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Massdrop x Noble X

Discussion in 'IEM Measurements' started by purr1n, Nov 21, 2016.

Page 9 of 16
  1. gixxerwimp

    gixxerwimp Professional tricycle rider

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    Absolutely. Which is why I'm highly skeptical of lunashops' claim that is omni-OS compatible. At most, the play button will work across platforms. Even then, I believe volume button Android implementations differ between manufactures. They say,

    "The remote of my cable is miraculous, We design a switch botton for it, so that to make it can work on Iphone OS (like Iphone Itouch Ipad ) and Android OS (like Samsung Mi HTC etc.) mobilephone. So from now on you don't need to prepare 2 kinds of cable for your headphone/earphone.

    It works well in my Samsung and Iphone Itouch.I tested it.

    Our remote work well on most of mobilephone devices..But..As you know too many different models devices in the world now, Some models maybe not support well to the remote, So we can not warrant all models are compatible to our remote, We have try our best to make it easy to use. Hope that you can satisfied our cable.

    If you find it can not work well on your device and you can use the switch button and try "Multi plug several times" , So that to let it work well    ."

    No way to know for sure. I asked if the volume buttons work on Samsung phones and got a "Yes".
     
    gixxerwimp, Dec 16, 2016
    #161
  2. ibzrg1570

    ibzrg1570 Facebook Friend

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    The only difference between iPhone and Android implementations of TRRS is which of either the second ring or the sleeve contact is ground and which is the mic. It shouldn't be too difficult to build a switch that flips the two contacts.
     
    ibzrg1570, Dec 16, 2016
    #162
  3. gixxerwimp

    gixxerwimp Professional tricycle rider

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    This article says,
    "Apple headset has specific resistance set between the MIC and Ground cable to create pulses for your headset control buttons and this resistance set is different than the standard headset."
    Don't know how accurate it is. It also suggests using the Headset Button Controller but I tried it with my wife's earpods on my Note 3 and only the play button works, the same as without the app. The app info says it only works with Android compatible 3-button cables.

    Again, this is OT, though we really have nothing to discuss until weez gets our Noble Xs. Maybe a mod wants to move this cable w/remote discussion to its own thread.
     
    gixxerwimp, Dec 17, 2016
    #163
  4. a44100Hz

    a44100Hz Friend

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    The lunashops stuff on ebay looks nice enough for ~$15.
     
    a44100Hz, Dec 17, 2016
    #164
  5. mscott58

    mscott58 Friend

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    Yeah, I've used Lunashops a few times for some cables where I didn't want to spend a ton. Have used them for some patch cables and adapters. Good thing is they'll make pretty much any combination you want and ship them pretty quickly (for China standards). Cheers
     
    mscott58, Dec 17, 2016
    #165
  6. gixxerwimp

    gixxerwimp Professional tricycle rider

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    I thought lunashops was a tad pricey for the quality of the bits and pieces I bought from them, but I'm used to the prices here in Taiwan which are dirt cheap compared NA/Europe. Can't beat their convenient 1-stop shopping for pretty much anything you can think of.
     
    gixxerwimp, Dec 17, 2016
    #166
  7. mscott58

    mscott58 Friend

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    Yeah, I'd love to have a local and quick source for custom cables that is both cheap (at least affordable) and good quality. There are a number of good shops here in the US, but they're not cheap. A 2.5mm TRRS to 3.5mm TRS adapter could cost something like $75 or more. Ugh.

    Cheers
     
    mscott58, Dec 17, 2016
    #167
  8. Decomo

    Decomo Almost "Made"

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    Yes. It is very convenient and shipping is only $1 so overall price is not bad at all. From the photo, the quality is also decent. And it has volume control, too which can be very handy
     
    Decomo, Dec 17, 2016
    #168
  9. Vansen

    Vansen Gear Master (retiring)

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    I’ve had a Noble X on loan for a little bit now and would like to share some of my impressions on it. I’ve never posted my impression of an audio product via a wall of text before, so bear with me. Overall, I’m in line with the impressions that both Marv and Bill-P have posted. This is a stellar offering at $249 once you find the pair of tips that suit you.

    My main take away from this guy is that the IEM will fall to the same unfortunate fate (or not so unfortunate fate in my world) as products such as the Modi Multibit: That is, this product will draw scrutiny for not being as good as people want it to be because they're trying to compare it next to >$1000 items. I fell into this trap too, because this IEM draws you in in a way that makes you want to compare it to TOTL or near-TOTL products. It’s easy to loose price perspective with a product like this if you don’t consciously check yourself.

    I’m not going to go on about the sound signature of the X, as the friends that have posted their impressions can describe sound signatures far better than me. However, I do the enjoy the fun nature of these. This is not common for me, as I’m usually engaged in a love affair with the neutral camp of the likes of the UERM and occasionally the v-shaped nature a la JH13 territory.

    The number one aspect that affects the enjoyability of these guys, in my eyes, is tip selection and insertion depth. My first instinct was to throw the large foam tips on and achieve a deep insertion depth. At first listen to the X with these tips, I was disappointed. They were dark bass monsters in my neutral-esque loving eyes. I’m sure many out there would love this sound, but it wasn’t for me. After rolling tips for a while, I found the RE-00 silicone dome tips suited my tastes the best. With these tips, the bass levels were down a bit, but still a little more prominent than my JH13, and the top end seemed to roll off less than with other tips. With the insertion depth that came natural to these tips - shallow but not very shallow - the sound stage is up close in and personal and lacks some resolution in imaging in comparison to my JH13, but exceeds the imaging capabilities of my ER-4S while maintaining a more realistic soundstage.

    The number two aspect that affects this IEM, in my eyes, is amplifier output impedance. I imagine most people will enjoy these on amplifiers will low output impedances. To me, they sound great out of my iPhone 6s and and my Jotunheim. As you increase the output impedance of the amp, the Noble X begins to sound lean. My Yamaha A-S801, while not used for driving headphones in my life, has an output impedance of 470 ohms. At this point, the X becomes a very lean device with bass quantities in comparison to my ER-4S. While I don’t expect anyone to be driving this from a high output impedance amplifier, it still seems worth mentioning.

    Again, at the price point, these are fantastic. They’re a perfect IEM for me to forget about my JH13 while JH Audio plays with the fit.
     
    Last edited: Dec 25, 2016
    Vansen, Dec 24, 2016
    #169
  10. Kattefjaes

    Kattefjaes Mostly Harmless

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    @Vansen - sounds like I should try mine with some Spinfits when they arrive, then. They work brilliantly with my old Shures under similar circumstances.
     
    Kattefjaes, Dec 25, 2016
    #170
  11. a44100Hz

    a44100Hz Friend

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    Only three months to go...
     
    a44100Hz, Dec 25, 2016
    #171
  12. Vansen

    Vansen Gear Master (retiring)

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    @Kattefjaes I've never listened to any of the Spin Fit tips, but may have to give them a try. I want to get some of the Comply isolation tips and shave a little bit of the foam off the tip, down about to the plastic canal. All of the comply tips I currently have are too small to fit on the X.
     
    Vansen, Dec 25, 2016
    #172
  13. Kattefjaes

    Kattefjaes Mostly Harmless

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    Spinfits are soft plastic tips, a bit like the Shure olives. They don't work for everyone, and often the tip size mapping is hard to predict, but they work beautifully for me.

    Since I have both sizes for both nozzle widths kicking about, I should be good to go.

    Edit: It's the CP100 Spinfits that fit the Noble IEMs, it seems.
     
    Last edited: Dec 27, 2016
    Kattefjaes, Dec 25, 2016
    #173
  14. neogeosnk

    neogeosnk Friend

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    Anyone tried the JVC Spiral dots?
     
    neogeosnk, Dec 27, 2016
    #174
  15. gixxerwimp

    gixxerwimp Professional tricycle rider

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    Back off topic ...
    They say it supports both Android and iOS, but it's not clear if there's a switch so the volume buttons work for both. The play/pause button will work regardless, but I've seen other cables advertised as 'universal' but the volume buttons only work on one system or the other.
    I was asking about a cable elsewhere and was put onto this place in Singapore. At SGD 90, it's a bit cheaper than the Noble cable, but maybe not so much after shipping. It does have a switch to flip between Android/iOS so I would think all 3-buttons function with both. And you can still use it if you ever decide to return from the Dark Side ;)

    http://store.treoo.com/nocturnal-audio-pavo-iem-replacement-cable-with-mic-for-android-ios.html
     
    gixxerwimp, Dec 30, 2016
    #175
  16. Grahad

    Grahad Guest

    Null audio has options as well. (They supply the stock cables for AAW if I'm not wrong) If you have any issues purchasing, let me know, I'm in Singapore.
     
    Grahad, Dec 30, 2016
    #176
  17. Vansen

    Vansen Gear Master (retiring)

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    After sitting on these Noble X for a while, it feels odd to have a pair headphones in my possession that doesn’t fit my tonal preferences, yet I still really like. Given the fact that these don’t fit my token preferences, which are usually neutral or v-shaped, the one tonal aspect I’m left wanting in is the bass response. The guys have have plenty of bass quantity, but I wish they had a little more bass extension. Actually, I think the bass extension is there, but I fell as if a mid-bass bump is somewhat masking the extension to my ears. The posted FR and consensus doesn’t agree with this and I think it's a result of the Comply tips and insertion depth that I’ve settled on.

    I also want to revise my thoughts on imaging and staging on these IEMs. Compared to my original JH13, they seem closed and harder distinguish separation, but do compare well next to any universal I’ve tried. Next to something like the universal JH Angie II, there certainly isn’t a $1150 price difference between the two. I have yet to listen to the Andros though.

    Finally, the tips that offer the best balance for my tastes are the Comply T-500. However, I always seem to default to comply tips, so take it with a grain of salt. From a source perspective so far, my favorite is an old 30GB iPod Video (5g). I dug it out of the drawer the other day not expecting much. The Noble X feels less congested and a little flatter on the iPod. I think it's output impedance is about 5 ohms.

    When my pair show up, I think they’ll fall to regular office and gym duty. Again, hats off at $250.
     
    Vansen, Jan 27, 2017
    #177
  18. Jjwfr

    Jjwfr New

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    Passed on these a few months ago and am sort of regretting it now. The Andromeda was no doubt the best IEM I've heard at medium to low volumes, as the prominent treble peak held me back from turning it up too loud. However, it had a curious property of being really smooth while still having that peak (and the extension was incredibly airy).

    Anyway, the reason I'm slightly regretting not joining the Noble X drop is that the measurements seem to match the Andromeda nearly 1:1 up until the upper mids -- I've yet to hear the X for myself, but it looks promising in the FR. What I'm hoping for is an Andromeda with a less strident treble, but I'll bet the X doesn't come near in terms of upper mid detail or treble extension.
     
    Jjwfr, Jan 28, 2017
    #178
  19. gixxerwimp

    gixxerwimp Professional tricycle rider

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    I doubt the Noble X will be as fast and have the detail and extension of the Andro, but I'll be happy if it's half as good. Should hopefully be able to tell you in a couple of months.
     
    gixxerwimp, Jan 28, 2017
    #179
  20. a44100Hz

    a44100Hz Friend

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    These should be arriving in around a month, so now is the time for me to buy a cable with controls for an iPhone. We discussed this a bit: since then, did anyone find something they liked with this functionality?
     
    a44100Hz, Feb 17, 2017
    #180
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