[Kunlun]

All I can say is (no, really, this is all I can say!): You'll be glad you waited!

 

[Don Lehrer]

To me payment is. And explaining to your wife why the kids are keeping last year's shoes.

I fell you bro, I like to try these but my lady is getting to annoying about to much in to little time. I´m preparing her for my christmas gift jejeje

 

[hejjafish]

I'm wondering if the new universals will share the design of the demo units?

 

[Gryphus0204]

Anyone knows how the 3C compares to the 4C? Or even to the 1964 V3? I'm hoping to get either the 3C or V3 for my next IEM, as an upgrade for my GR07. I really love the detail and clarity of the Gr07, will the 3C give me somethig better?

 

[FullCircle]

I'm wondering if the new universals will share the design of the demo units?

 

  I fell you bro, I like to try these but my lady is getting to annoying about to much in to little time. I´m preparing her for my christmas gift jejeje

 

  Damnit universal! Come out already! Can't hold on to my $$ any longer!! 

 
As an MOT I really can't announce anything (forum rules) so I thought I would cover the topic of 100% hand made IEMs.
 
100% Hand Made IEMs
 
Hand made IEM, the concept initially sounds like a good idea as technically Noble could build them right now, but in practice it is a poor idea as hand made IEMs come with a basket of issues.
 

1. Time - an experienced technician, can build maybe 2 sets a day, including QC, engrave work, packaging, records/paper work etc
2. Failure rate - The failure rate is high, as the shells are pretty compact, and it is not uncommon to have the liquid resin enter into the vents of the drivers. (some drivers are vented/ported)    Failure can also be due to the glues "gassing" while drying. A lot of glues produce a gas when drying, and this gas can inter into the drivers (via the vents) and ruin the drivers
3. Color matching - Color is mixed for every batch of shells made, due to this, each batch rarely has matching shell colors. This can lead to a major problem down the road, if a repair is required, as every shell is essentially "one off" in color. What this can lead to is if the left shell is broken, then in order to color match the IEMs, one should actually re-build both IEMs.  This leads to long repair waits and high repair fees, as in order to repair a broken shell, one would need to spend at least 5 hrs on such a repair. In other words, a day is spent on a repair, so repair fees are costly.
4. Often times with a 100% hand made IEM, the canal ear tip portion is not uniformed, leading to awkward appearances and even ear tips that slide off too easily
5. Speed - While building 2 sets of IEMs is technically much faster than CIEM builds, it is difficult to maintain stock and satisfy demands. It should be understood, that distributors stock IEMs, they are not purchased individually. It is not uncommon to receive order for 30+ units. (over 2 months of work for a small team)  Trying to satisfy distributors and direct customers can become very difficult.

 
Solution:
 
 Pre-manufactured shells, the use of pre-manufactured shells offer:
 

• Uniformed canal ear tips
• Decreased Assembly time
• Uniformed build results
• Less failure rates due to the extensive use of glues and resins
• faster and less expensive repairs (if required)
• No color matching issues
• Offer faster scaling

 
Draw Back to Pre-manufactured shells:
 

• Initial start up is a long drawn out process
• costly investment
• many suppliers involved, that can be from all parts of the globe
• requires a lot of time initially to get everything organized and coordinated

 
BUT
 
As my Grandma would say:
 

 
Stay tuned as the party is about to begin:
 

 

[darinf]

   
As an MOT I really can't announce anything (forum rules) so I thought I would cover the topic of 100% hand made IEMs.
 

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

100% Hand Made IEMs
 
Hand made IEM, the concept initially sounds like a good idea as technically Noble could build them right now, but in practice it is a poor idea as hand made IEMs come with a basket of issues.
 

1. Time - an experienced technician, can build maybe 2 sets a day, including QC, engrave work, packaging, records/paper work etc
2. Failure rate - The failure rate is high, as the shells are pretty compact, and it is not uncommon to have the liquid resin enter into the vents of the drivers. (some drivers are vented/ported)    Failure can also be due to the glues "gassing" while drying. A lot of glues produce a gas when drying, and this gas can inter into the drivers (via the vents) and ruin the drivers
3. Color matching - Color is mixed for every batch of shells made, due to this, each batch rarely has matching shell colors. This can lead to a major problem down the road, if a repair is required, as every shell is essentially "one off" in color. What this can lead to is if the left shell is broken, then in order to color match the IEMs, one should actually re-build both IEMs.  This leads to long repair waits and high repair fees, as in order to repair a broken shell, one would need to spend at least 5 hrs on such a repair. In other words, a day is spent on a repair, so repair fees are costly.
4. Often times with a 100% hand made IEM, the canal ear tip portion is not uniformed, leading to awkward appearances and even ear tips that slide off too easily
5. Speed - While building 2 sets of IEMs is technically much faster than CIEM builds, it is difficult to maintain stock and satisfy demands. It should be understood, that distributors stock IEMs, they are not purchased individually. It is not uncommon to receive order for 30+ units. (over 2 months of work for a small team)  Trying to satisfy distributors and direct customers can become very difficult.

 
Solution:
 
 Pre-manufactured shells, the use of pre-manufactured shells offer:
 

• Uniformed canal ear tips
• Decreased Assembly time
• Uniformed build results
• Less failure rates due to the extensive use of glues and resins
• faster and less expensive repairs (if required)
• No color matching issues
• Offer faster scaling

 
Draw Back to Pre-manufactured shells:
 

• Initial start up is a long drawn out process
• costly investment
• many suppliers involved, that can be from all parts of the globe
• requires a lot of time initially to get everything organized and coordinated

 
BUT
 
As my Grandma would say:
 

 
Stay tuned as the party is about to begin:
 

 

 

To me, the bottom line is the sound. I think most of us on Head-Fi would agree that it doesn't matter how they're made if the sound is there. We all know you won't have to worry about build quality when it comes to the Wizard.
 
I can't say much now, but I can tell you that when you hear the universals, you won't care how they were made...

 

[Rednuht]

I've got my K10 yesterday, it is more impressive than the demo, the soundstage is wider with more extension and because of better seal, the bass is more impact while sub bass can go deeper.. The best custom (and universal) I've ever heard.

 
 
Thank you so much for your magic, John, and your team as well

 

[FullCircle]

  I've got my K10 yesterday, it is more impressive than the demo, the soundstage is wider with more extension and because of better seal, the bass is more impact while sub bass can go deeper.. The best custom (and universal) I've ever heard.

 
 
Thank you so much for your magic, John, and your team as well

 
Thanks
 

 

[hejjafish]

  To me, the bottom line is the sound. I think most of us on Head-Fi would agree that it doesn't matter how they're made if the sound is there. We all know you won't have to worry about build quality when it comes to the Wizard.
 
I can't say much now, but I can tell you that when you hear the universals, you won't care how they were made...

I agree with everything you said. I was just curious because the previous universal design (the heir's), all sounded great but, they were too small for my ears. They always felt like they were falling out because I couldn't insert them deep enough and as a result they never got comfortable.
 
The demo units all look like they would fit me better.

 

[bangkokkid]

   
Thanks
 

 
The man himself, Chris Farley.

 

[Deviltooth]

So the new universals should likely roll out fast once production has been finalized?  Is this a different or similar approach to Heir's previous universal efforts?

 

[nastynice]

any chance of universals coming out by black friday?

 

[DarthUnnamed]

I've got a pair of Heir Audio 3.ai's with me, hope the universals come out soon. If it is better than the 3.ai i'll be all over it 

 

[xaddictionx]

Suppose there's an universal IEM coming out for pre-order on Black Friday.

 

[fnkcow]

The universal has just been announced on their official Facebook page. 
 
"We have reason to believe Noble offices were broken into last night and valuable documents stolen. Kaiser Soze was working late and recognized the culprit, known in some circles as "The Jackal." He is a master of disguise and is of no allegiance to anyone. We have decided to make the documents in question available to the public, thereby decreasing their value.

Noble IEMs will be available for pre-order during our 72-hour Black Friday sale. All IEMs will have a pre-Christmas projected delivery date, more details to follow on Monday."




 
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