Harmonia

Reviewer: Simone Ragionieri
Source: Generic 5G router into Taiko Audio network switch both powered by a Zayin Audio Suprareg; Taiko Olympus XDMI Server; LampizatOr Horizon 360 DAC
Headphone amplifier: Riviera Audio Labs AIC-10
Headphones: Spirit Torino Valkyria, Raal 1995 Immanis
Loudspeakers: Diesis Audio Aura SE
Cables: complete Faber's Cables La Potenza loom
Power delivery: Faber's Cables La Potenza power distributor and ground box, Furutech NCF AC wall plugs on a dedicated spur
Room size: 5 x 4.5 x 2.7m
Room treatments: Eight ceiling diffusers, floor-to-ceiling acoustic curtains on sidewalls, Vicoustic VicTotem Ultra VMT in front corners
Review component retail ex VAT: €3'151

Research departments of this Italian university contributed modelling and measurements during Harmonia's R&D.

With reviews of SAEQ's Astraeus¹ and Solaja's Master 300b booked, Simone's parallel test of the Harmonia planarmagnetic headphone from Italy's Nur leverages the Serbian amps' presence in his Milanese lair by expanding beyond his resident driver, the hybrid Riviera AIC-10. Just as reviews of one component by multiple writers are useful, so are opinions generated with different hardware around a single component. On this beat, more definitely makes much merrier. On his resident cannery row, Simone has Raal 1995's Immanis for true statement triple ribbons; and Spirit Torino's Valkyria for a rare flagship isobaric dynamic. Taiko streaming and LampizatOr's best DAC contribute more top quality. – Ed
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¹ As I learnt from SAEQ's Dragan Domanovic, Angelo de Mattia of Nur purchased his own Astraeus to make Simone's short-term loaner of it a fortuitous thing for this review.

For some, headphones listening is a practical way to enjoy music on the go or at home without disturbing others with—or being themselves disturbed by—noise. For me it goes far beyond these factual features; and by a long multi-faceted mile. On one hand, yes, headphones do allow a level of insight into the production of musical material that is very difficult to achieve with speakers by bringing to the fore every sonic molecule to absorb, analyze or put in relationship with all other musical elements. It is a microscope on the written score or a miniaturizing device like in the 1966 Fantastic Voyage movie which carries me on an adventurous exploration of a fantastical forest of notes where I can touch, see and smell every branch, twig and leafy vein. On the other hand, I view wearing headphones as a gesture similar to a child covering his eyes to become invisible. It's an escape from the world and suspension of time. It enters a private bubble where the sound from the transducers blends with the rhythmic noises of our own body which we usually don't notice like the pulsation of the heart, the breath, a gulp or teeth gnaw. While the approach of the intrepid explorer is fuelled by a technically very proficient headphone that is most transparent, resolving and capable of unfolding spatial information and dynamics swings at all scales, the quest for an inner hug may require a different tool tailored to the deeper personality of the listener to resonate with his values and feelings. That is a moving target by definition. Moreover, the intrinsic fragility of any emotive state is unlikely to open to a ruthless presentation of an objective truth. In my experience then, it is very difficult for one headphone to fully cater to both listening modes or personas. Plus, there are many more listening modes or moods one might be on—fun, jubilatory, dancing, venting anger etc.—hence many headphone enthusiasts like myself end up with multiple cans in their collection.

Four different felt pads can insert into a slot of the cup to measurably alter the frequency response by manipulating the airflow. The housing is 3D printed from nylon and carbon.

Angelo de Mattia, founder of Nur Headphones and creator of today's protagonist, found that listening through headphones enhanced his meditations. With help from qualified partners he thus decided to design and build a unit which maximized aspects he found most effective to trigger a meditative state like "spatiality, definition, deep engaging bass, natural mids and voices and defined never fatiguing highs". This approach is closer to the inward-looking mode mentioned above and I can confirm from the off that I easily perceived these intentions from the very first notes. It is an inviting act, an almost maternal embrace that illuminates the sound from within. On top of this baseline presentation, Harmonia offers a simple but clever way to fine-tune its sonic profile, the 'Feeling Sound System'. I will describe how it works in more detail but for now it suffices that it does change the presentation enough to cater to different moods, genres or variable personal tastes. Nur Headphones are an Italian boutique brand founded in 2024 and named after the Arabian word for 'light' by Angelo, a designer and painter by profession. The Harmonia open-backed planar is his first creation intended as flagship of a developing line. It will be followed in the near future by other models of which the Shanti (peace) is next. Angelo relied on a team of engineers from La Sapienza Rome University (DIET, the Department of Information Engineering, Electronics and Telecommunications; and CERSITES, the Center for Research and Services for Sustainable Technological Innovation) for the necessary R&D to develop Harmonia's rather complex design, evaluate various materials and technologies and ultimately validate and calibrate all solutions with acoustic measurements.