[Wes S]

Just want to mention that I keep trying to replace my Noble Savants at work with something new (only for the sake of new) but I just keep coming back to them. I imagine that these will be the one iem that never leaves.. nice work Noble.

Nice! I bet you would love the Savant II.

 

[SBranson]

Nice! I bet you would love the Savant II.

I’m sure I would.

 

[SeeSax]

My god those Khans. And the set posted before in the video too, seriously salivating over here.

Also I agree with @mvvRAZ in regards to the Khan and coat of treble surrounding the music, but I love it and wouldn't change it. Also agreed that warm sources have worked well - they sounded amazing on my Sony desktop setup, but also great on my N6ii. Kann Cube pushed the brightness a bit, still well within my liking, right before it up and died for no reason and I'm in the RMA process now. I loaned the Khan to @SLC1966 because he's been dying to hear them and I generally think he enjoyed them a lot for jazz. I know nothing about jazz, so cannot comment there, but I really enjoy them for band-based music and the usual top 40 pop garbage that kids listen to these days

As for compared to Katana, the Wizard told me before I bought the Katana that it was probably the easier listen for hours on end than the Khan and I agree. They're individual in their own way and that's why I own both and will not get rid of either one. Very complimentary sound signatures depending on what you're in the mood for.

But damn, I cannot get over the Prestige, I need it!!!

Okay back to salivating.

-Collin-

P.S. Eletech Iliad just arrived and I cannot wait to try it on the Khan.

 

[SLC1966]

My god those Khans. And the set posted before in the video too, seriously salivating over here.

Also I agree with @mvvRAZ in regards to the Khan and coat of treble surrounding the music, but I love it and wouldn't change it. Also agreed that warm sources have worked well - they sounded amazing on my Sony desktop setup, but also great on my N6ii. Kann Cube pushed the brightness a bit, still well within my liking, right before it up and died for no reason and I'm in the RMA process now. I loaned the Khan to @SLC1966 because he's been dying to hear them and I generally think he enjoyed them a lot for jazz. I know nothing about jazz, so cannot comment there, but I really enjoy them for band-based music and the usual top 40 pop garbage that kids listen to these days

As for compared to Katana, the Wizard told me before I bought the Katana that it was probably the easier listen for hours on end than the Khan and I agree. They're individual in their own way and that's why I own both and will not get rid of either one. Very complimentary sound signatures depending on what you're in the mood for.

But damn, I cannot get over the Prestige, I need it!!!

Okay back to salivating.

-Collin-

P.S. Eletech Iliad just arrived and I cannot wait to try it on the Khan.

Khan or Katana for Jazz? I prefer Katana for Jazz in which I want to hear every instrument as it was intended to be heard. Katana is so good at than IMHO. and without dryness. Especially trio Jazz or modal Jazz are so good with Katana! Khan would be great for Jazz in which I wanted to add a little bass and a little treble fun. With quintets or more and when the music is moving faster than modal Jazz which is probably most jazz

Khan would probably be fatiguing during long sessions. Katana is not at all fatiguing to me.

 

[AustinGrayson]

I've had my time of listening to a pair of Khan in a recent audio show. I checked out all three new products, M3, Tux5, Khan and I found the similarities in them: fun-sounding, rumble and excessive bass. Recessed, distant, lean mid. Un-natural, harsh and slightly ear-piercing treble. In comparison to my Katana (stock cable), Khan with its stock cable sounded a little bit artificial in terms of tonality, kinda being pushed away from the old natural-sounding path. Rumble bass would give you a more exciting, fun sound on pop or RnB songs. But when it comes to jazz, speak on my preference, it might be too much, quite excessive. Moving on to the middle range, if you were a vocal lover, especially when your favorite genre was jazz, Khan would disappoint you with its ice cold and thin mid. I tried it with different genres (Pop, RnB, EDM, Rock, Jazz, Soul...) and modern genres suited it the best. Treble range sounded as analytical and resolving as other Noble IEMs, but that's all you can have. At this price point, you expect something more neutral, something sounds more realistic, but Khan wouldn't be that something. The treble on Khan might give you a harsh, ear-piercing experience after a short time of listening. You loved jazz and loved the tinkling sounds of cymbals? Oh, I bet you would not love how they sounded on Khan.

That's the story with the stock cable. After a few minutes of listening, I switched it to my aftermarket 4 x Neotech Silver with 1% of gold cable. The differences were real and easy to tell like day and night. Its tonality had a new face. A more intimate, more forgiving, more musical and more realistic sound were my words to describe it. You would still have a powerful and deep impact lows end but more controlled and slightly decreased bass quantity. Mids were pushed up in quantity and closer to your ears, vocal became thicker, sweeter, smoother and more lovely. Not the mid-range you had with the stock cable anymore. Treble started to have its full body, became less harsh and yet still retained the technicalities. Overall, cable change made Khan become better, IMO.

But if you already felt in love with the sound of the old universal lineup (K10, Katana, Savant...), you wouldn't get the same feeling on M3, Tux5 and Khan no matter how you modify the sound (cable changing, ear tips changing, pairing to different DAPs).

 

[mvvRAZ]

I've had my time of listening to a pair of Khan in a recent audio show. I checked out all three new products, M3, Tux5, Khan and I found the similarities in them: fun-sounding, rumble and excessive bass. Recessed, distant, lean mid. Un-natural, harsh and slightly ear-piercing treble. In comparison to my Katana (stock cable), Khan with its stock cable sounded a little bit artificial in terms of tonality, kinda being pushed away from the old natural-sounding path. Rumble bass would give you a more exciting, fun sound on pop or RnB songs. But when it comes to jazz, speak on my preference, it might be too much, quite excessive. Moving on to the middle range, if you were a vocal lover, especially when your favorite genre was jazz, Khan would disappoint you with its ice cold and thin mid. I tried it with different genres (Pop, RnB, EDM, Rock, Jazz, Soul...) and modern genres suited it the best. Treble range sounded as analytical and resolving as other Noble IEMs, but that's all you can have. At this price point, you expect something more neutral, something sounds more realistic, but Khan wouldn't be that something. The treble on Khan might give you a harsh, ear-piercing experience after a short time of listening. You loved jazz and loved the tinkling sounds of cymbals? Oh, I bet you would not love how they sounded on Khan.

That's the story with the stock cable. After a few minutes of listening, I switched it to my aftermarket 4 x Neotech Silver with 1% of gold cable. The differences were real and easy to tell like day and night. Its tonality had a new face. A more intimate, more forgiving, more musical and more realistic sound were my words to describe it. You would still have a powerful and deep impact lows end but more controlled and slightly decreased bass quantity. Mids were pushed up in quantity and closer to your ears, vocal became thicker, sweeter, smoother and more lovely. Not the mid-range you had with the stock cable anymore. Treble started to have its full body, became less harsh and yet still retained the technicalities. Overall, cable change made Khan become better, IMO.

But if you already felt in love with the sound of the old universal lineup (K10, Katana, Savant...), you wouldn't get the same feeling on M3, Tux5 and Khan no matter how you modify the sound (cable changing, ear tips changing, pairing to different DAPs).

Agreed. The old previous Noble generation is fundamentally different from their new stuff, and I'm personally in team Katana/Encore/Savant II

I also agree that you need a gold cable to really make the Khan shine, and a preferably warmer source too

 

[AustinGrayson]

Agreed. The old previous Noble generation is fundamentally different from their new stuff, and I'm personally in team Katana/Encore/Savant II

I also agree that you need a gold cable to really make the Khan shine, and a preferably warmer source too

I read your review of the Noble M3. Haha, finally I found someone who has the same thoughts as I do. OMG, what the hell did John do to this M3? I can feel that he's experiencing new technology but come on, how could it be this terrible? I love the look, I love the fitting but the sound? No way. It sounds like a thousand tiny needles are attacking my ears.
But a little bit disagree on Sage's case. There's nothing wrong with it, IMO. It sounds good, relaxing and gives a great sense of stage.

 

[FullCircle]

I read your review of the Noble M3. Haha, finally I found someone who has the same thoughts as I do. OMG, what the hell did John do to this M3? I can feel that he's experiencing new technology but come on, how could it be this terrible? I love the look, I love the fitting but the sound? No way. It sounds like a thousand tiny needles are attacking my ears.
But a little bit disagree on Sage's case. There's nothing wrong with it, IMO. It sounds good, relaxing and gives a great sense of stage.

Every one has their opinions

I have one guy says the "K10 sounds old."

That is a head scratcher for me.

Regardless

At least you like some of.my designs.

I'm not done yet.... more to come

 

[FullCircle]

Agreed. The old previous Noble generation is fundamentally different from their new stuff, and I'm personally in team Katana/Encore/Savant II

I also agree that you need a gold cable to really make the Khan shine, and a preferably warmer source too

Your picks are some of my favorites as well.

Even some of the retired ones are still my favorites

Retired due to product bloat, redundancy, or price point misfit

Even your favorites will one day will be placed on sabbatical

(The savant has a special place in my heart)

 

[mvvRAZ]

Your picks are some of my favorites as well.

Even some of the retired ones are still my favorites

Retired due to product bloat, redundancy, or price point misfit

Even your favorites will one day will be placed on sabbatical

(The savant has a special place in my heart)

Yeah as any product they have a lifecycle and there's nothing you can do about that - the Katana/Encore/Savant product line is remarkable and I think it is also what the current Noble reputation rests on

Personally, I'd like to see 2.0 versions of those, where the strengths of each one are taken further and made into even better models

However, I do agree with @AustinGrayson that the M3 just sounds flat out wrong - the Khan for example is very technical, and has a rather unique tuning that didn't quite work for me, but I can respect.

 

[AustinGrayson]

Every one has their opinions

I have one guy says the "K10 sounds old."

That is a head scratcher for me.

Regardless

At least you like some of.my designs.

I'm not done yet.... more to come

My thoughts on the new lineup may be too negative but that doesn't mean I hate them. I just love the sound signature of the previous generation too much. The M3 faceplate designs? Kill me already, how could they be that beautiful? Tux5 has its own appearance and my eyes can't stop looking at it. Khan at the top of the line, well, it looks stunning without a doubt. Loving the look too much, I set my expectations too high for how the new products sound but eventually, they sounded too different to my taste.

Remember the AVshow in Hanoi a few months ago when we talked about you and your crew had been switching lane on sound signature? Respect that Dr., that's the way for creativity going forward and I'm rooting for you guys. You can't stay at one lane forever and expect people getting hyped every time new IEMs coming out with slight changes that are barely noticeable.

Keep working on your projects, we're waiting for them to be finished.

 

[AustinGrayson]

Yeah as any product they have a lifecycle and there's nothing you can do about that - the Katana/Encore/Savant product line is remarkable and I think it is also what the current Noble reputation rests on

Personally, I'd like to see 2.0 versions of those, where the strengths of each one are taken further and made into even better models

However, I do agree with @AustinGrayson that the M3 just sounds flat out wrong - the Khan for example is very technical, and has a rather unique tuning that didn't quite work for me, but I can respect.

Not even remotely relevant, how did you know about the Itsfit brand? It's only a small local brand in Vietnam, Kien's artworks are stunning obviously but I don't think he has spread his influence to the overseas market.

 

[Deezel177]

Not even remotely relevant, how did you know about the Itsfit brand? It's only a small local brand in Vietnam, Kien's artworks are stunning obviously but I don't think he has spread his influence to the overseas market.

Through me, I think.

 

[AustinGrayson]

Through me, I think.

Right, that makes more sense Indo and Vietnam are quite close.

 

[amature101]

Black on black Katana

Is this a mass produce item? Cant seem to find on your store.