[Sebastien Chiu]

Hong Kong fans will get the chance at a very special version of the Sultan just for them!
From our friends at Lets Go Audio.​

 

[ahossam]

Noble Sultan and Empire Ears Legend X

A little over two years ago a bit after the start of my IEM obsession, I purchased the Legend X. I ended up selling it about a month later.. Looking back I now know I let it go due to my lack of IEM nubility. I was younger and more innocent and lacked experience.

I was like a 15 year old trying to data a mature 20 year old. Just not ready! About a month ago, I was looking for a mature IEM that was an anomaly and nothing like anything else. My mind went back to that mature 20 year old. I was two years older and 40 IEMs more experienced. I have had the Legend X for a little over a month now. It fills the fun, dark, heavy, complex, mature IEM slot that was missing in my life.

And then the Noble Sultan showed up at my door last week. Well hello Sultry Sultan! Both are complex and mature in a different way. The Sultan wants your attention and keeps it.. Both are chameleons and can display their strengths in different ways depending on the song. The Sultan is a wonderful slightly forward W shaped, well layered IEM. To me the LX is an L shaped IEM. Bass gets the most attention (depending on the song), then the mids and then treble. The mids of the LX are the reason I will keep them. I need mids. I do not like scooped out. I also need vocals that are not hanging way back there. Both IEMs shine with vocals just in different ways.

What is wonderful is IMHO is that I could have just these two and be content. Well maybe not. I would need to throw in a smooth mellow warm IEM for those retirement moments!

LX has 2 DDs and 5 BAs. The Sultan has 1 DD, 4 BAs, and 2 Estats. Both take about the same effort to drive. Both have completely black backgrounds on my Cayin N6ii with E02 module.

The LX has a softer treble and is further back in the presentation. LX has thicker male vocals. Sultan has more intimate vocals. Sultan female vocals have a better timbre than LX. It is almost like the with the LX, the female voices are not being allowed to be at their best due to the darker emphasis with the LX.

LX has rounder notes. LX is warmer. LX has mildly thicker bass on songs that are not bass heavy (that says a lot about the quality of the bass of the Sultan). The Sultan bass is no slouch. It is a combination of visceral sub bass and mid bass on top of that. LX has more sub bass classic subwoofer sound.

The LX turns Fleetwood Macs song Dreams into a mellow and darker song with some nice sub bass thrown in. With the Sultan it is a super layered song with all parts mildly forward and asking for your attention.

The song Agbada Bougou from Tony Allen and Hugh Masekela consists off strictly bass. drums and Flugelhorn. Sultan emphasizes the cymbals with an amazing sub and mid bass. LX presents the song as darker with the sub bass emphasis and a fuller Flugelhorn and then cymbals are emphasized last. They take a wonderful song and make it sound great in two different ways.

Now take a bass heavy song like Lose Yourself To Dance from Daft Punk. LX presents scary scary goose bump inducing sub bass. It reminded me of being in my brothers Chevrolet Chevette many years ago with sub woofers that took up the whole back seat and part of the trunk. Then there is the rest of the song if you can make it through the Sub bass.

The Sultan presents the song in a more balanced fashion and more forward. The bass is still visceral and can be literally felt just not Chevrolet Chevette subwoofer felt. The vocals shine more on this song with the Sultan as well as everything else.

The LX is a classic and IMHO the Sultan will be a classic that is referenced in a good way as much as the LX. And that alone says a lot about the quality of sound coming from the Sultan. What is nice is that they both are amazing IEMs. They can both be in someones collection and coexist because they do not overlap much other than both bring joy but in different ways. I try not to keep them in the same drawer for storage. Personality conflicts and egos get in the way!

Compare to Khan how is the Sultan bass? Is it the same? Since they both have 10mm dynamic driver.

 

[gnahra]

Compare to Khan how is the Sultan bass? Is it the same? Since they both have 10mm dynamic driver.

pretty sure he did this comparison somewhere in the last couple of pages

 

[ahossam]

pretty sure he did this comparison somewhere in the last couple of pages

Yes, he says that the Sultan has a little more rumble down under than Khan, maybe he can explain more, I like to know how fast is the speed compare to Khan bass.

 

[35FLE]

Is the Sultan nozzle shape similar to the Khan?

The Khan is the only noble universal that has the best fit for my ears with foam tips.

 

[SLC1966]

Is the Sultan nozzle shape similar to the Khan?

The Khan is the only noble universal that has the best fit for my ears with foam tips.

Here is a pic of the Khan next to the Sultan. Let me know if you need a different angle. I get a really good fit on both.

 

[SLC1966]

Yes, he says that the Sultan has a little more rumble down under than Khan, maybe he can explain more, I like to know how fast is the speed compare to Khan bass.

My Khan/Sultan post was more about the treble and the mids. I will compare the two with the purpose of bass and get something posted tonight or tomorrow morning.

 

[Sebastien Chiu]

I appreciate your time @SLC1966! You're being the one-man army answering all Sultan questions until more folks get their hands on the beast!

Your input and reviews are invaluable to us!

 

[35FLE]

Here is a pic of the Khan next to the Sultan. Let me know if you need a different angle. I get a really good fit on both.

Take my money Noble!

 

[FullCircle]

Here is a pic of the Khan next to the Sultan. Let me know if you need a different angle. I get a really good fit on both.

We used the same file to build the khan as we did the Sultan. That being said, CNC machines do have limitations, so I imagine there is a degree of deviation between the two.

Take my money Noble!

They are selling at a surprisingly fast pace, so if you get a chance, and you want one, do not hesitate.

Due to the complexity of the Sultan build, I don't think this will be a high volume produc compared to the K10.

 

[SLC1966]

Sultan and Khan Bass:

Lets start with Glory Box by John Martin (I sure love his 3rd through 6th albums and some stuff before and after that). A very simple analogy is that for this song the Sultan does to the Khan what Legend X does to the Sultan. The Sultan has such a deeper bass on that song compared to the Khan. They both do the song well but very different. The Sultan does the treble vocals and bass equally and impactful. The Sultan does it in an enveloping 3D way. The Khan has a more exact BA type of bass. The vocals are a little behind the bass and treble with the Khan.

Take the song Teardrops by Avishai Cohen (amazing trumpet player) and Big Vicious. The song starts with just kick drum and cymbals. The Sultan and Khan are almost indistinguishable. The Khan bass is quicker though. Super quick decay. The Sultan has a slower decay and slightly more pronounced sub bass. Then when the guitar and then trumpet start the difference is more prevalent due to the more forward thicker mids of the Sultan.

And finally Get Lucky by Daft Punk. Bass is minimally more impactful with Sultan. Khan is as I stated above slightly quicker. They both do that song so well. Once again the difference in more forward and thicker mids come out with Sultan with the guitar and vocals. Khan is more intimate overall. Sultan has a bigger stage. The timbre is different. Thin and intimate for the Khan and thicker and larger for the Sultan.

OK I cannot help myself. The first 16 seconds of Dreams by those Fleetwood Mac people are all cymbals and bass. Again both IEMs sound great. The difference is so obvious with quicker tighter very present bass and treble on the Khan and slower, deeper and more layered bass and treble on the Sultan. Intimate vs. grandiose in a nutshell.

 

[SLC1966]

I appreciate your time @SLC1966! You're being the one-man army answering all Sultan questions until more folks get their hands on the beast!

Your input and reviews are invaluable to us!

It is not a problem Sebastien. It gets my mind away for a bit from other things happening out there. I look forward to the Sultan getting in the hands of others so that we get to hear about Sultan from the perspective i.e. lens of others.

Mark

 

[35FLE]

We used the same file to build the khan as we did the Sultan. That being said, CNC machines do have limitations, so I imagine there is a degree of deviation between the two.



They are selling at a surprisingly fast pace, so if you get a chance, and you want one, do not hesitate.

Due to the complexity of the Sultan build, I don't think this will be a high volume produc compared to the K10.

I am hoping the Australian distributor would get stock soon! Buying direct would incur import duty.

 

[meomap]

Sultan and Khan Bass:

Lets start with Glory Box by John Martin (I sure love his 3rd through 6th albums and some stuff before and after that). A very simple analogy is that for this song the Sultan does to the Khan what Legend X does to the Sultan. The Sultan has such a deeper bass on that song compared to the Khan. They both do the song well but very different. The Sultan does the treble vocals and bass equally and impactful. The Sultan does it in an enveloping 3D way. The Khan has a more exact BA type of bass. The vocals are a little behind the bass and treble with the Khan.

Take the song Teardrops by Avishai Cohen (amazing trumpet player) and Big Vicious. The song starts with just kick drum and cymbals. The Sultan and Khan are almost indistinguishable. The Khan bass is quicker though. Super quick decay. The Sultan has a slower decay and slightly more pronounced sub bass. Then when the guitar and then trumpet start the difference is more prevalent due to the more forward thicker mids of the Sultan.

And finally Get Lucky by Daft Punk. Bass is minimally more impactful with Sultan. Khan is as I stated above slightly quicker. They both do that song so well. Once again the difference in more forward and thicker mids come out with Sultan with the guitar and vocals. Khan is more intimate overall. Sultan has a bigger stage. The timbre is different. Thin and intimate for the Khan and thicker and larger for the Sultan.

OK I cannot help myself. The first 16 seconds of Dreams by those Fleetwood Mac people is all cymbals and bass. Again both IEMs sound great. The difference is so obvious with quicker tighter very present bass and treble on the Khan and slower, deeper and more layered bass and treble on the Sultan. Intimate vs. grandiose in a nutshell.

I guess I will stay with my Khan.
Not worth it to upgrade to Sultan.

 

[FullCircle]

I guess I will stay with my Khan.
Not worth it to upgrade to Sultan.

Either one is a win

But to say the Sultan is a lateral move is objectively wrong.

Sultan
1) more durable housing (aluminum)
2) can be used with a wider range of players (including iPhone)

Are those differences worth the buying a Sultan? For some the answer is "Yes," for some the answer is, "No."