either - just sit back and listen. Nura even recognize you when you put them on."

Could you briefly explain what your aims are with Nura?

We care about music primarily, and making sure we give people access to the best experience of the music they love. With all the hard work and the improvements to the way we create and capture music, very little has changed in the quality of the devices we use to listen to it.

What inspired the initial idea?

I grew up in a very musical family and had a passion for technology - electronics in particular. Naturally, I cared a lot about sound and the whole thing started by asking "how do you make the perfect headphones?" - I realized to make the perfect headphones you need to know how someone hears. It's quite simple - but I guess good ideas often are! I approached Luke who was an MD and hearing scientist (and very good programmer!) and asked what he thought about putting a hearing measurement machine in a pair of headphones. We got working on it a day later.

What types of music do you feel benefit most from this new technology?

Nura improves all music by filling in your musical black spots. This creates a richer and more detailed sound. Another big innovation is the use of dual in ear over ear design. When we watch live music - it's more immersive because we don't hit hear the music / we feel it. Our outer ear driver makes the bass really pop - so anything with a beat or deep bass feels awesome.

What kind of impact do the headphones have on radio, podcasts, and films/TV?

That's an interesting question! We will be collaborating with the music industry to see how Nura can be used on the production side. It's really exciting! Essentially understanding and controlling the way you hear is an incredibly powerful thing when it comes to recording music, or controlling in live settings.

You smashed you target - what has this extra funding gone towards?

We have added universal connectivity and will be including an exclusive case for each backer! This is very expensive but in the best interest of the product and our future.

Has the level of backer involvement surprised you?

We are blown away by the support! It's incredible and we can't thank our visionary backers enough.

Apple are potentially ditching the 3.5mm jack in favour of their own port - how will this affect you?

Nura now comes with universal connectivity. Digital, analog, and wireless! The best way is to connect to Nura is through the digital connection and this will support both lightning (Apple) and USB.

There's lots of talk at the moment about headphones and hearing damage - how have you taken that into account?

One of the reasons people are damaging their hearing is because they are turning the music up so loud to feel the bass or get more detail. When headphones are balanced and match our hearing well people don't tend to turn the music up too loud. The outer ear driver can deliver bass you can feel but doesn't damage your hearing.

What's the next step for you and Nura?

We will launch into the exciting phase of manufacturing Nura. Delivering a great product to our first backers - the people who have believed in us - is our number one priority.

You can pre-order Nura Headphones now. Watch a video about Nura below.