[Watagump]

What is the process of making your IEMs? What is the most time consuming aspect of this?
Do you do the art for acrylic wizard pieces before installing the drivers? How on earth do you fit it all in there? How is any of this possible?

 

[FullCircle]

What is the process of making your IEMs? What is the most time consuming aspect of this?
Do you do the art for acrylic wizard pieces before installing the drivers? How on earth do you fit it all in there? How is any of this possible?

There are several you tube videos on how to build ciems, and several threads on head fi as well. As how do we at Noble, build ciems, the steps are essentially the same, but like every cheff, we have our own techniques/twist etc to accomplish the build.

For example, if you notice the face plates on Noble ciems are curved/rounded off. That is because we take the time to carve the face plate, we sculpt them to have smooth contours. I do that simply because i think it looks better. It takes more time and more material to scuplt the face plate, but as the greats say, "Only sell, what you would be willing to buy." Flat face plates just look like a guitar pick was gued onto the shell.... (just my opinion)

As far as when is the art applied, before or after the build, it all kind of depends on the build/design. Some of our designs can take a full week to build, the prestige can have 20 - 40 hrs of machine time (mill work). After the shell is milled, then it has to be hollowed out by hand, that is another 4 hrs, then parts placed, tested, closed, sanded, lasered, marking filled in with acrylic, sanded, lacquered, tested, photos taken etc etc etc

The prestige is actually built in 3 phases.
1) silicone impression shaped at the lab in china
2) impression 3d scanned and shells milled in california
3) housing sent to the lab in china, and build finished there

Its a very long a tedious process

It could be sped up by cutting corners etc, but from our experience people are not interested in a McNoble ciem. We offered a no frills sla (3d printed) ciem and there wasnt a strong enough customer response to keep the option.

 

[Watagump]

But John, no one cares about pretty shells and hype.

 

[PinkyPowers]

Hell of a process! Color me impressed.

Thanks for sharing.

 

[FullCircle]

But John, no one cares about pretty shells and hype.

So I've been told, but there are so many examples in which people demand/wish for hand crafted artisan level items/products.

(purses, boots, fishing poles, pocket knives, pens, shoes, guns, home audio towers, cars, pottery, boats etc etc)


My thinking is, if it costs a lot, it better look like it costs a lot.


I couldn't imagine showing my wife a blase CIEM and saying....
"This was $1,300, isn't it lovely?"

Check this thread if you want some idea of what was available in 2008

https://www.head-fi.org/f/threads/calling-all-custom-iems.388815/


When I went commercial I positioned myself from the very beginning, as building functional art, rather than just building CIEMs/IEMs. I guess that was our secret sauce, that and a great support team.

 

[Wyville]

It could be sped up by cutting corners etc, but from our experience people are not interested in a McNoble ciem. We offered a no frills sla (3d printed) ciem and there wasnt a strong enough customer response to keep the option.

I think that the Noble niche is in making the elaborate, no expenses spared designs. There are not many builders that can go this far and that is what no doubt attracts people to Noble. I am quite a boring person, so the Prestige designs are often a bit too flashy for me, but when I see this:

I can see the skills involved and would still be tempted to buy it (if I had the money to spare) just because I love something that is crafted with such skills. (My grandfather used to hand build watch components for jewellers who needed unique replacement parts.)

 

[FullCircle]

Only set ever built with this color scheme, emerald green K10 Universals.

Built by Rico Suave, true to form, being a "ladies man" he loaned them out..... she never returned them

 

[Layman1]

Only set ever built with this color scheme, emerald green K10 Universals.

Built by Rico Suave, true to form, being a "ladies man" he loaned them out..... she never returned them

Oh, those are niiiice.. Silly Rico..
Actually, I have only heard of Rico Suave because of a Beavis and Butthead episode which featured one of his videos and them riffing away over the top of it, as they do
Later they were challenged by their Spanish teacher to come up with an actual sentence in Spanish or be flunked out of class.
Butthead mumbled some gibberish ending in 'rico-suave' and Beavis said 'erm... spaghetti?'. It's funnier if you watch it

Seriously, awesome IEM's there. It reminds me of a story you told before about your father and mixing all the colours together to get a dark green, but that's different from this

 

[FullCircle]

Rico Suave and first Brannan here

https://quepasa.restaurant


The best Mexican restaurant to be found in Thailand.

 

[krismusic]

What is the process of making your IEMs? What is the most time consuming aspect of this?
Do you do the art for acrylic wizard pieces before installing the drivers? How on earth do you fit it all in there? How is any of this possible?

I think you will find that John plays his cards close to his chest when it comes to manufacturing details. You will get some answers to your questions if you search CIEM manufacture on YouTube.

 

[Incarnation]

Hey guys, which noble iem upgrade should I get if I like the old noble 4 which is savanna now i guess. Katana or Encore?

 

[Watagump]

Hey guys, which noble iem upgrade should I get if I like the old noble 4 which is savanna now i guess. Katana or Encore?

Katana if you want the steroid version of the Savanna. Encore if you want to try something fun and different.

 

[Incarnation]

Ahhh i see, thanks I think I know what I'm gonna get next!

 

[Malevolent]

For example, if you notice the face plates on Noble ciems are curved/rounded off. That is because we take the time to carve the face plate, we sculpt them to have smooth contours. I do that simply because i think it looks better. It takes more time and more material to scuplt the face plate, but as the greats say, "Only sell, what you would be willing to buy." Flat face plates just look like a guitar pick was gued onto the shell.... (just my opinion)

Wow, that's something I've always wondered, but never really gave a second thought to until I read your post. You're right, of all my CIEMs, my K10 has the most rounded faceplate. It's actually well contoured, too. It makes the front look sleek and slim - my other CIEMs actually look a lot bigger (fatter?).

Thanks for sharing, John! Solves a mystery that I never actively pursued, but one that I'm happy to know the answer too.

 

[FullCircle]

I think you will find that John plays his cards close to his chest when it comes to manufacturing details. You will get some answers to your questions if you search CIEM manufacture on YouTube.

Yes, I do hold my cards close to my chest. There are those that take no offense to copying my work, designs, and or trade dress. I consider doings so as a form of theft, and not only have others decided that using Noble concepts and ideas is perfectly acceptable, there is now a company that is leaching off of Noble's reputation.

There is an established CIEM company (call it CIEM company "X") that is currently building CIEMs (and branding it "Y") and claiming that the brand "Y" is a "sub" brand of Noble.

The dealers sales pitch is: "Rumor has it, Noble has created a sub-brand (brand "Y") at a cheaper price point, more targeted for market "X" (insert geographic location).

For those that have purchased a product thinking they purchased a less expensive "Sub Brand" of Noble, it isn't from Noble, isn't built by Noble, isn't crafted by Noble, isn't designed by Noble, and has absolutely nothing to do with Noble.

Noble has no other brand (or sub-brand) and you may want to take your product back to your dealer and ask for an explanation regarding the origin of your product, and why it is you were told that it is a "sub-brand of Noble." You may also want to ask which CIEM company actually built the product as well.


Be Noble, and make sure you buy Noble