Noble Audio Dulce Bass UIEM

I've been wanting these for a long time. And after a whole year waiting to get a good deal on these, I finally got it for quite a discount. But when i put these in my ears there's a frown on my face. That's it??? That's what ppl call 'bass head IEMs?" It's a joke right?

A joke it is. If ur a basshead, there's no way u'd be satisfied with this IEM as I would describe it as more of a warm IEM than bassy. And what's worse, it doesn't have that level of transparency purists seek. The only redeeming quality of this IEM is probably its non-fatiguing nature---you have probably guessed it. It's muffled, so it sounds extremely non-offensive much like my old LCD2 Rev.1, both sounds good but lacks the energy & bite necessary to convey the necessary emotion in a song.

At the end of the day, this IEM is good for pop songs. I enjoy Sia & Katy Perry stuff a lot more on these than on my higher end setup, which consists of HE6+EF6, and that's saying a lot. Aside from pop tho I'd take HE6 anyday, even for EDM cuz it offers far greater punch and speed.

If ur inner basshead is still screaming for a bassy BA, get a SE846 instead. I love innovation, and the subwoofer system in SE846 is truly one of a kind. That thing takes BA bass to a whole new level and I've yet to hear any IEM that comes even remotely close. Shame on u, Dulce Bass, bass is in ur name yet u failed so bad.

My preferred sound signature:  A bit bass heavy, forward mids, and neutral treble.  Love high detailed and clear sound.
 
SOUND
These headphones are named Dulce Bass (Sweet Bass) by Noble, who knows exactly how to name products.  There is no more appropriate name for this IEM...

Bass:  Bass is so clean, clear, quick, and detailed.  It is the clear and clean bass you get from BAs and would expect from a IEM named "Sweet Bass".  While they are tuned towards the lower end, I don't find them to be too bass heavy to the point where I would EQ down the bass.  It is a headphone made for bass heads, but at the same time, can be enjoyed by almost any audiophile looking for something with a little bit more low end presence.
 
Mids:  The mids are a bit recessed, and slightly overpowered by the bass.  For my personal taste, I would like mids to be more forward.  They just lack a bit of presence in the signature of the Dulce Basses, and are too recessed for my taste.

Treble: I would love to see more treble on these IEMs, which is surprising as I am incredibly treble sensitive.  I can find myself sometimes adding more treble into the mix as I feel like the treble is missing in the balance.  Don't get me wrong, the treble is present and commanding when needed, just a bit too laid back for my taste.  The treble lacks a bit of airiness, but that is to be expected in a bass tuned IEM.  Like the mids, the treble lacks detail and is recessed.
 
 
*It is important to keep in mind that the Dulce Bass are intended to be for lovers of a more bass heavy/forward sound.  So a laid back presentation of the treble and mid range should be expected*
 
SOUNDSTAGE
The soundstage really grabs your attention when you first put these on.  The soundstage is better than any other IEM I have heard before, with it just sounding big.  It does not sound like a full on over-ear headphone, but is really big for an IEM.  Let me put it like this:  the soundstage is big enough to produce a really realistic echo in vocals that are meant to actually echo.
 
DETAIL
These IEMs provide really great background detail.  It can sometimes be hard to distinguish and pick out different instrumentals and vocal lines in the upper-mid and treble range, but overall, the detail is there.  Some of the more subtle detail does get lost sometimes (as it is overpowered by the thumping bass).

ACCESSORIES
Everything you would need is included with the Dulce Bass's, and not much more.  A waterproof Pelican case, multiple ear-tips to try to find the right fit (which is difficult and is talked about later in the review), a classic cleaning tool, a "velvet" carrying pouch, and a "super stylish" Noble Audio sticker.  The packaging is minimalistic, and the IEMs themselves come with the bare essentials.  There is nothing I am missing in terms of accessories.  If there was 1 thing I could change about the accessories, it is the little "velvet" carrying pouch.  It is meant for everyday carry, and is functional, but it is really crappy in terms of the carry pouches...

ISOLATION AND FIT
This is where a lot of people have a problem with Noble's universal line: finding the right fit.  I actually was able to buy my Dulce Bass's for cheap as the seller could not find the right fit and was fed up with it.  When I bought them, I thought "How hard can it be to find the right tips?".  The answer to my question was apparent almost immediately: harder than one might expect.  After playing with all of the included sets of silicon tips and the foam tips, and still not finding the right fit, I took to my infamous "Drawer of Comply Memory Foam Tips".  After trying to find the right size/model Comply Tip, I came across the T-600 size, and it fits on the IEMs perfectly.  I am still using the T-600 Isolation Series size large and they provide the perfect fit.  With the T-600 Comply Tips, the IEMs are pretty comfortable and you can almost forget they are on.  That being said, the isolation is still not perfect.  There are some situations out in public where I will have difficulty hearing the full detailed sound of the Dulce Bass, but there is no problem at home alone.  Once you find the correct fit for you, the Dulce Bass's sound pretty incredible.

COMFORT
Like I said, with the correct fit, these are pretty comfortable.  They are not too heavy.  However, they are kinda bulky, and a bit awkward to wear.  For long term listening sessions, there is really no pain in the ears, and I can almost forget they are on.  For getting a good fit and good isolation, you need to shape the moldable portion of the cable super tight to your ear, which can lead to discomfort for some.  This portion does not rub against the ear, it is just its presence that can be slightly annoying.
 
COMPARISONS
Vs Earsonics SM64
Very different IEMs.  The mids on the SM64 kick the crap out of the mids on the Dulce Bass because of their forward and detailed sound.  In almost every other aspect, including soundstage, detail, and sound quality, the Dulce Bass kills the SM64.
 
Vs Dunu DK-3001
The 3001 is another bass heavy IEM.  What I like about the 3001 is that there is no compromise of presence of mids or treble.  However, that being said, the Dulce Bass beats the 3001 on the bass front.  Listening to the two, it becomes incredibly apparent the difference between BAs and Dynamic Drivers for bass.  BAs are much more clean and detailed, but often lack that chest bumping thump.  This is not the case on the Dulce Bass.  All the chest thumping you want is present in a clear and organized presentation.  The bass produced by a 13 mm dynamic driver on the 3001 sounds a bit distorted and kinda dirty compared to the bass produced by the BA of the Dulce Bass.
 
SUMMARY
These IEMs are meant for a lover of bass heavy sound.  I would love to see a bit more spending to make the packaging more exciting and maybe spruce up the included accessories.  While the mids and treble are not directly compromised in terms of sound quality, it is clear that these are tuned towards the lower end.  If you are considering buying these, read the following quote from Noble's website:

Dulce Bass (“sweet bass”) is our most bass-heavy configuration designed to deliver visceral low-end response uncharacteristic of balanced armature pieces. A bass-lover’s dream come true, Dulce Bass offers a refined audiophile take on electronic and bass-heavy music.

Click to expand...

This description hits the nail on the head (especially talking about the "visceral low-end response uncharacteristic of balanced armature").  While other styles of music (such as more contemporary stuff, and some acoustic stuff) sounds good on these, you can tell they were designed with bass-heavy electronic music in mind.

Recently My Noble 5 developed a rattle on the left side, so I sent them back to Noble, in return they upgraded me to the Dulce Bass, I've had these for 3 days now and let me tell you what a step up from the Noble 5 in all ways.  The design much more solid, no more screws, and now half metal.  Put Spinfit eartips on and attached a silver dragon cable and WOW, away I go!  Off to Bass land.

These are not for people who do not like bass, the sound is tuned way in favor toward the low end, in fact (I'm a super bass head) I almost think its too much bass.......yea right!  But seriously these are so much fun to listen to, I hear bass in instruments and vocals where with other IEMS/headphones there is none.

It pairs perfectly with my Subpac M2 tactile transducer and the Dulce almost seems to match the frequency response of the Subpac to my surprise.  


The Mids are great, clear as a bell and the imaging is absolutely amazing. The soundstage is a bit on the narrow side of the spectrum & Occasionally I find myself adding a little more treble to the mix but that's all. Also let me say that Brandon and the crew at Noble are very generous and have outstanding customer service. Well worth the investment. A great IEM for listening to Electronic, Rap, R & B, Rock and Pop.  

Intro:  Dulce Bass is the successor to Noble’s basshead IEM, the Noble 5. Like its predecessor, it has 5 balanced armatures per side and is tuned toward the low-end. That’s about all the specs you’ll get from Noble. This is a bold move in the audiophile world, which has become ever more focused on the numbers. I don’t want enter the fray between the subjectivists and objectivists, but I have to say it’s refreshing for a company to focus on the experience instead of the technical data. 
 
 
Disclosure:  This is my first review. I’m writing it because I relied solely on reviews when purchasing my HD 650s and the Dulce Bass and I’d like to return the favor. I’m finding it really difficult to describe the listening experience in a way that might make sense to other people so excuse any confusing terminology. My headphone history includes Sony MDR 7506, Beats Tour, Beats Solo Wireless, AKG K545, and Sennheiser HD650, plus some others along the way. On the go, I listen to the Dulce Bass on my Galaxy Note 4 without sound effects or EQ using the Samsung Music app, Google Play Music, Soundcloud, and Spotify. At home, I run them off a Schiit 2 Stack with Google Play Music, Spotify, Soundcloud, and F2K in a variety of formats from 24-bit WAV to FLAC to 192kbps MP3. Electronic music is 99% of what I listen to and DnB comprises the majority of that.
 
 
Sound:
 
Bass - It’s sweet. Seriously. I’ve never heard bass like this from any headphone let alone most speaker systems. It’s present but not overpowering (to a basshead at least). Here’s what I mean by that: the bass in every Beats set I’ve heard is present in an in-your-face kind of way that overwhelms the Mids and Highs. Because of this the bass in Beats sounds artificially high - as if they’re EQe’d to hell and the drivers can’t handle it. The Ducle Bass actually enhance what’s in a song instead of forcing frequencies that aren’t there. I would describe it as revealing because there’s been a few songs I’ve listened to where I *thought* I knew that the bass sounded like only to be surprised. At the same time, I was left wanting even more bass with songs I thought might have more impact. The part of me that likes to hear what a song naturally presents is okay with a little less bass than expected. Other words I would use to describe the bass are tight, punchy, controlled. Most of the time I seriously can’t help grinning like an idiot when the bass hits. 
 
Mids - The mids are clear and detailed even though they’re tuned toward the low end. Most genres of electronic, particularly DnB don’t have much mid range to focus on. If there are vocals it’s usually high-pitched females. Mid-ranged male vocals in Grime and Hip Hop are perfect. I put the Dulce Bass through its paces by listening some pop songs, including Daya - Sit Still, Look Pretty;  Adele - Hello;  Taylor Swift - Blank Space; Nick Jonas - Close (ft. Tove Lo); and Beyonce - Formation;  It sounded great. All of it.
 
Highs - This is another area where the Dulce Bass shines (but not in a sibilant way)! They’re clear, detailed, and smooth. The loudness of the treble isn’t distracting or fatiguing. I find it to be superior to the HD 650, which is slightly veiled (muted) in comparison. 
 
 
Everything else:
 
Pictures - http://imgur.com/a/z70PJ
 
Unboxing - The outer box perfectly fits the inner, decorated one. No foam. No peanuts. Just clean. The inner box is beautiful. Thick, textured, dense. It gives you the sense it holds something special. The back has a sticker with the product name, serial number, and a brief description of the sound. Removing the lid of the inner box reveals 2 Wizard Audio stickers, a velvet bag and a Pelican 1010 micro case. The Pelican case is amazing. It has such a satisfying latching mechanism. It’s padded on the inside and waterproof. Inside the Pelican case are two rubber bands for holding a dac/amp to a phone, for example. There’s also a carabiner which can clip to the Pelican case. The cable is in an electrostatic protective bag as well as the actual IEMs. Below them is a tray with an array of tips. 
 
 
Fit and Feel - The tips take some work to get on the first few times, but once they’re loose it’s not an issue. I found it took a lot of trial-and-error to find the perfect fit for my canals, so I got practice putting on/taking off the tips. They fit remarkably well compared to any other earbud/IEM I’ve tried. I actually don’t notice them after a few minutes in - no pain, no discomfort. The Beats Tour were uncomfortable literally every time I wore them. It’s something I thought would go away after a few weeks, but I never got used to it. Another issue with the Beats Tour was cable noise transmission. I could hear every fractional move of my head. Walking was a nightmare. Nothing took away that noise. The cables for the Dulce Bass transmit only the music. I feel this really adds to their comfort and overall experience. Isolation is impressive as well. I tried it out while vacuuming and only had to increase the volume minimally from quiet levels.
 
Impressions - The Dulce Bass feel like the unicorn IEMs - they’re tuned perfectly, they fit perfectly, they don’t need an amp, they’re not fatiguing…. I could go on and on. I even prefer them to my HD 650 for most home listening. Overall, I couldn’t be happier with the purchase. If you are looking for an IEM catered to the basshead audiophile, the Dulce Bass are for you!