[chiman]

@Ultimate Mango
When do you expect to receive your K10?

 

[rawrster]

For the record I am a paying Noble customer and purchased my K10s. Perhaps I have a different bias as a paying customer, but I am extremely happy. I'm just not a well known reviewer in this community.

looking forward to it
 
Also being a well known reviewer doesn't matter imo

 

[Sorensiim]

  looking forward to it
 
Also being a well known reviewer doesn't matter imo

Agreed! Just share your thoughts, all opinions matter! We need as many inputs as possible when we're considering the $1000+ leap of faith into CIEMs!

 

[Bad Username]

I already have the 8a but i prefer my merlin because although I liked the bass on my 8a better, I felt the mids lacked presence like my JH16.
After reading your review I am quite interested in the new 8c. I am wondering if it will sound too similar to the 8a to justify the cost. If i already own the 8a, is the 8c worth buying?

 

[Ultimate Mango]

I don't really know when I will get the K10 back. They are at the lab now and I heard from the Wizard that the special material they are using in the rebuild has arrived and looks "damn sexy" or something to that effect.

Soren wrote a lot about the mids of the K10, but the thing that knocked my socks off were the highs. These things go higher than any other headphone I have owned, are are super clear and smooth and never, ever sibilant. I have seen terms here like shimmer and sparkle and the K10s have it, but it is always to controlled and pleasant. I have had other iems that depending on tips and insertion and track could be very harsh or sibilant or otherwise problematic, but the K10 handles anything I threw at it. The new daft punk album had all kinds of sparkle up top, and the cymbal work on some of the older Dave Matthews Band albums, which can be so harsh and sibilant, sounded fantastic (and I have performed percussion and know what cymbals should sound like).

Mids and the bass are things I will write about when I get more time, but they have been well covered already. But the highs, oh those highs, I was totally enamored.

 

[svyr]

wb to wizard.
keeping an eye on >UNIVERSAL Immediate gratification. 'COMING SOON'
subbed
edituch prices.

 

[bIack]

I hate IEM 5.0 because of sibilance ... wizard didn't good job with this iem  ... 

No sibilance here.

 

[project86]

  Soren posted an important disclaimer on his review saying he received a review sample. It would be quite useful to know if, in your case and Kunluns, these are free samples or your own paid for CIEMs. Thanks and sorry if it was already indicated and I missed it.

 
Yes, I was provided the review units for free.
 
I hate to sound like some know-it-all "pro reviewer" here, but I have to explain a little about where I'm coming from. With the possible exception of Average Joe, I've probably purchased more custom IEMs than anyone on this forum. I've bought from almost every company out there except for the latest batch like Custom Art, Spiral Ear, etc. But all the rest of the big names (and some small names too) I've purchased from, sometimes more than once. Later on down the line, after doing tons of reviews and making a name for myself, I've received free review units from most of those brands as well. So does that make me biased towards any single company? You tell me.
 
Review units are common in the industry. You think Stereophile or TAS pays for the gear they review? Of course not. Once the review is complete, it's up to the company what they want done with the unit - many times it is shipped back, but there are other options - letting the reviewer buy at a discount, or keep the item outright, are a few of those options. I've only encountered one CIEM company among many who wanted their CIEM product back after the review. Which makes sense when you think about it.... the drivers are now considered "used", and there isn't much else that can be salvaged besides the cable (which is relatively cheap) and the accessories (often the case is engraved, so that can't be reused). Most companies hope you'll like the product and use it as a reference or somehow mention it in other reviews. I can tell you that pretty much every "pro" review of a CIEM you've ever seen has been the type where the reviewer kept the product, except for the one company I mentioned (which is not an amazingly common company so it doesn't really factor in greatly). 
 
As a pro reviewer who gets paid to write for multiple publications, I can pretty much call or email any company I want (or their PR people) and get any gear I want for extended in-home use. Even if it doesn't involve a direct review, most of these companies want to get their stuff out there into the hands of reviewers. I'm not saying this to brag - on the contrary, I want people to know how this stuff works for me. It's the sort of thing where you look at gear in a different light. If you've ever had a job where you handled large sums of cash, you can maybe find a parallel there. It just doesn't have the same feeling as it once did. So a free review unit from Noble, rather than being the major influence that some people think, becomes just another task to complete; just another assignment so to speak. 
 
As I write these reviews, I'm very aware that others will soon own the same product and will pop up in my review threads commenting about their experiences. My reputation stands (or falls) based on the accuracy of these reviews. I could wing it and just bang something out to make people buy the gear, but that wouldn't last long.... and I'd be out of a job soon enough. There's already enough honest disagreement with respect to sound - I certainly don't need to invite controversy by playing up gear that isn't really worthy of recommending. 
 
Speaking of which - I probably decline 2 or 3 products for every 1 review that I do end up publishing. A lot of gear comes through here lately, and a lot of it either sucks or just isn't exceptional enough to bother writing about. This ratio is different for CIEMs but you should know that I've definitely declined to review some in the past.
 
And just in case anyone thinks I've let this stuff go to my head, and can no longer identify with the common man spending their own hard earned cash on gear - in the past year or so, out of my own pocket, I've purchased a Stax SR-007, Stax SRM-12S, beyerdynamic T1, Ultrasone Signature Pro, Auraliti PK90 music server with NuForce PSU and multiple G-Technology external hard drives, Sjofn HiFi (the clue) monitor speakers, an APC S15 power conditioner, Thunderpants planars.... and a ton of other stuff that escapes me right this moment. I'll probably buy the Alpha Dogs soon, and probably the Audeze LCD-XC as well. And I've got a KGSSHV being built so I'll be paying for that too. Oh, and tons of music, can't forget that. So despite the free gear that I sometimes end up with during the review process, I do spend a lot of my own cash on this stuff. 
 
I hope that clears the air somewhat about my relationship to Noble and the way things work for me. I'm on friendly terms with Wizard but wouldn't hesitate to lay into his design if it was called for - or just refuse to review it all together. I don't know if people can accept it or not, but at this point I truly do feel "above" any influence by review samples, no matter which company we might be talking about. 
 
 

  I already have the 8a but i prefer my merlin because although I liked the bass on my 8a better, I felt the mids lacked presence like my JH16.
After reading your review I am quite interested in the new 8c. I am wondering if it will sound too similar to the 8a to justify the cost. If i already own the 8a, is the 8c worth buying?

 
 
I can see how the 8.A might be taken that way. Most people I talk to really enjoy them, but the ones who don't, usually have some issue with the mids, or the transition from bass to mids. The 8C does feel more present in the mids, especially the upper mids, but it still isn't on the same level as the more forward UM sound. So if that's what you are after I'm not sure the 8C will do it for you. 

 

[darinf]

   
So a free review unit from Noble, rather than being the major influence that some people think, becomes just another task to complete; just another assignment so to speak. 
 
As I write these reviews, I'm very aware that others will soon own the same product and will pop up in my review threads commenting about their experiences. My reputation stands (or falls) based on the accuracy of these reviews. I could wing it and just bang something out to make people buy the gear, but that wouldn't last long.... and I'd be out of a job soon enough. There's already enough honest disagreement with respect to sound - I certainly don't need to invite controversy by playing up gear that isn't really worthy of recommending. 

That was a great post! Thank you for taking the time to clarify. I never thought about it from your perspective as a pro reviewer especially with regards to the two points quoted above, but this makes a lot of sense.
 
It reminds me of movie reviews. For some "questionable" movies, you will see huge quotes full of the ultimate praise, and then you see in small print that you've never heard of any of the reviewers or their publications! But for really good movies, you see praise from people you know and publications that are well known. That's a big difference. 
 
Your track record certainly gives a lot of credibility to your reviews, which is the whole point.
 
Thanks!

 

[hejjafish]

  I had thought about getting my 4.Ai's remolded into a custom and would rather have the wizard behind that.

I'm wondering about this too. I have the 5.0 and I love the sound but they don't insert deep enough to be comfortable. They always seem to wanna fall out. I'd love to have the wizard craft me a custom.

 

[Ultimate Mango]

I'm wondering about this too. I have the 5.0 and I love the sound but they don't insert deep enough to be comfortable. They always seem to wanna fall out. I'd love to have the wizard craft me a custom.

Noble absolutely offers a revised five driver custom, you can even get it in Silicone!
I am surprised that you can't fit it deeply, I can get mine locked in very deep and comfortable.
If you prefer a universal just wait and see what Noble comes out with. Knowing them there will be some innovation....

 

[hejjafish]

Noble absolutely offers a revised five driver custom, you can even get it in Silicone!
I am surprised that you can't fit it deeply, I can get mine locked in very deep and comfortable.
If you prefer a universal just wait and see what Noble comes out with. Knowing them there will be some innovation....

What I have is the universal 5.0 I got from heir. I'm wondering if the wizard is willing to reshell it into a custom for me.

 

[project86]

What I have is the universal 5.0 I got from heir. I'm wondering if the wizard is willing to reshell it into a custom for me.

Certainly couldn't hurt to ask!

 

[FortisFlyer75]

   
 
 
Not sure.....   But one thing about silicone, if u wear them for very long extended periods, your ears will "sweat" as the silicone will not allow your ear to "breathe." (so to speak)
 
Much like when u remove a band aid, the skin is "slick" or wet where the band aid was, much the same concept.

My ears can do that anyway with the acrylic shells but can only imagine the silicones will be harder to keep clean or last as long as acrylic shells?  
 
Also wonder how much would having silicone change the sound to the acrylic shells?

 

[bangkokkid]

What I have is the universal 5.0 I got from heir. I'm wondering if the wizard is willing to reshell it into a custom for me.

 
Nope, we will not be re-shelling universal products into custom products.