[Wes S]

Black Friday is coming with 30% knocking them down to $520 for 2 days

Trust me, I am aware. I still want to read a few more reviews though, and hopefully get to demo them, so not in a rush, but that sale is tempting.

 

[N0BOX]

For those of you who've been Wizard fans for longer than I, and who have had a chance to sample many of his products, I have a question: I am very much a basshead, but also a closet audiophile. I have a pair of HD 650s and have had some experience pulling the trigger on lackluster "cheap" audiophile headphones like the Massdrop x Fostex T-X0, which was a huge letdown as an intro to planar magnetics. My absolute favorite piece of kit right now though is my Noble 3U hooked up to a Sony NW-A45.

The HD 650 came first, and I ended up getting the Noble 3U used from ebay for a good price. I generally use my Sennheisers through a Sound Blaster E5 at my computer for music and gaming, and I find myself setting a pretty aggressive V-shaped EQ to enjoy most of the music I listen to on a daily basis. The NW-A45 has an even more insane EQ curve to deal with my Noble 3U and my general music habits. There isn't anything wrong with that, I guess, because both the Senns and the Nobles are actually capable of delivering on those jacked-up EQs with the right volume level.

So, my music taste runs the gamut from folksy/celtic/world music to rock/J-pop/alt and on up into hip-hop/electronic/drum&bass. While my eclectic taste includes all of those options, I tend to listen to electronic music the most because I like fast, catchy, upbeat music when I'm up and moving. This has set me on a quest to find a good set of IEMs (or, alternatively, over-ears that are mobile enough) that can give me those bass hits that I imagine I can feel in my chest without having to crank the lows past 11, the mids down -5, and the highs +5 with an EQ setting.

So far, I've been looking at the Noble Audio "Dulce Bass", M3, and Massdrop K10U, but I haven't really been able to decide because I can't really find any comparison between the three (or even between two of them very easily).

Because of my EQ levels, the highs and especially the mids end up a bit muddled, so I'm not concerned as much for clarity in the highs as long as it comes out better than my Noble 3U with the EQ crud on top. When I want clarity, the 3U sounds utterly amazing to me wihtout the EQ to mess it up, and I'll be keeping these IEMs along with whatever I end up deciding on. That's not to say I'm giving up on clarity, sountstage, or resolution just to satisfy my basshead tendencies (otherwise I would give up and cry while hating myself for buying something from Beats Audio), but I am willing to give up a little bit to get what I want for those genres of music.

So, would I be fine with the Dulce Bass? Does the M3 have the same or better bass than the Dulce, and if so is it also more clear-sounding? Would the K10U have good enough bass while I get to take advantage of the better clarity/resolution/soundstage I'm lead to believe it should offer over my 3U?

At the moment I've kinda got my finger over the "checkout" trigger for the Dulce Bass as a gift to myself this holiday season, but I can hold myself off to consider some advice if I can get it.

Edit: ALSO! I have been looking at the Audeze LCD-i3 as an option. It's even harder to find comparison reviews for, though...

 

[acvjim]

For those of you who've been Wizard fans for longer than I, and who have had a chance to sample many of his products, I have a question: I am very much a basshead, but also a closet audiophile. I have a pair of HD 650s and have had some experience pulling the trigger on lackluster "cheap" audiophile headphones like the Massdrop x Fostex T-X0, which was a huge letdown as an intro to planar magnetics. My absolute favorite piece of kit right now though is my Noble 3U hooked up to a Sony NW-A45.

The HD 650 came first, and I ended up getting the Noble 3U used from ebay for a good price. I generally use my Sennheisers through a Sound Blaster E5 at my computer for music and gaming, and I find myself setting a pretty aggressive V-shaped EQ to enjoy most of the music I listen to on a daily basis. The NW-A45 has an even more insane EQ curve to deal with my Noble 3U and my general music habits. There isn't anything wrong with that, I guess, because both the Senns and the Nobles are actually capable of delivering on those jacked-up EQs with the right volume level.

So, my music taste runs the gamut from folksy/celtic/world music to rock/J-pop/alt and on up into hip-hop/electronic/drum&bass. While my eclectic taste includes all of those options, I tend to listen to electronic music the most because I like fast, catchy, upbeat music when I'm up and moving. This has set me on a quest to find a good set of IEMs (or, alternatively, over-ears that are mobile enough) that can give me those bass hits that I imagine I can feel in my chest without having to crank the lows past 11, the mids down -5, and the highs +5 with an EQ setting.

So far, I've been looking at the Noble Audio "Dulce Bass", M3, and Massdrop K10U, but I haven't really been able to decide because I can't really find any comparison between the three (or even between two of them very easily).

Because of my EQ levels, the highs and especially the mids end up a bit muddled, so I'm not concerned as much for clarity in the highs as long as it comes out better than my Noble 3U with the EQ crud on top. When I want clarity, the 3U sounds utterly amazing to me wihtout the EQ to mess it up, and I'll be keeping these IEMs along with whatever I end up deciding on. That's not to say I'm giving up on clarity, sountstage, or resolution just to satisfy my basshead tendencies (otherwise I would give up and cry while hating myself for buying something from Beats Audio), but I am willing to give up a little bit to get what I want for those genres of music.

So, would I be fine with the Dulce Bass? Does the M3 have the same or better bass than the Dulce, and if so is it also more clear-sounding? Would the K10U have good enough bass while I get to take advantage of the better clarity/resolution/soundstage I'm lead to believe it should offer over my 3U?

At the moment I've kinda got my finger over the "checkout" trigger for the Dulce Bass as a gift to myself this holiday season, but I can hold myself off to consider some advice if I can get it.

Edit: ALSO! I have been looking at the Audeze LCD-i3 as an option. It's even harder to find comparison reviews for, though...

The Tux 5 probably has the most bass of Noble’s lineup.

 

[SteveKiwi]

Well after a few more hours listening to them I can say that my first impressions still hold true.

On some recordings they do come across as V shaped but on others they sound incredibly detailed, clear, musical and more importantly fun!

The bass is solid with more of a focus on sub bass, which is what I prefer anyway.

The treble is detailed but not piercing or tending to sibilence which once again suits my preferences.

The overall sound of these is similar to the Fearless Audio Roland, but the M3's definitely have the edge in the treble details.

One thing I would say is that swapping the stock tips does make a difference, I'm using the Final Audio type E and to me it makes a huge difference.

Each to their own of course and everyone's ears are different shaped, but these seem to work best for me with the M3.

As I said in my original post they do seem to open up with time and they (to me) seem to become less V shaped as time goes by.

I do have the massdrop k10u and the Katana and although technically these may be better than the M3, the M3 is a hell of a fun listen.

I really should have added the M3's are tiny by comparison to other IEMs I have and are a great fit.

 

[Watagump]

I really should have added the M3's are tiny by comparison to other IEMs I have and are a great fit.

Great choice for people who sleep with IEM's in their ears.

 

[Rowethren]

I never thought sleeping with your IEMs in was a very good idea to be honest...

 

[FullCircle]

You just made me want the M3, even more! I think I will eventually have to get a pair.

Pick one or all

 

[Wes S]

Pick one or all

Love that purple and white! Got some K10U coming, or I would be jumping on one of those.

 

[CreditingKarma]

Great choice for people who sleep with IEM's in their ears.

I fall asleep with the Khan every night. I simply love them the best IEM out the right now IMO.

 

[Watagump]

I fall asleep with the Khan every night. I simply love them the best IEM out the right now IMO.

Good morning James, how are you?

 

[holsen]

I love them, especially with these new tips. I feel like the sound is actually better with the new tips

great punchy low end, clear highs, but not too much. nothing but good things to say about these

What about the mids. Keep hearing they are deep v... Great bass, great treble, no mids.... True?

 

[SteveKiwi]

What about the mids. Keep hearing they are deep v... Great bass, great treble, no mids.... True?

Definitely not true.

The mids are there alright. Up until owning these I really didn't believe in burn in. But now I have an open mind about it.

The more I listen to these, the more I'm coming to the conclusion that they play pretty much what was produced in the mixing of the track.

Some recordings the mids are forward, and in some cases very forward, in other recordings as has been said they can be recessed.

 

[ayang02]

+1 on M3’s mids: it’s there alright.

 

[Wes S]

+1 on M3’s mids: it’s there alright.

I am curious, what would say is the main strength of the M3?

 

[ayang02]

I am curious, what would say is the main strength of the M3?

The dynamic range of the M3, I would say.