I'll do my best to keep this review nice and short, and hit all the key points.
Sections:
-Overview about myself (to give background on music preferences, previously owned IEMs, etc.)
-Packaging
-Build Quality
-Cable
-Aesthetics
-Comfort
-Sound
-Comparisons
Overview
I am a college student, and I listen to nearly every type of music; however, I usually listen to EDM, Orchestral, Classical, Rock, and Rap. I enjoy listening to music with as little "veil" as possible in front of the songs, but not too sterile. Previously owned, in order, are the Klipsch S4s, Shure se215s, Westone W3s, and RHA T10s. I am not a professional reviewer, but I will do my best to convey the sound as detailed as possible.
Packaging - 9.5/10
The IEMs come with near perfect packaging, in my opinion. It comes in a small eco-friendly box. Inside, you get two stickers with the Wizard signature, which is pretty cool. Additionally, you get this beast of a case (pelican case) that could probably be run over by a sedan a few times and still survive. The IEMs are shipped inside of the pelican case, so you won't have to worry about damage to the IEMs at all during transit. You also receive a very large selection of tips, silicon and foam, and a small pouch for them. I am a huge fan of this packaging, because it gives you everything you need, and nothing you don't. I personally do not care about packaging having fur lining, shiny outer packing, etc. Essentials are perfectly fine. I would like a case that could fit comfortably in a pocket, but this is extremely minor since you can buy one to compensate.
Build Quality - 9/10
The build quality of the IEMs is great for the price. They are made of plastic (as you could probably tell from the pictures on the website), and it has a nice tube size with dual bores. Unlike shure or westone, there is no 2.5mm hollow plastic tube, which means that you don't have to worry about them getting crushed and breaking like that. Substantial housings: these will be able to withstand normal use with ease. You will not have to worry about breaking these at all, if you treat them well. No problems here at all. I gave the build a 9/10 ONLY because the RHA T10s exist. It is just the nature of the materials, injection molded steel is going to be stronger than plastic no matter what. But by all means, the Noble 3U build quality is excellent.
Cable - 9/10
The cable is fairly basic, but gets the job done well. It has a clear plastic y-splitter, and a plastic cable cinch, which are not too fancy but work very well, and never unintentionally slide out of place. The connector is a straight plug, but feels very solid in the hand. Sufficient strain relief is there, but since it is detachable there are really no worries to be had. The connection to the IEM feels very solid (will not slide out on its own), and there is a bit of memory wire that holds well enough. I am not a huge fan of memory wire since it always makes my ears feel uneven, but it isn't bad at all (works with glasses decently as well). The best part though? No microphonics at all. It really is impressive, while walking or jogging or tapping it with my fingers, I cannot detect any micrphonics. Very well done Noble! If anything, I would prefer fancier y-splitter and cable cinch, but on the scale of importance those are insignificant.
Aesthetics - 9/10
I really do like the understated, yet beautiful presentation of these IEMs. It is made with such organic curves that I could tell these would fit and seal excellently before they even arrived. The color is a regular black plastic color, with the Noble logo on the outside. Thankfully, Noble made the logo nice and subtle, rather than flashing gold for the world to see. Overall, the IEMs look very cool, but are not made to be extremely noticeable, which I absolutely love. Classy, subtle, effective, and very well-designed would be how I describe these. I rated this a 9/10 because I saw Noble's other designs on their website, and the artwork is just stunning. The Noble 3Us are good for me though because I like how they packed the incredible performance into these understated, cool shells.
Comfort - 10/10
By far the most comfortable IEMs I have ever owned. Every single other IEM I have owned has always slipped out of my right ear since my ears are unfortunately not even. Even the westones and the shures with the olives. The westones were inserted too deep, and due to the design the foam didn't have enough "hold" to keep them from sliding out. The shures seemed to have too shallow of an insertion depth, though the olives do indeed have terrific comfort. The Noble 3Us with the large foam tips on work perfectly. The large tube fits like a glove in each side, and the tube curves so smoothly into the rest of the shell that it just blends with the ear perfectly. Maximizes isolation, and virtually disappears after about 10 minutes. The shells are extremely light as well, which makes them perfect for long listening sessions (which I have done a lot of....9 hours per day for 3 weeks to be specific). I have not seen or use any IEM that fits me better than these. They also stay in while exercising, which is another massive plus. Noble has created perhaps one of the best, if not the best universal IEM designs.
Sound - 9.5/10
I will do my best to describe my perception of the sound.
Lows: Very nice extension, the best way I can describe it is that during some songs it feels as if you are floating over an abyss: very well extended, and not over-emphasized at all. If you listen to EDM, Rap, Pop, etc., then you will love these. The first few hours might be an adjustment, but once you get used to the sound it is spectactular here. Listening to Put On by Young Jeezy: the song has very nice weight to the notes, not overemphasized but definitely well present and easy to focus on. Another song, Dark Ages by Two Steps From Hell: The intro is excellent, you can hear the rumble so clearly that it feels as if you can feel the apocalypse coming right in front of you.
Mids: All I can say here is that they are very well done. Krewella's vocals in Alive, Come and Get it, Live for The Night, and Ellie Goulding's Burn are all so liquid-like and present, as if they are singing right inside of you.
Highs: I have been somewhat sensitive to highs previously, but these are the first IEMs that are able to clearly represent highs without sounding fuzzy or screechy. It is as if the Noble 3s lifted a veil from the 12khz+ region, and is more noticeable at higher volumes. I can't say I listen to much music with highs, but from what I do hear they are extremely clear, but not clinically so, so you retain the enjoyment of the music but get to hear it through an HD glass lens vs. a regular glass lens, if that makes any sense.
The soundstaging and imaging, from my understanding of the words, are just superb. The soundstage seems to adapt depending on the song you throw at it, but overall is spacious and very 3D and lifelike, and makes you feel as if the music is enveloping your head, to a point where you can pick out where each sound is coming from. I have never experienced this before, and it is truly incredible what Noble has accomplished here.
I gave the sound a 9.5/10 because I feel as if the sound produced is just beautiful and allow analytical yet relaxed and very engaging listening. I guess I should give a reason for not giving it a 10 though: this is extremely extremely minor, but I feel like on a select few songs, there could be ever so slightly more bass presence just to add that extra punch that I enjoy. However, I am a slight basshead, so this skews my perception, and these may indeed be a 10 for other people.
Comparisons
Klipsch S4: Not even a comparison. These curbstomp the klipsch's in every way. Build quality, aesthetics, sound, comfort, and ESPECIALLY microphonics. Klipsch's were the first IEMs above $20 I had ever owned, but looking back they were a fairly weak step.
Shure se215: The shure's have comparable build quality, but the mmcx connectors are worrisome. They were the cause of the failure, where sweat had corroded the loose connection. They were a pain to take out as well. The cable though....shure cable felt more durable than the Noble cable, but the Noble cable is braided, much much lighter, and has better memory wire. I do prefer the 2 pin connection as well, looks like it will seal out most of the weathering. So the shures and Nobles have comparable build quality. In terms of sound, there is no contest. With the shures, I feel like I am listening to the music through a grey curtain, with a hole in the middle that lets through mids. That is the only place they shine. Other than that, the signature is dull and lifeless. The Nobles take that veil and throw it in the garbage. They raise that veil, and let the pure music come through (That dual bore design undoubtedly contributes to this). The music gains life, highs, clean lows, and retains the mids. To give numbers, shure would be a 5/10, and Nobles are, well 9.5/10.
Westone W3: Now we are getting into similar territory. The Westones had terrific build quality, and a nice cable as well, though it was fixed (old model). Their sound, I would have to describe as more detailed than the Nobles. However, they seemed to have this effect where every song had the life sucked out of it. It was strange, listening to Amon Amarth, and Two Steps From Hell, the songs just felt so....sterile. Boring. After the song ended, it felt like "wow, that was a really clean, boring listen." The Nobles are ever so slightly less detailed (in the highs, the lows are better than the westones), but they bring out all the fun. It's like being in a library vs. being in a club, in terms of enjoyment.
RHA T10s: Ok, this has to be said, the RHAs build quality is far superior to the Nobles. But steel vs. plastic, come on, it's impossible to be the other way around. Their sound was very nice and full. The low end is terrific, and extremely enjoyable when listening to bassy songs such as Lollipop - Glitch Mob remix. The Noble's are a bit more detailed though, and have a smoother overall sound signature that raises the super thin veil that the RHAs seem to have. These are very close, but the Nobles are a bit cleaner and more balanced, and overall more enjoyable. To be fair, the RHA's definitely hold their own for their price, and are my 2nd favorite IEMs that I will keep.
Basically, if you like listening to all genres of music, get the Noble 3Us. They fit excellently, sound incredibly good, and are just gems. I hope this review helped give insight into the Noble 3s, since they seem to have few reviews for whatever reason. I am very glad I took the plunge though, it was well worth it.
....Yeah this review definitely wasn't nice and short...oh well!
