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Scarce97
238
May 5, 2017
Hey, I dont want to make a bad impression of this amazing IEM for the price, reviews have mainly been pretty positive, but there's been also been some mixed feelings that I have felt, some impressed, some neutral(pretty good for the price) and a few negative(not worth for the price).
Overall, if youre looking for a earphone that would blow you away, it depends on what kind of earphones you've used before.
If you came from earbuds, sure, these would blow you away. If you came from those $30-$70 range of earphones, the noble x's would mainly blow you away. But if you came from excellent budget offerings, or mid-fi($200 and above), you probably wouldn't be blown away at the first listen.
Why? The noble x's aren't as clear sounding as many high end stuff.
Lets take a look at the hd 800s vs hd 650 comparison to explain this .
HD 800S First listen to the 800s, you're just blown away. Whether you like the 800s sound sig or not, you will be blown away. Resolution is simply top-notch, soundstage is insane, every little tiny detail in a track, you hear it all. The reason the hd800s can be sennheiser's flagship offering is simply because they manage to give detail in the way that wouldn't kill your ears. Best dynamic driver headphone available I dare say. They arent as piercing as a hd 800 that requires a tube amp to smoothen the out the treble peaks. They take every little issue with the hd 800 and fix it.
A cheap way to experience hd800s sound is the phillips shp9500(VERY HIGHLY RATED at only $70-$80) , very similar sounding but a slightly more grainy sound, not as refined, smooth when compared to hd 800s. Of course the price of a hd800s can buy more than 20 phillips shp9500...
HD 650 Enter the 650. A headphone with insane reviews, even more highly rated than the 800s on head-fi.
First listen, you really aren't blown away. It doesn't offer effortless detail like the 800s, soundstage is well, laughable when compared to the 800s.
But why then do people like the 650? After listening for about an hour, I began to understand. The way the 650 excels in is not technicalities, it is the emotion that it depicts. You hear the warmth of vocals, enough details to accompany the music, and yet it just sounds so effortless, so wonderful. Emotion is portrayed insanely well on the 650, something that technical headphones can never do as well.
So, if you're the kind of guy that likes a technical sounding signature, the hd800s sound sig is perfect for you, and the noble x's will sound absolutely disgusting to you.
But, if you like a more musical sounding signature, a signature that reveals the emotion in the music very well, the warmth of the noble x's would probably be amazing for you. (Note: I am not saying the noble x's will have a very similar sound signature as the hd650, I am implying that its signature leans more towards the hd650 sound sig.)
Excellent budget options also exist, and if the noble x's price range puts you off a little, there are also many other IEMS around that offer similar signatures.
kudos to massdrop and noble for making the noble x drop a success!
Cheers! Scarce97
romko
114
May 5, 2017
Scarce97Thanks for a great comparison
nicdub
74
May 5, 2017
Scarce97I'd be interested in some of the other offerings you mentioned, if you don't mind a small list :)
Iamatran
1
May 5, 2017
Scarce97Thanks, you just convinced me why I need these!
Sinori
4
May 5, 2017
Scarce97Great review. Ty!
Scarce97
238
May 6, 2017
nicdubThere is a big list of IEMs that offer warm, bassy sounds, but usually lack in enough detail for you to enjoy the music. Personally, I feel audio technica offers some of the best value IEMs in the market, the one that i personally bought is the dynamic driver ath im-70, excellent warm sound with quality bass. It does seem that audio technica has revised their line up so most probably would have resolved the slightly weird fit issues that quite a few people were having with their im-70s.
Of course,if you're just starting into the audiophile world and don't want to shell out more than $100 for a IEM, there is also the Zero audio carbo tenore( highly rated) at $39 and of course the VE monk plus at $5.
You can also find very good deals on second hand markets for flagship products, especially CIEMs(custom fit) as their require reshelling. But even after paying the reshelling costs, the price of the IEMs is still much less than the original price and the shell is completely different( no hygiene issues).
Chaturanga
126
May 6, 2017
Scarce97Great point! To support your explanation about technical vs emotional ones, I have recently purchased LZ A4 (195 USD current price) and Magaosi K3 Pro (115 USD current). LZ A4 and K3 Pros are similar at details and on many things I think (These are my initial impressions, not so long listening yet, they are at the beginning of burn in period) but sound of K3 Pro came me more fluent, more emotional and warmer. LZ A4 is more technical for my ears.
Chaturanga
126
May 6, 2017
Scarce97You should try Magaosi K3 Pros, warm, detailed, clear and wide sound.
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