[xProvidence]

  Thank you for your input.  As this is an open forum though, I asked the question to receive feedback from other users on the forum.  If I wanted the feedback from Noble, I would email Noble.  Why don't you let the people on the forum speak for themselves?  This is an open forum.

Legitimate point but I'm sure other members will respond to your question as well so just wait a while.

As for the build quality. 

The plastic doesn't feel cheap to me. It feels quite sturdy actually and holds up to a fair bit of gripping force- I'll come back to that in a bit.

I've had my cord break at the jack but it was replaced by Noble, thankfully. I do not know how to recable or fix the jack so I opted for letting Noble know about it. Admittedly I am disappointed and always worried about the jack, not really a fan of the tiny stress relief, especially since i've broken one despite careful, everyday use. It's very, very, supple though and other than the jack, I am very happy with it. Best I've used. 

The tips don't work at all for me. Not a single one will give me a seal because the insertion depth is too shallow for my ears. I use the biflanges from MEElec, the only tips I have that fit the large stalk and gives me a decent seal. They work but I've had a few instances where the tips get stuck in my ear. I am used to it now but it's never fun when it happens in public. The stalk is just far too short and fat. The ear pieces themselves are quite large but they're comfortable after a little bit of fidgeting, a problem exacerbated by my long-due-for-a-haircut hair, my glasses and my industrial piercing- none of which are Noble's fault.  

With the gripping force - I am normally a somewhat clammy person and I find fitting the tips onto the headphones sometimes difficult. I have to grip each ear piece harder than I'd like but I don't get any flexing or noise from holding it too tightly. Very strong plastic and very resistant to force. 

Quite honestly, I use my N4 for their sound. All being well, by the end of the summer I hope to have a 4C  and a pair of Wizard designed K10 by next year's summer. Although a Wizard designed FR universal would also be very tempting. 

 

[OK-Guy]

basically what you want me to do is shut-up and stay out of your quest to rubbish our products without any recourse for Noble.. yeah right.
 
people are free to express their views & no-ones stopping them but there is this thing called 'a right to reply', one should expect that to happen whether you like it or not.
 
this discussion has run its course for me so feel free to have that famous 'last word'.

 

[kova4a]

I like the cable - it's light, soft and pliable and I prefer j-plugs. Are there fancier custom cables out there - yes there are, but none of them will be as light or even remotely close as flexible as the noble one. As far as the housings go, they are pretty solid. Yeah, there are some small imperfections due to the molding process but that's all. Of course, there are iems with better looking housings but in my book sturdy housings + nice detachable flexible cable + great sound is what counts coz if an iem is not in its case it's sitting in my ears - not under a microscope. 

 

[FullCircle]

Starck86

Firstly, you observations are not unfounded

Being OCD over the things I build or have built, I had the same concerns and even complaints. Originally I had a crazy shiny level shell, but the demos kept shattering when they were dropped, and face plate.... I'd have to hunt it down! When I complained about this, the folks that know more about plastics said that they would have to use a different plastic, one that does not yield a mirror finish

So I had a choice to make, fancy looking, or durability... I chose durability

The cable, hand terminate, or mass produce.... I don't have the time to hand terminate, and if I did, the cost for that time & the parts would be expensive. So I chose to have the cable mass produced, a cable that was sold for 150$ in its former hand terminated form.

Everything is a give and take in life, and especially in audio. There is nor easy or perfect solution, I did the best I could under the circumstances.

And as stated before, there is a premium line of Noble IEMs just waiting for good homes & discerning ears

Regarding the cable


As far as what is so secret, well I literally searched the world over for a cable manufacture that built something I deemed to be worthy, I spent maybe 5 years looking. Tried, USA, Vietnam, China, Thailand, Taiwan and India as well. Then the pins, I had to look all over for those as well, as the tolerances have to be extremely fine.....

I finally landed a company that I think was superior to all the others.... What is their secret.... I don't know, but I'm sure they wouldn't care to tell me, if I asked, ultimately I'm just glad I found them.

Again, I don't think your comments are not founded, as I if I didn't obviously there would not be a wizard design IEM line up.

Cheers

John

Aka

Wizard

 

[xProvidence]

FWIW I really don't notice any imperfections on mine. Yes, it's visible where the housing meets the faceplate but is that really an imperfection? Hardly matters to me and I think it would be unfair to expect it to be seamless. I think the screws are a very nice aesthetic touch.  

 

[HideousPride]

I see very few comments on the universals, and more specifically the build quality.

The customs may be better, but for those of you considering the universal nobles-
My 2 cents:

I'm sorry but has anyone else been disappointed in the build quality of the Noble universals?

They feel like they're made of cheap plastic and the plastic molds just look like they're not top notch either. The cord feels "cheap" and doesn't look great. The eartips also seem to be pretty cheap Chinese mass manufactured, and semi usable.

For $350+ headphones....it's kinda disappointing.

I have $100-200 headphones that feel like they're better built than the nobles. Ex: etymotic plastic etc.

The case is nice though. Maybe the drivers ate up all the cost of production

At least for the Switch universals, I thought build quality was very good. They look and feel like a classy product. The cable is actually fantastic and one of the things I really liked, and the tips included had a wide variety of choices including some foamies (not sure if Comply) that I thought were more than servicable.

I'd be interested to hear if the other universals don't have all of the goodies that the FR came with.

 

[FullCircle]

Those screws... They are a curse! Purchased from one country, imported to another, and then plated, rhodium black, rose gold and gold. The costs....!!!!!!!!!

But that aside, the screws assist in the glue cure process, and for those that appreciate effort, show an extra mile being taken to have them plated.

In my opinion, they also help to secure the face plate if the IEM is dropped

I know we are young still, but to date we have yet to hear about a broken IEM shell, stem or faceplate

That being said, please do not use for a bola, at least not unless you have to

 

[FullCircle]

At least for the Switch universals, I thought build quality was very good. They look and feel like a classy product. The cable is actually fantastic and one of the things I really liked, and the tips included had a wide variety of choices including some foamies (not sure if Comply) that I thought were more than servicable.

I'd be interested to hear if the other universals don't have all of the goodies that the FR came with.

If by other univ, if u mean the noble line, all of them come with the same goodies

 

[FullCircle]

It is seamless with the wizard design, but that is because the face plate is first sealed to the shell & then sanded down together making a perfect seamless joint

Injection molding, (machines) just can't match what can be done by hand

Rarely is this true, but in this situation it is

 

[xProvidence]

I didn't know the screws were that much of a hassle but know they're appreciated. Only real complaint I have is the stress relief on the cable. I'll probably add some sort of heatshrink tubing to it. 

Welp. All this Noble talk has tempted me to use my N4. Unfortunately, I find it hard to study while listening to music. Guess which one I chose. 

 

[davidcotton]

  I didn't know the screws were that much of a hassle but know they're appreciated. Only real complaint I have is the stress relief on the cable. I'll probably add some sort of heatshrink tubing to it. 

Welp. All this Noble talk has tempted me to use my N4. Unfortunately, I find it hard to study while listening to music. Guess which one I chose. 

Study?  Good lad...

 

[kh600rr]

Well, this has been quite the busy forum today. Still waiting to hear from Brannan, if my impressions are ok.looks like he received them yesterday.

 

[fzman]

I own a used pair of N6, and the only other Noble's i;'ve seen in person are Vicseriouszero's K10s, which are pretty cool looking.
 
That said, i think the N6s looks perfectly acceptable, especially given that i would never be able to see them while I am listening to them.  they sound wonderful, which, for me IS the point.  I see lots of other iems that mya give off more of a bling factor, but they don;t sound as good - and I am sure that making them look a specific way is built into the price, and I;d rather pay more for better sound, not so much for just appearance.  Quality construction is another matter, and the N6's housing looks quite robust, and the tips look pretty standard to me.  I have big canals, so I am using other tips, UE, to be specific, and also liked TS-500 complys with them as well.  The cable is very ergonomic, and sounds good as well, and is certainly more user-friendly than the cables on the 1plus2, and 334s, just to name 2 more expensive iems....
 
 
Kudos to the Wizard for both the tone and content of his replies - it was reasoned, professional, and well-written.  

 

[OK-Guy]

 
Study?  Good lad...

 
haha.... us older wiser ones chose music with a nice cuppa tea.... you must study to get some wiseness about you.

 

[drgajet]

Does anyone know when lot #2 of the wizard design iems will be available. I think I need a "dress" pair to go with my "everyday" pair.