I've been able to demo the NoireX for the past week and a half or so. Here are some off the cuff impressions:
1. My favorite DCA headphone all time, period.
2. Build quality, fit and finish and overall aesthetic looks in person is just gorgeous. Looks are certainly subjective but this headphone is just plain sexy IMHO.
3. Scales nicely. Pretty darn good from a Questyle DAP but this headphone really comes to life on my Questyle Twelve using the 4.4 out. Better dynamics and bass response.
4. Passive isolation is quite good. With my daughter playing Amazon music about 12 feet away, dogs in the room and the dryer running, I could not hear any of it with music playing at a low level.
5. Sounds staging, width and depth, are as good as many open backs that I've owned. Very open, airy and spacious. The stage is well defined and there is plenty of space between instruments for recordings to "breathe" naturally.
6. There is obvious trickle down tech coming from e3 when you cue up music for a first listen. There were plenty of "wow" moments for me cueing up my favorite albums and test tracks. k.d. Lang "Hymns of the 49th Parallel, k.d.'s voice is breathy and sonorous. Female vocals are often so hard to get right with headphones. They can often come across peaky especially in the upper register. The NoireX has no such issues and although I've listen to this album at least a 100 times, I'm not sure that I've ever enjoyed it more than with this headphone. I was brought in by the music and at times, spellbound. And for me, this is what I'm looking for any time I listen to music. The experience of listening has to be good enough to move me emotionally. And then there's that bass. Cueing up some EDM the bass has that addictive slam and can hit hard when the music calls for it. Also, there is some nice texture when listening to an upright bass with jazz tracks.
7. Comfort is exceptional. The pads and self adjusting headband work very efficiently to disappear on your head. The contact points and pressure either work for you or they don't. The NoireX works very well for my medium sized head. That being said, I have to point out that this headphone weight in at 400 grams. Ideally the original Aeon 2 was more my speed when it comes to weight. Most people should find the NoireX supremely comfortable, but a car accident many years ago wrecked my spine and I certainly have weight limits when it comes to headphones.
8. The NoireX will certainly be a popular choice in the mid-fi market, sounding more hi-end than it's price tag. The exceptional bass make it fun, the impressive naturalness of the vocals bring it to an "all rounder" product, and the refined treble and staging make it one of the best if not the best headphone I've heard at this price.
