Latest news with #Nank
Tom's Guide
3 days ago
- Tom's Guide
I swapped my Bose Ultra Open for these $80 open earbuds — here's what happened
Price: $129 / £97Colors: GreyBattery life (rated): 8 hours; 40 hours (charging case)Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.4Durability rating: IPX5Weight: 5.5g per bud Open headphones have become my go-to option for runs and other workouts, offering a good balance between the sound quality you get from in-ear buds and the awareness you get from the best bone conduction headphones. My favorite running headphones are the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds, which offer the best sound quality I've come across from open buds, and a comfortable, secure clip-on fit. No-one would say the Bose buds are cheap, however, so I was keen to see how the Nank Ultra open headphones compared, given they cost less than half the price. I tried the Nank Ultra clip-on headphones for a few weeks of workouts and general use and found they have a great fit and good sound quality for the price. They're a solid, affordable option for those who want open workout headphones in particular. Although the Nank Ultra open headphones have an MSRP of $129.99 / £97.31 they seem to always be reduced on the Nank website to $79.99 / £59.88, which puts them amongst the cheapest open headphones I've tested. The Nank Ultra buds are lightweight buds you clip on the middle of your ear so that a speaker rests near the ear canal without blocking it. There is only one color available — shiny grey. The buds don't look bad, but a strength of the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds in particular is the range of 10 colors to pick from. Given that clip-on buds resemble jewelry, a wider range of styles is always going to be better. A flexible band between the two pods on the headphones allows them to stretch and accommodate most ear types, and the fit was secure for me for a variety of workouts, including runs, bike rides and strength sessions. The buds also didn't place too much pressure on my ear, so they were comfortable to wear for several hours at a time. With an IPX5 rating the Nank Ultra buds are not fully waterproof, but will withstand sweat and rain during workouts, and I did several runs in wet conditions while wearing them. There are touch panel controls on each bud on the section that sits behind your ear. You can't customize these and I found that the controls were hard to use during workouts in particular, as some functions require you to hit the panel several times in a row. A button would be a lot simpler to use. For the most part I was pleasantly surprised by the sound quality of the Nank Ultra headphones. The sound is not only clear and crisp in the upper ranges, but there's a good level of bass too, especially for open headphones. On busier tracks I noticed that the lower end did sound a little compressed at higher volumes, and I lost a lot of the drums when listening to Hole's "Celebrity Skin", for example, but for the price I don't have substantial complaints about sound quality. You don't get the noise cancellation of in-ear buds of course, and I found that the Nank buds can be drowned out when using them on trains or running by busy roads, but the volume is loud enough for most scenarios including when using the buds in a half marathon race with loud crowds on the sidelines. I also confirmed with those around me that they don't leak much sound even when playing music at high volumes. The call quality isn't great, however. Even in quiet environments I found that other people's voices sounded tinny and a little crackly, and they reported the same for my voice. Given the relatively small case and buds, the listed battery life of the Nank Ultra headphones is impressive at eight hours on the buds and 40 in total with the case. The case is charged via a USB-C cable. The buds lived up to their claimed battery life during my testing, and they outlast the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds, which offer 27 hours of battery in total. The Nank Ultra offer better sound quality than you'd expect for their price, and a comfortable and reliable fit for workouts. They aren't as good as the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds, but cost far less, and are also cheaper than most earhook open buds I've tested like the Shokz OpenFit 2. I could see them being a good purchase for people who want open buds to use on occasion, such as when running outside or in an office where they want to hear others, but mainly use more expensive in-ear buds when travelling or when they want superior sound quality. In this situation spending hundreds of dollars on the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds doesn't make a whole load of sense, and the Nank Ultra are much more affordable. If you're going to use open headphones are your main buds all the time, however, spending the extra on more impressive-sounding buds might be worth it.
RNZ News
7 days ago
- General
- RNZ News
'Nank would be chuffed' - Native bush stays in public hands thanks to donation from late conservationist
Nank descending Elie De Beaumont. Photo: Supplied When Wellington's regional council placed the winning bid on a huge block of farmland and native bush in the hills behind Eastbourne, it was only possible with the help of a million-dollar donation from the estate of a local conservationist. John Nankervis, who died aged 75 in 2022 after a stroke, left his estate to conservation projects after a lifetime exploring the outdoors. An avid tramper, climber and conservationist, his friends paint a picture of a thoughtful man with a wicked sense of humour, one who listened before he talked, and who often took on the role of mentor for younger adventurers. Project Tongariro president Paul Green had known him for decades. They had moved in the same circles since their early 20s, part of a growing group of Wellington trampers and climbers in the days when those pursuits were really becoming popular. He rarely went by his given name - Green said he had called him John maybe twice, in formal settings. Instead, he went by Nank. Green said they worked together closely in their various conservation roles, himself in national park management, and Nank serving on both the Tongariro-Taupō conservation board and the Conservation Authority. Nank was a life member of Project Tongariro, and a little over $75,000 from his estate had been granted to two of its planting projects - at Whakaipo Bay at the northern edge of Lake Taupō, and the Oruatua Reserve Restoration Project beside the Tauranga-Taupō River. John Nankervis - who died aged 75 in 2022 - left his estate for conservation projects. Photo: Supplied Nank was a good sounding board, Green said, with a deep knowledge of the law and his familiarity with the landscape. He could be cryptic, sometimes cynical, often the devil's advocate. "He certainly kept me honest." Nank's day job was as a lawyer in Wellington, but his friends suspected he would have preferred to follow in the footsteps of his famous grandfather Ernest Marsden, as a scientist. He was one of the first people to climb all of New Zealand's 3000-metre peaks - "A real mission in the early days," Green said, "when access and equipment wasn't as good as it is today." Nank climbed all over the world - in South America and the Himalayas, in India, Nepal, China, Pakistan, Antarctica, Mongolia, the European Alps, and the United Kingdom. According to a story in a book of tributes from his friends, he twice declined invitations to join expeditions to Mount Everest, preferring the paths less travelled. He served as president of the New Zealand Alpine Club, represented New Zealand at the UIAA (International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation) for a decade, and was named a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to mountaineering in 2010. A climbing accident in 2013, by which time Nank was in his sixties, changed his life irreversibly. The fall from a ridgeline on Mount Awful in Mount Aspiring National Park left him paralysed. In 2013, RNZ's Checkpoint interviewed search and rescue mission co-ordinator Dave Wilson, who said Nank fell 100 metres, and suffered multiple injuries, including to his head. He was taken to Queenstown Medical Centre by rescue helicopter, and then transferred to Dunedin Hospital. The fall broke his back, and he would use a wheelchair for the rest of his life, but he remained a stalwart of the climbing and conservation scene. Nank on Montague Spur. Photo: Supplied Fellow climber Ross Cullen knew him for more than 40 years. Together, along with two others, they founded the Tūpiki Trust four years ago, with a goal to gather bequests and donations to support New Zealand climbers, and protect climbing areas. "He was single, wealthy, and could allocate his time pretty much as he wished," Cullen said. "He was able to fit in a lot of work on boards, and managed to fit in a lot of trips into the mountains in New Zealand, and overseas." The Tūpiki Trust had been able to provide grants for conservation projects worth more than $2 million in the past four years, Cullen said, with much of it coming from Nank's estate. "People who read about what's happened say that Nank would be chuffed if he was here." (From left) Guy Cotter, John Nankervis and Sir Edmund Hillary. Photo: Supplied The trust had supported 60 projects so far, which was "quite remarkable", Cullen said. Nank was an avid climber becoming one of the first to scale all NZ's 3000 metre peaks. Photo: Supplied "It's succeeded in that sense beyond our wildest dreams," he said. "The challenge for the trust is to continue, and to draw in donations and bequests from other people, because Nank's money can't last forever." The executors of Nank's estate preferred not to say how many projects had been funded, or by how much. But Zealandia was another notable recipient. Chief executive Danielle Shanahan said it had contributed to two significant projects within the Wellington eco-sanctuary. The first was a raised path on Te Māhanga track to protect the Pepeketua/Hamilton's frogs, which were released from their enclosed pens into the wider sanctuary in August last year . "It's a boardwalk that enables people to walk through the sanctuary without having an impact or crushing these little cryptic frogs," Shanahan said. The second contribution was going towards the replacement of the Zealandia fence, which was by now 25 years old. "We've got new metals that are options, new tools and techniques. We need to develop a blueprint to help us replace the rest of the fence going forward," Shanahan said. These projects were "big, meaty asks". Zealandia could absorb its business-as-usual cost, she said, but to take things to the next level - "that's where philanthropy comes in". "It really does enable that long-term thinking, and enables organisations like ours to think about what that future might look like." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Scotsman
7 days ago
- Scotsman
We've tested these stylish sports headphones - and wangled a discount
The Nank Runner Air headphones are designed for outdoor and indoor sports | Nank This article contains affiliate links. We may earn a small commission on items purchased through this article, but that does not affect our editorial judgement. These headphones are lightweight, comfortable, and sound better than they should for the price - and we've got an exclusive discount code to make them even cheaper Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Nank is a company you might not have heard of before, but I've tested some of their flagship "Runner Diver" bone conduction headphones before, and they were mighty impressive. So when I was offered a chance to test a much cheaper pair of their new Runner Air headphones, I was keen to take the opportunity. Unlike the Runner Divers, these use air conduction. Air conduction transmits a sound directly into the ear, unlike the extremely clever bone conduction system which sends sound waves through the bones in your skull. The result, in theory, is a better quality sound, but often at the cost of a little comfort, as they have to sit much closer to your ear, rather than rest gently on the skin just in front of them. Also unlike the Runner Divers, the Runner Airs don't have noise cancelling, and they don't have the same level of waterproofing, but they are cheap. Seriously cheap. Air conduction works differently to bone conduction, but can deliver a much richer sound | Nank If you can catch a deal on Nank's website you'll save 40% off the £74.63 benchmark price, bringing the cost down to £44.78. However, Nank has offered our readers a code knocking a further 15% off at the checkout, which brings them down to about £38. Just enter Skimlinks15 at the checkout. It's a seriously tempting price, then, but are they any good? Fundamentally, air conduction should sound better. It should offer a deeper bass and more clarity to the high notes. There isn't a remarkable difference, truth be told, between these and the Runner Divers, but they do cost around a third of the price. So that's not surprising. Importantly, though, they don't sound bad. There's plenty of definition to the sound, and given that these are open ear headphones, they have more punch and volume than you might expect. Especially for the price. They fit securely and the battery life is good | Nank They fit nicely and securely, and they're able to cope with a few generous splashes, thanks to IPX5 waterproofing. Bluetooth 5.4 is a nice edition, and the battery life is very impressive, with up to 10 hours of playtime. Sports headphones predominantly need to feel secure and comfortable. Sound quality and functionality is a bonus beyond that, and these definitely tick the right boxes. I also really love the stylish red and blue colour, although a more sober white and grey is available too. For this price, especially after our exclusive discount, they really do punch above their weight. Of course, if you spend more you'll get a higher quality sound, or perhaps a better battery life, but it's hard to see why you'd bother. Unless you're a geeky audiophile, or you're into extreme sports, these will be absolutely fine for most people.
Scotsman
27-05-2025
- Scotsman
We've tested these stylish sports headphones - and wangled a discount
The Nank Runner Air headphones are designed for outdoor and indoor sports | Nank This article contains affiliate links. We may earn a small commission on items purchased through this article, but that does not affect our editorial judgement. These headphones are lightweight, comfortable, and sound better than they should for the price - and we've got an exclusive discount code to make them even cheaper Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Nank is a company you might not have heard of before, but I've tested some of their flagship "Runner Diver" bone conduction headphones before, and they were mighty impressive. So when I was offered a chance to test a much cheaper pair of their new Runner Air headphones, I was keen to take the opportunity. Unlike the Runner Divers, these use air conduction. Air conduction transmits a sound directly into the ear, unlike the extremely clever bone conduction system which sends sound waves through the bones in your skull. The result, in theory, is a better quality sound, but often at the cost of a little comfort, as they have to sit much closer to your ear, rather than rest gently on the skin just in front of them. Also unlike the Runner Divers, the Runner Airs don't have noise cancelling, and they don't have the same level of waterproofing, but they are cheap. Seriously cheap. Air conduction works differently to bone conduction, but can deliver a much richer sound | Nank If you can catch a deal on Nank's website you'll save 40% off the £74.63 benchmark price, bringing the cost down to £44.78. However, Nank has offered our readers a code knocking a further 15% off at the checkout, which brings them down to about £38. Just enter Skimlinks15 at the checkout. It's a seriously tempting price, then, but are they any good? Fundamentally, air conduction should sound better. It should offer a deeper bass and more clarity to the high notes. There isn't a remarkable difference, truth be told, between these and the Runner Divers, but they do cost around a third of the price. So that's not surprising. Importantly, though, they don't sound bad. There's plenty of definition to the sound, and given that these are open ear headphones, they have more punch and volume than you might expect. Especially for the price. They fit securely and the battery life is good | Nank They fit nicely and securely, and they're able to cope with a few generous splashes, thanks to IPX5 waterproofing. Bluetooth 5.4 is a nice edition, and the battery life is very impressive, with up to 10 hours of playtime. Sports headphones predominantly need to feel secure and comfortable. Sound quality and functionality is a bonus beyond that, and these definitely tick the right boxes. I also really love the stylish red and blue colour, although a more sober white and grey is available too.
Scoop
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scoop
Celebrating The Sublime: Look Out Wins 2025 NZ Mountain Book Of The Year
Press Release – NZ Mountain Film and Book Festival Lake Wānaka, New Zealand (23 May 2025) – Euan Macleod and Craig Potton have been selected as the winners of the 2025 Nankervis/Bamford NZ Mountain Book of the Year award for their book Look Out. The $2,000 grand prize is awarded in the NZ Mountain Book Competition as part of the long-running NZ Mountain Film and Book Festival. Look Out is an artistic collaboration that celebrates the sublimity of New Zealand's Southern Alps by these two well-known New Zealand artists. Two friends, painter Euan Macleod and photographer Craig Potton, are both drawn to the high mountains around Aoraki/Mt Cook in the central core of the Southern Alps of New Zealand. 'Here is a mountain art book that is not over-endowed with words though there is a long introductory essay to set the scene,' explains judge Marjorie Cook. The task for readers then is to observe and reflect on what stories could be revealed in mountain paintings (MacLeod) and photographs (Potton). Such is the subjective nature of art, there is unlikely to be just one story. One moment the mountains and the mountain men look murderously scary, deathly and cold. Next, they appear soft, warm and comfortable.' 'I thank the organisers of the NZ Mountain Film and Book Festival and am truly delighted and grateful Euan and I have won the Mountain Book of the Year with Look Out,' says Potton. He continues, 'We have both gotten more than we will ever know from the Southern Alps and even at our advanced ages we find ourselves at Aoraki, in the throne room of the mountain gods, with the same awe, amazement and joy of the sublime that we have felt from our first trips there so long ago. It was our hope that our art might convey something of that connection to the mountain wilderness and your nod to our book has vindicated that hope.' The overall prize for the Nankervis/Bamford NZ Mountain Book of the Year is awarded for a book that brings the mountain experience into the hearts and minds of the reader and leaves people with a knowledge of, and respect for, the place the mountains play in the human and physical worlds. Potton explains that the award has a special meaning for him. 'For me it is very special and poignant that this generous prize has been established as part of the wonderful legacy my friend Nank bequeathed to our mountaineering community. When first heading to the Southern Alps I was inspired by Nank and Dave Bamford's forays on the western side of the central Southern Alps when they were pushing up great original lines. In those days it was the epitome of wilderness climbing. Nank became a friend, opening my book launch and exhibition on my Nepal book and during my tenure on the Conservation Authority when he was serving on the Tongariro National Parks Board. We frequently talked conservation issues. He knew the Conservation Act inside out and had such a big heart for the places and people we were trying to protect …. a most likeable humorous and generous man … To have won this award in honour of Nank's legacy is a highlight in my publishing path.' The Mountain Book Competition covers literature on the world's remote places, expedition tales and stories about people and their adventures. Submissions were invited for two categories: Mountain and Adventure Narrative for stories and accounts about specific adventures (non-fiction); and Mountain and Adventure Heritage for guidebooks, coffee table or picture books, history books, analyses, reflections on culture, environments or ethics and advocacy. The Heritage Award goes to Kahurangi by Dave Hansford. The book is a celebration of the biodiversity of Kahurangi National Park, Northwest Nelson and Golden Bay. Energised by ancient, complex geology and a multitude of habitats, from vast beech stands to lush coastal rainforest, from sprawling ramparts of karst and marble to extensive wetlands and estuaries, this region holds the greatest variety of plants and animals in the country. 'Hansford is simply a wonderful natural history writer,' says Cook. 'His first sentence, his first scene – detailing a paleolithic orgy of creatures forever fossilised in the act of getting it on – is startling and memorable. Just a warning. This book is big, meaty, dense and packed with knowledge and great images and photos. You will not be able to romp through it in one sitting.' Hansford said, 'It's gratifying to hear that others see the same wonder, the same beauty, the same lessons in Kahurangi that I see. My heartfelt thanks to everyone who helped me tell this story; the scientists, the rangers, the volunteers, my publisher, my editor, my wife— but especially all those gifted photographers who crafted a sprawling wilderness into exquisite pixels.' Andrew Fagan takes out the Narrative Award for his book Swirly World: Lost at Sea. Known to many as the frontman of the iconic 1980s band The Mockers, Fagan has also carved a distinct path as a solo sailor and author. In 1994 he set the record for the smallest sailing boat to sail from New Zealand to Australia, and in 2007 his NZ circumnavigation via the subantarctic Auckland Islands set the record for the smallest sailing boat to have done so. Swirly World: Lost at Sea documents his harrowing experiences and the psychological challenges faced when confronting the vast, unpredictable power of the ocean. Judge Marjorie Cook describes the book as 'a love story to a boat not much bigger than a bathtub, in which Fagan attempts to circumnavigate the globe. In delivering this very enjoyable book, Fagan weaves together past and present sailing adventure stories while having another go at 'living the dream', this time on a potent ocean of doubts. Expect to find lyrical sentences, humour, self-depreciation, and attention to detail.' Fagan said he was 'totally flattered' by the award, describing it as an 'unexpected accolade!' He adds, 'I'm looking forward to discussing the pleasures and pains of solo offshore sailing at the festival.' Fagan and Hansford will be guest speakers at the NZ Mountain Book Festival in Wānaka in June. Before selecting the winners of the 2025 NZ Mountain Book competition, the judges had a difficult task narrowing the entries down to six finalists. Head judge Allan Uren said, 'The lineup has been a real pick n mix, from surfing, skiing, tramping, sailing, climbing, even a collection of guidebooks. Notable in its absence has been pure mountaineering books. Maybe it's becoming harder for mountaineering authors to come up with anything new to say or ways to get across the essence of mountaineering. Here's hoping that's not the case. 'Production values have also been high, with dazzling photography. Some of the book covers are things of such beauty that you'd want to display them as objects of art in their own right. 'Everybody always says it is difficult to pick a winner from such a high calibre of books and that is true of this year's collection. It's unfortunate that a prize can't be given to all the authors for the amount of passion and work that obviously goes into each, and every book judged. But it makes your spirit soar to know that there is such high standard of book being produced and the festival is there to give them wings.' The 2025 finalists were: Mountain & Adventure Narrative Award Swirly World: Lost at Sea by Andrew Fagan Sam the Trap Man by Sam Gibson A Light Through the Cracks by Beth Rodden Mountain & Adventure Heritage Award Unbound: Volume 1 by Rambo Estrada Look Out by Euan Macleod and Craig Potton Kahurangi by Dave Hansford The following were Highly Commended by the judges: Northbound: Four Seasons of Solitude on Te Araroa by Naomi Arnold Southern Faces: An Introduction to Rock Climbing in Ōtepoti Dunedin by Riley Smith Fire & Ice: Secrets, Histories, Treasures and Mysteries of Tongariro National Park by Hazel Phillips Ski Bum by Sam Masters The NZ Mountain Film & Book Festival will run in Wānaka from 20 to 24 June, in Queenstown 26 to 27 June, and films will be online in NZ and Australia throughout July. The festival's literary events include guest speakers, author readings, book signings and book launches. The full festival programme and tickets are available at
