[Mython]

FWIW, I didn't anticipate that a simple question about an impedance curve would snowball like this.
 
I never asked for a frequency curve (which I know can be contentious), but I saw (and still see) little harm in asking about an impedance curve. No competitor is going to attempt to 'copy' an impedance curve.
 
I would have asked the same question of any CIEM maker. The only reason I happened to ask it in relation to a Noble product is simply because the sound signature of the K10 might suit me, but I would have liked to know how demanding the K10 can potentially be, to drive (UM Miracle, which I owned previously, drops notably lower than some other CIEMs, for example. Incidentally, UM seem to have no qualms at all about releasing frequency curve charts, and even include one, as standard, with every pair of CIEMs they sell).
 
It wasn't intended to be a contentious question; just a sincere one, and a simple 'yes' or 'no' would have sufficed, rather than a  "HELL NO!!"
 
 
No matter. You've made your standpoint abundantly clear & I won't make the mistake of asking for any technical details on the K10 again.

 

[svyr]

Technically, aren't impedance and phase closely related ?) And sorta relevant for comparisons with say jh products. Not to say I've found any roxanne or jh16fp measurements despite trying :/
To some extent I see the self reverse engineering point for say fr, but I don't really see any cease and desist letters to people posting those either

Ps forgot source and amp from my earlier posts

 

[Mython]

The simple fact of the matter is that any competitor who wanted to copy a fellow competitor's CIEM design could easily cut-to-the-chase, and simply buy, measure, and physically deconstruct a pair of them. An impedance curve being made available, prior to such an attempt, or lack thereof, would make negligible difference to such an attempt.
 
I'm done with this topic.

 

[Sorensiim]

Company policy is company policy but a simple "We do not supply graphs" might have sufficed...

 

[OK-Guy]

getting back to the product... I received the Noble-6 today...

 

[Sauntere]

And How does it sound out of the Sony ZX1 ?

 

[FullCircle]

   
The Wizard spent his time out developing new models to differentiate Noble from Heir (they were all his designs).
 
Please think about the timescale and the immense development the Team put into the new N3, N4, N6, N8 & K10... John also decided there was no need to further develop the 5.0 being such a new design... you may also like to know the Universal range has 'semi-recessed' cable sockets, thought it best to clear that up.
 
Yes I'm part of the Team but have nothing to do with the development side of things... hope that helps.

 
 
Yes it was a very cramped time schedule, but the team made it possible.....   includeing you...
 
and even Head Fi for that matter.  The revamped designs were based on a lot of the comments made regarding the older designs. Those comments were taken in to consideration and new iterations were created.   We also called upon great people we have met through head fi, to get their opinion upon products, web site development, shipping options etc.  
 
A big thanks to you guys and the team that made Noble possible in a very short period of time.
 
 

 

[OK-Guy]

excellent question... I ain't got a clue.
 
both my Walkman's & PHA-2 are with a manufacturer at present... I probably won't see them for another week or so, I'll have a lil listen via the pc later as a tease-me.

 

[FullCircle]

Got my N4 yesterday afternoon and sound-wise, these are definitely keepers. Long term comfort will decide whether or not I put them on sale, though. They're quite bulky and only the large biflanges gave me a seal. If I find my Meelec biflanges I'll definitely give those a shot. The other tips did not give me a seal, which is a disappointment since everyone seems to like the blue tips. I'm also not able to wear the left properly due to my industrial piercing but I get a seal nonetheless.


Anyways, these sound amazing. I don't have a hi-res DAP so I've been using my phone, HTC One. Compared to the Westone 4r, the N4 just has a little less bass slam but the quality is much, better. It is more textured and detailed, though I can see why people would want the N6. Mids are neutral, addictively so, as well as the highs, which are smooth yet provides better extension than the 4r's. They are less forgiving than the 4r's though and poor bitrate songs sound, well...poor. My favourite thing about the N4 right now is the added dimensionality to the music. The soundstage is more intimate but it is layered. There is now a noticeable distance between sounds. I loved the 4r's soundstage but the N4's is just something else. Positioning and detail retrieval is just awesome.

My only experience with IEMs that try to be neutral are the A161p. Those were unlistenable for me due to the tiny soundstage. Everything was "in your face" and I tried my best to like the IEM but I just couldn't. This made me think twice about the N4 but curiosity won anyways. Well I am very glad I made the purchase. I cannot compare the two because I don't know how the A161p sounds well enough. I will say that if you're thinking of getting the N4, don't wait. You'd just be missing out.

 
 
Thanks for your comments, and honestly you are much more articulate than I am.

 

[VisceriousZERO]

 
Meaning what, more expensive yet sounds worse?

 
Just more expensive xD

 

[kova4a]

 

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

Got my N4 yesterday afternoon and sound-wise, these are definitely keepers. Long term comfort will decide whether or not I put them on sale, though. They're quite bulky and only the large biflanges gave me a seal. If I find my Meelec biflanges I'll definitely give those a shot. The other tips did not give me a seal, which is a disappointment since everyone seems to like the blue tips. I'm also not able to wear the left properly due to my industrial piercing but I get a seal nonetheless.


Anyways, these sound amazing. I don't have a hi-res DAP so I've been using my phone, HTC One. Compared to the Westone 4r, the N4 just has a little less bass slam but the quality is much, better. It is more textured and detailed, though I can see why people would want the N6. Mids are neutral, addictively so, as well as the highs, which are smooth yet provides better extension than the 4r's. They are less forgiving than the 4r's though and poor bitrate songs sound, well...poor. My favourite thing about the N4 right now is the added dimensionality to the music. The soundstage is more intimate but it is layered. There is now a noticeable distance between sounds. I loved the 4r's soundstage but the N4's is just something else. Positioning and detail retrieval is just awesome.

My only experience with IEMs that try to be neutral are the A161p. Those were unlistenable for me due to the tiny soundstage. Everything was "in your face" and I tried my best to like the IEM but I just couldn't. This made me think twice about the N4 but curiosity won anyways. Well I am very glad I made the purchase. I cannot compare the two because I don't know how the A161p sounds well enough. I will say that if you're thinking of getting the N4, don't wait. You'd just be missing out.

 

Well, I wouldn't call the a161p unlistenable coz it's actually pretty good but yeah, it's no match for the N4. The a161p is different though as it's more aggressive in the bass and the mids and is a bit mid-forward and more in your face, which makes its presentation more intimate. Also, the a161p's treble rolls off earlier and it is low on sparkle.
I don't find the N4 particularly unforgiving - I was actually surprised how smooth it is and it's a lot less unforgiving than B2 and er4s, which have more aggressive detailing. The N4 also has quite low distortion at high volume.
 
I haven't had a lot of ear time with the N4 since I receive it but over the weekend I'll spend some quality time with it. Also, I did some tip rolling but I think I'll be choosing between the smalles blue-purple tips and the smallest meelec tri-flanges coz they give me the flushest fit. On the other hand, the N4 doesn't seem to be too affected by insertion depth.

 

[xProvidence]

   
 
Thanks for your comments, and honestly you are much more articulate than I am.

Thanks for the kind words 

  Well, I wouldn't call the a161p unlistenable coz it's actually pretty good but yeah, it's no match for the N4. The a161p is different though as it's more aggressive in the bass and the mids and is a bit mid-forward and more in your face, which makes its presentation more intimate. Also, the a161p's treble rolls off earlier and it is low on sparkle.
I don't find the N4 particularly unforgiving - I was actually surprised how smooth it is and it's a lot less unforgiving than B2 and er4s, which have more aggressive detailing. The N4 also has quite low distortion at high volume.
 
I haven't had a lot of ear time with the N4 since I receive it but over the weekend I'll spend some quality time with it. Also, I did some tip rolling but I think I'll be choosing between the smalles blue-purple tips and the smallest meelec tri-flanges coz they give me the flushest fit. On the other hand, the N4 doesn't seem to be too affected by insertion depth.

I bought the A161p based on reviews. I expected it to be good, I don't dispute it's abilities either. I just couldn't handle the soundstage. I found it too cramped, perhaps because I listened to it when I mostly listened to the FXD80, which were V-shaped and consequently had a large soundstage. 

Well 128 kbps MP3's were very easily distinguishable compared to 320 kbps MP3's. More so than the 4r. 

Great, looking forward to your impressions. 

 

[kova4a]

  Thanks for the kind words 

I bought the A161p based on reviews. I expected it to be good, I don't dispute it's abilities either. I just couldn't handle the soundstage. I found it too cramped, perhaps because I listened to it when I mostly listened to the FXD80, which were V-shaped and consequently had a large soundstage. 

Well 128 kbps MP3's were very easily distinguishable compared to 320 kbps MP3's. More so than the 4r. 
 

Well, in this case I get your point, although the fxd80 is quite V-shaped and it's not fare comparing it to a mid-forward one as the latter will always be more in your face and intimate soundstage-wise. With that said the a161p was a lot better in the mids for me as the fxd80 was quite lacking in that department, especially for male vocals. 
And when I said forgiving, I meant more like for badly recorded and mastered tracks - of course, there will be noticeable difference between 128 and 320kbps mp3s but my entire music library is lossless, so I have no issues with that.

 

[Rappo]

  I don't find the N4 particularly unforgiving - I was actually surprised how smooth it is and it's a lot less unforgiving than B2 and er4s, which have more aggressive detailing. The N4 also has quite low distortion at high volume.

I own both the N4 and the B2, and while i would not go as far as calling the N4 unforgiven, i do find it less forgiving than the B2. They are both very detailed in have those clear sparkling highs, but B2 lacks a bit in the midrange compared to N4, and sometimes, i do find that the N4 can be a little bit harsh (just a tiny bit) in the upper midrange. Just to make things clear, i do however find the N4 to be superior to the B2, in almost every single aspect.
 
I am not saying that i am right and you are wrong, just that we hear things differently. 

 

 

[kova4a]

  I own both the N4 and the B2, and while i would not go as far as calling the N4 unforgiven, i do find it less forgiving than the B2. They are both very detailed in have those clear sparkling highs, but B2 lacks a bit in the midrange compared to N4, and sometimes, i do find that the N4 can be a little bit harsh (just a tiny bit) in the upper midrange. Just to make things clear, i do however find the N4 to be superior to the B2, in almost every single aspect.
 
I am not saying that i am right and you are wrong, just that we hear things differently. 

 

Well, IMO the B2 is pretty aggressive in the upper mids and overall both b2 and er4s are less forgiving due to their more of a "smack you in the face with details" nature. While in comparison the N4 is smoother and more natural sounding due to its a bit thicker note presentation - it still has excellent detail retrieval but is just not as aggressive, which makes it more forgiving. And yeah, while the leaner B2 might sound a touch crisper, the N4 easily beats it with its better bass, more natural and smoother mids, great timbre and smooth highs. Also, next to the N4's layering the B2 sounds a bit busy, even though it has pretty good separation.