[ctsooner22]

Funny as I went out to audition cans two weeks ago at a shop in NYC.  I heard nearly all the full size cans from Audeze, headfiman, Beyerdynamics, Sennheiser, Fostex etc..   Listened to single ended through the Woo amp/DAC.  
 
The Audez's sounded great but were not comfortable at all for the long haul. I had my Wizard blue swirl Savant's with me and honestly, they sounded GREAT and were right there with the LCD 3's. I liked them better in many ways other than bass.  I have decided to sell the Savants though as I know many like the look of the case (I think John said that mine are one of two in the blue swirl that he made) as well as the sound.  
 
I just noticed that they will be offering these via Massdrop, however I think I want to go up market with the new Kaiser or possibly the Katana's.  I just love the Noble gear and since I have the amp, I just need to get a custom cable that is very long and can be used with my Ayre QX5 Twenty DAC/headphone amp that uses the Pono balance cable.  
 
If these Massdrop IEM's are close to the Savant's, that's going to be a great value.  That said, I doubt that they will really come too close to the Savant's. More fun?  Maybe, but I have loved and still love the Savant's. I do want more bass, but not at the expense of what it does.  I hate so many home speakers because they are way too harsh on top, but the Savant's have given me no listener fatigue at all since I've owned them.  It's interesting to read this thread and see what the Noble voicing is doing.   They really are on the forefront of listening to what people want to buy. Smart business if you ask me and happy customers.

 

[bearFNF]

Is an amp needed for this? I plan o using this directly from my iPhone. Can I just plug it in?

I'm driving them with my note 3 now and they sound just fine.

 

[HiFiGuy528]

I hope there won't be any servers issues at checkout like with the HD6xx. I tried so... many times, but could not buy it.

 

[bearFNF]

+1 on this. It is only concern for me to jump on this IEM.

Recessed mids, that concerns me . Returned Pinnacle P1as I felt mids were recessed. Hope thats not the case here. 
tomscy2000: please comment on how they sound with vocal-centric music

For the question about vocals these do very well as far as I can hear with Lucinda Williams, Adele, Alison Krauss and Alanis Morissette. Very good placement of singer and background. Good positioning and separation.

 

[mashuto]

So I know there are only a few who have actually listened to these so far, but I keep telling myself I have spent enough this year on headphones, but then massdrop keeps coming up with these deals that sound practically too good to be true (jumped in on the 6XX drop even though I had already told myself I was finished with headphone purchases for the year).
 
So far my highest end ventures in the iem world are Mee Pinnacle P1's and trinity PM4's (which I am just getting a feel for now since they just showed up). Sound signatures aside, what would someone like me looking for or expect to really hear by getting these? Sound signature differences aside. I can certainly afford them, but having already dropped a decent amount of money on headphone gear recently, what makes these worth it? I know that might be a silly question or not the easiest to answer, but I have just never really stepped up to higher end gear than what I have now, so I dont know what to expect.
 
I would also be driving these either from my phone, a fiio e17k, or schitt magni 2 when at home since that is what I own now. Not really planning on making any other amp/dac/dap purchases.
 
But if I get these, this would really have to be the last damn purchase this year!

 

[AnnaMatronic]

Shure should partner with Massdrop to release the SEX IEM.

 

[KimbaWLion]

When I was at the last Phila, Head-fi meet I got to hear a lot of the Noble IEMs. No way I can afford to spend on a Kaiser or the new TOTL but as long as its close to the 4C seems like a no brainer to me... Seems just about doable even though I have already spend enough. It really is a good deal. I guess Noble wanted a huge cash infusion by offering up an amazing deal! I mean its going to be 4 months before we get to hear them for ourselves...

 

[bearFNF]

So, I have only had the samples for a few days now, thanks to Massdrop (Mike and Cee Tee) for sending me a pair to listen to BTW, but I thought I’d give my impressions.
 
First you must know that I don’t go for Universals that often, as I like the customs much better for fit and isolation. So take this for what it is.
 
I have been comparing the Noble X’s to my other IEM’s and CIEM’s using my phone and DAPS as listed:
Finder X1, Klipsch X10, UE7 Pro, 64Audio A10, Roxanne Ver. 1 and Ver. 2
Note 3, AK380, and QP1R
 
The packaging I got was pre-production so won’t comment on it.
 
The earpieces are very light and I did not find any issues with them wanting to fall out once I got the right tips on. (still like customs better, though)
 
The cable is nice and thin and very flexible, I wore them with my reading glasses and had no trouble getting the cables routed and staying where I put them.
They did not interfere with my glasses. The cable was flexible and did not fight me or try to twist like some cables do.
 
I do agree with Jude that the tips make a huge difference in sound. You have to find a set that fits well, for me it was the large single flanges that worked the best.
The large foams also worked well, but I had problems getting them in “just right”(as usual for uni’s and me).
Whereas with the flanged ones I could easily get them in place. I would typically use Comply tips for better seal on my other Uni’s.
 
The sound is very good, good separation and positioning. Lows are authoritative and full. Mids are clear, highs have good definition.
Might like a little more sparkle up top but not too much missing there. There do seem to be a few holes between low and mids and mids and highs.
 
The Noble seemed to synergize better with the QP1R than with the Ak380 for whatever reason.
The X1’s seemed to like the AK380 better. The others did care much which one they were playing from. I will let someone else dig into this.
 
The Noble X pretty much destroyed the UE7pro and the Finder X1’s, IMO. Won't even bother with the X10 compare...

The UE7 are articulate and clear but don’t have the low end, the x1’s are bassy and the bass is boomy and muddy to my ears (stock filters) and the highs are MEH.  
The Noble are very articulate and well controlled compared to these two. They also have a more even sound.
 
The A10 and the Roxannes are, to me, more full range (filling in those holes I mentioned) which is to be expected, I would say the Noble X are closer to the A10 than the Roxannes.
Where the Noble X and A10 are more centrally focused, that is to say toward the center of the head, in the soundstage, the Roxanne are spread wider (outside the head) and ?flatter?.
The Noble soundstage is ear to ear width like the A10 and have good left right positioning, but that as far as they go. Compared to the Roxanne’s more layered and defined and much larger stage.
Hope this makes sense.
 
I said earlier that there are some holes, but the more I listen the less important those holes become.
What the Noble X do, they do very well.
 
At this price point they are a very appealing option for those looking for Universal’s. IMO YMMV.
Hope this helps, let me know if there are any questions.

 

[fuhransahis]

  So, I have only had the samples for a few days now, thanks to Massdrop (Mike and Cee Tee) for sending me a pair to listen to BTW, but I thought I’d give my impressions.
 
First you must know that I don’t go for Universals that often, as I like the customs much better for fit and isolation. So take this for what it is.
 
I have been comparing the Noble X’s to my other IEM’s and CIEM’s using my phone and DAPS as listed:
Finder X1, Klipsch X10, UE7 Pro, 64Audio A10, Roxanne Ver. 1 and Ver. 2
Note 3, AK380, and QP1R
 
The packaging I got was pre-production so won’t comment on it.
 
The earpieces are very light and I did not find any issues with them wanting to fall out once I got the right tips on. (still like customs better, though)
 
The cable is nice and thin and very flexible, I wore them with my reading glasses and had no trouble getting the cables routed and staying where I put them.
They did not interfere with my glasses. The cable was flexible and did not fight me or try to twist like some cables do.
 
I do agree with Jude that the tips make a huge difference in sound. You have to find a set that fits well, for me it was the large single flanges that worked the best.
The large foams also worked well, but I had problems getting them in “just right”(as usual for uni’s and me).
Whereas with the flanged ones I could easily get them in place. I would typically use Comply tips for better seal on my other Uni’s.
 
The sound is very good, good separation and positioning. Lows are authoritative and full. Mids are clear, highs have good definition.
Might like a little more sparkle up top but not too much missing there. There do seem to be a few holes between low and mids and mids and highs.
 
The Noble seemed to synergize better with the QP1R than with the Ak380 for whatever reason.
The X1’s seemed to like the AK380 better. The others did care much which one they were playing from. I will let someone else dig into this.
 
The Noble X pretty much destroyed the UE7pro and the Finder X1’s, IMO. Won't even bother with the X10 compare...

The UE7 are articulate and clear but don’t have the low end, the x1’s are bassy and the bass is boomy and muddy to my ears (stock filters) and the highs are MEH.  
The Noble are very articulate and well controlled compared to these two. They also have a more even sound.
 
The A10 and the Roxannes are, to me, more full range (filling in those holes I mentioned) which is to be expected, I would say the Noble X are closer to the A10 than the Roxannes.
Where the Noble X and A10 are more centrally focused, that is to say toward the center of the head, in the soundstage, the Roxanne are spread wider (outside the head) and ?flatter?.
The Noble soundstage is ear to ear width like the A10 and have good left right positioning, but that as far as they go. Compared to the Roxanne’s more layered and defined and much larger stage.
Hope this makes sense.
 
I said earlier that there are some holes, but the more I listen the less important those holes become.
What the Noble X do, they do very well.
 
At this price point they are a very appealing option for those looking for Universal’s. IMO YMMV.
Hope this helps, let me know if there are any questions.

Thanks for this.
 
In the end you end up comparing these to the A10 and Roxannes... which cost nearly 9x more than the Noble X. I think that in and of itself says a lot about the quality of the Noble X, no?
 
Can you think of another iem in the price range of the Noble X that might be better? Or perhaps compare the Noble X to the Savant (or Sage) or other Noble iems?
 
Otherwise it seems like an insane value if you're comparing them with $1,800 iems (which may hopefully be the case!).

 

[bearFNF]

  Thanks for this.
 
In the end you end up comparing these to the A10 and Roxannes... which cost nearly 9x more than the Noble X. I think that in and of itself says a lot about the quality of the Noble X, no?
 
Can you think of another iem in the price range of the Noble X that might be better? Or perhaps compare the Noble X to the Savant (or Sage) or other Noble iems?
 
Otherwise it seems like an insane value if you're comparing them with $1,800 iems (which may hopefully be the case!).

Yes, they are impressive, to me, for the price.
 
Unfortunately, I don't have any other IEM's in this range anymore besides what I referenced in my post.
The RHA T20i, I won at CanJam, I gave to a friend at work (sorry RHA, he will get better use out of them then I will).
The last time I listened to a set of T20's was too long ago to give a good comparison.
I also just gave my Klipsch X10's to another friend at work. Spreading the addiction...muwah hah hah...

The last time I listened to other Noble products was too long ago to give good/fair comparisons.
Although, I did like the K10's as I remember, but not enough to replace my Roxannes at the time.
 
Like I said, I think it is a very appealing product at this price point for someone looking for a universal.

 

[goodvibes]

Great perspective. Thanks.
I never rely on just measurements for evaluation. That UE7 measures great and doesn't seem to be a fav of anyone.

 

[astromaddie]

  Funny as I went out to audition cans two weeks ago at a shop in NYC.  I heard nearly all the full size cans from Audeze, headfiman, Beyerdynamics, Sennheiser, Fostex etc..   Listened to single ended through the Woo amp/DAC.  
 
The Audez's sounded great but were not comfortable at all for the long haul. I had my Wizard blue swirl Savant's with me and honestly, they sounded GREAT and were right there with the LCD 3's. I liked them better in many ways other than bass.  I have decided to sell the Savants though as I know many like the look of the case (I think John said that mine are one of two in the blue swirl that he made) as well as the sound.  
 
I just noticed that they will be offering these via Massdrop, however I think I want to go up market with the new Kaiser or possibly the Katana's.  I just love the Noble gear and since I have the amp, I just need to get a custom cable that is very long and can be used with my Ayre QX5 Twenty DAC/headphone amp that uses the Pono balance cable.  
 
If these Massdrop IEM's are close to the Savant's, that's going to be a great value.  That said, I doubt that they will really come too close to the Savant's. More fun?  Maybe, but I have loved and still love the Savant's. I do want more bass, but not at the expense of what it does.  I hate so many home speakers because they are way too harsh on top, but the Savant's have given me no listener fatigue at all since I've owned them.  It's interesting to read this thread and see what the Noble voicing is doing.   They really are on the forefront of listening to what people want to buy. Smart business if you ask me and happy customers.

Just curious, since I recently moved to NYC... which shop? I'd love to audition a variety of headphones!

 

[Scorpion667]

From reading the OP, it appears this massive shell houses just two BA drivers? Am I missing something?
 
Not that there's anything wrong with two BA drivers, or with having a massive shell. It's just odd that those attributes coexist in this product.
 
[EDIT] Nvm, saw the price. Compromises had to be made, can't really complain at what you're getting for the price.

 

[FullCircle]

  From reading the OP, it appears this massive shell houses just two BA drivers? Am I missing something?
 
Not that there's anything wrong with two BA drivers, or with having a massive shell. It's just odd that those attributes coexist in this product.

 
 
A -   The Savants had the same housing
 
B -  The Sage has the same housing
 
C -  Time wise, there is not enough time to
 
       1 - Design a new housing
       2 - Proof out a new housing (SLA rapid prototype)
       3 - CNC a new mold used for injection molding
       4 - Test the new mold
 
       A process that can take anywhere from 3 months to 6 months or even more depending on the complexity.
 
D -  From a costs perspective, if MassDrop would have requested a new housing design, the retail price of the Noble X would have been significantly higher
 
E - Brand recognition/association - if you know Noble, you know that housing is a Noble product
 
 
 
Agree or not, those are some of the reasons why the Noble X uses the standard classic housing that is used throughout the Noble Classic line.

 

[Scorpion667]

   
 
A -   The Savants had the same housing
 
B -  The Sage has the same housing
 
C -  Time wise, there is not enough time to
 
       1 - Design a new housing
       2 - Proof out a new housing (SLA rapid prototype)
       3 - CNC a new mold used for injection molding
       4 - Test the new mold
 
       A process that can take anywhere from 3 months to 6 months or even more depending on the complexity.
 
D -  From a costs perspective, if MassDrop would have requested a new housing design, the retail price of the Noble X would have been significantly higher
 
E - Brand recognition/association - if you know Noble, you know that housing is a Noble product
 
 
 
Agree or not, those are some of the reasons why the Noble X uses the standard classic housing that is used throughout the Noble Classic line.

I had made the comment prior to seeing the impressive price - I stand corrected. Thank you for the clarification as well