Some really interesting (and opposing!) views on here.
I'm considering the Savant myself and am a little concerned that some find them fatiguing or sibilant, the two things I dislike most in earphones! One of the reasons I like the K10 so much is that it is neither of these things.
@DJScope mentioned hearing some driver flex on his demo, I spoke with him some more after making the original statement and he seemed fairly confident he could hear something going on inside. This would indicate a dynamic driver in there somewhere... However, its quite unusual if this was the case as Noble don't seem to use dynamic drivers.
At a guess, I'd lean towards an all BA setup as well for Savant.
I'll listen this week and see what comes up. Its hard to assign a number of drivers though by ear. Even Customart's Harmony 8 Pro using 8 BA's I wouldn't guess unless told. I'm pretty sure I can distinguish BA from Dynamic drivers as the tell-tale signs of clarity and speed can be detected. Then again, I've heard some micro dynamic drivers which could be mistaken for balanced armature.
At a guess, I'd lean towards an all BA setup as well for Savant.
I'll listen this week and see what comes up. Its hard to assign a number of drivers though by ear. Even Customart's Harmony 8 Pro using 8 BA's I wouldn't guess unless told. I'm pretty sure I can distinguish BA from Dynamic drivers as the tell-tale signs of clarity and speed can be detected. Then again, I've heard some dynamic drivers which could be mistaken for balanced armature.
I'd be very interested in your thoughts. It sounds a lot like my old SE425 but with better treble extension. That's why I immediately thought dual BA. If it was a treble or quad I'd be expecting more bass extension.
Regardless of whether or not driver count is directly proportional to sound quality. Buyers will of course consider driver count when assessing the Savant's pricing and its competitors. More drivers logically implies more components, greater build complexity and expense.
Regardless of whether or not driver count is directly proportional to sound quality. Buyers will of course consider driver count when assessing the Savant's pricing and its competitors. More drivers logically implies more components, greater build complexity and expense.
Lol that's exactly what i thought too. But nope, don't have any pictures except from what he told me. So don't take what i say as the official spec/info since only Noble can do that ;P
I have found the Savant anything but tiring. They only arrived on Friday but yesterday/today I've worn them pretty much all day with no fatigue.
I've found that there is some sibilance but not to a level which detracts in any way from the overall experience.
I really couldn't be happier with these. They are my first Noble IEMs (although I have some Heir 5.0s from the Wizard's time there) so I can't compare to the N4s, but from my AK Jr they are amazing.
Compared to the SE535s, I'd say it's simply a more balanced, neutral sounding IEM but that somehow doesn't give up the good parts of the 535s. The best part of the 535s to me is female vocals, but the Savant does an equally good job there (slightly less 'coloured') while providing much more detail in everything else and remaining very musical.
I really can't recommend these highly enough (they look great too) and they were well worth the wait.
To me, drivers don't matter - tuning does. And the Savant are tuned extremely well.
I'm reviewing another dual BA now (the new q-Jays) and it's another example of an extremely well tuned IEM. Only 2 drivers, and also relatively expensive - but if tuned well - magic. The Savant is definitely tuned well IMO. Ticked almost all of my boxes.
I would probably agree with you "BA bass" but I still get a really massive air seal when putting them in my ears which subsides after a few minutes. I wouldn't be surprised if there was a micro dynamic driver in there, or two. But who knows.
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