I have to say, as an early (and enthusiastic) adopter of the original nuraphones, I was very excited to FINALLY receive my nuraloop earbuds after over a year of waiting. I was willing to overlook the extended delays, bulky design, materials shortcuts, proprietary charging cable and tether between earbuds to get that great nuraphone sound. And oh, that sound! Unfortunately, what I received yesterday was not even a whisper of the greatness of the nuraphones. In fact, I would say for as great as the nuraphones are, the nuraloop is equally bad -- especially by comparison.
The issues with these earbuds are legion. First, and probably most important is the fit. It is, in a word, terrible. I have tried every tip, every twist, every pinch of the obtrusive hooks that are supposed to keep them seated in your ears and NOTHING works. Eventually (and fairly quickly), they lose a good seal which is the absolute key to the functionality of the entire system. Without a good seal, ANC suffers...badly. Without a good seal, comfort suffers...badly. Without a good seal, sound suffers...BADLY. And ultimately, sound is why you would tolerate all the other shortcuts and shortcomings like the proprietary (and absurdly short) charging cable, the bulk, the tether, the lack of volume, the finicky touch controls, etc.
When they are seated properly, they do sound good...but not that good. I have and enjoy Galaxy Buds+ from Samsung and, when I need ANC, Libratone Track Air+. I would not say that the nuraloop sounds "better" than either of those true wireless earbuds, even for the three minutes they stay properly seated in my ears before they start to wiggle out. Both the Samsungs and the Libratones have good sound and can achieve substantially higher volume while staying properly seated without issue. I can't even imagine using the nuraloop while exercising in any way.
Ultimately, this is one guy's experience, but I thought it was important enough to reply given how disappointed I am with the nuraloop overall. You may have a different experience. All that said, I am a huge, huge, HUGE proponent of the original nuraphones. They are as close to a revolutionary product as I have found in audio for some time. They don't just sound good, they sound incredible. It really is too bad that the nuraloop misses that mark so completely. Caveat emptor.
Facebook
Twitter