MNB RG: Nokia/Monster Purity Pro compared to Purity HD – Gaming with Purity

Another post from Janne today, related to the earlier one about Spartan Assault and how Nokia’s Purity Pros go well with this game. Actually I love using my Purity Pros and their extra punchy bass playing these games. N.O.V.A. 3, Modern Combat 4, Royal Revolt – all sound and play so much better when you listen through headphones.

I enjoy using my AKG-K551 but I find myself always putting on my Purity Pros instead.

• Wireless
• Music buttons all work
• Works properly as headset
• Can fold away
• Has option to use wired if I wanted – easy to replace if wires get damaged
• Active noise cancellation

The Purity Pros are over ears, the Purity HDs are on ears.

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Nokia/Monster Purity Pro compared to Purity HD

In my Halo: Spartan Assault preview (http://mynokiablog.com/2013/07/19/mnb-rg-halo-spartan-assault-preview-windows-phone-8-and-windows-8/) we got to discussing that Nokia Purity Pro’s might be really nice with this game. Indeed, as I got to thinking, getting rid of that wire messing with the tight touch control action would be a bonus…

So, on a whim I picked up a pair of black Purity Pro’s today (went with black for practical reasons, the glossy red looked best in my opinion in the store though). I already had a year and half-old pair of the original Nokia Purity HD wired headset, which I have found excellent too.

Purity HD vs. Purity Pro

I pretty much expected the Purity Pro to be just a wireless version of Purity HD with a few added features, but was surprised to notice at the store that indeed they are quite a bit larger and sturdier physically. Not hugely, but enough to be noticeable – Purity HD is clearly the smaller set of the two. Somehow that detail had missed me prior. The added electronics probably play a large part here. (Sturdiness too is welcome, because I know of one pair of Purity HD’s that broke from the curve.)

In the case of the wired older Purity HD, the headset is a fairly simple affair, there is really nothing more to it – technical feature-wise – than a 3.5″ connector. In Purity HD, the microphone and remote controls (which can control calls and songs in a limited fashion depending on what the handset supports) are in the wire and there is no (music) volume control. In addition, Purity HD comes with a Symbian/N9 compatible wire that lacks the controls, although does have a microphone – the main wire with the controller works with Lumia, as well as iPhone and Android devices. Windows Phone/iPhone/Android use a different cable setup and remote controller standard than Symbian/Series 40/iPhone, that’s why the separate cables.

The Purity Pro does have a 3.5″ connector too and in fact, again to my surprise, comes with a wire – although this time only of the Lumia/iPhone/Android compatible flavor (because the controls have moved to the headset itself and work wired only with Lumia etc.). You can use the wire if you run out of battery. The packaging says that the set works with Symbian/Series 40/N9 only wirelessly – although I can confirm it works with the Purity HD Symbian/N9 cable just fine, both headphones and microphone in the wire, so if you have a separate cable from Purity HDs or some other set you can use that (I tested with 808 PureView), just don’t use the controls.

Both kits have carry/storage cases, although different designs – Purity Pro has a soft bag, Purity HD a semi-hard case. And that’s pretty much where the similarities with Purity HD end, though. There is a lot more to Purity Pro.

Features galore

First of all, the Purity Pro headset is wireless and contains a built-in microphone, so you can pair it via Bluetooth and off you go. There is a micro-USB connector for charging, a charging light and a Nokia AC-50E charger (Euro version) and USB cable is included with the kit. It works as a Bluetooth headset, basically. There are also volume controls on the right-most end of band.

There are multi-function controls on the left-most end of the Purity Pro too, which can actually achieve a fairly large number of functions (although many of these Purity HD can also do with Lumia using the controls on the wire): call/answer/end/reject call, transfer call between phone/headset, re-dial last number, use phone’s voice control, play/stop/resume song, next/previous/restart song and scan current song. Some of these options work also when Purity Pro is on a wired connection (with a Lumia or a compatible device).

That’s not all: Purity Pro’s come with active noise cancellation. The microphone outside of the speakers registers ambient noise and counters it within the headphones, basically reducing outside noise coming in to the headset further (the comfortable and form-fitting over-ear cushioning already does part of that of course, the headset is closed design). The noise cancellation really works too. You can definitely hear it kicking in, when you place the headset on. If you want to, you can turn off the noise cancellation by holding previous track and less volume keys for a while. Noise cancellation also turns off when used in wired mode.

Finally, Purity Pro’s do NFC and automatic on/off when folded. My PC has NFC, so I just tapped the areas marked NFC on both together, acceptance click on the Windows 8 side and there it was. After a moment the Purity Pro announced with male voice: “Connected.” (There are also other voice messages, such as “Battery is full.” and “Turn Bluetooth on in your device and pair.”) Pretty cool stuff. Not that Bluetooth pairing is hard, but NFC is just a great added bonus and convenience. If you choose or need to Bluetooth pair, there is a small button with a blue light on the Purity Pro for that. As for turning the set and off, just fold it closed and open as needed. Really useful features.

What an amazingly versatile piece of kit. They sound great too, at least that is my initial impression.

(Picture: wireless Nokia Purity Pro on the left, wired Purity HD on the right.)

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Cheers Janne!

Category: Accessories, Lumia, Nokia