As I get older I am finding the words ‘pardon’? and ‘say again’? are increasingly coming into my daily vocabulary. When I am out hiking or travelling by car or plane I may seem in a world of my own or maybe at times I just don’t hear what was said amongst the noise? It was exciting then to be asked to test out the Nuheara IQbuds Boost and give a true honest opinion. Smart wireless earbuds that not only help me hear what I want to more clearly but also cuts out the noises I don’t in many environments. They also learn and adapt to my personal hearing profile. Was I impressed? Yes I very much was!
What Are They For?
Are they wireless headphones? They are so, so much more than that, although as bluetooth earphones/headphones, go the acoustics on these are incredible. A true and rich sound that on its own have made me discard my old gym headphones.
Plus when I am hiking, the sounds I want to hear come to the fore in clarity I have not had before.
Are they hearing aids? Full on hearing aids cost many thousands of pounds and are done by medical professionals. However the Nuheara IQbuds Boost do use the prescription formula (NAL-NL2) when it calibrates them to your ears. Meaning that these ‘hearables’ are at the cutting edge of current technology in helping you hear better. If you are not in needing a full hearing aid territory but do need help with hearing, these are definitely for you.
Set Up and Personal Hearing Profile
The set up is easy and straightforward. Plus the difference these ear buds are going to make become immediately apparent as you go through. The results do exceed expectations.
First, they come in a little case that they charge up inside. It is the case that you charge from the mains so pop them in there and get them to 100%.
The buds come with every size cover, for every ear hole size, so make sure you get good fitting ones on for yourself.
Connect to your phone with bluetooth and the Nuheara App and off you go getting them set to your own personal hearing profile.
First, the hearing test. It only takes 10 to 15 minutes through the app but by the end of it you can immediately see your hearing profile.
The quickshot of my hearing is above, not ‘too’ bad, my left worse than my right. The white gaps in the rings tell my story. Drilling down what these results means that I am great at hearing high pitches of birdsong etc, plus the low noises of trains etc. But, those gaps in the middle say I can struggle with voices! Yay, I have an excuse for selective hearing 😉
Setting To Any Environment
This is where it gets interesting! This is where the tech in these earbuds started to amaze me. Even before I start playing with settings, everything around me is amplified and clear.
Looking on the app there are many quick environment settings:
Home – Helps hearing sounds around you and family
Street – Reduces street and city sounds
Workout – Helps keep you aware of your surroundings
Office – Singles out voices so you can hear your co-workers
Restaurant – Amplifies speech and cuts out background noise
Driving – Cuts out driving and tire noise
Plane – lowers the sound of the engine noise
You can change to each setting either through the app, or even scroll through them with a long tap on the right earbud, simple as that.
Do they work? Yes, absolutely. I have tested in the city, on a plane and in a noisy pub. The tech in these things really does reduce the noises that you don’t want to help you cencentrate on noises you do, or conversations.
And There Is More
Within each setting you can adapt to any circumstance even further. Imagine you are in a noisy restaurant, like me you struggle with voices. Turn on restaurant mode and cut out the background noise for a start. You can then:
Focus on voices coming from the front so all your hearing is focused on those sitting opposite you:
If you want to hear the surroundings more you can easily change that with a slider that goes to more world, or more speech:
If you are, say, in the city centre, in street mode but now want to hear more of what is going on around you? Then that can be adjusted too!
Another Real World Example
Let me give you an example that some of you may well know. Your partner has good hearing and is deafened when you have the TV volume how you like it. With these earbuds you can enhance the TV whilst it is at a lower volume and both then comfortably enjoy.
Summary
The options and choices go on and on to be honest and once you have spent a couple of days getting sorted where you want them they become quick and easy to navigate.
It wasn’t just the results that impress me. Many other sides to these earbuds show that they are a complete package for many needs, for example:
They can stream music over bluetooth for up to 20 hours
Between charges they enhance hearing for up to 32 hours.
One quick tap on the right earbud and Google Assistant is waiting to help with your query.
Sweatproof and water resistant.
The sound quality for making phone calls and listening to music is superb.
You can listen to music or make calls whilst being aware of your surroundings, great for runners and hikers. Plus drivers!
I did not think I needed any help hearing, but it turns out I did and honestly, the Nuheara IQbuds Boost have not only enhanced my world but also of those who have had to suffer around me 🙂
Check out the Nuheara Website for lots more info.
