[REVIEW]: Noble Audio Kaiser 10: 10-driver Custom-Fit In-Ear Monitor
Oct 9, 2013 at 11:39 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 367

Kunlun

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Synopsis: The Noble Audio Kaiser 10 is at the summit of custom in-ear-monitors representing the flagship of new designs from Dr. John Moulton. The Kaiser 10’s 10 drivers have been brought together seamlessly for superior coherency and a very realistic, natural sound. These drivers give great depth and extension to the Kaiser 10’s balanced tuning. The bass is present and very capable but not boosted or forward, the midrange is clear and very smooth with slight warmth, the vocal range has a gentle lift to bring it to the forefront, and the excellent treble is smoothly bright and non-fatiguing. With no sonic weaknesses, the Kaiser 10 does very well with a wide array of music genres, making it a very good choice for audiophiles looking for the most versatile choice at the top-tier of portable audio.

 
 
Dr. John Moulton and the team at Noble Audio:
Dr. John Moulton, known as The Wizard, needs no introduction but perhaps a little history and background: John is a doctor of audiology and has a long history of working with high-end portable audio. His first company was Full Circle and the seed of his later ciem designs first came to fruition there. Next was Heir Audio, which was quite successful as John continued refining his designs and the artistry for which he quickly became known for. He brought together a team of highly experienced technicians and engineers with finely tuned skills. It is this team which John has brought over to Noble Audio. Noble is set up very wisely: By giving each of his team a share in the company, they can really put their hearts into what they do and everyone will reap the benefits of their hard work and talent. John has assured that Noble is built to last for years to come, just like his earphones.
 
 
The Noble Audio Line at NobleAudio.com :
Noble Audio will carry a full line of custom fit in-ear monitors (ciems) and universal fit in-ear monitors (iems). The high-end iems will be rolling out soon, but for now let’s look at the ciems available:
 
Kaiser 10, this is the all-new 10-driver flagship. You’re reading a review of it right now!
 
8C, this is the re-tuned and updated version of Dr. Moulton’s earlier 8-driver. He says it adds clarity and treble presence to his older tuning.
 
5C, this is John’s 5-driver custom. It’s the same as his earlier 5-driver universal, now in custom form. He describes it as having a bassy signature similar to his older 8-driver. This model will be available in both acrylic and silicone shells. The silicone shells are innovative in that they allow for a custom faceplate!
 
4C, this is the re-tuned and updated version of his earlier 4-driver. The 4C’s new tuning eliminates any dips in the frequency response. It’s a clear, clean sound which is flat with a bit of brightness in the treble. I have it and will write a review later. This is the one you want if you want an analytic sound. It is available in both acrylic and silicone shells. Did I mention the silicone shells are innovative in that they allow for a custom faceplate? I’m going to repeat it for the 3-driver custom, too!
 
3C, this is all-new, totally re-designed 3-driver with some special, new drivers from Knowles (the foremost designer and manufacturer of balanced armature drivers). John says it’s tuned for a v-shaped, fun signature. It’s available in both acrylic and silicone shells. Yes, the silicone shells can have a custom faceplate.
 
 
CIEMs:
One thing I always like to mention is that with any ciem from anywhere, ever, is that this is a product designed to fit your unique ears. Fit is absolutely vital to the sound quality and isolation and comfort. You get that all-important fit by having an audiologist make an impression and this is what the audio company has to work with. Don’t try to go cheap with this! Work with audiologists who have experience making impressions for musicians and audiophiles and not only with hearing aids which require a much less precise fit. Even with the best audiologist, you may not get a perfect fit the first time, that’s the nature of ciems. Again, this is true with any company, anywhere, ever. So, it’s important to consider not only the product, but the customer service when it comes to ciems.
 
 
Customer Service:
Noble Audio may be a new company, but everyone in it has a long experience in high-end portable audio and ciems. They really know how to give excellent customer service. I’ve worked with John for several years now with a few of his earlier ciems and I can say that I’ve had great experiences and I’ve talked to others who have as well. You’ll be in good hands.
Noble will have representatives in the U.S. for American customers and a representative in the U.K. for customers in the E.U. Of course, for folks in S.E. Asia, shipping can come direct from China. Noble Audio is on top of things from the start.
 
 
The Kaiser 10:
 
The Kaiser 10 retails for $1599. An important point is that wood or carbon fiber faceplates, custom colors are INCLUDED in that price. Yes, wood or carbon fiber faceplates are free, that’s huge. To get a faceplate personally designed by the Wizard himself costs a bit extra.
 
Also, shipping is INCLUDED in that price.
 
The key point is that you can get a Kaiser 10 which looks just like the one I've reviewed (minus the Wizard signature) for $1599 flat.
 
 
Here are some professional pictures of my Kaiser 10 by Darin Fong. He did a lot better job than I could have! This is a beautiful design by the Wizard.

 
 
 

 
 


Incredible, right?
 
 
 
Design:
The Kaiser 10 is set up with two giant CI drivers for bass, a dual armature for mids, a dual armature for upper mids, and a dual armature for treble paired with another dual armature for upper treble in a 4-way design. This design uses the same two huge CI drivers as the 8 driver design but several of the other drivers from the 8 have been replaced with different models for the Kaiser and the overall sound is far different than older version of the 8-driver which I am familiar with.
 
 
Isolation and Fit:
This is an acrylic shell custom and has the same isolation as every other acrylic shell ciem (assuming you have a good fit).
One thing to note is that multi-armature ciems that have 8 and more drivers are going to be larger than ones that have 2 or 3 drivers. The drivers and other components take up more room. Now, this is all relative as ciems run pretty small as it is, but for those with small ears, your ciem may stick out a few millimeters more with an 8 or 10 driver ciem. It shouldn’t be an issue for most, but it is something to be aware of.
 
 
Cable: Although the cable on mine is a usual generic custom cable, all Noble Audio orders will go out with the new improved Magnus cable at no extra charge. I'll be receiving a review sample of that cable to try on the Kaiser 10. It should be a great cable.
 
 
Overall Sound:
 
The Kaiser 10 I'll be reviewing is a review sample from Noble Audio. I've taken several weeks to listen to it and get over any "honeymoon" period. I'll be describing it just as I hear it.
 
I tend to run the Kaiser out of my 5.5th gen ipod paired with an Apex Glacier portable amplifier. Another thing to note is that I did extensive listening both at home, but also on commute in the noisy subways of New York City. This is important as you should consider where you will be doing your listening. If you listen on commute, be it plane or train, keep in mind that you may need an earphone that has more bass capability to balance the outside noise. Of course, isolation is important as well.
 
 
The Tuning: The Kaiser has a balanced, natural sounding signature with a very cohesive overall sound. This is a very skillfully tuned earphone! I don’t want to overstate anything as the whole tuning is about gentle lifts here and there to give this natural, balanced effect. Watch me use the word “slight” to describe everything! Usually earphones have some extreme somewhere in their sound, a boosted bass or a piercingly bright treble, the Kaiser just doesn’t. The vocal range is slightly lifted and takes a gracious center stage, as it should being the heart of the music. The bass has great presence. However, to the ear, it’s only very slightly lifted and comes in level with the treble, which is smoothly bright and extended. There’s a nice amount of realistic thickness to the note decay and warmth to the midrange. It avoids a dry sound and gives life to the music. Clarity is very good without distracting your attention from the holistic sound the Kaiser faithfully presents. People who are looking for one part of the sound or sound quality to be emphasized (always at a cost somewhere else) will want to look elsewhere as the Kaiser really gives a complete package.
 
 
Sensitivity: I like to quote the person who said that running a high-end earphone from a lower quality source is like putting cheap tires and gas in your expensive sportscar. Having said that, my ipod 5.5th gen runs the Kaiser well, taking it up to pretty loud levels. It still sounds great. Perfectionists will want that extra measure of performance from a high end source, others won’t bother. I'm not having any hiss problems from the Kaiser, either, but that's not generally a hot-button issue for me.
 
 
Imagining and soundstage: I used the Ultrasone test CD, which has a large variety of very well recorded tracks ranging from large choruses to small jazz ensembles, to a shimmering gong improvisations to fireworks to field recordings in nature, etc., to test the soundstage and imaging. The Kaiser, as you might expect, does very well. The soundstage sounds natural, not artificially forced out, and it avoids any “head in a fishbowl” sort of effects. You get a well-imaged soundstage that projects in front and around to the sides, with excellent height. The Ultrasone cd has a track where a brook is bubbling behind the microphone and the Kaiser faithfully gives a very convincing effect of water travelling behind you. For imaging, again, I’m not getting the artificially hyper-separated sound where each instrument sounds as though it was pasted in, but a more true to the recording sound where each instrument has its own place on the soundstage. The Kaiser doesn't quite have the perfect coherence of a single dynamic-driver design, but its 10-drivers are very well brought together. I’d call it a medium size for an earphone, changing with the recording.  Keep in mind that these soundstage cues come from the recording. To me, a good earphone faithfully reproduces these cues for your ears rather than imposing its own effect. Your preferences may differ.
 
 
Treble: The Kaiser’s treble is extraordinary. It really gives a very nice brightness and air without harshness—a balance that is very hard to find. Violins and cymbals sound great and the timbre of voices and instruments are very good, surpassing the older, darker 8.A in this regard. The treble extension is superior and there’s no fatigue. It’s the best treble I’ve heard from an multi-armature design. People looking for a dark sound or people looking for extra edge and sibilance won’t find that here.
 
 
Midrange: The beautiful midrange has nice warmth, but far less than Dr. Moulton’s older, thickly warm 8.A. The Kaiser’s mids are clear and the vocal range has a slight lift to bring it just a bit to the forefront. Music comes alive with this tuning and the Kaiser has a way of making drawing you into your music.
 
 
Bass: This is a very high quality bass. The bass is very well controlled and not boosted beyond what sounds natural. It’s a much less bassy signature than the 8.A. Yet the Kaiser’s bass is powered by those same huge drivers, so there’s exceptional presence in that refined bass signature which remains in align with the treble and just a touch behind the vocal range. The Kaiser has excellent bass extension and can really thump and thunder when the music asks, even as string quartets and jazz also sound excellent. I would say that it's a very nice amount of bass for listening in a quiet room, however, bassheads may like a little extra via EQ. This is particularly true when traveling on the road to balance road/track/plane noise.
 
The Kaiser’s balanced tuning means that it works very well with just about every genre of music. All kinds of classical and jazz sound phenomenal with the Kaiser. Pop and rock are great and ballads are beautiful. The bass comes alive with rap and hip-hop and there’s bass depth for dubstep (although the bassier Noble 8C and Noble 5C may fit dedicated fans of this genre better).
 
 
 
Is the Kaiser right for you:
Have you noticed that the Kaiser really doesn’t have any flaws to talk about? It’s a very well done earphone, no question. However, whether it’s right for you depends on what you want to hear and only you can decide that. The first thing is that you have to know what you really like and not just for 5 minutes or 50 minutes, but what you want to hear for the long term. I have a story to illustrate this:
 
A Story:
Storytime! This actually happened:
 
True Storytime!
I received a message a while back from a guy who had been reading about another ciem that had reviewed very well. The ciem was said to have a mostly flat signature and this person liked more bass in his music. People were really excited about this ciem and said it was so great that the person got caught up this excitement. He knew that the ciem didn’t have the sound signature he like but he thought it’d be so great that he’d just love it anyway. You can see where this is going, right?
 
Guess what? He didn’t like it! The expensive ciem which didn’t have the sound he wanted wasn’t good for him, even if it was good for other people. The moral is you have to know what you want and get something which matches that. Noble Audio has a bunch of ciems and they will all sound different and be right for different people. The Kaiser will be right for a lot of people, but only you know if you are one of them.
 
 
 
Conclusion:
The Kaiser 10 really defines what a flagship should be as an all-around excellent custom fit earphone with a versatile tuning that sounds great with a very wide range of music. A great deal of care went into every aspect of this earphone and it really shows. When it comes to having the total package, not only sound but customer service and appearance that’s a work of art, look no further than new Noble Audio Kaiser 10.
 
Oct 9, 2013 at 11:39 PM Post #2 of 367
Spiral Ears SE5 loaner Versus Noble Audio Kaiser10
 
The SE5 I’m using is what I’d like to think of as a loaner. It's a long (really long, thanks to Polish customs) loan from head-fi’er AstralStorm who has very long, straight ear canals. See pictures below:
 

 
 

 
 
Thanks to the straight canals and the gentle flexibility of silicone, I get an excellent seal and sound. Is it exactly the same as having my own set of SE5s? I can’t tell you (although what I hear seems to be close to Astralstorm’s own take) and you probably have your own opinion on the matter! Go ahead and take these impressions and comparisons with whatever size grain of salt you like. I would recommend that those who are determined to be unhappy just skip this review. It’s my best as always, but no need to be upset over an earphone review, right? Hopefully, this will be quite useful for some readers, that's my only intention, so have some fun with it.
 
 
The SE5:
The Spiral Ears SE5 is made by Gregorz, an audio engineer who worked for ACS, a ciem company which is known for its silicone shelled stage monitors. The SE5 is a 5-driver, 5-way silicone shelled custom which is the flagship of the Spiral Ears line. It sells in the EU-only (although there are ways around that, keep in mind you may need a re-fit for any custom fit earphone) for 1269 Euros, the equivalent of $1735 (at today’s exchange rate as of writing this review), not too far off from the Kaiser’s $1599.
 
 
Just as Gregorz comes from a company known for stage monitors, his SE5 has a typical stage monitor tuning. It is bassy, with a bass-boost in order for musicians on stage to hear the bass over the roar of the crowd. The vocal range is also boosted, to bring the lead vocalist or musician out of the mix. The upper treble is reduced or shelved by comparison in order to avoid listening fatigue over the course of a musicians’ two-hour + set. This tuning is dark, but some will say it is also natural sounding to their ears and many people like it. If you notice, many of the reviews I’ve done are of stage monitors. This is because I like stage monitors myself. However, they aren’t for everyone and only you can decide if this is a tuning you would like.
 
 
The SE5 is very clear in the midrange, which besides the dark stage monitor tuning, is perhaps its defining feature. That clarity wanes above in the upper vocal range and in the resonantly decaying bass, but it’s still quite good. One other thing to mention is the soundstage. There is extra-separation, which both adds to clarity but can sometimes sound a bit unnatural. Each armature has its own sound tube and this sometimes can sound as though each part of the recording has its own soundstage—bringing parts of the recording closer than others in a way you may like although not what is intended in the recording itself. Some people absolutely love this. When I let my girlfriend listen to the SE5 for an extended session, however, she gave it back with a frown and said “Each note sounds separate from the others” and liked the Tralucent 1plus2 I had at the time better, saying “it brings all the music together”. That’s just one person’s opinion, of course. Different strokes for different folks. To be fair, she hasn’t heard the Kaiser 10. Let’s compare the SE5 with the Kaiser 10:
 
The Comparison:
 
Tuning: No question, the Kaiser 10 and SE5 have different tunings. The SE5 is darker, warmer, bassier than the Kaiser. The Kaiser, however, is slightly warm itself, just that the SE5 is warmer comparatively. The SE5 has greater absolute separation, while the Kaiser has better cohesion while still having very good imaging. The SE5’s soundstage is larger overall, but sometimes some drivers are closer-sounding, while the Kaiser’s more consistent natural sounding soundstage doesn’t draw attention to itself in the same way. The Kaiser is the more sensitive of the two, however, I don't think it's a meaningful difference in terms of everyday use.
 
 
Bass: While the Kaiser has good bass presence and is already slightly north of neutral, the SE5 is the bassier of the two earphones in quantity, as befits its stage-monitor tuning. It has more midbass in particular. However, the Kaiser has bass extension and I’d say the SE5 and Kaiser are equal in this. The SE5 has two bass drivers, one is set as what Gregorz calls an “ignition” driver, and presumably this means that it adds decay time to the bass, as you can hear extra decay. Some will like this extra decay as it sounds like almost like a dynamic driver bass. Others will find it to be a sort of bloat and prefer the less warm decay and greater bass clarity of the Kaiser. Bassheads living in the EU will want the SE5’s resonantly decayed bass over the less extravagantly warm, but still a bit north of neutral bass of the Kaiser. For dubstep, hip-hop and other bassier music or where you want to revel in rich bass warmth, the SE5 may be the better choice. For music requiring faster bass, music where bass isn’t the foremost player, and for those who want a cleaner, more balanced sound to the bass in general, then the Kaiser’s more balanced tuning, but still slightly warm bass will be better.
 
 
Midrange: The SE5’s midrange has some great clarity, about equal with the IE800’s for those who have heard that midrange. While the mid-bass gives a lot of warmth and thickness to the sound, the midrange retains this superior clarity which gives the character of the SE5. However, at the vocal range—which is around the upper midrange to lower treble—there isn’t quite the same level of clarity, although it is still good. The Kaiser gives a more cohesive sound where the very good clarity is second to the overall presentation of sound. While the Kaiser is second to the SE5 in terms of midrange clarity, this reverses as you go up the frequency range. Once you get to the heart of the vocal range in the upper midrange/lower treble, the Kaiser has better clarity. Female voices are more clear with the Kaiser, for example. It’s interesting to hear the difference between the two! I should say also that both have a lift the vocal range.
 
 
Treble: The Kaiser’s combination of brightly smooth treble with no fatigue and excellent extension will be clearly superior for most listeners to the darker and less present SE5. While stage musicians may need a tuning like the SE5’s, I don’t think many audiophiles will prefer it. The Kaiser’s treble just gives you a whole face of the music which you don’t have with the SE5’s shelved treble. Having said that, you may not really realize you’re missing something with the SE5 as the treble extension is good, it’s just not emphasized to the degree that it could be to give a more balanced overall presentation. Your ears will adjust to it. However, when you switch over to another earphone, you’ll certainly notice there’s a slice of music in the treble range which wasn't as alive with the SE5.
 
 
Overall: I like stage monitors and I enjoyed the SE5 quite a bit. However, I noticed that I didn’t want to listen to it for long periods as I found the dark tonality and bass resonance to be tiring. However, there are definitely areas where the SE5 has the edge. Some will love its dark treble, extra resonant mid-bass almost like a dynamic driver, its superior midrange clarity and extra helping of instrument separation. Even the soundstage will have its ardent fans. For bassheads and those whose playlists are mostly bassy music genres, the SE5 will be a better choice. On the other hand, the Kaiser’s superior treble gives it a much better tonal balance with its present yet controlled, capable bass and the clear vocal range in the center. This gives it the edge for most music genres, for varied playlists and for longer listening. The Kaiser’s more cohesive and natural sounding imagining and soundstage will be better for some listeners as well. Overall, however, it’s the Kaiser’s more versatile tuning (plus the fact that it’s so much easier to buy outside the E.U.) that makes it the more useable of the two flagships for everyday high-end listening.
 
Oct 9, 2013 at 11:54 PM Post #3 of 367
Nice review, thanks. Wish I could afford them.
 
Oct 10, 2013 at 12:38 AM Post #5 of 367
Excellent! I was curious to hear how you felt about the coherency since I know that's been one of your "things" that bothered you with some other CIEMs, even well regarded ones. Sounds like the 8C takes that 8.A flavor and makes it more accessible, but the Kaiser10 goes even further in rounding out the performance, so we could say it is less colored overall. Which as you said could be a good or bad thing depending on the listener. 
 
Oct 10, 2013 at 1:56 AM Post #10 of 367
Thank so much, this review enhances my decision to purchase those gems.
May I ask a silly question, why is this kaiser so familiar with the one in 1st review? Is that the signature design of kaiser when we choose wizard design?
 
Oct 10, 2013 at 2:09 AM Post #12 of 367
Fantastic review kunlun!

Question though, did they sacrifice shell thickness for the sake of getting those 10 drivers in the ciem adversely affecting the build quality? Or do they seem as solid as ciems with fewer drivers and a thicker shell?
 
Oct 10, 2013 at 2:26 AM Post #14 of 367
Fantastic review kunlun!

Question though, did they sacrifice shell thickness for the sake of getting those 10 drivers in the ciem adversely affecting the build quality? Or do they seem as solid as ciems with fewer drivers and a thicker shell?

 
My K10 sticks out a bit further than my 8.A, but nothing too atrocious. Build quality is absolutely phenomenal. They look and feel fantastic and the shells seem just as thick as on my 8.A.
curious about the soundstage of this. can it be on bar with merlin?

No. It is much, much better than the Merlin when it comes to soundstage, at least to my ears, using the DX100.
 
Edit: That's going by memory as I no longer have the Merlins. My 8.A beat the Merlins in this regard when I compared the two directly and the K10 beats the 8.A... As Kunlun mentions, the K10 isn't artificially huge sounding - it sounds exactly as the recording. Intimate studio sessions sound like intimate studio sessions. Example: The acoustical version of "Tracy's Flaw" on Skunk Anansie's album "Wonderlustre" (tour edition) was recorded by the band while they were snowed in in their small studio - it shows in the recording. A small soundstage, but so intimate that Skin's vocals will give you goosebumbs and you'll have no problems pinpointing where the band members were. Second example: Carl Orff's Carmina Burana recorded by the London Philharmonic Orchestra sounds like a giant concert hall - as it should. My all-time favorite live album, "Wheels Turn Beneath My Feet" by British band Fink was recorded in a multitude of venues of all shapes and sizes - you can hear that on the album. You can tell the difference between the smaller venues and the big ones. 
 
Oct 10, 2013 at 2:43 AM Post #15 of 367
  did you paid full price for the ciem or was it sponsored by noble?

I can't speak for Kunlun, but as stated in the very first line of my review, mine were review samples from Noble Audio. This does not make it a "sponsored review" however. When I agreed to review the K10, I very clearly stated that if I didn't like them, I sure as hell would be saying so. Especially because at this price point, one should expect nothing short of aural perfection. Noble Audio had absolutely ZERO influence on my review. Just like I had zero influence on the design - I would NEVER have chosen an amber shell with gold nuggets, but when they turned up I had to admit that they indeed did look pretty damn good. 
 

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