NUARL N6 Pro2 TWS Earphone Review
NUARL N6 Pro2 Review
Introduction:
NUARL is a Japanese company that is specialized in portable audio equipments such like True Wireless & Wired Earphones.
The N6 Pro2 that I will now review for you is the improved version of the Original N6 Pro. It features the same in house developed single NUARL v5x Dynamic Driver but has been further improved, and the concept of pure audio has been introduced to improve the material of the wire that transmits the audio signal. In addition, by changing the SoC to QCC3040, in addition to the previously requested “external sound capture”, improvement of call quality, support for aptX Adaptive, low delay communication by original “gaming mode”, left and right independent communication. The NUARL N6 Pro2 is also IPX4 Waterproof that means it’s protected from splashing water, with no matter of direction.
Disclaimer:
I would like to thank NUARL for providing me the N6 Pro2 for review purposes. I am not affiliated with NUARL beyond this review and all these words reflect my true and unaltered opinions about the product.
Price & Availability:
The actual price for the NUARL N6 Pro2 is about $152,00 USD. More information’s can be found under the link below;
Package and Accessories:
The NUARL N6 Pro2 came in a rectangular stylish box with some product related brandings and illustration. This box contains the following items;
- 1 pair x NUARL N6 Pro2 True Wireless Earphones
- 1 pcs x NUARL Charging case
- 4 pairs x Block Ear+ Antibacterial Silicone Ear Tips (S/MS/M/L)
- 1 pair x Silicone Ear Hooks (pre installed)
- 1 pcs x USB Type-C Charging Cable
- 1 pcs x User Manual & Quick Star Guide
Design, Build Quality, Fit & Comfort:
The NUARL N6 Pro2 shares the same designed langue with its predecessor the original N6 Pro that was designed by the famous Japanese Product Designer “Takahashi Masataka”. The N6 Pro2 is available in two different color options which are the one in red copper color and the one in matte black same like my review unit. The earphone housing is made of plastic high quality plastic material that shows a premium look and feel, which weights about 7grams.
The N6 Pro2 offers very good fit thanks to the pre-installed rubber ear-hooks that are removable, which are very usable additions especially if you want to use the earphone while exercising or on the go.
On the front of each earpiece is the stylish looking faceplate, which is in matte black or red cooper color depending of your purchase. You will see the NUARL brand logo and a hole for the special microphone that catches up the ambient sound for the new implemented Ambient Sound Mode features.
The matte black variant has a rubbery surface coating, while the red copper variant shows a nice glossy surface.
Both the left and the right earpiece do have multifunctional buttons for actions like play/pause, volume up/down, next/forward, pairing, call answer, etc.
The buttons and the frame were the buttons are located is made of plastic material with a glossy metallic finish which gives the earphone a premium look. The buttons are a bit small but fairly responsive.
The rear side of the earphone is made of plastic material in black color is the part where you can find the sound nozzle which has a filter on the top to prevent the insertion of unwanted particles like dust, earwax, etc. On the backside of the monitors are Left or Right markings, LED status lights and the Omni-directional microphones. Here are also the charging ports/connectors on each earpiece that helps to charge the build in battery’s when you put them inside the caring case.
Charging Case:
The charging case of the N6 Pro2 is made of plastic and has a rubbery surface which offers a nice to touch feel when you hold it in your hands. It has dimensions of W72.0 x H37.0x D38.5mm weight approx. 47gr and features a 550 mAh battery that can charge each earpiece up to 4 times.
On the top of the charging case is the NUARL logo while the bottom shows information of the product model and some industrial standards and certification.
On the front of the case is the LED status indicator that gives information like the remaining power of the battery and the charging process.
When you open the case you will see the seats for the earphones the Left / Right markings. These seats have a magnetic surface to ensure the right connection for the charging process and to avoid that the earphones drop out.
At the rear side is the USB Type-C charging port that can be charged with the cable that comes in the box when you connect it to your PC or with an adaptor to a wall charger.
Technical Specifications:
- Driver Type : Ø6mm NUARL DRIVER N6 v5x
- Frequency response : 20Hz – 20kHz
- Bluetooth version : BT5.2 / Class 2 with Multi-pairing up to 4
- Audio Codec’s : aptX adaptive, aptX, AAC, SBC
- Bluetooth Profile : A2DP, HFP, HSP, AVRCP
- Bluetooth distance : approx. 10 meters
- Microphone : cVc 8.0 / Ambient Sound Combined use
- Charging case battery: 3.7V 550mAh
- Earphones battery : 3.7V 60mAh for each earphone
- Continues Playtime : 10 Hours (AAC, SBC), 8 Hours (aptX)
- Charging time : about 1.5 hours
- Dimensions : Earphone W26*H30*D20mm, Charging Case W72*H37*D38.5mm
- Waterproof Level : IPX4
Features:
A) Smartphone application “N6 Connect”
iOS / Android compatible with the N6 Connect application that gives you access to features such las ON-OFF and mode switching of external sound capture, ON-OFF of gaming mode, setting of minimum / maximum volume level, switching of equalizer setting, change of button operation contents, etc. Supports function customization
B) aptX adaptive & low latency gaming mode
The N6 Pro2 is equipped with Qualcomm aptX adaptive. When used in combination with a compatible smartphone, the sound quality and delay will be optimized according to the content. In addition, it is equipped with a unique “gaming mode” that allows low-latency wireless communication to be used even on iOS devices and PCs.
C) Ambient Sound Mode
The Ambient Sound Mode allows you to hear the surrounding sounds while wearing the earphones. By using the smartphone app “N6 Connect”, it is possible to switch the music playback mode at the same time as capturing external sound.
D) HDDS Technology
The N6 Pro2 adopts the patented technology “HDSS” of US T.B.I that suppresses distortion and reproduces a sense of reality. It prevents the localization in the head that is often found in canal type earphones, and reproduces the natural spread of sound with depth and three-dimensionality.
E) Hybrid tuning
The driver is placed in a metal housing that is modularized to give the same analog tone as a single wired earphone. Furthermore, by combining the earphone module with a digital tone that makes full use of the DSP built into the SoC.
Battery Life:
Each earpiece is equipped with a 60mAh capacity Li-ion battery that offers an average playtime of approx. 7.5 hours if you do use the earphone with the low latency aptX & aptX codec, while you can increase the battery life up to 9.5 -10 hours when you use the N6 Pro2 with codec’s like AAC or SBC, which is quite impressive.
Pairing, Navigation, Signal Strength, Latency & Call Quality:
The pairing process of the N6 Pro2 is quite easy, after you put out the earphones form the charging case you need to double click the main button (play button) of the Left earpiece.
You don’t need to re-pair the earphone after the first pairing process; just simply put out the earpieces from the charging case and your phone will automatically recognized and connect them.
The operating distance of the NUARL N6 Pro2 is about 10 meters that is very stable, both in in-door and outdoor conditions.
The N6 Pro2 shows a great performance in terms of latency thanks to the Gaming Mode that uses the aptX LL low latency codec. I didn’t have noticed any significant lip sync issue, while I have watched some YouTube clips and/or movies on Netflix.
The N6 Pro2 offers one of the best call quality performances I have experienced from a TWS Earphone, thanks to the well implanted Omni-directional microphones that do supports Qualcomm’s cVc 8.0 noise cancelling feature.
Equipment’s used for this review:
- IEM’s : NUARL N6 Pro2, Sennheiser Momentum TWS 2.0
- Source : Samsung Galaxy Note 10+, iPad Air2, FiiO M11 Pro
Albums & tracks used for this review:
- Lunatic Soul – The Passage
- Metallica – Sad but True
- Megadeth – Sweating Bullets
- Rush’s – Leave That Thing Alone
- Slayer – Angel of Death
- Liquid Tension Experiment 2 – Acid Rain
- Lorde – Royal Massive Attack – Angel
- Toutant – Rebirth
- Really Slow Motion – Deadwood
- Massive Attack – Angel
- Muse – The Handler
- Twerl – Lishu
- U2 – Sunday Bloody Sunday
- Edith Piaf – Non Je Ne Regrette Rien
- Diana Krall – So Wonderful (DSF)
- Aretha Franklin – I Say a Little Prayer
- Hayley Westenra – Odyssey Album
- Dionne Warwick – Walk On By
- Sarah McLachlan – Angel
- Sting – Englishman in New York
- Barry White – Just The Way You Are
- Isaac Hayes – Walk On
- Elton John – Rocket Man
- Eric Clapton – Wonderful Tonight
- Sting – Englishman in New York
- Casey Abrams – Robot Lovers
- Fazıl Say – Nazım Oratoryosu (Live)
- Chopin – Nocturn No. 20 In C-Sharp Minor
- Vivaldi – Le QuarttroStagioni “The Four Seasons”
- Otto Liebert & Luna Negra – The River
- Gogo Penguin – Raven
The Sound:
The NUARL N6 Pro2 offers for a TWS Earphone, very well implemented mildly V shaped sound signature, with a slightly warmer than neutral tonality. The bass is fast, deep and controlled; the midrange is slightly recessed but clear and lively, while the treble region shows a good sense of airiness and definition. The sound performance is so impressive you will forget that you use a TWS earphone.
Bass / Midrange / Treble & Soundstage:
The 6mm diameter dynamic driver of the NUARL N6 Pro2 is able to produce a good level of subbass depth, rumble and intensity and is at the same time cable to show a good sense of midbass impact, resolution and control that you can normally only experience with wired earphones.
The subbass rumble and extension is pretty good with a wide variety of genres, from electronic music up to more complex genres like metal and jazz music. The midbass region on the other hand shows a moderate level of impact and intensity, while the speed and tightness is pretty good, especially for a TWS earphone.
The NUARL N6 Pro2 shows a fairly transparent and detailed midrange tuning, that has a slightly warmer than neutral tonality. The lower midrange area has a sufficient amount of body and depth when I do listen to male vocals. Male vocals such like Barry White, Isaac Hayes or Sting do sound pretty musical, slightly colored and nicely transparent. The upper midrange on the other hand is pretty pronounced and but controlled, so that female vocals are musical and transparent, without any remarkable harshness and sibilance. The tonality of female vocals is a bit warm and quite emotional.
The N6 Pro2 has a slightly warm and nicely musical instrument tonality, every instrument from guitars to the violins are presented in a quite natural way. Instruments such like guitars are slightly warmish, bassy and fairly clean, while the pianos or violins are a bit bright in tonality without to show any unwanted sibilance or harshness.
The NUARL N6 Pro2 has a fairly pronounced and quite controlled upper midrange tuning. The transitions are controlled and soft and smooth, without to show any remarkable over-brightness and sharpness. From female vocals to instruments such as violins, pianos or flutes, the upper midrange emphasis and extension is on an average level. The existing upper midrange extension is a bit short, but still sufficient enough for a TWS earphone.
The treble region of the N6 Pro2 sounds in general quite controlled and has a mildly bright tonality. The level of airiness is on a sufficient level, which is pretty enough for a detailed and clean presentation. The lower treble area shows a good sense of clarity and definition, while the upper treble region is able to produce an efficient level of airiness and sparkle while listen to instruments such like pianos, hi-hats or cymbal.
The soundstage of the NUARL N6 Pro2 offers a sufficient expansion for a fairly precise placement of instruments and vocals. The stage shows a good sense of wideness and depth, especially for a TWS earphone, which is quite impressive.
Comparison:
NUARL N6 Pro2 versus Sennheiser Momentum TWS 2.0
The Sennheiser Momentum TWS 2.0 is one of my favorite TWS earphones that I very enjoy, especially on the go. Both TWS earphones do offer a pretty good fit and comfort with above average passive noise cancellation, while the Momentum TWS 2.0 has the upper hand when I do activate its Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) that is not class leading but fairly effective.
Both products do offer their own software solution that is fairly easy to use and that do offer some usefully customization options, however both solutions are far from perfect.
When it comes to the sound I can say that the NUARL N6 Pro2 is the earphone with the more balanced, detailed and easy to like overall tuning.
The lower frequency region of both the Sennheiser Momentum TWS 2.0 and the NUARL N6 Pro2 offers a great experience for TWS earphones. The N6 Pro shows a slightly better sense of subbass rumble, depth and control, while it is superior in terms of resolution, dynamism and speed when it comes to the midbass area.
The midrange of the Momentum TWS 2.0 shows a slightly thinner and noticeably brighter tonality that can sound a bit unnatural and dry in some situations due to the upper midrange character. The N6 Pro2 on the other hand has a warmer, fuller and more realistic midrange presentation with a better sense of lower midrange depth and better controlled in the upper midrange register.
Both the Sennhesier Momentum TWS 2.0 and the NUARL N6 Pro2 do offer a pretty good treble performance. The lower treble region of the N6 Pro2 has the upper hand in terms of clarity, definition and resolution, while the Momentum TWS 2.0 offers a slightly better sense when it comes to the upper treble extension, airiness and sparkle.
The N6 Pro2 and the Momentum TWS 2.0 are quite successful TWS earphones in terms of soundstage expansion and the separation of instruments and vocals. The Momentum TWS 2.0 shows a slightly better level of soundstage wideness, while the N6 Pro2 is superior when it comes to the depth of the stage.
Conclusion:
The NUARL N6 Pro2 is a nice looking True Wireless earphone with a comfortable fit and lots of features that offers an impressive sound performance for a product at this price range, with its very well implemented mildly V shaped sound signature. If you are looking for a TWS solution with a pretty fast, deep and controlled bass response, clear and lively midrange character and a treble region that should have a good sense of airiness and definition, the N6 Pro2 is definitely one of the best products, which will let you think that you have a wired earphone in your ears.
Pros & Cons:
- + Very Well Implemented V shaped Sound Signature
- + Impressive Sound Performance for a TWS Earphone
- + Stylish Design
- + Good Battery Life & Signal Strength
- + Gaming & Ambient Sound Mode are some nice features
- – No ANC (Active Noise Cancellation)
- – Hardware Buttons instead of Touch Controls (maybe a matter of preference)
Thank you for the Read!
