@Seph Haley
AQ Nighthawks are a totally different beast aren't they? I'm picking up a pair of these NobleX to get the wife into IEMs and have another for myself. I have Audio Technica over the ears, and in the past have had John's 4-driver CIEMs and the Savant. My current listening is with the AT, which when amped is decent, and quite resolving, but doesn't get close to the level of isolation and intimate listening the Moulton products did. Not to mention the convenience of IEMs -- you can wear them all day and drive them from your phone (or the Noble BTS for preference!).
I don't get these arguments about driver count. Back in the day, I had the MEE, the Altec iM716 and the Superfi.3 (arguably it was the latter that started the driver count race) and really the biggest difference is probably seal, and customs are unmatched in that regard. At the moment I am probably limited more by my DAC than the number of BA drivers I have in my ears.
As regards the rest of this discussion -- if people are dropping out because they can't afford it, sure, do that. But buying a set of these is basically about choosing a brand. Do you want a Ferrari or are you happy with a Lexus? Unless you have deep experience with Ferraris, it probably doesn't matter which one your 'starter Ferrari' is -- as long as it suits your usage pattern, the exact number of cylinders or what-have-you is not relevant. A Ferrari is a Ferrari no matter what the model number. Now, you might prefer another brand, sure. But some people would choose a Nissan GTR because it gives you 'the same cylinders as a Ferrari at a fraction of the price'. I think that's dumb, but if that makes them happy, then so be it! Just spare us your justifications in the Noble X preview thread.
Also, as a final parting shot, I thought the reviews were very poor. Nobles look great and sound great, period. All this angst about value is nonsense. The asking price to have a Noble has just been halved. Get on the train or don't complain! After futzing about with various IEMs I finally bit the bullet and got a custom 4-BA made by Moulton back in the day. Other than slight fit issues I had no complaints. In retrospect I should have just bought those instead of wasting my money on 'halfway products'. When I add up what I spent on halfway products, both here and in fountain pens, which I collect, I realize it's just been a waste of money. With the X you are likely to recover your initial investment and put it towards a custom, and that's the most satisfying outcome you could have.