Nuheara IQbuds

Don't buy from this company! – Don't buy from this company !!!! IQbuds were not charging any more, I complained and they wrote : "The product operating life is 2-3 years due to the lithium-ion batteries. As you are out of the warranty period, we are unable to provide a replacement. However, as a gesture of goodwill we would like to offer a discount towards the purchase of a… Read more

new set". What a joke !!! Be warned! better of looking for more reliable product. Just trying to profiteer from people with tinnitus or bad hearing. Shame on you Nuheara.

IQbudmax 2 Beware – I bought these buds 24 months ago. Up until 3 months ago they worked great. So impressed. Then it all went down hill. They started high pitched squealing and then the right side stated noise distortion. There is no support that will help me. So disappointed for a premium product to do this after limited use. I won’t be buying again. Beware. Show details

Very poor build quality – Was excited to support an Australian company - bought these 2 years ago. About 11 months into their usage the rubber around both ear pieces coming away. Spoke to Nuheara and had them replaced. Replacement ones had a fault where one earpiece wouldn't work. Replaced again. new ones worked for 12 months then the same rubber issue started to happen,… Read more

then got worst. Contacted Nuheara, as they were at their 14 month mark, outside the replacement pair's warranty period they refused to replace. Today the left earpiece fell apart in my ear - I am very light handed with all my electronic devices - I have headphones and other ear buds that are 5-10 years old and still look like new - these are just very poor build quality.

Nuheara IQBuds, disposable, unrepairable after 2 years – Purchase at the end of March 2021 and had light indoor use, mainly at night watching movies and listening to music. The app was good and the sound quality was on par with other devices on the market. Initial the right speaker stopped working, charged fine etc, the left was working, until I unpaired and then lost all possibility of reconnecting.… Read more

There is no possible way to reset this device via a switch. To cut a long story short, after emails back an forth, to their credit, Nuheara were helpful, just not the outcome I was expecting, in the end these were deemed faulty and essentially non repairable and end of life after 2 years. It saddens me that an Australian company which I chose to support didn't offer a repair or exchange service. I did receive this email and I quote; "However, we would like to offer a 25% discount to purchase the IQbuds 2 Max, using the code: OOW25M". (Some promotions offer this cheaper) So after dropping $499 in March 2021 I have an expensive pair of failed IQBuds with no service or repair option available from an Australian company. You won't find any negative reviews on there website. I could jump up and down and push the fit for purpose consumer law line but sadly once bitten twice shy, I will protest with my shopping dollar to another brand. My next headphones will be the KEF MU3 with a 2 Year Warranty.

I am amazed by these ear buds - Please Read – I've had NIL and genetic hearing loss for over 20 years. I reluctantly went for a hearing test about 10 years ago and was fitted with an NHS hearing aid only on 1 side. Ever since I had it fitted, I've never really used it, it really irritated my ear canal and was incredibly uncomfortable for more than about an hour. It went into a drawer and… Read more

never came out and I carried on. Just recently I decided that I really couldn't carry on as my hearing had got that bad but simply refused to pay through the nose for £3000 hearing aids, mostly because the ones I'd tried on the high street lacked the fidelity of sound I needed and being a musician, the sound quality was critical. The hearing aid I had made everything sound like an awful transistor radio. So I spent about a week researching these things and deiced it was either the Bose or Nuheara. The Bose ones had this daft neck ring which I thought was the most odd looking thing ever and whilst these were big, the fact that everyone has ear buds now made it more acceptable and less stigmatised even than regular hearing aids.

So they arrived and I immediately set to work customising them via the Ear ID thing that I'd read about, I knew you had to put a bit of time into setting them up. This was straight forward and whilst not maybe as long as a regular audiology test, it was the same in terms of pumping sounds through headphones and you pressing a button when you hear something. People say this isn't a clinical test but I'm sure the method is absolutely identical and maybe the actual audiologists just want to hang onto some exclusivity. So all set and then I spent a bit of time reading the online manual and getting familiar with the gestures you can use. I have the sony MDR noise cancelling headphones and they work in a similar way so it wasn't long before I could use them properly.

First impressions were great. The worst thing about my actual hearing aid is that it sounds awful. Music is frankly [crap] and the fact that only one ear is boosted means it's lopsided and awful. These were immediately better, full range sound was what I wanted and what I got. I was stunned at how much I could hear but it wasn't just a volume boost, it was the missing frequencies that were restored - another thing hugely important to me. I quickly tried them out in a variety of setting but the thing that has massively impressed me is that they work as headphones and still keep the ability to have the outside sound coming through over the top. I don't remember this being on the blurb but I would have bought them for this alone. Using a single hearing aid with headphones is a joke. It constantly whistles and the lopsidedness again just kills any pleasure you may get. The sound from my iMac, phone and tablet is stunning and the fact that you can customise it further is just brilliant again and of course you can cut the outside world off from your listening experience too, so many options, it already slaughtered the hearing aid!

So what about the occlusion effect? OK, so it is noticeable however I've had a kind of occlusion effect going on for years where the boomy head voice already overtakes my regular hearing so it wasn't a shock or a distraction. The fact that the high frequencies cut through and I could actually hear were enough for me to forgive the occlusion effect which also isn't huge IMO. The other thing that worried me was comfort, as mentioned the regular aid just killed me for any length of time and left my ear itching for hours afterwards. I've had these in for hours and not noticed them. I don't know if it's the material or what but there is a much larger thing in contact with my ear canal than the aid but it's somehow not as uncomfortable. There is also soft sponge and rubber and I'm not sure if the rubber is worse but I tried the sponge - swapping the pre-installed medium for small - and they just worked fine so I haven't given the others a go yet.

Overall I'm over the moon with this purchase, these guys have got it totally right and even as regular earbuds the sound quality is off the scale good. Far better than any headphones I have even the Sony's which were nearly £500, £150 more than these buds and they offer far more flexibility and the fact that my hearing is almost back to normal can't have a price on it (OK maybe it doesn't stretch to 3 grand hearing aids!) I'd be happy to speak to anyone who wants more info about these but take it from a guy whose been looking a long time for a decent solution, these things are absolutely brilliant and I couldn't be happier right now.

One gripe I do have though is that outside in the wind they have been intermittently cutting out. I don't know whether this is some protection thing but again it's better than a regular aid which I could never wear outside even if there were a gentle breeze blowing. I'm talking to the company now about this so maybe an update. Contact me at kenny.s.evans 'at' gmail dot com if you want to ask a question, I'm not a salesman!

Worked ok but for a very short while – Had these buds for less than 2 years. Not used that much, likely twice a week mostly. Were great for listening to music in gym and on walk etc, but battery now fails to last anywhere near as long as described. Not a great deal of use so an expensive failure when there is no service/repair option available and a discount offer on another pair… Read more

(promotional offer would be cheaper!) the best resolution suggested by Nuheara. Sorry but why would I be going there again.

Charging case problem – The buds are great. I have severe hearing loss and I could not listen to TV without them. The range is not as good as my Sony buds but the ability to customise the response curve is an excellent feature Unfortunately the charging case had a magnet fall out - magnets hold the buds in while charging Show details

The sound is very good but that is it all the other features are not acceptable – its not a true Bluetooth device its range is pitiful it lose connection when i turn my head I cannot hear conversation clearly i have to take an earbud out to hear the battery time is despicable its not worth it try to change my mind Show details

Garbage – I really wanted to like these. The purchase was fast and shipping even faster. They even gave me a discount when it went on sale the very next day. How nice was that i thought. The product needs work. Great idea but it fails as a music listening device and is even worse as a hearing aid. The microphone picks up everything you dont want to hear.… Read more

The feedback makes any outdoor activity impossible. Even walking quickly causes wind issues. You can hear your cat licking its butt in the next room but this does not really enhance any human interactions i engage in. As an ear bud they suck. Battery dies to soon, they sound about as good as a $10. Pair of old fashion wired ear buds. To function properly you have to insert these things halfway into your brain stem. Super uncomfortable for more then 30 min. Definitely not something you want to wear for very long.

I returned them the next day. The package was received in their warehouse. They described some problem with the warehouse computer and to be patient with my full refund. I waited a month and got no money refunded. Finally they announced they had refunded my money and they closed the case. I never got the promised refund and they will not return any of my emails. Complete silence from them, how ironic. My advice is dont buy anything from them. But if you do, dont return it because they wont refund your money. I AM OUT $319.20 and dont even have a crappy pair of earbuds to show for it. Really disappointing Dave Anchorage AK

Solid Product with some cool features – Purchased these for gym and also to support some of the ear drum imbalance and ringing. Sound is crisp and product is very durable. I knew these are more hearing aids (so a bit more expensive them some other earbuds) but wanted to try them out due to my hearing quality deteriorating. So far nothing but good things to say and the App is quite cool too. Show details

Not worth it – I bought these buds because I have tinnitus but also liked the versatile uses including listening to music and making calls. I had constant drop out when walking and taking calls. Nuheara did send a new pair but the issue persisted which leads me to think it’s a software issue. They are useless to me. I have just bought a pair if Bose quiet… Read more

comfort and not only is the sound quality vastly super but they are also more comfortable.

On the plus side for Nuheara, the ability to objectively test my hearing is good. The app is good but my positive comments end there.

Not up to the advertising – I listen to music which is great if you are sitting still. Unfortunately impossible to keep them in the ear whilst walking. Just don’t fit my ear. Also big and clunky Not very good for watching TV. Sound is better without them. In conversation again better if not used. I bought them as an Aussie product but would I believe been better getting an imported product. I would love to recommend them but can not. Show details

Product can’t be repaired – I was one of the first backers for the original IQ Buds. I was happy with the design, small and compact but I was quite disappointed that there was no on/off button and it keeps on draining the battery and needs to be regularly charged. It was an expensive investment so I’m expecting a good build and quality product. I had it fell off my hand to… Read more

the ground and it just broke and it was the first time it tell off. It’s not very durable product and I contacted the customer service to have the product repaired but they said that they don’t do repairs and it can’t be repaired as the repair costs more. What good is a product if they have a bad customer service. I will not recommend it to anyone.

My first "true wireless earbuds" and certainly not the last – Previously I detested having buds jammed into my ears but the IQbuds' Comply T-160 tips changed that. While excellent (comfortable and isolating), the tips don't last very long and I only received a pair of them which cannot be purchased anywhere in Australia. The silicon tips (both the round and oval ones provided) are somewhat better than those… Read more

that come with the typical earbuds but don't provide a good fit and irritate my ear canal. With the Comply tips, passive noise isolation is good and the sound quality excellent. I find the ability to monitor ambient sound very useful and it is this feature that makes the product shine. It is, however, the first and lowest spec model and has its drawbacks: 1) poor directional ambient sound and high sensitivity to wind gusts and certain frequencies 2) it can only connect to a single Bluetooth device at one time and needs to be within arm's length for connection. I quite often encounter dropouts that I don't seem to get with my Sennheiser CX Sport which I don't use much because of the poor fitting tips 3) the case lid snaps shut violently and the case earbud wells are not deep enough to accommodate the Comply tips Overall I am satisfied with the IQbuds which I got at US$99 on sale but would certainly like to try their new top of the line IQbuds2 MAX which are unfortunately too expensive.

NB: the ratings below are based on the IQbuds with Comply T-160 tips.

Buyer beware – Got these as a birthday present so by the time I got to use them the 30 day guarantee had expired. Complained about the fact that all they did for me was make everything quieter, that if you accidentally brush the bud when your trying to tap it you get an earsplitting sound and that when I left them in their charging case for a coupe of days that… Read more

all of a sudden they started to emit a feedback interference noise. Their response was to tell me its user error and send me a guide.

I gave them a really good trial, used them at a pub during a trivia night and rather than isolate songs everything just got quieter and tiinny sounding. Tried them when walking down a busy street, tried them in the gym. I tried all default settings, made late of custom adjustments and the only thing I did notice different was that it amplified bird noises. Pretty much the opposite of what I bought them for which was to reduce background noise.

A stupid, expensive, cheaply made toy – The only noise canceling they provide is by blocking your ear with the bud itself, like an ear plug. The batteries do not last 16 hours as advertised, more like 6....at a push. They scream high pitch noise at you if anything goes near the Mic. Go buy some cheaper version off eBay they will do the same thing Show details

Sounds great ,difficulty charging – I purchased these 3 months ago and when I got them I thought they were great .After having hearing aids worth upwards of 4000$the price I thought was reasonable and they worked better then hearing aids.Recently they have quit charging due to them not fitting properly into the charging case .I have contacted company ....waiting for a reply. Show details