[darinf]

Here's an excerpt from what I posted on another forum:
 

Thanks to Brannan, I just received a pair of Massdrop Noble X's.
I just started listening a few minutes ago, but I wasn't expecting much at this price. (I have been listening to the entire Noble line over the weekend.)
But, I am amazed at how good these sound! They seriously remind me of my K10C (1st gen). They are darker than the K10C's and missing some of the top octave, but they still have lots of detail. The bass is pretty strong considering it's only to BA drivers. I am not sure how they get that much bass out of them, but it's quite good.

The sound signature will probably make all recordings sound good since the highs are tame and forgiving with bad recordings. I am guessing that's by design so that there's no sense of harshness or sibilance no matter what you listen to. This makes sense if they're trying to please the largest group of people possible.

Overall, they sound great and I could listen to these all day long and be happy.

 
Also FWIW, I don't think X's sound anything like the Savant (1sy gen all plastic shell) or the Sage. I think they are almost opposites to some extent. I have both Savant and Sage and compared them to the X's side by side. In my opinion, the X's have a very different sound signature. The X's are darkish and the Savant and Sage have boosted highs. The X's have more bass by comparison. The Savants and Sage's are sharp and can be unforgiving on poorly recorded music. I guess everyone's ears are different...
 
-Darin

 

[Mtlhd]

thanks for the review @jude really appreciate it.  I joined the drop without any knowledge apart from they are Nobles at a good price.  i had the chance to listen to some Savant's at minidisc in Sydney last friday & while happy with those I am really looking forward to the X's landing.  i am a basshead looking for some balance and neutrality.......but only sometimes 

 

[TexasBuck]

I'm starting to get the impression that the Noble X might be a pre-fazor Audeze LCD-2 IEM equivalent sound signature?   I know it's hard to compare a full size headphone to an IEM but the polite highs, rich mids and elevated bass are sounding familiar to me.  (And that's a good thing)

 

[darinf]

  I'm starting to get the impression that the Noble X might be a pre-fazor Audeze LCD-2 IEM equivalent sound signature?   I know it's hard to compare a full size headphone to an IEM but the polite highs, rich mids and elevated bass are sounding familiar to me.  (And that's a good thing)

I actually just heard a new pair of LCD 2's this past Sat at the San Diego Head-Fi meet. Of course these were Fazor, latest version.
 
I don't remember what the pre-fazor LCD-2's sounded like. It's been a long time.
 
But I suppose you could characterize the X's as in the same vein as the LCD 2 or Audeze house sound. However, it's hard to expect a BA driver to have the same bass slam as a full size planar. Without comparing side-by-side, my recollection is that the current LCD 2's were brighter and harder hitting in the bass than the X's  I wouldn't consider the X's having elevated bass at all. I just meant that they had a lot of bass for a 2 BA IEM. The bass on the X's is good, but not a bass head IEM at all.

 

[FullCircle]

Cheers on that as well, I wouldn't consider the noble x as a bass head paradise universal either.  While it is present, more so than the Savant, it isn't a basshead dream product.

 

[WCDchee]

I would not call the savants dark earphone. Slightly warm and smooth yes but not dark.

I think it is an overall very balanced sounding earphone, that while smooth, retains good extension. It's a lovely earphone and definitely great value.

On one hand, it's rich enough to give that slightly romantic feel with vocal tracks and on the other hand it's clean enough to sound good on big classical tracks. The added bass presence and extension vs the savant also helps a lot with the scale of the sound on big orchestral setups.

Cheers
Douglas

 

[amature101]

  Cheers on that as well, I wouldn't consider the noble x as a bass head paradise universal either.  While it is present, more so than the Savant, it isn't a basshead dream product.

hi, can you share more on the bass. Is it near shure846 or jvc850 level?

 

[FullCircle]

  hi, can you share more on the bass. Is it near shure846 or jvc850 level?

 
It was maybe 3 years ago, when I heard the SE846.   To be honest my memory isn't clear on that product, regarding the bass.
 
I was impressed with the build quality, housing, shape, size, cable, socket....     That being said, I think the SE846 known talent is in the bass department, so I think would be safe to say that the Noble X is not at the same level of the SE846 in bass performance. (neither is the price, driver count count etc)   

 

[amature101]

   
It was maybe 3 years ago, when I heard the SE846.   To be honest my memory isn't clear on that product, regarding the bass.
 
I was impressed with the build quality, housing, shape, size, cable, socket....     That being said, I think the SE846 known talent is in the bass department, so I think would be safe to say that the Noble X is not at the same level of the SE846 in bass performance. (neither is the price, driver count count etc)   

yea, yea 846 really had distinct bass haha. Is Noble x bass at least 65% of it?

 

[FullCircle]

yea, yea 846 really had distinct bass haha. Is Noble x bass at least 65% of it?

3 years ago, i dont think i could deliver any type of an honest answer

 

[WCDchee]

yea, yea 846 really had distinct bass haha. Is Noble x bass at least 65% of it?

Very different products my Friend, the 846 to my ears were designed for one thing, bass, something they managed to do quite extraordinarily for a BA earphone.

I think they are rather different. The X has a fullness in the lower midrange giving it the full, musical sound, not quite the same as the big bass of the 846.

The X is NOT a bassy earphone. It is very balanced, slightly on the fuller and smoother side but still well extended on both ends.

 

[amature101]

i see, thanks for all the input =)

 

[amature101]

3 years ago, i dont think i could deliver any type of an honest answer

Hi, been thinking for a while and i really like the design. Could you share with me which sound sig sound the closest to Noble X among the others noble?

 

[FullCircle]

  Hi, been thinking for a while and i really like the design. Could you share with me which sound sig sound the closest to Noble X among the others noble?

 
 
Savant / Sage  more leaning toward the Sage.

 

[lac013]

First time posting.... after the HDxx drop i miszsed, i found headfi and heard about these so signed up immediately. How do so many people have these in hand already? For that matter, how does it seem so many people do reviews for products not released yet?