[H T T]

I have a tanto-sized budget. Will that be next?

 

[Watagump]

Pretty sure i can wear custom just fine
But I’ll go the universal route so my wife can enjoy it too



My plan was to get a massdrop K10 and get a bell for my wife
But since I’ve read so much on how much of an upgrade the encore was, I can’t decide yet

i still have sometime to make up my mind

Custom Encore for you and a Bell, IMHO that's the perfect solution. The Bell are so much fun I think she would just love them. Then you can show off a badass custom with a amazing look. Then she can share the Bell with you.

 

[bimbim]

Custom Encore for you and a Bell, IMHO that's the perfect solution. The Bell are so much fun I think she would just love them. Then you can show off a badass custom with a amazing look. Then she can share the Bell with you.

Probably way over my budget
Since if it’s a custom, i would go for a wizard design (you know why right?)

 

[Watagump]

Probably way over my budget
Since if it’s a custom, i would go for a wizard design (you know why right?)

Getting a Bell and Encore would add $200 or so more to the budget, so I understand. Wizard design, yeah, I get that also.

 

[zerolight]

Pretty sure i can wear custom just fine
But I’ll go the universal route so my wife can enjoy it too



My plan was to get a massdrop K10 and get a bell for my wife
But since I’ve read so much on how much of an upgrade the encore was, I can’t decide yet

i still have sometime to make up my mind

I couldn't afford an encore - my Massdrop K10u arrived on Monday. I'm very happy with it. Nice balanced sound with just enough bass. I'd not want more top end, and I don't think I'd want less bass. Works well with everything I've tried from current pop stuff to 80s hard rock.

 

[hotdog108]

My friend received the Bell last night, and went to sleep with them in her ears. She uses the UE Pro 6 custom during her commute, and plans to use the Bell at home at night. She wanted me to say thank you John, for such an awesome product. I think she might become a member of the Noble custom family pretty soon, she tried my Encore customs and almost wanted to rob me of them.

 

[hotdog108]

Probably way over my budget
Since if it’s a custom, i would go for a wizard design (you know why right?)

Get the Bell now, and start saving up for the custom Encore. There should be no compromises when it comes to something so special, getting a universal Encore is a huge compromise IMO. If you're going to go TOTL, then go big or go home, you'll wish you opted for the custom version after you get the universal one, then you'll kick yourself every time you pick them up or look at them.

 

[krismusic]

Get the Bell now, and start saving up for the custom Encore. There should be no compromises when it comes to something so special, getting a universal Encore is a huge compromise IMO. If you're going to go TOTL, then go big or go home, you'll wish you opted for the custom version after you get the universal one, then you'll kick yourself every time you pick them up or look at them.

That's a very powerfully expressed opinion. I would say it depends on various things. How well you get on with universals. I don't. Whether you feel that these are end game for you. Otherwise you are going to take quite a hit if you ever sell them to fund another purchase. If you enjoy sharing your pride and joy with others. There should be no significant difference in sound between universals and customs as long as you have a good seal.I went for customs as my ears just don't seem to suit universals and there is nothing to compare with having a bespoke piece made especially for you alone. Very special. If that outweighs the other aspects of ownership.

 

[hotdog108]

That's a very powerfully expressed opinion. I would say it depends on various things. How well you get on with universals. I don't. Whether you feel that these are end game for you. Otherwise you are going to take quite a hit if you ever sell them to fund another purchase. If you enjoy sharing your pride and joy with others. There should be no significant difference in sound between universals and customs as long as you have a good seal.I went for customs as my ears just don't seem to suit universals and there is nothing to compare with having a bespoke piece made especially for you alone. Very special. If that outweighs the other aspects of ownership.

I personally heard a major difference between the universal Encore and my custom Encores. It may be that I was at CanJam when I heard the universals, and the environment was noisy, or I couldn't get a good fit with the tips available at the time, or I just don't do well with universals. Whatever the reason, when I swapped out my UERR with my custom Encores for the first time and played some music, I was blown away by how much better they sounded compared to the UERR and the universal Encores I heard a year ago. I know that's not an objective comparison, it's just my personal experience, but it's something to consider.

One of the reasons I chose to purchase a Noble CIEM, and this is a major reason, is how gorgeous Noble CIEMs are compared to everything else on the market. I get that beauty is a subjective matter, but quality in craftsmanship is objective. Just casually browsing thru the look book section of Noble's website, it's clear that the level of creativity and artistry, along with the pride Noble places in the quality of their creations is a cut above the rest. So the simple question is this: if you're going to purchase a TOTL product from a company known for their artistry, creativity, and build quality of CIEMs, do you want to have one created specifically for you, and therefore one of a kind in the world; or do you purchase the universal version which looks exactly like the hundreds if not thousands of universal IEMs of the same model? The assumption of course, is that you know and love what they sound like, which is why you're even considering purchasing them in the first place.

I do sometimes wish I could share the bliss of listening to the Encores with my friends, but that is nothing compared to the joy I feel when I look at my custom design in different levels of light and marvel at the incredible beauty. I'll just bring my friends to CanJam so they can audition the different universals Noble brings to the show, so they can place an order for their very own custom sets, or simply purchase the universal versions. Although I doubt any of my friends would want the universal version, since they've all looked at my customs with a look that makes me want to lock these babies in a bank vault at night when I'm not using them.

 

[krismusic]

I personally heard a major difference between the universal Encore and my custom Encores. It may be that I was at CanJam when I heard the universals, and the environment was noisy, or I couldn't get a good fit with the tips available at the time, or I just don't do well with universals. Whatever the reason, when I swapped out my UERR with my custom Encores for the first time and played some music, I was blown away by how much better they sounded compared to the UERR and the universal Encores I heard a year ago. I know that's not an objective comparison, it's just my personal experience, but it's something to consider.

One of the reasons I chose to purchase a Noble CIEM, and this is a major reason, is how gorgeous Noble CIEMs are compared to everything else on the market. I get that beauty is a subjective matter, but quality in craftsmanship is objective. Just casually browsing thru the look book section of Noble's website, it's clear that the level of creativity and artistry, along with the pride Noble places in the quality of their creations is a cut above the rest. So the simple question is this: if you're going to purchase a TOTL product from a company known for their artistry, creativity, and build quality of CIEMs, do you want to have one created specifically for you, and therefore one of a kind in the world; or do you purchase the universal version which looks exactly like the hundreds if not thousands of universal IEMs of the same model? The assumption of course, is that you know and love what they sound like, which is why you're even considering purchasing them in the first place.

I do sometimes wish I could share the bliss of listening to the Encores with my friends, but that is nothing compared to the joy I feel when I look at my custom design in different levels of light and marvel at the incredible beauty. I'll just bring my friends to CanJam so they can audition the different universals Noble brings to the show, so they can place an order for their very own custom sets, or simply purchase the universal versions. Although I doubt any of my friends would want the universal version, since they've all looked at my customs with a look that makes me want to lock these babies in a bank vault at night when I'm not using them.

It would be nice to see a pic of your customs.

 

[hotdog108]

It would be nice to see a pic of your customs.

Take a look at my avatar Also, higher res photos on this page: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/noble-audio-the-wizard-returns.684787/page-1843

 

[krismusic]

Take a look at my avatar Also, higher res photos on this page: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/noble-audio-the-wizard-returns.684787/page-1843

Doh! Nice.

 

[bimbim]

Get the Bell now, and start saving up for the custom Encore. There should be no compromises when it comes to something so special, getting a universal Encore is a huge compromise IMO. If you're going to go TOTL, then go big or go home, you'll wish you opted for the custom version after you get the universal one, then you'll kick yourself every time you pick them up or look at them.

Which is why I’ve been saving up for the K10 then encore for the past 3 years
The custom price increase doesnt help from $1650 (3years ago) to $2099
The universal will cost me $1850 + the bell $200 which is still within my budget
The custom + wizard design however will add another $600 which will take me another 4-6 months to save up

I couldn't afford an encore - my Massdrop K10u arrived on Monday. I'm very happy with it. Nice balanced sound with just enough bass. I'd not want more top end, and I don't think I'd want less bass. Works well with everything I've tried from current pop stuff to 80s hard rock.

I hope there’s another drop for it.
How long did it took you to get it from massdrop?

 

[hotdog108]

Which is why I’ve been saving up for the K10 then encore for the past 3 years
The custom price increase doesnt help from $1650 (3years ago) to $2099
The universal will cost me $1850 + the bell $200 which is still within my budget
The custom + wizard design however will add another $600 which will take me another 4-6 months to save up



I hope there’s another drop for it.
How long did it took you to get it from massdrop?

6 months goes by very quickly, and the wait is well worth it. I saved up for a whole year, plus a tax return before I pulled the trigger on my custom Encores, and only because this year is my 40th birthday. Trust me, you'll thank yourself later, after you have your custom Wizard design Encores in hand/ear, they're worth every penny and every month of saving up for. Yes, even those 8 weeks of waiting for them to be made just for you, will feel sweeter after you are looking at them in front of you. It's a reward for yourself, and it's a trophy, a testament if you will, for the sheer will power it takes to save money for 3 years for that special thing you know you must have in your life. I know I sound like a salesperson for Noble, but that's how I felt when I went thru the whole process, and I still do.

 

[bimbim]

6 months goes by very quickly, and the wait is well worth it. I saved up for a whole year, plus a tax return before I pulled the trigger on my custom Encores, and only because this year is my 40th birthday. Trust me, you'll thank yourself later, after you have your custom Wizard design Encores in hand/ear, they're worth every penny and every month of saving up for. Yes, even those 8 weeks of waiting for them to be made just for you, will feel sweeter after you are looking at them in front of you. It's a reward for yourself, and it's a trophy, a testament if you will, for the sheer will power it takes to save money for 3 years for that special thing you know you must have in your life. I know I sound like a salesperson for Noble, but that's how I felt when I went thru the whole process, and I still do.

Encore will be my end game and no more buying IEM
Let’s hope there’s no more price increase
You and watta should totally work for Noble though lol