fullcircle said:

   
 
Just sitting back, soaking up the minutiae of a song, and then without hesitation, the bass drops into the mix....   the wow factor isn't the amount of bass...  to me the wow factor is the depth of the bass....
 
 

 
 

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This is so true and what really makes the Katana shine. I was planning on getting some work done this morning, but then I got lost in the Katana. If my Director ever asks where my weekly reports are, I will just tell him it was the Katana's fault. 

marktwain said:

Smooth sounding is true. Heart knocking bass? Didn't get that. In fact, I found bass much better from JH sirens series, and of course, Tralucent Ref 1, ASG2.5 and Sony XBA-Z5. Don't think Katana can produce the type of bass that you described.

My reference point was due to my ownership of ASG2.5, Z5, Tralucent Ref 1 before moving nearly to Nobel (tried half an hour at Stereo trying out Katana/K10U), but end up going to JH. Not because K10U or Katana is bad, just preference of sound. Plus they have no stocks of the K10U standard version then.

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I have all the IEMS you mentioned (minus jh), and completely agree with what you stated. OTOH, Katana isn't meant to have that type of bass, and for what it is, it does very well. The bass does extend low on the Katana, but there isn't the same amount of bass as the iems mentioned. I thought the Katana would be bass light, which I don't think it is after listening. It certainly doesn't hit me in my heart or rattle my brains. I did enjoy it very much, I just had issues keeping a seal. Other than that, excellent iem, even if it's not my preferred sound signature.

Out of the iems mentioned, the Ref 1 is my favorite and has been for years. It checks all of my boxes. Plus, I'm a major basshead. No disrespect meant to Noble at all.

marktwain said:

Yes. I am sure I would have been as happy if I have bought the K10U.

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In fact I do own k10u, and I like it very much. What I mean is that K10u and Katana have completely different type of bass. Compare to k10u, the bass of Katana is relatively less, but it becomes very deep. It owns a sense of weight. One interesting thing is that you can feel that kind of change just by using different tips. You will find that when you change the original blue core tips to spinfit for k10u, the bass has a slight different that it becomes a little bit less but deeper. In fact, I recently find that many IEM which have relatively less amount of bass have deeper bass. For instance, qdc8 live version has more bass than qdc8 studio version, but the bass of studio version is deeper.

naivesound said:

Got to listen to katana today and it is so so nice, I believe thr k10 is sub par in thr range... But katana is Gold! Truly is special

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I'm going to have some free time this weekend, so I thought I'd finally drop by my local music store to audition Noble's stable of IEMs. The Katana is at the top of that list, so I think I'll have an awesome couple of hours with them. 

fullcircle said:

   
 
There will be others that say the opposite.....   that being said, I really like the form factor of the Katana, the smaller housing etc etc
 
 
 

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See, I'm in that boat.  I love my K10s so much that it's hard to find anything, IEM or full size, that can compare to them.  They're simply my perfect sound signature.  Three years later and they're still getting 5+ hours a day.  I heard the Katana at RMAF and while it was good, I just overwhelmingly prefer my K10.  I am intrigued by the Kaiser Encore, though, and will have to give it a serious listen.

marktwain said:

   
My hearing is bad. Did my audition at Stereo Singapore on the Katana, K10U, and I didn't get the same impression? The Rose Gold K10U is very attractive though, but price difference vs standard one could not justify the difference.
 
Smooth sounding is true. Heart knocking bass? Didn't get that. In fact, I found bass much better from JH sirens series, and of course, Tralucent Ref 1, ASG2.5 and Sony XBA-Z5. Don't think Katana can produce the type of bass that you described.
 
My reference point was due to my ownership of ASG2.5, Z5, Tralucent Ref 1 before moving nearly to Nobel (tried half an hour at Stereo trying out Katana/K10U), but end up going to JH. Not because K10U or Katana is bad, just preference of sound. Plus they have no stocks of the K10U standard version then.

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warrior1975 said:

I have all the IEMS you mentioned (minus jh), and completely agree with what you stated. OTOH, Katana isn't meant to have that type of bass, and for what it is, it does very well. The bass does extend low on the Katana, but there isn't the same amount of bass as the iems mentioned. I thought the Katana would be bass light, which I don't think it is after listening. It certainly doesn't hit me in my heart or rattle my brains. I did enjoy it very much, I just had issues keeping a seal. Other than that, excellent iem, even if it's not my preferred sound signature.

Out of the iems mentioned, the Ref 1 is my favorite and has been for years. It checks all of my boxes. Plus, I'm a major basshead. No disrespect meant to Noble at all.

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I'm working on getting my hands (And ears) on a loaner set of Tralucent 1.2.2 to throw in the mix when comparing the K10/Katana/K10E. Really really curious to see hear how far TOTL dynamic drivers have come since my last adventure with a hybrid!

sorensiim said:

   
 
 
I'm working on getting my hands (And ears) on a loaner set of Tralucent 1.2.2 to throw in the mix when comparing the K10/Katana/K10E. Really really curious to see hear how far TOTL dynamic drivers have come since my last adventure with a hybrid!

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you should find also a earsonics sem9, i saw 3(or was it 4?) people at the sem9 thread saying how much more they enjoyed it from k10 

ciems are like music, there are much better bands out there than opeth or daft punk - you just have not heard them yet so keep an open mind and keep searching , helps you realize that 'the best' is merely the best of what you have experienced 

cheers

proedros said:

ciems are like music, there are much better bands out there than opeth or daft punk - you just have not heard them yet

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fullcircle said:

Subjective subjective subjective, the good news, you have something that makes u happy.

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sorensiim said:

 

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''Think for yourself. Question authority.''

- Dr Timothy Leary


(have a great evening)

watagump said:

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Does it mean u hate sounds from record?

meomap said:

Does it mean u hate sounds from record?

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There is a dark hidden evil message in my post, people will not be able to handle it. I must not reveal its true intention.

I have the K10u's and the Katana's. Both are detail monsters. The Katana's sound more refined and provide an amazing sense of realism. Unbelievable detail retrieval. As stated by others the bass can go very deep and with nice texture. The bass isn't always present, but when it is called for it is shockingly satisfying. The Katana's really do make me feel that I am there hearing the music actually being played rather than a copy of the music being played back to me. I use a Whiplash TWAu cable with them and a calyx m. This is the kind of iem that makes me want to listen to all my favourite albums again to hear the extra details and realism. Super enjoyable.

I only received the K10u's this week. Still getting used to them. Lots of detail but not quiite as much as Katana. Greater quantity of bass that can be really enjoyable. I am using a DHC SP V2 Silver Litz with them that really increased the resolution and bass texture.

I get a better fit with the larger K10's (I got big ears). Build quality and aesthetics on both are great. The red K10's really pop.

I am thinking of getting either an Effect Audio Eros 2+ cable or a PW Audio 1960's 2 wire to pair with the K10's. I think they would benefit from some high end copper/silver. I can't demo them here in Australia so if anyone has tried either with the K10's please let me know what you thought.

I sure wish iems had dynamic style bass. I feel totl iems beat many many 500$ to 1500$ full size headphones.. But the armature bass reminds me it's an Iem everytime.... I love my iems... And have sold all my full size cans solely for the sound IeMs offer... But surely some nice slam is missing.. One day I'm sure this will be old news

naivesound said:

I sure wish iems had dynamic style bass. I feel totl iems beat many many 500$ to 1500$ full size headphones.. But the armature bass reminds me it's an Iem everytime.... I love my iems... And have sold all my full size cans solely for the sound IeMs offer... But surely some nice slam is missing.. One day I'm sure this will be old news

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Hybrids have tried to deliver that.