Disclaimer: The Rose Gold K10U in this article belongs to Noble Audio. It, along with Noble Audio’s latest universal earphones, are in office for the purposes of an advertising shoot. Because Noble Audio are a client of mine, I must politely decline to review their products. But as an owner of a custom K10 (reviewed prior to landing Noble Audio as a client), I’d like to talk about the differences I perceive between them.
Years ago, and with great excitement, I hailed MMCX cables and connectors a godsend. They twist. They snap into place. They’re hard to bend. But years later, I’ve settled down, and with good reason. Precisely because they twist, at minimum, memory wire-laden MMCX cables require good neck cinches to keep them flat against the head. Full security requires torsional locks (Nuforce Primo 8). MMCX’s weaknesses necessitate over-engineering.
My ear canals are tight, and the K10U stuffs them up pretty well, which is one strike against it versus the K10C. And, since I use Comply tips, there are a few overlaps between the K10U and K10C. The custom version more gently goes from lows to mids and Comply K10U. Ortofon tips are another nice option, but if your canals are like mine, the won’t keep the K10U in as secure.
The K10C’s acrylic-to-the-tip body vis-a-vis the K10U’s aluminium must describe other audio differences. I’m not sure my ears are good enough to go into detail. Comply tips probably best describe the slightly throbbier bass I get via the K10U, and the greater low-frequency stage depth I get through the K10C. And, unless immediate-switch audio memory fails me, the same can be said of a sudden spike of high-frequency energy. I find the K10U drier. Extant though they are, the differences aren’t great. I can imagine Mr. Yamagishi essaying at length about sound tube length, insertion angles and depth, and tip selection. He’d probably end the conversation with a tidy graph, and a cup of tea.
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Lieven
Noble isn’t a client of mine, and so I will be reviewing one of Noble’s designs very soon… 🙂
Barun C
Great read Nathan. The ergonomics of the Andromeda sound tubes was something, which kept me from buying them in the end. Especially after having a long listening session to the Angie’s, as I found them massive and mostly outside my ear even after carefully placing them for a proper listen. I have never owned anything beyond 3 BAs and so that made me a bit skeptical about the fit when it comes to universal IEMs beyond 3 drivers.
On the other hand Noble K10 (either version) are visual stunners but I can’t afford one, so I never considered them as a viable option. Isolation is the main factor along with fit, which currently are the most significant factors behind any IEM purchase I make now.
So I have now considered an CIEM (My first) to put to rest the two issues I mentioned above. Do you think Universals will ever be able to bridge the gap with customs when it comes to both fit and isolation, cause I think its more about luck when it comes to fit with Universals.
Lieven
The universal that comes closest to a custom for, for me, are the German Inear StageDiver series, also reviewed on Headfonia.com
Bubbs
What happened here that made you take down the entire thing? Invalid concerns? Or are you not allowed to say bad stuff about manufacturers?
Wilkin
Noble is like a dystopia government; if their fanboy minions don’t take you out first, they’ll have you offed themselves;)
Lieven
Let’s say there was an issue with Nathan working for Noble and doing a comparison to other gear which made it look like a review.
All is sorted out now