Noble Audio - the Wizard returns!
Sep 2, 2016 at 8:44 AM Post #21,811 of 35,958
Judging from my experience with K10 SLA, i would say AVOID SLA from Noble if possible, be patient and spend a little more for the proper piece that is made in China. 
Since i just wanted a clear shell, the 2 weeks build time of the SLA units was really tempting for me. Ordered in mid May, got the piece after 6 weeks NOT 2 weeks. I understand they were probably busy and custom products takes time, but it only got worse after i finally receive the piece.

The drivers in the unit were wrapped around with some kind of tape, looks like SLA team forgot to remove them after the assembly. Although it does not affect SQ, that is certainly not the custom earpiece which i paid over £1000 for. Brannan agreed to take them back to remove the tapes, and estimated 2 weeks wait time, guess what, I waited another 6 weeks. Apparently Noble had to make new pieces for me as removing the tape wasn't possible, but REALLY? 6 weeks? what happened to 2 weeks lead time advertised online? 

Despite the wait, i'm still happy to receive my piece without the ugly tape finally in Mid August. However, it's literally shocking to find the new unit to be FAULTY after all. The right chanel is clearly muffled and quieter compares to the left one. My Audiologist also confirmed the defect and sent them back AGAIN. I find it really hard to believe that a company with such reputation like Noble does not test their products before shipping. 2 weeks since, i still havent got an response on what they going to do with my piece.
i appreciate your input but i would like to hear what more ppl say and do more research. No company is perfect and i just cant judge based on one experience. I have heard ppl that have had problems with the acrylic also. Sometimes you win sometimes you lose.
 
Sep 2, 2016 at 10:59 AM Post #21,812 of 35,958
As an audiologist, I'm curious to know what testing equipment the audiologist had in their office to test the out put of a ciem? It would be like taking a Mercedes to a dentist office for a diagnosis of an error code

In the 8 years of academic training that audiologist go through, ciem diagnostics isn't in the curriculum

This is not to discount a 6 week turn around time, I'd like to see improvements in that area, or change the stated build times if the lab is having difficulty meeting the build time goals.
 
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Sep 2, 2016 at 11:05 AM Post #21,813 of 35,958
Judging from my experience with K10 SLA, i would say AVOID SLA from Noble if possible, be patient and spend a little more for the proper piece that is made in China. 
Since i just wanted a clear shell, the 2 weeks build time of the SLA units was really tempting for me. Ordered in mid May, got the piece after 6 weeks NOT 2 weeks. I understand they were probably busy and custom products takes time, but it only got worse after i finally receive the piece.

The drivers in the unit were wrapped around with some kind of tape, looks like SLA team forgot to remove them after the assembly. Although it does not affect SQ, that is certainly not the custom earpiece which i paid over £1000 for. Brannan agreed to take them back to remove the tapes, and estimated 2 weeks wait time, guess what, I waited another 6 weeks. Apparently Noble had to make new pieces for me as removing the tape wasn't possible, but REALLY? 6 weeks? what happened to 2 weeks lead time advertised online? 

Despite the wait, i'm still happy to receive my piece without the ugly tape finally in Mid August. However, it's literally shocking to find the new unit to be FAULTY after all. The right chanel is clearly muffled and quieter compares to the left one. My Audiologist also confirmed the defect and sent them back AGAIN. I find it really hard to believe that a company with such reputation like Noble does not test their products before shipping. 2 weeks since, i still havent got an response on what they going to do with my piece.


The funny thing is that I so liked the look of the clear IEM with the the tape on the drivers that, when I ordered my Katana's, I requested that specific design. They informed me that they could not do it with the tape on the drivers so I ended up just getting a clear design with the non-taped drivers.
 
Sep 2, 2016 at 11:14 AM Post #21,814 of 35,958
The funny thing is that I so liked the look of the clear IEM with the the tape on the drivers that, when I ordered my Katana's, I requested that specific design. They informed me that they could not do it with the tape on the drivers so I ended up just getting a clear design with the non-taped drivers.
so you are satisfied whith the sla in all areas? Did you have extended wait time with yours?
 
Sep 2, 2016 at 11:14 AM Post #21,815 of 35,958
Well that rules k10 out for me, I was seriously considering the SLA, thank you for sharing


Those are many many weeks for that type of money.

That lowers perceived value


Having ordered three custom IEMs, two universals, and one reshell from Noble, I can tell you from my experience that, while they are not perfect, they are definitely in the top tier of companies in this industry I have dealt with as far as customer service. Every company will have such failures from time to time and those who go through a bad experience are more likely to be vocal than those who have a smooth experience and so your decision as to whether to deal with a company should not be based on one anecdotal experience.
 
Sep 2, 2016 at 11:34 AM Post #21,817 of 35,958
Having ordered three custom IEMs, two universals, and one reshell from Noble, I can tell you from my experience that, while they are not perfect, they are definitely in the top tier of companies in this industry I have dealt with as far as customer service. Every company will have such failures from time to time and those who go through a bad experience are more likely to be vocal than those who have a smooth experience and so your decision as to whether to deal with a company should not be based on one anecdotal experience.


I agree, i bought a used pair of k10's for reshell. They messed up the design/color that I was very specific about.

They redid them before shipping within 1week, and I'm very happy with the look!

Every company has bad days, don't you?

This is not even open for argument as far as I'm concerned. The question is..... how does the company resolve the "bad day"!?

Noble (Brannan) stepped up, fixed the problem and did it quickly and professionally.

That speaks volumes for me.
 
Sep 2, 2016 at 11:38 AM Post #21,818 of 35,958
I actually got the regular custom, not the SLA, because their labs in China had my impressions on file from my prior orders. I received it in less than half the expected time.
you are exactly right. You cant judge them on one experience. No company is perfect. From what i have gathered it seems like for every bad review from someone their 100 good ones. One person with a bad experience doesnt bother me. I have heard good things about sla too. Im definitely going with the k10's regardless of a bad experience. I want sla so ill get them faster although if they take forever i will be disappointed because im mainly getting sla because it says you get them much sooner than acrylic. Its not about the money. I would love a beautiful design so if it takes longer with the sla it wilk make me feel like i should have just gotten a bad ass design. Hopefully i will get lucky like you and get the quick as possible.
 
Sep 2, 2016 at 12:17 PM Post #21,820 of 35,958
If u place a sla purchase through a dealer make sure they ship the impressions asap as this has been a bottle neck in the past.

We will try our best to get them but as soon as possible
will do! I am saving up right now. Im hoping to order them in the next month and a half so im already impatient. Im planning on doing everything i can to get them as quick as possible ill be sure to get them sent off asap after i get them done. Thx for the advice!
 
Sep 2, 2016 at 12:30 PM Post #21,821 of 35,958
As an audiologist, I'm curious to know what testing equipment the audiologist had in their office to test the out put of a ciem? It would be like taking a Mercedes to a dentist office for a diagnosis of an error code

In the 8 years of academic training that audiologist go through, ciem diagnostics isn't in the curriculum

This is not to discount a 6 week turn around time, I'd like to see improvements in that area, or change the stated build times if the lab is having difficulty meeting the build time goals.


I firstly noticed the issue because the faulty unit was very different sounding from the first K10 i received. It had little to none bass weight, slight veiled and most importantly the Vocal is always singing around my left eye, when it suppose to be dead centre.  
 
My Audiologist/dealer did not have any fancy equipment, nor it's needed. It's like taking a  crooked Mercedes to an experienced driver and see if he/she can tell there is something wrong with it. If you take off the chestpiece of a Stethoscope, that tube fit around the firing port perfectly. Wear the Stethoscope, then switching between left and right channel. It is very easy to discern the imbalance in this case as  both ears are engaged for one channel. 
 
Sep 2, 2016 at 1:23 PM Post #21,822 of 35,958
you are exactly right. You cant judge them on one experience. No company is perfect. From what i have gathered it seems like for every bad review from someone their 100 good ones. One person with a bad experience doesnt bother me. I have heard good things about sla too. Im definitely going with the k10's regardless of a bad experience. I want sla so ill get them faster although if they take forever i will be disappointed because im mainly getting sla because it says you get them much sooner than acrylic. Its not about the money. I would love a beautiful design so if it takes longer with the sla it wilk make me feel like i should have just gotten a bad ass design. Hopefully i will get lucky like you and get the quick as possible.

I would suffer the wait for a nice design. Otherwise you are missing out on a big part of Noble's USP. You will have your K10's for many years and will forget the wait as soon as they arrive. :)
 
Sep 2, 2016 at 3:26 PM Post #21,823 of 35,958
I would suffer the wait for a nice design. Otherwise you are missing out on a big part of Noble's USP. You will have your K10's for many years and will forget the wait as soon as they arrive.
smily_headphones1.gif

Me too, and as @bangkokkid will confirm, I have the patience of a 3 year old. 
 
You'll be keeping them for a loooooooong time, and the acrylic art works are worth the wait.I still spend a couple of minutes every day just looking at these babies when I take them out of their case in the morning.
 

 

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