Noble Audio Kublai Khan

Introduction:

I had been eagerly waiting for the opportunity to audition the Noble Audio lineup, particularly the Sultan, Kublai Khan, and Ragnar models. Fortunately, a couple of friends within the audiophile community recently acquired the Kublai Khan. They kindly allowed me to borrow one of the units for a few weeks, and this review is based on my experience with the Kublai Khan during that time.

Nobel's commitment to providing a fantastic unboxing experience for users is truly admirable. The Kublai Khan, in particular, impresses with its generous packaging, including a sizable box, a good selection of eartips, and a convenient small pouch. This thoughtful approach reflects the brand's attention to detail and consideration for their customers. In contrast, brands like 64Audio, such as the Fourte, do not invest as much in the packaging, potentially missing an opportunity to enhance the overall user experience. I was very very dissapointed when I unboxed my Fourte. It has nothing useful inside the box other than the iem.





Build:

Noble Audio is renowned for its commitment to crafting exceptional in-ear monitors (IEMs) with top-notch build quality. They go to great lengths to ensure their IEMs are built to the highest standards, resulting in a product that exceeds expectations. Kublai Khan is no exception. Its ergonomic shape ensures a snug fit, while its sturdy construction guarantees long-lasting performance. KK features a sleek and modern design, highlighted by a 3D printed resin shell and an acrylic acetate faceplate adorned with the stylish logo. Even if it looks a bit big in size but has no fit issues at all. It needs a good fitting tip to get the best sound output and comfortable long listening. I am using Azla SednaEarfit Light (S).

The cable accompanying the Kublai IEMs is of decent quality, offering good performance and durability. When compared to the cheap-looking and flimsy cables often found with other IEMs, such as the 64Audio Fourte or Aroma Audio Jewel, Noble Audio's cables consistently stand out for their superior standards. Users will not find themselves itching to replace the cable as soon as they start using it. I am not sure if I have ever heard a single song on Fourte’s cable; I remember ordering a cable even before I bought Fourte.

Sound quality:

Thanks to the sophisticated driver configuration, Kublai Khan has very clean, precise, controlled, and fast sound reproduction. Overall, it is very musical and delicious sounding iem. The soundstage is quite wide on the Kublai, and it has even better imaging. it produce precise and detailed sound reproduction while excelling in transparency and resolution.

To me, it is an i-will-do-it-all iem. In simple terms, KK is an iem that makes every genre sound good. You enjoy metal, rock, jazz, and acoustic music equally on these IEMs. This is what they call an effortless sounding iem and an all-rounder. No wonder it has instantly become a favorite iem for many people.

Highs:

The inclusion of a piezoelectric super tweeter enhances the treble response, providing excellent clarity and extension in the high frequencies. While the highs are well-controlled and well-extended, sometimes it may be bit bright for some. However, with a good cable, the brightness can be easily tamed. I tried the KK on PWAudio 1950s cable, and the extra brightness was almost negligible. With the other cable, Effect Audio Eros S and the stock cable, there is some brightness, which sometimes may be a bit more for a few folks. Also, with some chains, the treble can be very sharp (ex: on my Earmen Angel). KK needs the warmth and love of a warm source, and it shines like a star.

Mids:

Good and detailed mids give this IEM great musicality. The mids are not too forward or too back—just where you want them to be. The midrange frequencies are nearly perfect, presented with more emphasis on the lower mids without eating up the upper mids. Vocals sound immersive and maintain a great body and weight. There is a great level of clarity, and instrument separation is so good that it makes the mids shine a lot.

Lows:

Lower ends in the KK are not about powerful slams, punches, and booms, they're rather about quick, fast, and precise attack. I think it’s one of the most loved aspects of this IEM, and this is the kind of mature low end a lot of people look for. The bass is not as impactful as bassheads would like, but it’s just enough not to turn your head away.



Comparisons:

64Audio U12t:

Kublai is definitely more musical compared to the more laid-back characteristics of the U12t. The Kublai Khan offers clearer, snappier, and sharper sound production while On the other hand, the U12t has a slightly more relaxed approach. The low ends in KK are better produced, which is obviously because of BCD. The U12t's all BA drivers do not produce that precise bass, although it's not something I find lacking in the U12t. Both IEMs can complement each other, and the user can put them to use based on different moods. In terms of soundstage, both IEMs are on par with each other, providing a similar sense of spatial positioning and imaging, but I would still say Kublai may be a bit better here.

FiR Audio Radon 6:

I think these are just two different IEMs, and the price difference is also considerable—nearly 600–700 dollars. Radon 6 has amazing bass and sub-bass, something that is quite distinct, and I am sure not a lot of IEMs can beat it in this department. So in the lower frequencies, RN6 is the clear winner and may be the reigning king of all IEMs. But KK is definitely more musical, and the other frequencies (mids and highs) are done better on KK. In terms of soundstage and resolution, I would say RN6 has the upper hand. Also, It’s worth mentioning that Radon has a small shell and an excellent fit, and those who find KK’s shells big can certainly find RN6's fitting awesome. RN6’s build Quality is also too good.


Noble Audio Sultan:

I find it surprising that many people do not find the Sultan IEM impressive, as I personally had a great experience with it. I can acknowledge that the Sultan has a warm and dense sound signature, which may not appeal to everyone who prefers a cleaner sound like the Kublai Khan offers. The Sultan's denser and more intimate sound lacks the openness and airiness that the Kublai Khan provides. That being said, I still consider the Sultan to be a highly capable IEM, but I do recognize that the Kublai Khan is a more refined and better-tuned option.

Conclusion:

1. The Kublai Khan is an all-rounder and can handle all types of music equally well. It will ask you to explore genres.
   • Awesome slams and precise bass make EDM numbers sound awesome.
   • Good vocals and midrange make listening to acoustics a great experience.
   • The energy of KK makes Metal sound really enjoyable - without the fatigue part.
   • The airiness, big stage, and controlled treble make Jazz songs shine a lot.
2. It's easily one of the best IEMs in its price range. One should look no further than this.

Noble's Kublai has garnered significant attention within the audiophile community. It appears that Noble has dedicated substantial effort to the tuning of the Kublai, resulting in an IEM that offers versatility and excels across various genres and listening preferences. It's highly recommended.

I want to preface this review saying that this is my first time reviewing on this website Hello to the fine folk at Head-Fi



Now to the actual review,

The Source of Information:
I'm reviewing these sadly only on a Lotow Paw S2, as I don't have an adapter for my desktop amplifier as of writing this.

Just the Tips:
I tried these on a selection of tips:

• stock silicon / foam
  The stock tips sadly didn't work for my ears and constantly had a broken seal during travels, so those were an instant no-go.
• Beyerdynamic Xelento
  The Beyer's were my favorite, as they had a similar tonality as the stock tips but the seal, even in extreme stress tests (running, cycling and hiking), held up well. (therefore all impressions are done on these tips)
• Symbio W hybrid
  The Symbio W's had a fantastic seal, but they definitely change up the tonality in a lot of negative ways with these IEMs
• Final Audio Type E
  The Final Audio Type E also worked well on my ears, but are a very tight fit around the nozzle and definitely give the tonal presentation a U-shape.

But what about the actual Wiggly Air?
I'm gonna try and only talk about a handful of tracks that I specifically note as being outstanding on this IEM and then a few where I found their small weaknesses to definitely show through the faint but existing cracks.

"Human After All / Together / One More Time / Music Sounds Better with You" - Daft Punk from the "Alive 2007" live recorded concert.
am absolutely flabberghasted how good these IEMs sound with live recordings. From the bass that could genuinly come from actual subwoofers on a stage, to the whistling and excitement from the crowd, to the actual music. These really sell the atmosphere of a live performance in a way I've not experienced before on IEMs.

"DJ got us falling in love" - Usher
MAN, what an experience it's been to revisit this classic from 2010. The NKK absolutely have no problem juggling all the different elements in this track, from the thumpy bassline, to all the large and small synths playing in the foreground and background and ofc the excellent vocals from Mr Usher himself and his accomplice for this track Pitbull.

"Free Bird" - Lynyrd Skynyrd
This is the first track where I have to give some criticism to these overall wonderful IEMs.
While these sound fantastic with the electronic guitars, vocals and drumset, that are all beautifully seperated, the acoustic guitars in this track tend to sound a bit "stringy". The body that the hollow chamber inside the acoustic guitar should normally offer just doesn't sound quite full enough to get all the enjoyment out of it. Luckily the guitar solo you actually come for with this track sounds absolutely excellent on the NKK, so I don't feel like calling this issue a dealbreaker here for me personally.

"Heartbreaker" - Pat Benatar
A fantastic track by one of my favorite rocker broads. I love almost everything about this track on the NKK, the drumset has all the kick and excitement to fill out the background of the track, the 2 e-guitars round out the track with some real meat on the acoustic front and who'd forget the heart of the track, which being the singer Pat Benatar herself.

"Traum" - Cro
This one goes out to my german folk. The vocal presentation of this song excellent and the background elements fit neatly into the stage without much struggle to seperate them all. The Saxophone and keyboard especially are real standouts for this track.

"Get Through" - Fox Stevenson
Wow, this british man really knows how to make exciting EDM tracks doesn't he? Luckily the NKK also are a stellar performer on this track. Here the bone conduction subwoofer + DD combo can really shine and offer a you a glimpse of what the NKK is really capable of. Effortless interweaving of the heavy bassline with the rest of the track.

"As the World Caves In" - Matt Maltese
Ouh man, if you want vocals on the NKK that will melt your heart away, this is the track to do it. It's an effortless symbiosis between the piano and main vocalist.

"The Choice" - Gustavo Santaolalla
Finally a track I can complain about again xD It's honestly not easy to find tracks on these that are mid, not even talking outright bad. But this is a very emotional piece for me and it's definitely missing Mr. Santaolalla's very fine fingerstrokes on the guitar strings due to them getting masked by the rest of the presentation (which does sound fantastic)... but it does rob a bit of the magic on this track for me.

"Deutschland" and "Zeit" - Rammstein
While aware of the controversy lately around Mr. Lindemann, I will choose to ignore it for this review.
Rammstein on these IEMs is so good, I'm almost convinced these were made specifically for their music.
The drumset has substantial amounts of meat, yet clarity and punch. The e-guitars sound incredibly full and make me headbang everytime. The vocals round out the presentation with perfect placement and clarity as well.

Now the Conclusion:
Even with the not very substantial Lotoo Paw S2, the NKK manage to absolutely blow my socks off in certain tracks and never really had a moment for me in my personal collection, where I really had to make weird faces listening to music on these and skip straight to the next track.
Everything that is energetic, the NKK will have no issue presenting these tracks in their fullest potential.
For fans of EDM, rock, metal and swing, I do believe these are an excellent pairing for your daily life.

If you have any critique of my review, I'm always welcoming of constructive criticism and tips to improve myself and my writing.

The Noble Kublai Khan, a masterpiece in resolution. Easily the most resolving, exciting and powerful sound I've ever heard, but that's easy, until now I've mostly only listened to True Wireless Earbuds and a few cheapo over-ears.

There's not a lot that hasn't already been said so I today we be different. Today we are going to solely review the sound of these devilish dragon beasts against songs I had no interest in ever hearing again.

Can they make some of the objectively most despised songs sound acceptable? Nice? Enjoyable even?

Let's find out.

~
And start with a track that epitomized my final year of high school parties. A song that I never wanted to hear then and a song I don't want to hear now.

Bombs Away - Super Soaker: God I hate this song. The Kublai Khan brings the kick drum of my 2011 pool party anthem in with punch and strong placement. It's sharp, fast, not particularly deep but punchy. The bass lines and lower mid notes are more resolute than they deserve to be. Vocals come in even clearer and more upfront, which is truly unfortunate, this turd doesn't shine and every little accent and inclination of the Bombs away vocalist makes me feel dirtier than an 18 year old on their 3rd day of a pool party in the same pool with the same people.

Verdict: I can only hear more of what I don't like. There's nothing the KK brings out that a $30 Bluetooth speaker Couldn't.

Island Boys - I'm an Island Boy: Can anything save this song? can the Kublai Khan ride into Tiktok town and set straight what needs to be set straight? Can the bass be tamed, can the vocals achieve a pass? No. No not even the Kublai Khan can save this track. The guitar strong-sliding at the beginning of the track gives me a moment of hope, clear, crisp and realistic, but the bass of this track can't be saved, muddy, blown out and in all ways horrible, at a moment like this I find myself wishing for no dynamic driver and no BCD.

The vocals? Surprisingly there is a decent amount of emotion in Flysoulja's voice, I don't know if you're meant to be able to hear the pain behind this Island Boiz voice, but with the KK you can hear it.

Verdict: The Kublai Khan took one look at this track and ran the other way, despite the might of the Khan, this track can not be saved. I'm still not an Island boy.

Justin Bieber - Baby: The song that started it all. You hear a lot about iem's excelling at female vocals or male vocals. but what about male vocals that sound like female vocals?

What are we doing here guys? Teasing teenage boys? From the first chirp, first beat and first chord you know why this song created what it did.

The beat hits with depth and fullness never encroaching into Biebers mids which also might be highs. percussion in the background taps along, backing vocals are positioned perfectly and when Luda comes along and spits his verse right into your right in the ears.

The BCD comes alive in this track and you know ya boi Ludacris knows how to add some sub-bass to a track.

Verdict: Obviously the best produced of the tracks here and the KK shows it. Positioning, resolution and details (including a cymbal crash at the end that rolls off into the distance) are all enough for me change my opinion of this track and this little superstar.

Basshunter - Dota: I had high hopes for this one but some tracks are simply made for cheap speakers and first gen apple earbuds. Vocals don't all of a sudden shine and pop the kick drum sounds like a slowed down hard style beat and while they are wide they aren't incredibly deep. No sound has a particularly impressive resonance left lingering in the air and perhaps the most impressive part is the Swedish mum at the start with her foot steps, door opening and Swedish words. I felt like turning my computer screen off and jumping into bed like a 12 year old past his bedtime.

Verdict: Despite the desire to open up Steam for a few rounds (12 hours) of Dota, this track doesn't get much else pumping.

Crazy Frog - Axel F: Ah a classic. A truly horrible nightmare of ringtones and 2005. I could have picked 'Tricky' but to display my impartial fairness I will admit I actually like that song. But the image of a fully grown man making motorbike rev charades in the middle of the street to the Axel F ringtone is burnt into my mind.

The frogs mouth sounds and melody start out of the head quite a distance from the ears. As the brain adjusts the "Bem Bems" move to the front of the skull which is the part of my head I wouldn't mind smashing against a marbled table. The kick isn't as deep or vibrating as you might hope, it could have added a depth to the vacuous-empty-soulless-CGI-foreshadowing of the future world we were building. . . But there is also a naivety, a sense of fun and honestly no matter how many cracks I put in this fine Italian Calcutta Marble I still tap my toe.

Verdict: The Kublai Khan resolves the unresolvable and reminds me of a simpler time. I'm not happy about it, but it works. The feeling is....Tricky.

~

After thoughts

The Noble Kublai Khan is a piece of art. It's the one musical device I have that makes it impossible to focus on any task other than the music. These are for deep listening and yes, I do feel like I've tainted them with some of the above tracks. But the Kublai Khan can handle it and has changed my mind about a lot of music.

First of all, I didn't realise artists and producers even put that much sound into their tracks. I wonder who it's for? Since the plethora of producers promoting Raycon and Beats is endless. Do they even know how much sound they put into music?

They've also helped me appreciate vocalists I never liked before. I was originally going to put Ariana Grande into this review, but when I listened to her through the KK for the first time I couldn't believe I had such little respect for her voice. I listen almost exclusively to psytrance, goatrance, psybreaks and psybass so that wasn't easy to admit. And she is just the tip of the iceberg as to what a female vocalist can do.

Anyway, this is just a short review, there are plenty of other people here giving it the praise it deserves, hope you enjoyed and see you next time when I test the Viking Ragnar against Paris Hiltons sophomore 2006 album Paris

Update 15 Feb 2023: I paired the KK with a new M6U from shop.Musicteck.com and it completely changed how the KK operated, so I've updated portions of my review below - it's propelled the KK from my #2 spot in my rankings to my #1, just ahead of the Aroma Thunder (which now sounds a tad muddier.)

Overview / Tech:

Welcome to the new review template. Yep, that’s right – round 3 of reworking my scoring and review breakdown. I got tired of the sound of IEMs mattering so little in the scoring – I mean the Moondrop Chu had a 6/10 and is still one of the worst overall IEMs I’ve encountered – it should be a 3 maybe. So, with the reworked breakdown, the sound is a total of 70/100 points, and quality, comfort, cable, accessories, etc. are 30/100. It doesn’t help my scoring that I mostly review products that I already know are going to be good for the most part, no point in spending my own money on trash (no one has felt like sending me free stuff that sounds terrible yet.) Comparisons have no points, but get their own separate section since I was kind of neglecting the comparisons – ‘cause tired (I put out a lot of reviews in a very small period of time – kinda burnt out and I still have…7 sets on my desk to review.) Also, the price has been removed from the points entirely – I couldn’t find a good place to fit it in and it’s pretty subjective anyway – it will however be mentioned in the comparisons section if something has a really good performance for the price (HEXA) or a terrible performance for the price (SA6.) If you don’t like the new format…I couldn’t really care less since I don’t work for you or anyone else – I’ll change it if I feel like it. Feel free to send me hate PMs so I know who to block.

OK, enough about that. Today for review I have The Dragon (man, that would be a cool IEM name, someone name their IEM that and send me a pair to review.) I call Noble’s Kublai Khan (KK) The Dragon because it has more dragons on it than any other IEM I’ve ever seen (3 to be exact.) They even managed to put tiny dragons on their Bone Conduction Drivers (BCD.) So, that’s cool – tribal dragons are cool. The Kublai Khan is of course an upgrade to the original Khan and it is a quad-brid (4 different types of drivers.) You’ve got a 10mm Dynamic Driver for the bass, a BCD subwoofer, 4x BA drivers for mids, and a 10mm piezo super tweeter for the highs. The Kublai Khan retails for $2600 and you can buy it here: Audio46.



Accessories / Earpads / Eartips (10/10):

The Khan comes with a really nice box, which is cool, but unnecessary. The NANUK Pelican-style case the IEMs come in though is really nice though – easily the nicest carrying case I’ve ever seen IEMs come with, though not pocketable like most. I’m pretty sure if I walked into work with this, security would tackle me. At least it’s easy to open, unlike the Aroma Thunder’s box. Also, it comes with a smaller leather travel case inside and a soft baggy to protect…whatever you put in there. The ear tips are really nice with some foam tips and some silicone tips, but I’m using my Small Spinfit W1s (available here if you want some: https://amzn.to/3xiWS8A) since I know they give me a good seal and don’t fall out (I have some new AZLA tips on the way to play with soon, but they’re not here yet.) 10 points because I really have nothing to mark this off for.



Cable (8/10):

Well, since I bought mine used (I don’t know about you, but I don’t have $2,600 laying around) mine didn’t come with the stock cable. I have no idea how the stock cable is, though it looks like a decently nice, if a little tangly/kinky, cable in the photos. That sort of skews the score on this one since mine came with a Liquid Links Martini ($350) upgrade cable (not a fan, but my Leyding won't fit because the KK is recessed.) The Martini sounds good, if a bit heavy and a bit tangly. It’s decent quality with a 4.4mm connection, but I can’t score this section based off of an aftermarket cable. So, I’m going to give the stock cable the benefit of the doubt a rank it at an 8/10 for the tangliness/kinkiness.



Build Quality/ Design / Comfort (8/10):

Nice. Really solid build quality. Vented and with a built-in nozzle instead of the Thunder’s molded resin tip. It’s a nice touch. The dragons are of course cool and the Noble symbol looks good as well. I love the smokey/metallic look to the faceplate, though the all-black body is boring, a massive fingerprint and dust magnet, and has got nothing on the FAudio Mezzo LE. The silver BCD discs with the dragons on them I mentioned previously are awesome looking and a nice additional touch. Carrying the faceplate’s smokey look throughout the shell would have been cool. Still, the build quality and design is good.

These are not as thick as the chonky Thunder, or even the Mezzo, but they are bigger than both and compete with the monarch for overall size. That said, they’re pretty comfy in my large-sized ears. They also stick out mostly and are held in by the cable and the ear tips mostly. Overall, the comfort is good – I wore them for a long time without any discomfort. The overall score in this category is an 8/10 due to the size and the design quibbles.



Sound:

Looking at the Squig.link below from HBB, you can see how closely the KK tracks to the Thieaudio Monarch Mk2’s (MMk2) sound signature. You get a tiny bit more bass from the MMk2, but just barely, and you get more highs in the upper-mids/low-highs – again, just barely. Both IEMs are boosted bass, and forward mids IEMs with solid treble presence. I am powering the KK from my Shanling M3 Ultra (M3U) from the 4.4mm balanced connection (my M6U hasn’t gotten here yet.) I am using volume level 29/100 on low gain, which is pretty good (not Mezzo good though) and less power than the Monarch takes for the same volume level. While I have included the MMk2 on the frequency response graph, I no longer have it, so I will be comparing the KK to the Thunder, which I can’t find a frequency response graph with the KK to compare. I do have the Thunder (same retail price) on my desk though, so I’ll be doing back-to-backs in the comparison section with those.



Lows (19/20):

The bass on the KK is really good – the bass drums in the intro of David Guetta’s “I’m Good (Blue)” have excellent impact, though they have a little extra reverb – similar to the Thunder. It’s not as tight as the Mezzo’s bass if that’s your preference. The sub-bass is strong, though not quite Thunder strong, with good reverberation and a bit of that breath-stopping quality I want to see from sub-bass on this song.

Demon Hunter’s “I Am a Stone” is an excellent bass test song, not to see how strong the bass is, but to see if the bass overwhelms the rest of the song. Luckily, I can report that the KK manages to have a good level of bass-strings without overwhelming the vocals or the mid-strings. It’s not the best bass I’ve ever heard, but it’s close enough that I’m only pulling one point for the slightly bloated low-end.

Mids (17/20):

Weaving The Fate’s “The Fall” is a great guitar test song for mids and vocals. The guitar in the intro comes in cleanly and the vocals are nice and forward enough that I can find no qualms with the mids on this song despite the large soundstage (more on that later.) Both distorted and clean guitars sound really good on this song - more detailed than on the Thunder using the M6U.

Staind’s “Something to Remind You” has beautifully clean guitars and wonderful vocals on the KK. Each note can be clearly heard. The only problem I have with the mids on the KK is that it feels like they’re missing something special that the Thunder has, the KK feels more clinical and passionless here – a little more cold than warm. It’s still technically excellent, but it feels like it has less emotion than the Thunder. Update with the M6U: this sounds really fantastic on the KK with the M6U - changing the source added the passion back into this song for the KK. Oddly, I have to run these at a higher volume on the more powerful M6U with the KK at 37/100 on low gain (Thunder runs at 32/100 here.)

To test classical mids, I’m using The Piano Guys' “Code Name Vivaldi” which has very clean strings throughout the intro. The piano also sounds good. Each instrument can be heard clearly and accurately. Once again, these don’t have that emotional feeling with classical that the Mezzo can provide, and some instruments feel a little clangy on the KK, but the overall is very good. M6U Update: the M6U managed to add the emotion back into this song and the presentation is fantastic now - these IEMs really benefit from a high-quality source (not that the M3U is bad, but the M6U is just better.) It really feels like I'm in the room they're playing this song in - pretty epic.



Highs (15/20):

To test sibilance on headphones I use Panic! At The Disco’s “High Hopes.” Typically, the better the highs on my later test songs, the worse a headphone does on the sibilance test. That is the case for sure here with quite a bit of sharpness/sibilance on the vocals on this song – completely expected. That means the highs on the next songs should be great.

The first highs test song I’ll be using is Dream Theater’s “The Alien,” which I use to test and see if the cymbals/high-hats/snare can be clearly heard and distinguished from the rest of the music. On the KK, they most certainly can be heard clearly and this is now one of the best headphones I’ve heard for highs (if you want to avoid hearing cymbals, this is not the IEM for you.) This beats the Mezzo’s excellent performance and the much cheaper, but still impressive, DUNU SA6’s highs performance. It just slightly trumps the Thunder’s performance by about a point.

Michelle McLaughlin’s “Across The Burren” is another of my favorite highs/sharpness test songs as it can easily sound painful on some headphones. The KK does not fair as well on this song for the same reason that it doesn’t fair as well on “High Hopes.” The more pronounced the highs on “The Alien,” the worse the performance on this song. I had to turn the song down a bit because the sharpness on some notes was pretty painful. That said, with a lower volume, this song sounds quite nice. If you’re looking to hear every cymbal note in your music, the KK is the IEM to get, but I do need to pull points for sharpness and sibilance.



Soundstage / Instrument Separation (9/10):

The soundstage on the KK is the best I’ve ever heard on an IEM – it’s large without making the mids feel distant – very impressive. The instrument separation is good, but not the best I’ve ever heard – the Thunder is better. Still, overall, this is a good presentation.

Comparisons:

OK, I don’t know anyone who has had the Thunder and the KK to review back-to-back, so this should be kind of interesting since they’re both $2,600 IEMs. Admittedly, I have already listened to both, and I prefer the Thunder. Here’s why, and you may like the KK more for the reasons I like the Thunder more. M6U Update: both IEMs are fantastic, with the KK being more detailed and the Thunder being a tad muddier - the M6U added back in the sound that was missing from the M3U to the KK. Both IEMs have good bass, but I prefer the KK’s mid-bass because it’s cleaner and tighter – just barely. I prefer the Thunder’s sub-bass because it has more of that breath-stopping, chills-inducing feel to it. The KK has a bigger soundstage, and both sound really fantastic. The Thunder has slightly better instrument separation (11 freaking drivers), but it's so close that you could hardly tell. Both IEMs have some sharpness and sibilance in the 3k+ freq range and really good highs representation for cymbals and high-hats – almost identical in fact. So, it comes down to a narrow win for the Thunder for me based on the warmer-sounding mids. After switching to the m6U, the KK actually takes the win (barely) because the Thunder now sounds a tad blurrier than the KK in the mids and the M6U adds the emotion back to the KK that was missing previously. Bravo Noble, bravo Aroma.



Conclusion:

The Noble Kublai Khan is a really good IEM that competes quite nicely in this price bracket. It has slightly better mids and highs than the Thunder, with more clinical-sounding mids. I’ll likely be going back and forth between the two for quite some time. The Mezzo will also probably continue to surprise me since every time I listen to that I like it more. You can't go wrong with any of these three or even the VE8, though I’d say the KK and Thunder trump the VE8 slightly with newer tech. So, if you want good bass, a massive soundstage, solid instrument separation, precise mids, and really clear highs, the KK is a great option. Now, what’s next?

This is a review I’ve been meaning to get to for several months now. Not because I wasn’t looking forward to it (far from it) but because, like with so many of us, real life managed to intervene and, before I knew it, I reached the end of the year and my “to-do” list was longer than a Guns n’ Roses rider.

However, the end of the year also brings with it some downtime and, away from work and with a short gap and some spare time between Christmas and New Year celebrations, my gain is your loss.

I write reviews infrequently, haphazardly and with a tone best described as “why did I read that?” Really solid stuff.

My own personal preferences and other caveats to be aware of are as follows:
• I prefer a warmer sound. For instance, the Legend X is still one of my favourite IEMs.
• Sibilance has no place in my ears and, if an IEM is prone to it, I will stop reviewing it – it’s a waste of my time and, more importantly, a stress on my own fuse which is short at the best of times. Sibilance is a quick way to switch me from “mild-mannered lothario” to the phrase “slaughtered thousands before turning the gun on himself” appearing on the news. I still like “air” and all that stuff, but I don’t like scratchy highs/mids.
• I honestly couldn’t tell you if an oboe is at 4Hz or 50kHz. I review like a small child who has recently grasped both grammar and sound. I don’t know what octave anything is in and, while I can tell if things are in key, you could hold a billion dollars (or a newly-released flagship IEM) right in front of me as reward and I couldn’t tell you what key it is. I like music, that’s about as much as I know about it.
• Like most people, as time has ravaged my body and mind, the sound of the screams has rendered my hearing useless above around 14.5kHz. For someone who has always preferred bass to treble, this is less traumatic than it might seem, but if you want to know if the weird sound at 19kHz on your latest drill-metal favourite is faithfully rendered, it’s probably best you hang out with bats and the such.
• While I should not have to say this – this stuff is all, quite obviously, in my opinion/experience.
• I get bored easily. This review will be….oooh look, a new email has come in…..

Righto – with that in mind, I’m going to start with the TL;DR.
This is, without question, the best IEM I’ve ever heard for metal and hard rock. More specifically, the higher the dynamics in the music, the more this seems to reward you.



If you’re still reading, I’m assuming you’d like more info, which I will reluctantly now provide. (I’ve had to delay stuffing my face with the next batch of Quality Streets to provide this, so just be aware you’re on a warning for stretching my patience here). Still, at least we're rid of those "TL;DR" losers - it's a lot less crowded in here, but somehow even more cosy eh?

Anyway.

Time to be less glib - it is absolutely not an exaggeration to describe this as the IEM which responds most to energy and dynamics that I’ve heard. It is the physical embodiment in the IEM world of the phrase “what you put it is what you get out.”
I mentioned metal in my TL;DR, but I’ll start with some electronic music to highlight a point. Playing something like “Distant Sun” by Sir Real, it is immediately evident that this is not just a one-genre pony – the dynamics shift and rumble, driving the music forward in a fantastic, rolling ball of aural energy – all stabbing synths, precise hi-hats and grumbling bass. It’s filth and the Kublai Khan is wallowing in it.
However, perhaps due to the comedown from this, if I switch to a more laid-back electronic landscape (in this instance, Christian Loffler’s “A Forest”) I’m greeted by the corollary to the aforementioned phrase – what is put in is a lulling, soft and gentle stroll through the keys and notes. It’s pleasant enough, good in fact. But coming from the excitement that this IEM creates when the chaos is turned up to 11, I am somewhat less enthused.
Everything is where it should be – it’s all perfectly serviceable and, when compared to lesser IEMs it stands out as good, but against other types of transducer that do “low-key” very well, it’s half a step short.
In essence, it’s a victim of my new expectations.

Switching across to the KR5 to ensure I’m not being unfair, I hear a touch more detail, it’s a more enveloping sound and, where the KK lays out the info for me to go searching, the KR5 offers it up on a plate – “can I interest you in a tiny, muffled sound in the background which you’ve never heard in this song before, sir?”
“Don’t mind if I do, actually, thank you.”

But to continue down this route is to ignore the point of the KK.
I already have IEMs that do calm and relaxed. If you listen to laid-back jazz, deep house, chillout or any genre where you don’t have time for the IEM to pull you out of your current focus and wrench you into the world it creates, then the KK is good, but there are probably better options.

However, if you have ever wondered where rock bands find the energy to get on stage 2 hours late, tear the roof off a venue, display questionable morals and then pass out in their own vomit, I present to you the distillation of this ethos – the Noble Kublai Khan.
It does not want to take you on a second date. It wants you to have a first date you will remember for the rest of your life and then it wants to never call you again.
But fortunately, if you own it, you can force it to!
And luckily, like our plucky guitar heroes, it got so wasted last night that it doesn’t even remember you went on a date together, so it will treat you to the same high-octane adventure you had on the previous occasion.
What more could you want?



One oddity for which I struggled to find a place for this to sit naturally within, what we can all agree, is a rather stellar piece of writing, surrounds the performance of the KK with spoken word (stand-up comedy, podcasts etc.) There's a very, very strange "ringing" and hollow sound. The KK is not alone and it's been present on many IEMs I've tried with haptic bass feedback, so it's a tech issue more than a Noble issue.

Anyway.....I ignored this and listened to more music.
I found myself rifling through all of my old favourite metal albums, some of which I have heard just a few weeks previously, some of which I have forgotten. But I knew what I was looking for. Wall of sound energy. Throw it at the KK and watch it come back at you with fury of knuckle-duster encased fists – it is remarkable how much it can bring a tired, old, forgotten track to life. Coal Chamber’s “Loco” is crisper and harder than I’ve ever heard it. Dez Fafara is here, in the room with me….angry. I must have eaten his last yoghurt.
Marilyn Manson whisper-shouts into my ear, turning the Eurythmics “Sweet Dreams” into a darkened nightmare and it’s glorious. The cacophony of drums, bass, guitar and reverb pulses – it’s the same feeling I get when I’m at a gig that’s almost too loud – where the joints and rivets shake with pressure – the building doesn’t seem to know how to deal with the noise and everything feels more exciting – will everything remain standing? I don’t know, but I’m enjoying it while it’s happening!

Again and again, I listen to old favourites with new ears. Megadeth’s “Good Mourning / Black Friday” sounds like it’s straining at a dog leash – the dog is far stronger than the owner is used to, pulling at him and leading him down a dark alley….then the breakdown happens and all hell breaks loose. The dog is free of the leash, gambolling along the alley, terrifying passers-by with teeth bared.
Metallica’s “Am I Evil?” does the same – early calm and then half-way through the gears change and the engine flexes its muscle. A Prius changes into a Mustang 4 minutes or so into the song and it’s off into the distance while all we can do is stand around smelling the burnt rubber. The guitar solos towards the back end of the song add a touch of understanding of how delicate the KK can sometimes be – while all around are losing their minds, strolling straight down the middle with alacrity and aplomb rolls Kirk Hammett – the KK doesn’t put a foot wrong and it’s like I’m hearing it for the first time again.



It can become a cliché to say things like “rediscovering my collection” and I’m usually as bored by the phrase as the next person. But I honestly cannot think of another way to describe it.
And while I normally cannot be bothered with stuff like technical performance, soundstage comparisons and note-weight and tone, even if I was the type of person who was able to articulate that information, I think with the KK I wouldn’t have bothered anyway. To do so is to miss the spirit of delightful anarchy of the KK itself.

I am fortunate to have a large choice of IEMs and sometimes it can be difficult to choose one.

More fortunately still, though, I now have a much easier choice when I know the music contains energy. Like the recent (now discredited) breakthrough in fusion technology, somehow Noble have discovered the secret to extracting more energy than is initially introduced and it’s now the reactor for a vast chunk of my record collection.

Hello everyone!

Today I’m going to write down my impressions about Noble Audio Kublai Khan.
Being a quadbrid in-ear monitors it features dynamic and bone conductions drivers for lows, balanced armatures for mids and piezo-electric super twitter for highs.
I’ve used N8ii, M17 and DX320 DAPs for the purpose of this review. Cayin RU6 served me as a dongle connected to my iPhone.
Liquid Links Venom 4.4mm cable was used as a primary one as I found cable upgrade to be absolutely necessary to get most of KK.
Oriolus Traillii was used as a main comparison product with both Venom and stock specially tuned 1960s cable.
All listening was done using Tidal. All players default software were used for reproduction of flacs and DSDs stored on a micro-sd card.
As for genres I listen to all of them but mostly to Western Rock, Pop, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal and Electronic music.
Kublai Khan was purchased using my own funds on an autumn sale in @MusicTeck for a discounted price.
I have no affiliation with any parties or manufactures mentioned above.
Everything written below are my own impressions of how I hear the things.
I’ll mainly focus on a sound and music reproduction quality except for the first section below as Kublais are really gorgeous IEMs.

Look and Feel

Yes, as I have stated above this are one of the most visually stunning pair of monitors that I ever listened to. The shells are lightweight enough but on the larger side of scale. I don’t have any problems with fit having a moderately sized ears. Shells resin material feels very comfy and pseudo custom shape of them helps here a lot. On the other hand KK longer and thicker nozzles caused some problems to me in terms of fit and comfort using some of the aftermarket tips.

Synergy Caveats
The hard truth is that Kublais are the most picky and tricky monitors that I’ve ever owned. It was a long journey for me to find optimal synergy between KK, cable, source and tips to sound best.
I’ve ended up using stock default wide black silicone tips as they give you both best separation and good BCD effect.
Medium-sized Spinfit CP155 and CP500 cast larger stage and boost BCD bass but alters mids and highs in a less pleasant way to my taste.
None of the Azlas either fitted or sounded well to me. JV Spiral Dots++ made sound too hazy and over-accentuated highs.
All smaller sized tips not always provided more comfortable seal but usually screw up stage perception or certain parts of FR.
Another thing you should note is that KK scale greatly with the source and generally won’t be against both additional power and current.
All the above mentioned DAPs drove them best on the highest gain setting possible.

Cables Synergy
Unfortunately stock cable is a mediocre at its best. Using default tips mids are reproduced clearly and engaging but lows are hazy while highs both sandy and compressed. Using it you might get around 60% of KK potential.
It does look good in terms of how it looks but its plasticity make it feel very cheap and inappropriate to the rest of the package.
Stock Traillii cable widens stage a bit and give snappier presentation of mids and treble, but bass and mid bass become much warmer, relaxed and even bloomy.
Venom stretches the width of the stage a bit more, provides additional clarity, improves separation and details retrieval. It also bring mids a bit more forward and adds overall body to the notes - all of the above tames upper frequencies a bit removing some harshness that you can get with sources that do not round or roll-off highs in this or the other way like N8ii.

Sound Impressions

General Profile
I would describe KK tuning as a J-shape one. In my opinion at the end of the day Kublais are slight treble-head IEMs. While you can generally tune it down to be more balanced in terms of signature I think you would enjoy them more If you want to specifically get additional details in the treble region.
You got a slight bass-boost mainly in a sub-bass region but it is not overemphasized. You will hear an engaging bass but only when it is called for. BCD add nice effect of feeling the bass physically and some depth transient with better textures.
Mids are recessed a bit and are very linear.
Highs are very forward, thick and meaty. You won’t hear them ethereal like on regular e-stat drivers, nor they are rolled-off by tuning.
Timbre-wise this result in a sort of natural and engaging sound from bass with very clear thin live-like mids topped with somewhat artificially overexposed details in highs.

Soundstage
One can describe Kublais soundstage as a sphere placed on wider basement.
Lower register drumming sounds are cast the widest while mids are stretched a bit narrower with highs being the narrowest and in your face.
The depth is good especially in bass due to BCD but the rest of the spectrum is less separated being more dense. Stage height is more on the average side.
Instruments placement is a bit hazy and not cutting-edge pinpoint.

Details Retrieval
You are going to hear a lot more details in highs than usual due to taken tuning approach with those piezo drivers.
Mids are not the most detailed ones while the amount of details is good for the asking price. You will never feel that you miss something when you are listening to KK.
BCD bass transients and texture will also add another dimension while I must admit that I don’t think they are absolutely necessary in music reproduction - rather being some alternative enjoyable flavor that you quickly get used to.

Comparing to Traillii
So how does 3800$ USD combo of KK + Venom stands again 5800$ Venom + The Bird?
When switching to Traillii first thing that I immediately notice is an increased resolution in mids. Dare I say it - by a degree . It’s like switching from 100nm microscope to a 10nm one. I hear much more details in vocals and string instruments. Mids feels both more thick and rich sounding. Micro-transients are purely taken on another level along with separation.
Second thing that comes to my mind is a much larger soundstage on Traillii. It feels like listening to some planar full-sized over-ear headphone.
Bass on the Bird is the best BA-implemented bass that I heard in my life. It is more than enough for me personally while I can easily understand if one would prefer DD + BCD textured version of Kublai Khan. It is more a matter of preference here.
Highs on Traillii take completely different approach than on KK which make the overall tuning more natural and relaxed - they are never harsh or sibilant while being the same detailed and preserving the sparkle where needed. They are just not overemphasized while being more airy and rounded.
One area where Kublai Khan performs better is its clarity which could be more appreciated while listening to Electronics genres of music for example.
Overall I would say that Traillii is a better all-rounder with superior technicalities. Bird’s tuning is more natural but also more relaxed.

Conclusion

I would say that overall Kublai Khan is a very interesting offering from Noble Audio playing in the mid-top tier segment.
It allows you to enjoy a refined sound signature with interesting implementation of bass and highs if you are able to find a good synergy to your taste.
I can recommend to try it if you are up mixing additional treble details into an overall balanced engaging and clear tuning.
Road to the proper setup could be tricky but worth it if you manage to find one.

Disclaimer

I purchased the Kublai Khan directly from Noble Audio at a discounted price in exchange for my review. All impressions are my own and there is no incentive or requirement from Noble for me to write a positive review.

Introduction

Noble Audio are an American manufacturer of premium in-ear monitors and portable audio accessories, founded by John “The Wizard” Moulton in 2013. Noble are renowned for their bespoke range of Prestige IEM’s, hand built by The Wizard himself using some of the most exotic and exclusive materials that the IEM industry has ever seen, blurring the lines between art, jewellery, and portable audio equipment.

Kublai Khan is the company’s follow up to their ground-breaking 2018 flagship IEM release, Khan, one of the very first IEMs to implement a triple-hybrid (tribrid) driver topology consisting of a single Dynamic Driver, four Balanced Armature drivers, and a Piezoelectric tweeter driver. I personally have not heard the original Khan, however from what I’ve read about it, it was a highly resolving and analytical sounding IEM that some found to border on being thin, bright, and a little bit intense to listen to.

Noble’s aim with Kublai Khan was to build on the foundation of Khan and improve upon it in some key areas. As I mentioned above, the original Khan was a ground-breaking IEM in its day for driver design, and Noble have gone a step further with the Kublai Khan by implementing yet another driver type into the mix; a Bone Conduction Driver (BCD). BCDs are a relatively new technology being used in IEMs that utilises another form of piezoelectric technology to deliver sound through vibrations felt through our bones, rather than the traditional air wave delivery into the ear canal. if you are unfamiliar with BCD technology, you can read more about it here.

Noble have tuned the BCD in Kublai Khan as a subwoofer, which they claim, “improves upon Khan with greater bass extension with a rumble that you can actually feel.” Noble go on to say that Kublai Khan offers improved mids over the original Khan, and airy and precise highs.

I’m relatively noob when it comes to Noble’s products. The only IEM I’ve heard in their range prior to Kublai Khan is their previous flagship, the Sultan. And If I’m brutally honest, I had quite low expectations for Kublai Khan’s sonic performance based on how I heard Sultan. Whilst there were some aspects to its tuning that I appreciated, overall, I found Sultan rather bloated in the bass, muddy through the midrange and lacking treble texture and adequate extension. Thankfully, Kublai Khan sounds much better to my ears and for my preferences, which I’ll explain in more detail later in the review.

Design, build quality and Accessories:


Please note that I didn’t actually receive the full retail packaging, so these pictures are not representative of what you will receive if you buy a Kublai Khan. The full retail version also includes a large packaging box, a Nanuk 903 waterproof case, and a premium leather carry case for the IEMs themselves.

Like its predecessor, the original Khan, Kublai Khan’s design is simpler than usual for Noble, opting for an acrylic shell with a smoky grey swirl patterned faceplate. It’s a sleek and relatively understated look for a Noble IEM, and whilst I would’ve preferred some sort of exotic metal shell at this price point like Sultan’s or the Viking Ragnar, the acrylic still feels reasonably sturdy and looks flawless under close inspection. The dragon logo is rather eye-catching on both the faceplate and BCD drivers. The recessed 2-pin sockets are also a nice addition.

The included cable is Noble’s 8-core OCC Copper upgrade cable which is one of my all-time favourite stock cables. It’s soft, supple, looks beautiful and completely free of microphonics. You’ll also receive a set of silicone and foam tips, a cleaning tool as well a velour pouch.

Sound

All listening impressions were done using a Cayin N8ii and Sony WM1ZM2 DAP, with the stock cable and SpinFit CP145 tips. I personally prefer Kublai Khan with my WM1ZM2 as it has a warmer sound signature, but I think it sounds great with N8ii too if you prefer a more analytical sound. I would recommend spending some time trying different eartips to see what works best for you.



Kublai Khan has what I would describe as a fun, evenly balanced tuning that has a remarkable ability to draw me in to my music with its wide open stage, holographic presentation and an immense sense of tonal clarity and resolution. It is impressively cohesive across the whole spectrum, with a fast, natural transient response that gives Kublai Khan a real sense of effortlessness that I haven’t heard in many other IEMs, especially those with such a complex driver configuration.

Bass

The bass is focused on sub bass with a leaner mid bass tuning, which keeps the bass fast, clean, and punchy. Sub bass sounds deep and textured, slightly elevated above neutral, and well extended with very satisfying rumble. It’s not tuned with basshead levels of bass quantity, but this is certainly high-quality bass that absolutely can slam hard when called upon. The BCD is tuned to act as a subwoofer and, if I’m completely honest, I can’t really tell that the bass is driven from anything other than a DD. However, I don’t see that as a bad thing because the bass quality is superb and sounds notably cohesive with the mids and treble.

Mids

What immediately stood out to me when I first heard Kublai Khan was how detailed and resolute the midrange is. I hear a slight recession in the mid and upper bass region that continues through to the lower mids, giving the overall midrange a tone that leans towards the clarity/revealing side with thinner notes, but it’s done in a way that’s tasteful, avoiding shrillness or being completely devoid of weight. If you’re a fan of the Sultan’s lusher, thicker, more musical mids, Kublai Khan might not be your cup of tea. Conversely, if you’re like me and found Sultan to sound a bit muddy in the midrange, then Kublai Khan will be like a breath of fresh air that gives instruments and vocals a crystal clear sound.

Treble

Kublai Khan’s treble has excellent top end extension with sufficient mid treble sparkle that blends almost seamlessly with the midrange. It is indeed a brighter treble, especially compared to the Sultan, however I have never heard it venture into the hot or sharp territory. In fact, I think the treble is the most impressive aspect of Kublai Khan’s frequency response and has certainly put piezoelectric treble drivers on my radar for future IEM purchases. I love how it sounds incredibly clear without sounding overemphasised, with a silky smooth delivery.

Technicalities

When it comes to technicalities, Kublai Khan is undoubtedly a top performer with its main features being a huge soundstage and summit-level midrange resolution. The massive soundstage, coupled with its precise imaging, layering and detail retrieval makes Kublai Khan a proper 3D listening experience that gives me a sense of being “inside” my music. I listen mostly to electronic music, so hearing all the various notes and synths floating across the stage underpinned by the rumbly bassline at the bottom of the stage is super engaging.

Comparisons


Kublai Khan vs UM MEST Indigo

I think it’s no surprise Noble aimed for Kublai Khan to compete directly with the popular MEST series from Unique Melody. They’re both Quadbrids featuring Bone Conduction drivers and priced similarly, although Kublai Khan is quite a bit more expensive than the MEST Mk2, so I’d say that the Indigo version is a more relevant comparison.

In terms of sound, they are tuned relatively similarly with both going for a balanced signature, but Indigo has quite a bit thicker midrange notes and more mid bass quantity, as well as a bit more low-treble forwardness. This makes Indigo sound more forward and intimate compared to Kublai Khan, which some might find more engaging and energetic depending on music genre preferences.

I think they trade blows for technical performance in most regards to my ears, however where KK has an advantage over Indigo is the soundstage. KK’s sounds considerably larger in my opinion. Midrange detail retrieval and resolution i’d also give to KK although the difference isn’t so drastic there. Where Indigo still takes the cake for me is imaging precision and bass slam. Kublai Khan’s imaging sounds a little hazier (not as pinpoint) when I compare the two. But MEST Indigo has the best imaging I’ve heard, and I think the Kublai Khan holds its own in that department quite well all things considered.

Conclusion

Kublai Khan has definitely changed my perspective on Noble Audio as an IEM brand. After my experience with Sultan, I honestly felt Noble’s products were more “style over substance”, with sound quality being almost like an afterthought to the design and build quality. But Kublai Khan to me is like the direct opposite of Sultan, where the sound quality stands out as the absolute star, and while the build quality is still very good, its not the most exotic or premium feeling as others in the market at this price point.

So, is it worth it’s asking price? In my opinion, absolutely. Whilst there are plenty of high performing IEMs for $2500 these days with just as impressive driver setups, Kublai Khan stands out for its balance, cohesion and enormous presentation of sound.

Kublai Khan has been my first experience with a Noble IEM. The hybrid driver configuration, which includes a bone conductor driver, is what drew me in and I am glad I took the chance. In addition to the BCD, there’s a 10mm dynamic driver looking after bass, four Knowles BAs covering the mid-range and a 10mm Piezo super tweeter for the highs. I have been listening to Kublai Khan for the last five weeks and they have several hundred hours of use time at this point. Below are my thoughts and experiences with the set so far. This is how I hear it but remember I am just one voice we all hear differently!

Packaging and Contents​

The overall packing of Kublai Khan is very impressive. The IEMs come in a dust and waterproof Nanuk 903 hard case. Inside the case, the IEMs are presented along with a leather carry case, a cloth pouch and a selection of tips.

The included cable is 8-core copper and one of the nicer-looking stock cables I’ve come across. The hardware is high quality and has a nice weight and finish to it.

Design and Fit​

As Kublai Khan is a hybrid it is on the larger side. They are pretty much the same size as the Aroma Audio Thunder and Empire Ears Legend EVO for comparison. Personally, the longer stems that this hybrid shape has really suits my ear shape and I can get an excellent fit using Spinfit CP145 tips. The set are reasonably light too so once you get a good fit they tend to stay in place with little need for adjustment. If you can get a good fit with other hybrids, you shouldn’t have any issues here but being able to achieve a good fit is obviously very important with a BCD being present. The faceplate of the shells has a high-quality smoke like finish with a gold logo on the right IEM and a gold dragon on the left. It’s a subtle design but looks excellent in the right light.

Sound​

The things that struck me first about Kublai Khan were the level of details and the relatively balanced tonality. With some more use then, the impact the BCD became more apparent, creating a huge, 3D soundstage and adding that sense of “feeling” the music. There really is an interesting mix of drivers here. Even coming from a place of mainly listening to IEMs that use EST for the highs, the Piezo super tweeter presents treble in a new and exciting way to my ears and the fact that Noble have created a coherent set from these different technologies deserves great credit.

Bass​

The combination of dynamic driver and BCD can create huge amounts of quality bass, but only when called for. This is not a bass-heavy set by any means but when the track you are listening to has it, Kublai Khan can both slam and rumble in a way I just don’t think is possible without the inclusion of a BCD to complement the dynamic driver. Bass keeps in its lane and never bleeds or lingers longer than it should. In keeping with the rest of the frequency range, bass is delivered cleanly and accurately.

Mids​

While the BCD and Piezo drivers work their magic at either end, it is their combination with BA drivers that makes the mid-range really stand out for me.

Instruments, especially acoustic, are detailed, true to life and sound great. Both male and female vocals are excellent but the set really excels with female vocals for me. Artists like Agnes Obel, Freya Ridings or the whole “Folkesange” album by Myrkur are simply captivating.

Vocals are positioned right in front of you so it can feel like you are standing right there with the performer. Everything sounds accurate and with the level of details being produced alongside the extension at each end, Kublai Khan creates an engaging listen that keeps you coming back for more.

Treble​

I was very curious to listen to a Piezo driver for the first time and to hear how it gelled with the other drivers. Out of the box, I found the highs to be a little sharp at times but that has really settled with some use.

I’m not sure of the exact frequency range the Piezo driver produces (or if my ears could even hear it!) but it certainly feels like it extends past what I am used to with EST drivers. Notes are fast and detailed and feel like they have endless space to extend into. There’s also more of a sense of body to the notes versus other drivers.

Through all of my testing, the Piezo driver was capable of covering everything I threw at it from heavy metal to EDM which combined with the other drivers makes Kublai Khan a very versatile IEM, capable of covering many different genres.

The Piezo tweeter offers a superb alternative to EST/BA drivers and I hope to see them being used in more sets in the future.

Battle of the Bone Conductors​

Empire Ears Legend Evo​

If you are a fan of bone conductor drivers then Evo and Kublai Khan are actually very complementary sets. They share many of the same characteristics such as a wide open soundstage and the sense of feeling the music but whereas vocals and the mid-range really catch the attention with Kublai Khan, Evo flips the focus to bass. Vocals take several steps back and while still very detailed, they are not on the same level as Kublai Khan which is actually more comparable to Odin on that front. The lack of sparkle and air from the BA treble in Evo also pushes the focus more to its bass which becomes more apparent when you compare it to Kublai Khan.

As both sets present music differently they could both live side by side in a collection with Evo offering a warmer alternative.

Fir Audio XE6​

I think XE6 and Kublai Khan excel in different genres but as with Evo, there are some similarities due to the bone conduction effect. It made for a very interesting listen to compare both sets with the same music.

Both sets have excellent treble extension, air and details but XE6 is clearly tuned warmer with far more bass quantity.

The most interesting music I found to compare the two sets was the “Folkesange” album by Myrkur I mentioned above and the results pretty well sum up the differences between the two sets.

Listening to the album on Kublai Khan your attention is completely drawn to the singer’s voice. Instruments sound accurate and are enjoyable but they play a supporting role to the vocals which are captivating.

Swapping to XE6, the vocals also sound great but they are now part of the overall presentation and not the focus. There’s more sub-bass and vibrations from the instruments which also come across warmer and more musical. Listening on XE6 your attention is instead drawn to the massive soundstage it creates. This album sounds like the score from a Lord of the Rings film and when you listen to it on XE6 you get that sense of scale you get when listening on a movie theatre sound system.

Again, I think Kublai Khan and XE6 are very complementary as you can enjoy the same music in a different way with each set.

Sources​

Kublai Khan responds very well to different cables and scales with better sources. Like most top-of-the-line sets, the better the chain and the better the audio you feed it, the better it sounds. The majority of my listening is done with the Kublai Khan connected to the Cayin N8ii and Aroma Audio A100TB amp.

The N8ii is a great source for Kublai Khan. There’s ample power to drive it properly and plenty of options to adjust the sound on the fly. For busier tracks using “P” instead of “P+” can reduce the intensity, while using the Tubes mode adds smoothness to vocals and rounds some of the edges. Whatever the settings, this is a very refined and detailed pair up and it’s possible to find a combination of settings to suit any track.

Connected to the Aroma Audio A100TB amp, this steps everything up another level for me. It is a less refined pair-up compared to the N8ii so won’t be for everyone. With this pair up, the soundstage pushes out further, bass becomes more thunderous and the clarity and intensity of vocals are increased. For me, this is my preferred setup to enjoy Kublai Khan and it really displays what the IEM is capable of. (If anyone would like info on the effects of various different op amps I tested in the Aroma Amp please PM me)

Cables​

PWAudio First Times​

First Times had the same effect on Kublai Khan as I have experienced with a lot of other sets. The first thing you notice is a reduction in the treble energy and that sense of air. Vocals become smoother and lose a little detail. Bass on the other hand becomes more impactful, a little warmer with slightly more rumble on offer. If you wanted to rein in the treble a little this would be the combination to go for but ultimately for me, it isn’t a pairing I would use.

Khanyayo Cardas Clear​

My favourite pairing by far with Kublai Khan. It takes everything that is good about Kublai Khan and improves it. The soundstage opens up even further, there is a greater sense of air and you can pick up even the smallest details in a track. Vocals take another step forward and with such details on offer this pairing can produce some stunning results.

Conclusion​

I’m very impressed with Kublai Khan overall. The set allows me to enjoy my library in a different way to the other sets I own.

It’s highly detailed and tuned in a way that makes it suitable to cover many genres.

The collection of different drivers work together coherently and the implementation of the BCD adds a little magic to make this one of the stand-out sets I have listened to this year.

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I picked Kublai Khan up from a MusicTeck at a discounted rate in return for completing this review. They had no input into this review and did not see it prior to publishing.

Noble Audio Kublai Khan:
A collaborative review by @SeeSax and @SLC1966
with an interview with Dr. John Moulton from Noble Audio.




PREAMBLE
The Kublai Khan. The name alone piqued interest for us to want to write a review for it! What do we mean by “us”? SeeSax on Head-Fi AKA Collin and SLC AKA Mark and AKA SLC1966 on Head-Fi have been audio collaborators for 4 years now. We have discussed and traded and sold to each other many IEMs and many cables. Sometimes selling back and forth to each other the same IEM 4 times before we had the courage to let it go out into the wild. We did it with the Original Khan (the Genghis Khan) and when Kublai came out, it was a given that we collaborate together publicly for the first time.

As a reference to the original Khan, SeeSax reviewed it (HERE) in January of 2020.

SLC introduced the public to Leroy, the fictitious but grumpy and rough around the edges interviewer in his review of the Noble Audio K10 Legacy IEM (HERE) in August of 2021.

For this review we wanted to bring Leroy back. It was very hard to track him down. We told our families we were on a mission to find Leroy and left our homes June 1st and embarrassingly found Leroy in a bathhouse in Reykjavik Iceland. Somehow we all happened to be in the same bathhouse. We dragged him and his tape recorder back to reality and allowed him three weeks to sober up before we allowed him to ask us questions for this review.

Leroy was also able to meet up with Dr. John Moulton, the founder and creative artist behind Noble Audio, at a treetop cafe at an undisclosed location. Leroy did send us the cassette tape of the interview with Dr. Moulton but Leroy has not been heard from since.

We now give you our interview about Kublai Khan with Leroy in most of its entirety. The non Kublai parts of our interview can be found in the back of some adult magazine!



HISTORY
Leroy: Before I ask you questions, can one of you schmucks get me some info on any history you know about Genghis Khan (OG Khan) and this Kublai Khan (Kublai or KK)?

SLC & SeeSax: We will both respond to Leroy and please keep it as clean as you were on the boat ride back from Reykjavik Leroy. We would like you to keep this all ages friendly please. You will have the chance to ask John Moulton, the creator of the Khan and Kublai Khan, questions when you hope back on the boat to locate him for your interview with him. Our short version of the story is that Genghis Khan came out a few years ago. It consists of a single DD, 4 BA and 1 Piezoelectric driver. There was a V1 that had some 2 pin housing issues. All those were replaced by Noble Audio at no charge and some refer to the newer version as V2. Either way it looks like none of the V1s are out there in the wild so all OG Khan’s have the current 2 pin housing with there being no issues with them. We both had the OG Khan. The same one in fact.

Kublai Khan descends directly from the OG Khan lineage. It has 4 different types of drivers though instead of 3. The Kublai has a 10 mm DD for bass and sub bass, a bone conductor subwoofer, 4 Knowles BAs for the mid-lows and mid-highs, and a 10mm piezoelectric super tweeter.


Leroy: SeeSax and SLC, where did you get those names? Did your past relationships give you those names?

SLC: I have no social media other than a Myspace account, where I am still trying to reach Justin Timberlake. When I got a Head-Fi account in 2016, I had no clue it was a name that would follow you around (SLC1966). “SLC” is for Salt Lake City. “1966” is for an undisclosable reason.

SeeSax: It’s the phonetic spelling of my name and given that SLC is a Speech-Language pathologist, I was really just trying to impress him.



SIZE AND SHAPE
Leroy: I love talking about size and shape. How are the sizes and shapes for each of you?

SLC: Kublai is big but is the same size as other IEMs with multiple drivers. Fit is excellent for me. The steel nozzle adds high quality and most likely very durability. There also a filter on the nozzle

SeeSax: Kublai is roughly the same size and shape of other TOTL offerings, and lighter than the CNC aluminum Noble offerings in general. I find fit and comfort to be top notch, despite the size of the shell. The nozzle is on the longer side, allowing for a deeper insertion, and I’d better stop there before Leroy chimes in with something inappropriate. Overall, no complaints with comfort/size and worth mentioning is that the super soft and supple cable only adds to the comfort and listening enjoyment.



TIP ROLLING
Leroy: I hear both of you are into tips! How is the Kublai tip rolling going for you?

SLC: I usually need to do massive tip rolling with IEMs until I get the seal that works well for me. The Kublai’s have sealed well with all tips I have tried. I do recommend using the smallest tip that gets a seal. That allows for the deepest insertion which then allows for the bone conductor to be felt the best. Rumble rumble rumble!

SeeSax: as with most Noble IEMs, my tried and true JVC Spiral Dot++ tips fit perfectly and give me the correct sound and seal. No need to tip roll here, but am happy to report the “standard” size nozzle will allow for almost all aftermarket tips to be used. Whatever suits the listener!



THE SOUND
Leroy: Please give me your basic general take on the overall sound of the Kublai?

SLC: Way to ask a question without digging a hole Leroy. You might move up from a 6 to 3 reinforcement schedule. The first thing that comes to me when inserting the Kublais is the amount of detail of the overall sound. The detail retrieval is excellent. The second thing I hear or actually feel is a rumble down under. I checked my shorts first but then realized it was a feeling in my ear. A deep rumble coming from the bone conductor woofer. The third thing I notice is cohesiveness. Nothing is annoying over present nor missing. Last but not least is the enjoyable non fatiguing treble. Piezo treble done right.

SeeSax: The essence of the original Khan is here, but I’ll call the Kublai Khan more of an appeal for the masses. Treble was considered hot by some on the original and upon first listen I immediately heard a smoother, slightly more relaxed treble presence. So in terms of the overall signature, I absolutely love it. Bass is impactful and clean with a focus on sub-bass. I hear a gradual roll-off into the mid-bass and there is zero bloat. Mids are clean and detailed, airy and have great texture without much added thickness. The tuning on these is superb for my tastes. Musically detailed I would say.



Leroy: How about some more specifics! What are you hearing with this Bone Conductor Woofer?

SLC: As I referenced above, the BCD adds a rumble down under. It is like discovering puberty. I have not felt an IEM with a BCD before. I just thought the BCD in other IEMs I have tried was just for show. I feel the Kublai BCD and exactly when and where it is supposed to be. Deep woofer level of bass. Adds texture and quality to the sound. Does not overwhelm at all.

SeeSax: In my opinion, the BCD adds texture and physicality to the sound. In the case of Kublai Khan, it’s the first IEM with a BCD that I can physically feel the vibration when I touch it (back off, Leroy!). While I do not believe it adds any audible sound, it adds a texture and rumble to the sound as an enhancement. In combination with the physical impact of the dynamic driver, this makes for some exciting and ear-tickling lower end. The BCD is not bound by the constraints of human hearing frequency range, so it’s always there, tickling away!


Leroy: I know one of you focused on the mid section but can you both talk about the mids and vocals of the Kublai?

SLC: I have to have mids that are not recessed. No inverted 6 pack for me. I need them to be present, very minimally recessed or forward. A U shaped IEM will not last long with me. What I hear with the Kublai is a very minimally recessed mid section. Very minimal with a mild upper mids bump. Very mild. This works well for the overall coherence of the Kublai. The timbre is correct which is another must for me.

SeeSax: Mids and vocals are free from bloat or excessive thickness, but contain plenty of emotion and texture. Clarity of the theme here, with very lifelike male and female vocals that are graced with the additional BCD secret sauce. The mids fall in somewhere between neutral and warm for me, but still with a natural and airy presentation. “Just right” is probably an overused term in the IEM world, but really the tuning is spot on for my preferences. If I had to split hairs, I’d say some folks may lean toward a thicker and more natural timbre in the mids, but for me this is perfect.


Leroy: And the Piezo? How does it compare from your memory to other Piezo’s you have heard?

SLC: I am up in age so I have not heard a treble I did not like. The OG Khan had its share of treble which I am fine with. Others not so much. The Kublai in my opinion has toned down Piezo sparkle with a truckload of detail. I think it is perfectly done to suit the overall sound of the Kublai.

SeeSax: While I don’t still have the original Khan, I can say without a doubt the Kublai Khan has relaxed the treble timbre and sparkle a bit. This is probably a good thing for most listeners and the even better news is that it still reaches sky-high without any hint of sibilance. This is probably the best treble I’ve ever heard in an IEM and I find it to be more pleasing on the ears than the original Khan. There’s a touch more weight in treble notes than the original, but not to the degradation of extension. I’ll get a little more into comparisons with BA treble and EST treble in our comparisons with other IEMs, but in general I hear the piezo as being faster and more precise; a more effortless sound if you will.


Leroy: I am all about coherence and tuning! How are you hearing all these drivers coming together?

SLC: The overall sound comes together even better than my all white prom tuxedo with a pink boutonniere. I think Noble Audio is outstanding at tuning their IEMS. It seems there is a vision of the tuning they would like and they nail it. Their IEMs are differently tuned for those that want a different flavor. Cohesiveness with 4 types of drivers is rather impressive.

SeeSax: I agree with SLC on this one, and it’s mighty impressive that a hybrid with four different technologies inside can sound this coherent. You get the best of all worlds with a DD providing the bass, balanced armatures for the mids, the classy and sparkly piezo tweeter giving the highs and a BCD to tie it all together with a textured bow. Nothing is disjointed and it’s actually difficult or impossible to hear the different driver types independently (other than the bass), which is a win with any hybrid.


Leroy: Now to the small elephant in the room. How does the Kublai Khan compare to the OG Khan? I know you both hate talking about IEMs from memory but please humor me. Thank you.

SLC: From memory it will be. The OGK was also about detail as the KK is. The OGK was leaner. The OGK had more recessed mids. The OGK had a sparklier treble. I think Noble did a great job of taking the greatness of the OGK and improving on the thickness of the notes, the increase in texture of the sound, making the mids more prominent and intimate and throwing in a rumble to the sub bass. The texture of the DD mid bass is similar on the OGK and KK which is a great thing. Just the added BC makes a big difference with the sub bass.

SeeSax: I, too, can offer up some general statements from memory. The original Khan and the Kublai Khan share a lot of similar DNA, which some thoughtful tweaks that substantially change the listening experience. Where they both have a very clean sub-bass with minimal mid-bass enhancements, the similarities sort of stop there. The sub-bass on the Kublai Khan seems more impactful and rounded as well. Into the mids, you get a heftier note weight with the Kublai Khan while still enjoying a clarity-focused signature overall. Into the treble, this is probably the biggest contrast where the original had very sharp and precise treble that bothered some listeners (not me). The Kublai Khan has more softness around the treble notes, but still with excellent extension and sparkle. The treble, I think, has seen the biggest refinement in the signature and will please all but the most treble-sensitive listeners in this revision. I think Noble has succeeded in making this a true follow-up to the original Khan.



CABLES
Leroy: Stock cables are getting better these days from what I hear in the back alleys, how is this stock cable?

SLC: I have zero complaints with the stock cable. It is a warm cable that compliments the Kublai well. I have tried the PWA 1960 4 wire cable on Kublai which tightens everything up a bit. I currently use a gold plated silver cable made by Khanyayo Cables (see pictures of Kublai with gold cable). This cable ads dynamics and space without affecting the sound at all.

On a side note Leroy, even though you did not ask, the Kublai scales up extremely well. I am a believer that IEMs with Estat and/or DD drivers respond well to more power from the amp. I would include that Piezo and BC drivers respond well to more power.

SeeSax: I haven’t done as much cable rolling as I normally do, and perhaps that is because I found that most pairings were to my liking already. As SLC mentions, the stock cable is a very nice cable and it has very nice comfort with a hint of warmth in the sound. Changing over to a gold-plated silver cable from Khanyayo, I agree that the sound is enhanced with a greater sense of resolution. Things open up and allow greater separation between notes. I think that it does add a little more treble sparkle compared to the stock cable, but it’s hard to A/B cables to be honest. I also tried Eletech’s Aeneid cable and found the results to be similar.




COMPARISONS
Leroy: When I am out drinking in Reykjavik, what people really want to know from me is how one IEM compares to another. Please indulge me and compare the Kublai to what ya got!



SLC Comparisons

Noble Audio Sultan:
This is a very important comparison to make. The Sultan is the other flagship IEM from Noble. Can they both coexist? In the big picture of things what stands out the most is that the Kublai is detail focused. Notes are quicker and tighter. Kublai sub bass rumbles and their is a textured mid bass that does not overpower. With the Sultan the notes are thicker. The sound of the Sultan is on the fun side. Less detail with more enjoyment. "The Delectable Dancer" The Kublai and Sultan are excellent complements to each other.

The Sultan is easier to drive. The Sultan is about the overall sound and not the details. The Kublai is about each part that cohesively comes together. Female vocals on the Kublai are more intimate, probably due to a very slight upper mid section bump with the Kublai. I do not hear a difference between male vocals of the two IEMs.

As I stated above, the Sultan bass is a big and fun sound. The Sultan has a similar quantity of mid and sub bass. The Kublai sub bass overrides the mid bass. The BC woofer is so palpable that you can taste it.

The sultan treble seems more prominent than Kublai but roles off quicker. The Kublai treble is more detailed and realistic.

Vision Ears Elysium Extended (EXT):
EXT leans more toward the Sultan sound but a chill Sultan sound. More relaxed and laid back. Long sessions can be had with EXT. EXT is harder to drive than Kublai.

EXT is so warm compared to KK. KK is such a detailed sound but still fun to listen to.

EXT bass, vocals, and treble are so laid back. The KK sound comes at you like with Odin (with less upper mids intensity but still prominent). The EXT sound is there and you have to go enjoy it. EXT and KK are a massive contrast in sound. In comparison, the Sultan and KK both have the sound coming at you.

Vision Ears PHöNIX:
The Kublai and Phonix share more than I originally thought. Detail, detail, detail with fun. The KK fun is from the enjoyment of the piezo treble, the textured mid bass and the visceral sub bass, with a very mildly recessed BA detailed mids. Phonix fun comes from how the 13 BAs are working so well together that detail is omnipresent but everything still is very cohesive. That is why I used Gestalt as the title of my Phonix review.

Along with detail they share a very similar excellent timbre with the mids. Both use BAs for the mids and they sound very similar. Emotional detail with both.

Phonix bass is in line with the rest of the IEM sound. Super textured mids and sub. Compared to the Kublai textured mid bass and rumbly sub bass.

Treble is easy in that Phonix has classic BA treble. Zero complaints here. Kublai has a more 3D detailed treble by using a Piezo super tweeter and a BA driver for the rest of the treble.

I think both Phonix and Kublai are modern IEM classics. One achieves coherent fun through all BAs which I think is hard to do. Very hard to do without sounding bland. The other achieved coherent fun through 4 different driver technologies. Very hard to do without sounding disjointed.

Phonix is on the sensitive side vs Kublai which is not sensitive. With the DX300 DAP using amp 12 I got a similar volume with Phonix on low gain and Kublai on high gain.

Vision Ears Elysium:
My "Mona Lisa!" The most natural sounding IEM in my opinion along with the Rhapsodio Eden. It is not as laid back as EXT but is in a similar family of laid back vs. the detail oriented Phonix and Kublai.

Elysium is harder to drive than Kublai. I hear the Elysium treble and the Kublai treble as very similar. The Elysium Estat treble is outstanding IMO. The Elysium bass is linear between sub and mid bass. Just enough bump to go well with the mids and treble. Kublai is about rumble with mid bass texture. Totally different. Elysium bass is BA. The Elysium uses a DD for the mids and the Elysium is a very mid-focused IEM. The Kublai has a super mild U shaped focus. The Elysium is fun and intellectual through timbre and emotions with the mids being the star. Kublai is fun and detailed with everything being a star with a splash of added fun in the sub bass.

Noble Audio Jade:
Jade is about being a W shaped sound and is on the super fun side. I call it Sultan Jr.

Jade does not have the texture or the detail of the Kublai. Jade has a much bigger mid bass jump with some sub bass. The treble is excellent and detailed but lacks the Kublai detail. Like Sultan, Jade is an excellent compliment to Kublai.

The Kublai is a little harder to drive.

Jade is a toe tapping IEM. “W fun”. I love that the vocals and mid range instruments are as present as the treble and bass. It is hard to achieve prominent mids with prominent bass and treble. Kublai wins on being a more mature sound. Not linear boring mature but fun textured mature.

Noble Audio Katana:
Katana is more a brother of Phonix than anything else. It is about detail and more detail with a sub bass bump. Katana is sensitive like Phonix.

Kublai and Katana share in the area of detail and slightly forward sound vs. laid back sound. That is all they share. Kublai is more textured, more dynamic with an obvious massive increase over Katana in the fun area. Kublai has detailed fun going on. Katana has intellectual detail going on.

Noble Audio K10:
The K10 is a classic IEM if there ever was one. It was way ahead of its time in quality of sound and still sounds great. It shares more with Kublai than I would have originally thought until I started thinking of them at the same time and comparing them directly. They are both on the fun side. Both have a W sound with a mild recess in the middle of the W. K10 achieved that with all BA drivers. That is impressive.

Kublai has a bit more detailed mids with more prominent vocals. K10 has more mid bass focus than sub bass. Thickness of the notes are similar between the two.

When comparing directly, Kublai wins with more detail, more fun and more texture in the notes. I do not say that lightly since the K10 is phenomenal and should be heard by everyone that has the chance.



SeeSax Comparisons



Noble Sultan Prestige:
While SLC already compared the Kublai Khan to the Sultan, my version is slightly different in that it is housed in a Prestige shell and has silver internal wiring. I don’t recall major differences in the sound when I had both, but a second comparison here is definitely in order.

In terms of tuning and sound signature, the differences are fairly apparent upon first listen. Sultan has a fuller sound, with a warmer and thicker presentation. Sub bass rumble is likely similar on both, but where the sub bass rolls off up toward mid bass on the Kublai Khan, the Sultan keeps the mid bass more prominent. There’s a more bodied and rounded bass because of this tuning, and quantity is elevated in comparison to Kublai Khan. Kublai Khan is all about the clean and detailed sub bass with awesome texture, and the lower amount of mid bass keeps things more in the “reference” category here.

Into the mids, Sultan is fuller, but lacks the air and detail I hear in the Kublai Khan in comparison. The mids on the Kublai Khan exude more air and allow a greater separation between notes, again lending to a more clarity-focused signature. Vocals are very textured and realistic on the Kublai Khan, but also have a natural timber. Sultan takes the natural timber and dials it up even further for an emotional, more intimate sound.

Treble is another area where these IEMs differ, both in technology and in sound. The piezo electric tweeter in the Kublai Khan is some of the best treble I have ever heard. It’s got the perfect amount of sparkle, extends very high into the registers and does so without sounding harsh in any way (though keep in mind I am a bit of a treble head). The estats in the Sultan, in comparison, sound a little softer with less sparkle and extension. They’re a heftier treble, with less precision than the Kublai Khan. I would guess that folks who are very treble sensitive may prefer the Sultan, but the clarity, sparkle and energy of the Kublai Khan is star of the show and I wouldn’t trade it. Notes are snappy, airy, ethereal at times and are just simply outstanding with nearly every genre of music. My overall conclusion here is that both IEMs are outstanding and it’s great to have choices. For clarity, technical ability and a realistic signature that is still loads of fun, I would choose the Kublai Khan. If I wanted thicker, more emotional sound with a more present mid bass, I would go with Sultan.



Lime Ears Anima:
This is an interesting comparison because I loosely think of both Kublai Khan and Anima as prioritizing clarity and realism in the sound. Where Kublai Khan stresses the realism, Anima takes it into the ethereal range with a purely enjoyable sound and massive detail. Kublai Khan has massive detail as well, but is a “truer” tone in my opinion. Anima is less realistic and natural, but dials up the enhancements.

Starting at sub bass, both have a focus on clean, impactful and very deep sub bass free of any bloat. Both also prioritize sub bass over mid bass, with a similar roll off to my ears. I hear Kublai Khan has having a bit more body and roundness in the bass, with Anima being a little more clean and neutral. Extension is similar, but there’s more texture on Kublai Khan and a greater impact. Mid bass is nearly existent on Anima, with a little more being dealt from Kublai Khan.

Mids are a little more dense and weighty on Kublai Khan, where Anima really dishes out texture and detail (albeit it in a bit thinner manner). Separation is incredible on Anima, probably the best I have ever heard, but Kublai Khan is not far behind. The Anima divides up instruments and vocals with highest levels of clarity and while Kublai Khan does largely the same, it’s a more natural tone in comparison. There’s an ethereal quality to vocals on Anima, with a more emotional and accurate representation being heard on Kublai Khan.

Treble is an area where both IEMs are insanely good. I hear a little more sparkle in Anima, while hearing a bit more natural tone in Kublai Khan. Anima is capable of providing some crisp, sizzly sparkle into the upper treble. Kublai Khan is as well, but there’s a little more weight in the notes. To level set here, both have incredible sparkle and extension and I’m not sure I can declare any winner. Both have top class treble, with more natural tone going to Kublai Khan and knife-like precision going to Anima. So at the end of the day, these two IEMs are fairly matched in most respects. Kublai Khan fits me much better and provides all-day comfort, while Anima provides a more “interesting” sound for better or worse. Yet, I would say Kublai Khan has better tuning for most users. Ah, choices. As Leroy once said while dating twins, “why I think I’ll just have both!”





INTERVIEW WITH DR. JOHN MOULTON OF NOBLE AUDIO

Leroy: When engineering and releasing an IEM sequel, what are your considerations?

Dr. Moulton: A sequel consideration = be price sensitive
The Ghengis Khan sales are still steady & we did not want to harm those sales. That said, as a product it is old, so we wanted to offer a sequel with enough tech that would gather the public's interest, but still be able to keep pricing relative to the Ghengis Khan.


Leroy: How do you find a balance between paying tribute to the older model and updating the sound/build?

Dr. Moulton: Essentially keep enough DNA of the original for the market to recognize that the product belongs in the Khan family. We felt that the use of a piezo was a defining characteristic of the Ghengis Khan, so we wanted to maintain the use of the driver in the sequel product. "Art" wise, we leaned a bit more independent with the use of the Dragon - but in reality the dragon is used a lot in the Asian culture, to signify royalty, so we felt it appropriate to use it.


Leroy: Was there any fear of cannibalizing Sultan with the Kublai Khan or are they different enough that both have a place at the top of Noble’s lineup?
Dr. Moulton: I never considered that as a result of the Kublai Khan as physically they use vastly different in build materials etc. The Kublai Khan is made from a 3d printed housing, while the Sultan has a fully CNC aluminum housing.

If the Kublai is favored over the Sultan, I'm just happy that it is a Noble product that is favored. I realize people have different tastes etc, I can't fault the nature of the situation.


Leroy: Where are the Kublai Khans made?

Dr. Moulton: Due to the fact, building an IEM (and practically anything) is a worldwide effort, as parts are sourced all over the world, we state that our wired products go through final assembly in the USA. This mutes the debate about being made in the USA etc, as honestly I can't even comprehend how that could be possible. (Most, if not all drivers are built outside of the USA)


Leroy: SeeSax and SLC think there is magic in the bone conductor woofer. How did the use of a BC come about?

Dr. Moulton: Exposure to bone conduction was from my days in Audiology. The use of bone conduction as a conduit of sound has been going on for over a century.

“Ludwig van Beethoven, the famous 18th century composer who was almost completely deaf, discovered Bone Conduction. Beethoven found a way to hear the sound of the piano through his jawbone by attaching a rod to his piano and clenching it in his teeth.” Goldendance.co.jp

Bone conduction hearing aids have been utilized by Audiologists for many decades to assist the hearing impaired. For those that do not know, I have a doctorate degree in Audiology and worked as an Audiologist for approximately 10 years before I founded Noble Audio. It was a natural progression to implement a bone conduction driver into the Kublai Khan.


Leroy: Anything else you would like to add?

Dr. Moulton: I'm just grateful to be here, grateful to still be on the "ChessBoard" of this industry. Noble has been a long journey, I have been building for 14 years now. Thank you Head-Fi members and everyone outside of Head-Fi that has made this journey possible.



CONCLUSION
We would like to thank everyone for going on this journey with us. Also thank you Dr. Moulton for allowing Leroy to show up and interview you using his cassette recorder. Leroy, we appreciate that you sobered up for this request of duty and attempted to be congenial.. We release you now into the wild and will call upon you as needed. You are now free again Leroy.

Kublai Khan, the grandson of Genghis Khan has kept the direct lineage qualities of the Genghis Khan. Through evolution Noble Audio has added to these qualities in a way that they have created what we would consider to be an outstanding IEM that will be enjoyed by many.

In a world where IEM prices continue to rise, it is nice to see a TOTL offering that stays near the original’s price point and brings great value to the table. There are other IEMs that cost twice as much and do not perform as well as Kublai Khan, nor do they pack as much technology. In the case of Kublai Khan, cost-cutting measures have not resulted in any concession in the sound whatsoever. Sure, you don’t get a one-of-a-kind Prestige shell, but you do get absolute top class sound in a gorgeous and understated design that should fit nearly everyone’s listening preferences. Well done, Noble!

Acknowledgement​

The Kublai Khan was purchased with my own money at a small discount from the ever-helpful Andrew at MusicTeck USA for the purposes of writing a full review (which will be published soon). No input or other incentive was sought or received from MusicTeck or Noble – all opinions and words below are my own (however ill-informed or misguided!). Many thanks to Andrew and the MusicTeck team for enabling me to hear these in-ear monitors, and for their excellent communication throughout the whole purchase process.

Link to Noble products currently available on MusicTeck can be found here .

Unboxing and accessories​

The Kublai Khan comes in an external box that is nothing short of huge for an in-ear monitor. The initial package from UPS is big enough to hold an adult sized pair of basketball shoes, never mins a tiny in ear sound system. As boxes go, it’s simple but classy, with a nice graphic on the front, and the usual tech spec blurb on the back. Opening the initial cardboard rectangle gives you your first surprise though – the entire inner of the box is taken up with a black Nanuk 903 hard carrying case, emblazoned with the Noble logo. If you haven’t seen this sort of case before, it’s pretty reminiscent of the sort of seahorse cases that companies like ZMF and Audeze use to ship their high end over ear headphones.

In all honesty, on first glance, you almost think a pair of cans might be nestling in there. Taking the nuclear armageddon proof carry case out and clicking the two latches on each side to release the lid, you are presented with the IEMs themselves, sat in a custom cut foam inner, with a much smaller leather carry case of the IEMs (again emblazoned with the Noble logo) sat alongside. As far as unboxings go, this is more like opening a safe than a jewellery box, but there is an undeniable air of quality to the whole experience. T

The Nanuk case is probably more than you will ever need in terms of transporting these in-ears around safely, and is definitely less than practical in terms of the amount of storage space it takes up, but there is definitely something about knowing if you got run over by a tank while carrying your new IEM purchase in your hands, at least something would survive unscathed.

Accessories follow the standard Noble loadout, from what I can tell – a nice 8-wire braided cable (terminated in 4.4mm balanced in my case), a leather carry case, soft velour carry pouch, assorted ear tips (3 wide-bore silicone, 6 x memory foam) and cleaning tool, two wrist/amp stacking bands (black with a Noble logo) and the obligatory “Wizard” signature sticker. The cable is supple and feels quality, with a good weight to it (heavy enough to lay flat, light enough not to pull). Finish is worthy of an aftermarket cable, with matches metal splitter and Y-split and a nicely designed 4.4mm connector. The black PVC coating means this is more of a stealth design, and in a lot of ways this feels like a more pliable version of the M2 cable that unique Melody include with their MEST Mk2.

The other accessories are simple but should cover everything you need to get going – the leather looking carry case is quite light feeling so doesn’t scream quality (or sturdiness), but given the bulletproof nature of the parent case that’s hardly a huge drawback. Overall, the Kublai Khan package is pretty complete, with an outer case and cable giving that required touch of class that you would expect with a flagship-level product.

Tech specs​

The Kublai Khan is technically a “quad-brid”, with a design that incorporates 7 drivers across four different driver types. Lows are shared between a 10mm dynamic driver (composition and design unknown) across the full range of low end frequencies and a similar sized bone conduction driver which is targeted more towards sub bass. The midrange is handled by four Knowles balanced armatures, and the treble is picked up by a new generation of the ceramic piezo driver used in the original Khan series.

Noble are notoriously sparse with their design specs, but it’s safe to say that their low entry bar for driving and power requirements remains in place – while the Kublai Khan appreciates cleaner power and more technically performant audio sources to really get the most out of its capabilities, you can probably blow your eardrums to bits using a 3.5mm iphone dongle adaptor. High powered sources are not a necessity here.

Build and fit​

Given Noble’s history of producing some of the nicest “Prestige” builds in the industry, it’s hardly surprising to note that the Kublai Khan is a bit of a looker. Noble have opted for an acrylic body for these in ears rather than the all-metal designs of their previous K-series and co-flagship Sultan models. The design is simple but visually arresting, with a black lacquered shell in a pseudo-custom design, with a golden metal dragon of Asian descent sitting under the acrylic on one IEM shell, and the classic Noble crown logo in gold on the other. The dragon is visually stunning, and adds a really unique look to the IEM design. The other obvious visual highlight is the large 10mm bone conduction driver in each shell, which is clearly visible on the bottom side of each shell through the lacquer. In a nice bit of attention to detail, the outer shell of each BC driver has an engraved dragon logo (to match the larger gold design on the front).

Build-wise, the shells feel smooth and solid in the hand, with no obvious air bubbles or any other imperfections. The fit is perfect for my larger than average ear cavities – the Kublai Khan housing is pretty large so it does stick out a few mm from each ear when wearing (meaning these probably aren’t ideal for wearing when laying down, if you are a side sleeper), but the casual ergonomics are pretty much bang on for my own ears. I get a very good seal with the included wide bore silicone tips, and can wear the KK for extended listening sessions without any discomfort due to the lightness of the cable and IEMs themselves and the smoothness of the design. To be fair, you would expect a fairly famous manufacturer of custom in ears run by someone with a background in audiology to be on their game here, and they definitely are.

Given the use of bone conduction drivers, getting a fit where the maximum amount of IEM shell is in contact with the surface of your ear is paramount, so it’s nice to be able to achieve that straight out of the box without having to play around with the usual suspects like Spiral Dots or Xelastec tips. It’s even nicer for the IEM shells to feel comfy once you have got them in that “magic” position to maximise the BC elements of the sound.

Initial impressions on sound​

*DISCLAIMER* These impressions are based on a solid fortnight of listening to the Kublai Khan through my main musical source (a Fiio M17) on medium gain. Please take them with the requisite metric tonne of salt – I’m stil getting used to the IEMs and the sound signature, so this is just an initial reaction to what I’m hearing out of the box. Also, these IEMs will probably still have less than 40 hours of play on them at time of writing, so if they change during burn in, I will document that in my follow-up review. If they don’t, I won’t.

My initial take on the Kublai Khan “sound” is that Noble have gone for something between musical and natural, This is an IEM with a good sense of balance – it’s too lush and rich sounding to call it strictly neutral, but there isn’t an overriding emphasis on any particular part of the frequency spectrum either. At a push, I’d say this is a classic but fairly gentle “W” shape, with a good low end heft, some prominent vocals and midrange instrumentation and a smooth but very capable treble. The “W” descriptor comes from the clever sculpting of the response around the bass/mids and mid/treble borders, which ensure nice clean transitions and no audible masking.

Bass​

Bass is deep and very textured. The dynamic driver used actually sounds fairly fast to my ears, and has more of a focus on speed and resolution than sheer volume, so the KK low end isn’t hugely voluminous as a result. Don’t get me wrong, there is plenty of fat and chunky low end presence where the individual track requires it, but it definitely doesn’t step into basshead territory, more “basshead friendly”.

The bone conduction driver is supposedly targeted at the sub frequencies, and there is a palpable sense of physical rumble with these IEMs – I’m not sure if it’s just expectation bias or psycho acoustics at play, but you can definitely feel the thump on some tracks a lot more than you should be able to just going by the decibel output. It’s almost like you took a signature that’s just a few decibels off neutral in the low end, but replaced the “physical” slam and impact levels with something more usually associated with a much louder low end response.

Detail levels in the lows are high throughout, with the KK being able to resolve individual cello notes and bass guitar licks on complex symphonic or rock tracks without any undue effort, but without robbing them of a sense of weight. While it’s not hugely forward or overbearing, I think the bass on the Kublai Khan is very nicely judged in terms of hitting that Goldilocks zone where you get the musicality of a chunky bass presence without any of the bloating. It won’t give you the ultimate basshead high (or low), but it’s definitely packing enough in both quantity and quality to bring most genres of music to life.

Mids​

If the bass is well judged, the midrange is where the KK really takes flight. The four balanced armatures combining together to give a midrange presentation that is both creamy but also ultra-resolving. This is where the Kublai Khan reveals its credentials as a top of the line monitor, with bags of resolution and clarity both in and around the notes. Vocals are forward, large in size and very emotive, accentuating the rasp of singers like Sister Hazel’s Ken Block without having to sharpen the edges of the image or bleed it of body. There is ample space and separation between the notes, with a slightly warm tonality illuminating the midrange instrumentation without making it sound stuffy or overly coloured.

Guitars have a nice sense of crunch and chug, going for a similar sort of organic tone that the recent JH Audio D.O.M.E. – powered models like the Lola and Jolene have made their trademark. There is just enough bite to the edge of the notes to avoid the KK sounding too fat or muddy, keeping the staccato speed of tracks like “Holy Wars” by Megadeth while also getting that nicely full guitar sound.

Vocals are the star of the show without a doubt, the Kublai Khan handling Elvis and Gregg Allman with equal care and attention and pouring plenty of emotion into their delivery. The singers are placed close to the listener on most tracks, slightly in front of the instrumentation. The width and depth of the stage stop them from feeling too intimate, giving the impression of being in the front row of a gig more than sat on top of a near-field speaker in the recording studio. Clarity and phrasing is exceptional, with the KK able to resolve the fine sounds as vocalist phrase each word. It feels almost ultra-HD, but oddly it isn’t distracting, being balanced out by the overall sense of emotional engagement. The Khan v2 can certainly hit you with midrange detail, but it makes sure to do it with heart. It’s a nice balance.

Timbre is another highlight on the Kublai Khan, with piano and acoustic guitar tracks both benefitting from the richness of the tone to sound lifelike. Noble have gone for an overall tone that evokes the old Final Audio Design flagship models, with a sense of emotional rawness almost at odds with the weight and density of the notes.

Treble​

The treble transition is again smoothly handled, with the KK showing a good level of coherence. The ceramic piezo tweeter is technology I’ve heard before (albeit a previous generation) on the IMR Acoustics series of in-ears, and Noble have definitely taken the bar and raised it in terms of what this particular driver tech is capable of. Tone-wise, it straddles the border between high quality BA treble (with the attendant bite and sharpness) and that more smooth and effortless sort of ethereality that the newer second-gen EST drivers from Sonion are capable of. It’s a very good compromise between the two, carrying plenty of crispness and bite but without harshness or glare. The piezo givesthe treble a rounded density that feels like it polishes the raw edges out and just leaves the detail behind.

It’s also a quick treble driver, handling guitar harmonics and other transients without blinking or blurring. I’ve tried plenty of tracks on the Kublai Khan that are busier than downtown Tokyo in rush hour, and nothing got close to congesting the stage. “Starlight” by Slash and Myles Kennedy is a mess of high-pitched dissonance and harmonics in the intro, and the KK brings that to life for the listener without scratching the eardrums. It handles Kennedy’s falsetto equally well, not reaching into sibilance or harshness territory, which is easily enough done on this track with the wrong gear.

Listening to some more laid back tracks, “Chi Mai” by Duel sounds emotive, with the twin violins in the foreground sounding rich and vibrant but not too loud or forward on the stage. The swirling keys in the background don’t get overpowered by the strings, and float around the large stage filling in the space around the musicians. If I’m honest, it’s probably the best rendition of this particular track that I’ve heard with the various gear I’ve reviewed. I heard the original Khan at Canjam London a few years back and the treble on that IEM was definitely not to my taste, leaving an impression of being technically capable but too hot and thin for my personal preferences. Fast forward to the new iteration, and Noble have kept the extension and technicalities that the piezo driver is able to produce but toned down the overall volume and “heat” to create something far more balanced and polished, not to mention more tonally accurate.

Cymbals are crisp but not the most splashy, erring more towards real than emphasised. Decay is quick, hi-hats muting quickly into the background rather than echoing. It suits the overall sound choice, but if you like your treble spicier than a Carolina Reaper and splashier than a Spring Break pool party, you’re probably better off looking elsewhere.

Technicalities​

The Kublai Khan casts a wide and deep stage, placing you at the front of the stage area with music spreading out wide outside the ears in both direction and almost surrounding you on some tracks. It shares some of the holographic traits of the MEST Mk2 and the bone conduction models from IMR, with the addition of the BC driver allowing for that little extra splash of “realism” that makes the music feel a little more dimensional in the ear.

Separation and layering is very good, as you would expect from a monitor in this price bracket. The space between the notes is most apparent in the midrange, with the KK doing an excellent job of separating individual singers in gospel chorus-lines but without dissecting them or losing the connection to the music.

Height is also a notable point on the Kublai Khan, the larger than average note size helping in this regard. I have the uncanny feel on “Bad At Love” by Smith and Myers that the percussion playing about two thirds of the way through the track is sitting below and to the right and left of my head rather than on the same plane as the rest of the instruments, which I realise isn’t actually that common in the rest of my IEM collection.

Imaging is definitely top tier, with the almost holographic three dimension feel to the stage and the excellent separation between instrumentation helping to locate each player and musical strand in their precise location on the imaginary soundstage. I’ve been fairly spoiled with IEMs that image consistently well recently given that my last two reviews have been the JH Audio Jolene and the MMR Balmung, but the Kublai Khan definitely keeps up with that rarified company in terms of technical imaging capability.

Comparisons​

I will write a fuller set of comparisons in the follow-up review, but for now, I will say that the Kublai Khan sounds not too dissimilar to the MMR Balmung in terms of the natural balance they are aiming for. The Balmung is warmer and slightly more emphasised in the mid-bass, with a less prominent treble in terms of both sheer quantity and stage position. The Balmung matches the KK for detail retrieval, but opts for a more musical and far more coloured tuning compared to the more comparative neutrality of the Noble model, so it isn’t always as obvious on first listen. Build and aesthetics is fairly well matched, with the Balmung just edging ahead with its intricate design but losing out to the less flashy but more ergonomic and nicer feeling cable. Accessories are fairly even, except for the frankly bonkers Noble hard case. Overall, if you want warm and analogue sounding without sacrificing detail, the Balmung is my suggestion. If you prefer a more balanced but still musical tuning with a greater feel of air and separation and a more physical bass, the Kublai Khan should be your choice.

Comparing to the JH Audio Jolene, the Kublai Khan is more balanced and somewhat thicker in tone, carrying a little more warmth through the mids and slightly more space between instruments. in contrast, the Jolene has a more analogue sheen to the midrange presentation, in comparison to the rawer and more emotive Noble. Treble feels more airy and extended on the Jolene, but thinner and a little more brittle in direct comparison. Detail levels are again similar, with both monitors sitting the highly resolving category. The Jolene has the upper hand in sub-bass quantity, but the bone conduction driver almost evens the score in terms of physical impact or slam. Stage size is large on both, and other technicalities are also similarly matched. This will come down to preference – the Jolene is a current favourite of mine, but the Kublai Khan just edges it for me in terms of having a slightly more engaging and musical slant to the tuning and that addictive bone conduction realism that’s difficult to find with other IEMs.

Final thoughts​

The Kublai Khan has been a very surprising in-ear monitor for me. I’ve tried a few Noble models over the years, and while some of the lower-end models like the Savant and Sage have sounded OK, I’ll be honest and admit I haven’t really clicked with any of their other offerings, especially the original Khan, which sounded too bright and thin for my personal taste. I’m not sure what I was expecting from the Kublai version, but what I got was something that is beautifully balanced, tonally accurate and pretty musical without leaning into colour. It makes almost everything I’ve listened to sound good, and carries plenty of technical capability to put in the top tier of the current IEM market.

It won’t quite scratch the itch if you are a degenerate basshead, and if you are looking for screaming treble heat and piercing high notes then there are other IEMs that will fit that bill better. Technically it’s excellent but doesn’t have one particular “stand-out” feature in terms of raw resolution or other tuning trickery, preferring to go with an all-court game that is at a high level across the board. The result is an extremely well tuned flagship-grade IEM that will suck you into the music and let you enjoy your record collection, and one I’m definitely looking forward to listening to more over the coming weeks