[Danz03]

I literally just did an A to B test with the K10U and Katana today, my K10U sounded bass light compared to the Katana, was told the Katana had been burnt in for around 100 hours. To me, the sound signature of my K10U is very similar to my LCD-X/Mr Speakers Ether/Genelec monitors, that's why I've been sticking to them when I work. BTW, I have a pair of ER4 and personally I don't find them reference sounding at all, there was no bass whatsoever; but then I really couldn't get them as far inside my ears as how some ppl could, they are too painful to use, maybe I have unusually small ear canals. :-S
 
Quote:

IMHO the Katana is tuned way more towards reference style than the K10 (relatively speaking),but yes Katana is by all means not neutral like ER4 at all. Bass is lifted for sure but nowhere near as much as the K10U

 

[Fr_eak]

interesting you find the K10U sounds bass light relative to the Katana. I definitely find it the other way round, and probably for a lot more people as well according to the othr Noble main thread.

 

[warrior1975]

Perhaps you didn't have a good seal with the K10? From everything I've read its the other way around. I don't think that's a subjective thing either.

 

[Rowethren]

That does seem very odd and counter to basically everyone else. I own a set of K10 CIEMs and demoed the Katana and I found the K10 to have significantly more bass. I think it must be like the above said, some kind of fit problem, perhaps due to the fact that the K10s are a fair bit bigger than the Katana? Everyone is different though so who knows 

 

[darinf]

I literally just did an A to B test with the K10U and Katana today, my K10U sounded bass light compared to the Katana, was told the Katana had been burnt in for around 100 hours. To me, the sound signature of my K10U is very similar to my LCD-X/Mr Speakers Ether/Genelec monitors, that's why I've been sticking to them when I work. BTW, I have a pair of ER4 and personally I don't find them reference sounding at all, there was no bass whatsoever; but then I really couldn't get them as far inside my ears as how some ppl could, they are too painful to use, maybe I have unusually small ear canals. :-S

I'll add another data point...
When I compared the Katana to the K10, I felt the same as others here. K10 has more bass than Katana.
 
I do agree that the ER4 has no bass. But the mids and highs are pretty good. But without the bass, it's hard to listen to if you have other options available like the Katana's. Can't wait to get mine...

 

[EagleWings]

Noble Katana vs Rhapsodio Galaxy
 
- Both are neutral reference type IEMs. But both sound very different than similar. One of the reasons is that Galaxy is a single Dynamic Driver IEM, while the Noble is 9 x BA driver IEM.
- Galaxy is a smidge better in terms of technical capabilities such as resolution, transparency, details retrieval and imaging. These are some of the strengths of the Galaxy .
- Both have excellent speed, PRaT and dynamics. But Galaxy has better ADSR for the most part, and but not by a huge margin.
- Katana provides a better sense of soundstage space with good amount of width, depth and height. Galaxy is wide but lacks depth and height. Katana’s presentation is also more airy, compared to the presentation of the Galaxy. Separation is on the same level, but the depth in the soundstage helps with better layering on the Katana.
- Tonal balance is one of the flaws of the Galaxy. It has amazing bass and bright treble and between these 2 sits the humble mids, which sometimes come off as a slight ‘U’ shaped tuning. Katana has better tonal balance throughout its frequency.
- Bass is slightly north of neutral on both IEMs. Galaxy with its DD has an authoritative bass with excellent decay. Katana’s bass is quick, sharp and clean.
- Galaxy’s mids are not so full-bodied and placed slightly behind. The mids on the Katana is neutral with lush body and neutral placement (may be just a hair front of neutral that works as an advantage for vocals).
- The treble can be a matter of choice. Both have bright, airy, sparkly treble. Katana’s treble is lighter while Galaxy’s treble is slightly brighter and has more weight.
- Because of the bright treble and high level of transparency and resolution, Galaxy is not so forgiving and can get harsh. Katana in comparison is bit more relaxed.
- Galaxy also requires a powerful source to be driven well. Katana plays just fine even out of a smartphone.
- Galaxy is the best at many aspects but, does not do so well in some aspects. It is like out of ten aspects, it scores A+ or A in 7 aspects and a B or B- in the remaining 3 aspects. While Katana has consistency with an A or A- in all 10 aspects.
- Because of this, Katana is an easy recommendation. But, if what you are after is something, that is listed in the Galaxy’s strengths or Dynamic Driver bass, it’s hard to beat the Galaxy.

 

[FullCircle]

And the physical build / materials / finish etc?

 

[EagleWings]

Well, once we start taking that into account, we also need to start considering the price into the equation. But if you must know, this is what I wrote in the other thread:
 

Katana universal IEM is a piece of art. Masterfully designed and crafted. The photos don't do justice.

 

Katana is simply the best universal IEM I have seen, in terms of build, materials and finish. Galaxy has an excellent build, and a functional design. But it doesn't have much of an aesthetic factor, unless you are like me who has a love for simple designs. Katana is also lighter while Galaxy has that quality heft. 
 
Katana is a beautifully crafted Katana.. Galaxy is a rugged Battle-Axe.

 

[LCeh]

Thanks for the comparison Eagle. I was very interested in both the Katana and Galaxy, but the universal version of the galaxy fitted me better so I went with that. Glad they seem to be on a similar level of performance.

 

[Ngoliath]

Just got my custom Katana's today. Looking forward to running them through the paces, but my initial impression is that they are very impressive. Certainly the best in ears I have heard! Musically balanced with just the right mix of bass. Mids are clear and highs are not fatiguing. The designs are works of art. I love the design the Wizard gave me!

 

[FullCircle]

Just got my custom Katana's today. Looking forward to running them through the paces, but my initial impression is that they are very impressive. Certainly the best in ears I have heard! Musically balanced with just the right mix of bass. Mids are clear and highs are not fatiguing. The designs are works of art. I love the design the Wizard gave me!

Thanks for sharing

Enjoy

 

[Fr_eak]

Just got my custom Katana's today. Looking forward to running them through the paces, but my initial impression is that they are very impressive. Certainly the best in ears I have heard! Musically balanced with just the right mix of bass. Mids are clear and highs are not fatiguing. The designs are works of art. I love the design the Wizard gave me!

Did you have a chance to listen to the universal version before and if so, is it possible you could share some thoughts on whether they sound similar or not? Cheers

 

[Danz03]

That's interesting, maybe because mine were the old original black version or mine were just the odd one out? (I remember not liking them so much when I demoed them when they first came out and thought they were dark sounding) Mine definitely have very good seal, I mean the bass is nowhere light, just sounded bass light when compared to the Katana (bass response is similar to my SE846, maybe even very slightly fuller sounding). I was using my K10U with plusSound gold plated Hybrid balanced cable with my AK240. With the default unbalanced cable, the Katana sounded even more bass heavy in comparison. After swapping to the plusSound balanced cable, the Katana sounded more balanced but still sounded slightly bass heavy to me, and the treble was not as bright as my K10U. Some ppl would call that nice and warm sounding but I still prefer my somewhat balanced sounding K10U; as the sound signature is quite consistent with my other gears. Maybe I should do an A/B test with the new K10U in the shop too.
 
Quote:

interesting you find the K10U sounds bass light relative to the Katana. I definitely find it the other way round, and probably for a lot more people as well according to the othr Noble main thread.

 

[Sasaki]

Japan Noble distributor Wagnus Kume-san provided me some of his cables(Frosty Sheep Mastering edition/Emotional edition, #3 cable)
I write up Katana with Wagnus cable review here.(Japanese text)
http://vaiopocket.seesaa.net/article/442816560.html


Frosty Sheep mastering edition

In short, The Frosty Sheep Mastering edition is a great Monitor for music producer or engineer, that deliver stunning detail and neutral flat
frequency response. I felt the Frosty Sheep sounded like a director seat of a dress rehearsal at the center of music hole by comparison to stock
cable. I feel the stock cable is more close to the stage.
The Emotional edition is almost same character but it is more energized version that delivers more bass and a touch of warmer sound. This is
good for Rock and Electro.

The #3 cable is not named yet and Kume-san developed the cable for Katana. That is something similar to stock cable that is also close to the
stage. However the sound of #3 is a step beyond of the stock cable more transparent, wider rage and more details. A good cable for step up from
stock configuration.

 

[Danz03]

I tried out some tests with the aluminiium K10 and Katana again today, apparently the aluminum K10 do sound quite different to my black K10, it has higher sensitivity, louder by around 4/5 dB and with more bass and sub bass frequencies, so the Katana actually sounds more similar to my K10 but with lower bass extension and much higher sensativity. Like I said before, the Katana does sound a little nicer in comparison, with a warmer and fuller sound signature. Think I'd do some comparisons with MrSpeakers Ether before deciding if I should get them.