[Rutti]

Hi! 
I've been lurking around on the forums for almost 3 years now, it's time for me to buy my endgame rig. After reading comparisons and reading up on each ciems sound signature it then turned out towards buying the Noble K10. Considering I am currently studying as a computer engineer and later in life I will also be able to listen to music throughout the day as I work. An iem paired with a portable dac/amp will be the best call. What I've been reading about the K10 is that it almost can be compared with headphones such as HD800, LCD3 and so on in the terms of soundquality. 
 
I am currently using my Galaxy note Edge as the source, I am thinking of buying an Chord Hugo and then of course the Noble K10. Will I lose soundquality if I bypass the music through my Note? (eventhough I will be using the Chord Hugos amp+dac). Is it then better to buy an DX90/DX50/FiiO x5 and pair that with the Chord Hugo? Will the Chord Hugo be to much for the K10s? From what I've read the K10s does a marvelous job in pairing. I am also interested in the AK240 or lets say the DX90 with the IBasso PB2? 
 
Anyway my budget is up too 3400 dollar, suggestions will be much appreciated!
 
If I were to buy the Noble K10 universals and not the customs. Would I then lose soundquality? I could not find questions about this topic on the forums.. 
I personally would like to buy the universals considering I want others to be able to listen to such an amazing and marvelous sound. 
 
If I were to buy the universals is there then a option to mold those into customs? 
 
Last question, sometimes I tend to get a mint headache while I listen to my Shure SE535s, but this never occur if I use headphones (which are comfy). Has anyone experienced this with the Noble K10s? Because I will be listening to them atleast 4 hours/day. 
 
 
Looking forward to your replies! 

 

[Ike1985]

Wow, cool to see an amp for the K10's that reasonably priced.  Saw many people say you should pair it w. 1-2k portable amps, seems insane to me.  Looking forward to pairing my K10s with the ALO rx.  Out of curiosity, what are the competitors for the ALOrx in this 2-400 price range?

 

[fiascogarcia]

I'm thinking about foregoing a new dap and getting a Hugo, since portability is not my biggest concern.  Anyone using one with the K10's?  I'm assuming it's stellar, but was curious about impressions, especially concerning floor noise.  Thanks!

 

[sq3rjick]

  Hi! 
I've been lurking around on the forums for almost 3 years now, it's time for me to buy my endgame rig. After reading comparisons and reading up on each ciems sound signature it then turned out towards buying the Noble K10. Considering I am currently studying as a computer engineer and later in life I will also be able to listen to music throughout the day as I work. An iem paired with a portable dac/amp will be the best call. What I've been reading about the K10 is that it almost can be compared with headphones such as HD800, LCD3 and so on in the terms of soundquality. 
 
I am currently using my Galaxy note Edge as the source, I am thinking of buying an Chord Hugo and then of course the Noble K10. Will I lose soundquality if I bypass the music through my Note? (eventhough I will be using the Chord Hugos amp+dac). Is it then better to buy an DX90/DX50/FiiO x5 and pair that with the Chord Hugo? Will the Chord Hugo be to much for the K10s? From what I've read the K10s does a marvelous job in pairing. I am also interested in the AK240 or lets say the DX90 with the IBasso PB2? 
 
Anyway my budget is up too 3400 dollar, suggestions will be much appreciated!
 
If I were to buy the Noble K10 universals and not the customs. Would I then lose soundquality? I could not find questions about this topic on the forums.. 
I personally would like to buy the universals considering I want others to be able to listen to such an amazing and marvelous sound. 
 
If I were to buy the universals is there then a option to mold those into customs? 
 
Last question, sometimes I tend to get a mint headache while I listen to my Shure SE535s, but this never occur if I use headphones (which are comfy). Has anyone experienced this with the Noble K10s? Because I will be listening to them atleast 4 hours/day. 
 
 
Looking forward to your replies! 

In my opinion, the K10 + Chord Hugo combination cannot be beat.  It will well surpass the audio quality of your Galaxy Edge (and pretty much everything else).  You would really want to use it as a DAC / amp and send the digital signal from your phone / computer to the Hugo, and use that to power the K10.
 
The AK120ii and AK240 are also spectacular, especially in balanced mode.  If you want a standalone unit, you won't go wrong with either of those two.  I would probably go for the 120ii, which has the same audio circuitry as the 240 (minus a dedicated DSD chip, but it does have software DSD support) and costs a bit less.  However, I do think the Hugo sounds better with the K10 than the 120ii or the 240, even in balanced mode.  The Hugo is the best pairing that I have ever heard with the K10.
 
If you go with the universal, you cannot have it remade into a custom (at least through Noble - you may be able to do it through a 3rd party reshelling service, but you would take your own chances on that).  If you want custom, you need to go with custom from the get-go.  Sound quality wise, there really shouldn't be any difference between the two, assuming you have a good seal with the universal fit.  Of course, it all depends on your own ear anatomy -- I had a bit of a harder time trying to fit the K10U because it is so freaking tiny (my custom K10 is probably 4x the size, as I have huge, cavernous ears), so I lost a little bit of the bass response that my custom has.  Assuming a perfect fit, both versions should sound the same.  I have heard from other people that the universal has a slight less bit bass than the custom (which is what I heard, as well), but I'm sure that's to do with the fit.  They should sound fairly the same if you are getting a perfect seal.  They should at least be 99% the same, and the K10U is just as magical as the full custom.  Of course, I prefer the convenience and comfort of the custom fit, so that is what I recommend.
 
I am a software engineer as well, and I use my K10s comfortably for 10+ hours a day, pretty much every work day.  No problems with headaches, fatigue, or anything like that.  But I also don't have headaches with my 535s, either, so I don't know what to tell you about that.

 

[sq3rjick]

  I'm thinking about foregoing a new dap and getting a Hugo, since portability is not my biggest concern.  Anyone using one with the K10's?  I'm assuming it's stellar, but was curious about impressions, especially concerning floor noise.  Thanks!

The Hugo is my favorite pairing that I've ever heard with the K10.  It's simply breathtaking.  I don't own it, as I can't justify the asking price right now, but it is definitely fantastic.

 

[krismusic]

Hi! 
I've been lurking around on the forums for almost 3 years now, it's time for me to buy my endgame rig. After reading comparisons and reading up on each ciems sound signature it then turned out towards buying the Noble K10. Considering I am currently studying as a computer engineer and later in life I will also be able to listen to music throughout the day as I work. An iem paired with a portable dac/amp will be the best call. What I've been reading about the K10 is that it almost can be compared with headphones such as HD800, LCD3 and so on in the terms of soundquality. 

I am currently using my Galaxy note Edge as the source, I am thinking of buying an Chord Hugo and then of course the Noble K10. Will I lose soundquality if I bypass the music through my Note? (eventhough I will be using the Chord Hugos amp+dac). Is it then better to buy an DX90/DX50/FiiO x5 and pair that with the Chord Hugo? Will the Chord Hugo be to much for the K10s? From what I've read the K10s does a marvelous job in pairing. I am also interested in the AK240 or lets say the DX90 with the IBasso PB2? 

Anyway my budget is up too 3400 dollar, suggestions will be much appreciated!

If I were to buy the Noble K10 universals and not the customs. Would I then lose soundquality? I could not find questions about this topic on the forums.. 
I personally would like to buy the universals considering I want others to be able to listen to such an amazing and marvelous sound. 

If I were to buy the universals is there then a option to mold those into customs? 

Last question, sometimes I tend to get a mint headache while I listen to my Shure SE535s, but this never occur if I use headphones (which are comfy). Has anyone experienced this with the Noble K10s? Because I will be listening to them atleast 4 hours/day. 


Looking forward to your replies! 

I might be completely wrong here. I've never heard the Hugo.
My suggestion would be to buy the K10 and see where you go from there.
No offence intended but I really do question all the superlatives around amps and DACs.

 

[Ike1985]

I might be completely wrong here. I've never heard the Hugo.
My suggestion would be to buy the K10 and see where you go from there.
No offence intended but I really do question all the superlatives around amps and DACs.

 
HAHA, good point bro.

 

[blur510]

  In my opinion, the K10 + Chord Hugo combination cannot be beat.  It will well surpass the audio quality of your Galaxy Edge (and pretty much everything else).  You would really want to use it as a DAC / amp and send the digital signal from your phone / computer to the Hugo, and use that to power the K10.
 
The AK120ii and AK240 are also spectacular, especially in balanced mode.  If you want a standalone unit, you won't go wrong with either of those two.  I would probably go for the 120ii, which has the same audio circuitry as the 240 (minus a dedicated DSD chip, but it does have software DSD support) and costs a bit less.  However, I do think the Hugo sounds better with the K10 than the 120ii or the 240, even in balanced mode.  The Hugo is the best pairing that I have ever heard with the K10.
 
If you go with the universal, you cannot have it remade into a custom (at least through Noble - you may be able to do it through a 3rd party reshelling service, but you would take your own chances on that).  If you want custom, you need to go with custom from the get-go.  Sound quality wise, there really shouldn't be any difference between the two, assuming you have a good seal with the universal fit.  Of course, it all depends on your own ear anatomy -- I had a bit of a harder time trying to fit the K10U because it is so freaking tiny (my custom K10 is probably 4x the size, as I have huge, cavernous ears), so I lost a little bit of the bass response that my custom has.  Assuming a perfect fit, both versions should sound the same.  I have heard from other people that the universal has a slight less bit bass than the custom (which is what I heard, as well), but I'm sure that's to do with the fit.  They should sound fairly the same if you are getting a perfect seal.  They should at least be 99% the same, and the K10U is just as magical as the full custom.  Of course, I prefer the convenience and comfort of the custom fit, so that is what I recommend.
 
I am a software engineer as well, and I use my K10s comfortably for 10+ hours a day, pretty much every work day.  No problems with headaches, fatigue, or anything like that.  But I also don't have headaches with my 535s, either, so I don't know what to tell you about that.

 
 
Go with customs.

 

[vhsownsbeta]

I might be completely wrong here. I've never heard the Hugo.
My suggestion would be to buy the K10 and see where you go from there.
No offence intended but I really do question all the superlatives around amps and DACs.

Low noise floor and channel balance are pretty critical with sensitive IEMs. You don't have to aim too high to find amps with these qualities. Leckerton and Headamp are good places to start.

 

[krismusic]

Low noise floor and channel balance are pretty critical with sensitive IEMs. You don't have to aim too high to find amps with these qualities. Leckerton and Headamp are good places to start.

You reckon that with sensitive IEM's an amp is necessary?

 

[vhsownsbeta]

You reckon that with sensitive IEM's an amp is necessary?

That depends on the quality of your source... If it has black background and is perfectly balanced at low level, then no.
 
This is all IMHO of course 

 

 

[krismusic]

That depends on the quality of your source... If it has black background and is perfectly balanced at low level, then no.

This is all IMHO of course   

My iPhone 5S seems fine. I must admit, I do sometimes question channel balance.

 

[Rutti]

Why customs? From what I've stumbled upon on here http://headphone.guru/noble-k10-universal/2/ is that the universals bring out the same sound signature of the IEMS. Considering that I want others also to have a go with my end game setup, I think universals would be the best. And I have pretty "small" ears and I truly do not have any problems with the sealing, atleast not with my shure se535s. I can not hear any outside noice while I use them. 
 
Customs have longer wait time, from what I've also read they can get really warm and sweaty? I've also been reading up on several customers who have been having problems with the mold, I think some had to reshell back and forwards for about 6 months. 
 
And if I were to be unsatisfied with the universals then there is the 30 day refund. 
 
Am I wrong? 

 

[krismusic]

All the above is perfectly true.
For "endgame" personally I would want customs.
IME most people do not give a tinkers toot for SQ and would think that I was insane if they knew how much my earphones cost.
You could certainly try the Universals and see how you go.
You sure that you can return?
Often companies site hygiene issues as a reason not to offer this on IEM's.

 

[Rutti]

Thank you for your reply! 
 
I think I will buy the Chord Hugo then and pair it with my note (constantly download FLAC songs to that device). But from what I've read there might be a loss in sound quality considering the Galaxy Note can't feed the Chord Hugo 100 %. Or is this not true because of the fact that I will be only using the Chord Hugos DAC? 
 
Is there really that big of a difference? I mean if I would pair the K10s with the Ibasso PB2 or lets say the Chord Hugo?