Introducing NOIRE X

[Ilomaenkimi]

Here you go:

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...x-headphone-review.58795/page-10#post-2164457

Interesting. My Naim has 5.2ohm output impedance, and it drives very well Noire X which has 13 ohm impendance. Control and punch is phenomenal. Volume is usually about 50-55/100.

 

[Lohb]

Sparkos Gemini

2 recs for Sparkos Gemini now...need to chase one down..it will be that one or ifi pro tube amp.

Planars and the right synergistic tube hybrid amp = strawberries & cream.

 

[CJ200]

I'm still in the burning in period, I think, as I haven't reached the 50-100 hour mark Dan recommends in the manual, but got around to listen to some classic music for several hours the other day (Beethoven, Holst, Vivaldi, etc.). This was a seriously impressive listening experience (even though I'm still on my little DC07 now connected to a mobile battery, because I'm still looking for a decent desktop headphone amp/dac that fits my preferences and budget). The NX made me listen to specific instruments, but at the same time it didn't make miss the forest for the trees, so to say. It sounded extremely detailed and natural with just the right amount of dynamism and speed.

I will admit that for pop/rock music, I still slightly prefer the more mid-forward, sparkly sound signature of things like audio technica (got a chance to listen to an ADX3000 and came away extremely impressed, but of course that's an open-back, so not an apples-to-apples comparison).

 

[Skev]

I'm still in the burning in period, I think, as I haven't reached the 50-100 hour mark Dan recommends in the manual, but got around to listen to some classic music for several hours the other day (Beethoven, Holst, Vivaldi, etc.). This was a seriously impressive listening experience (even though I'm still on my little DC07 now connected to a mobile battery, because I'm still looking for a decent desktop headphone amp/dac that fits my preferences and budget). The NX made me listen to specific instruments, but at the same time it didn't make miss the forest for the trees, so to say. It sounded extremely detailed and natural with just the right amount of dynamism and speed.

I will admit that for pop/rock music, I still slightly prefer the more mid-forward, sparkly sound signature of things like audio technica (got a chance to listen to an ADX3000 and came away extremely impressed, but of course that's an open-back, so not an apples-to-apples comparison).

Yeah for some stuff I still like the RS2x just for a little more forward/exciting presentation. It’s all good

 

[SilverAlc]

Hi everyone. I'm now the proud owner of the Noire X .
This is the first closed-back headphone that sounds natural to my ears. I'm actually pairing it with the iBasso DX340, and the results are great. Good bass, comfortable, natural mids, and detailed highs without being fatiguing. It pairs very well with the DX340 and is easy to drive. I do get the feeling that some sound leaks out, but it's a fair trade-off for having a good soundstage in a closed-back design. Solid build and portable. Now playing Stairway to Heaven with a smile on my sofa.

 

[Hubert481]

I thought this would be interesting for people interested in how isolating the headphones are. I put an acoustic noise source in our isolation chamber and then measured the chamber noise with and without the headphones, the graph is the difference. You can see noise blocking starts at 100Hz, by 1K noise is reduced roughly 16-17dB, by 2.5K ~23dB, which is better than many ear plugs on the market.

For myself, I find this to be incredibly effective on airplanes as it does a great job with blocking conversations, ventilation noise, and most importantly babies. For myself I prefer to travel with my Mojo 2 and the NOIRE X vs ANC, though of course there are great arguments to prefer ANC, depending on your priorities.

Amplification below 100Hz
How does this work and what is it good for?

There could be blocking of 0 dB but no amplification

Can you explain that "feature" ?

 

[mrspeakers]

Amplification below 100Hz
How does this work and what is it good for?

There could be blocking of 0 dB but no amplification

Can you explain that "feature" ?

It's just the physics of having a closed cup, energy at certain frequencies can't be absorbed by materials used for damping and can effectively get "gain" from having a cup.

It's not good for anything per se. But the bass rumble is reasonably well masked by the bass in music so it's not obtrusive.

ANC is better for reducing low frequency noise, but in many cases it isn't as good at high frequency isolation as good mechanical insulation and it imparts colarations and distortions, so it's a trade off. If low frequency rumble on an airplane bothers you more than babies crying ANC is a better fix. For crying babies it may be better to use mechanical isolation (as we do). If you are in a space like a library with no low frequency rumble I'd pick noise blocking vs ANC any day, so the application and preferences are relevant to what will work best for a given situation.

 

[mrspeakers]

Interesting. My Naim has 5.2ohm output impedance, and it drives very well Noire X which has 13 ohm impendance. Control and punch is phenomenal. Volume is usually about 50-55/100.

Higher output impedance shouldn't change the sound per se. What it does do is cause output power to decrease.

If the amp has more power than you need this isn't a huge deal, but for amps with limited current and targeting 150 ohm headphones, for example, the loss can become a problem which would manifest as distortion.

In this instance you are losing about 5.2/12 = 43% of voltage output, meaning you get 57% of peak voltage available to the headphone. While it sounds like a lot, because the power function of decibels is that 3db = 2x the power, so in reality with P=.57*.57/R you are getting about 33% of peak power, which means about a total of ~4dB peak output is lost. In this case, I'm guessing you have the Atom, which has tons of power and you'll never run out.

The problem really manifests itself when you have higher output Z. I won't name names but a super spendy brand with super fashion-centric designs put out a "headphone amp" that had a 150ohm output! With an Aeon it was distorting at about 70dB because 95% of the power was being lost in the output stage.

 

[panzerfan]

It's just the physics of having a closed cup, energy at certain frequencies can't be absorbed by materials used for damping and can effectively get "gain" from having a cup.

It's not good for anything per se. But the bass rumble is reasonably well masked by the bass in music so it's not obtrusive.

ANC is better for reducing low frequency noise, but in many cases it isn't as good at high frequency isolation as good mechanical insulation and it imparts colarations and distortions, so it's a trade off. If low frequency rumble on an airplane bothers you more than babies crying ANC is a better fix. For crying babies it may be better to use mechanical isolation (as we do). If you are in a space like a library with no low frequency rumble I'd pick noise blocking vs ANC any day, so the application and preferences are relevant to what will work best for a given situation.

I am very curious if ANC in conjunction with AMTS will yield the best solution. Something that I am bothered with by existing ANC is that they really couldn't ever run passively (bypass the built in DAC) and they rely solely on DSP, and that they don't work as well as AMTS in dealing with resonance.

When I tested Noire X in flight, I ended up wondering if I can have it all and have ANC to deal with subbass to low mid while relying on the competent isolation to keep out crying babies. (Honestly, the compact size of the NX make them competitive against other market competitors). Keep us posted when you have just the panacea lined up for us!

 

[mrspeakers]

I am very curious if ANC in conjunction with AMTS will yield the best solution. Something that I am bothered with by existing ANC is that they really couldn't ever run passively (bypass the built in DAC) and they rely solely on DSP, and that they don't work as well as AMTS in dealing with resonance.

When I tested Noire X in flight, I ended up wondering if I can have it all and have ANC to deal with subbass to low mid while relying on the competent isolation to keep out crying babies. Keep us posted when you have just the panacea lined up for us!

Interesting idea but planar headphones need more current/power and so batteries get pretty heavy and we haven't found a way to make this a viable pairing without switching to dynamic drivers, at which point it'd be a bit of a me-to product.

 

[panzerfan]

Interesting idea but planar headphones need more current/power and so batteries get pretty heavy and we haven't found a way to make this a viable pairing without switching to dynamic drivers, at which point it'd be a bit of a me-to product.

You have a great point. Solving the battery drain is going to be an issue, when even 30hr endurance is not really tenable given what needs to be powered.

FYI, what I have done to make the NX travel friendly is to use Qudelix-5x (2VRMS on 3.5mm) to drive them at moderate listening level. I have gotten Hirose to dual 3.5mm adapter and fitted the Meze boom mic (CTIA TRRS termination) to make the setup work. Qudelix-5k has a pass through mode that works with inline and built in mic.

 

[Ilomaenkimi]

Higher output impedance shouldn't change the sound per se. What it does do is cause output power to decrease.

If the amp has more power than you need this isn't a huge deal, but for amps with limited current and targeting 150 ohm headphones, for example, the loss can become a problem which would manifest as distortion.

In this instance you are losing about 5.2/12 = 43% of voltage output, meaning you get 57% of peak voltage available to the headphone. While it sounds like a lot, because the power function of decibels is that 3db = 2x the power, so in reality with P=.57*.57/R you are getting about 33% of peak power, which means about a total of ~4dB peak output is lost. In this case, I'm guessing you have the Atom, which has tons of power and you'll never run out.

The problem really manifests itself when you have higher output Z. I won't name names but a super spendy brand with super fashion-centric designs put out a "headphone amp" that had a 150ohm output! With an Aeon it was distorting at about 70dB because 95% of the power was being lost in the output stage.

Thank you for the really good info.
How about E3 with Atom? This does not mean that i'm planning to purchase E3 near future.
Is E3 much "harder case" vs Noire X?

 

[vo_obgyn]

I have been in the market for a new headphone amp, So, I auditioned the Noire X with the:
Chord Anni
Woo Audio WA6

Sounded okay with the Anni driven by the Chord Qutest. The volume maxed out at about 2:00. Turning up the volume didn't increase the perceived volume anymore.
With the WA 6, I needed to turn the volume almost to the max to get a decent volume. Sounded a bit closed in and lacked treble.

 

[mrspeakers]

Thank you for the really good info.
How about E3 with Atom? This does not mean that i'm planning to purchase E3 near future.
Is E3 much "harder case" vs Noire X?

Should be fine Atom has huge power, it's a speaker amp. I believe that power is all available from the headphone jack, but I am not positive and the specs don't indicate so you may want to verify with the manufacturer.

I have been in the market for a new headphone amp, So, I auditioned the Noire X with the:
Chord Anni
Woo Audio WA6

Sounded okay with the Anni driven by the Chord Qutest. The volume maxed out at about 2:00. Turning up the volume didn't increase the perceived volume anymore.
With the WA 6, I needed to turn the volume almost to the max to get a decent volume. Sounded a bit closed in and lacked treble.

Neither of these are good picks. We found the Anni sounded good but the gain settings were oddly low so high SPL was hard to achieve, which is odd because the TT2, Hugo 2, and Mojo 2 all work great.

The WA6 is not a good pairing, it sounds mushy. The WA5 and 33 are much nicer tube pairings, if that's your cup of tea.

If you auditioned at a retailer LMK what other gear they have and maybe we can make suggestions.

 

[vo_obgyn]

Should be fine Atom has huge power, it's a speaker amp. I believe that power is all available from the headphone jack, but I am not positive and the specs don't indicate so you may want to verify with the manufacturer.


Neither of these are good picks. We found the Anni sounded good but the gain settings were oddly low so high SPL was hard to achieve, which is odd because the TT2, Hugo 2, and Mojo 2 all work great.

The WA6 is not a good pairing, it sounds mushy. The WA5 and 33 are much nicer tube pairings, if that's your cup of tea.

If you auditioned at a retailer LMK what other gear they have and maybe we can make suggestions.

Thanks Dan.

I have a Chord Mojo 2/Poly and a Chord Hugo 2/2go and the NOIRE X sounds great on these units. I use the former Chord unit for mobile purposes and I currently use the latter Chord unit for bedside desktop duty with the NOIRE X.

The dealer had a RME ADI-2 DAC FS and a Chord Hugo TT2 which I didn't have a chance to audition.