This time I’m taking a look at DCA’s newest closed planar offering, the DCA Noire X. The unit costs $999.99 USD and can be bought from the DCA Webstore.
Disclaimer: Dan Clark Audio is not related to Headfonia. They sent me the DCA Noire X free of charge to be featured on Headfonia.com.
Dan Clark Audio
Initially known as Mr. Speakers, Dan Clark sprang into the public consciousness of headphone junkies in the early 20-teens with the Mad Dog mod of the venerable Fostex T50rp planar magnetic headphone. During that time of lawlessness many modders appeared but these days only Dan Clark Audio and ZMF are still in the business of delivering audio excellence.
Dan’s trademark has always been pushing the boundaries of materials and manufacturing techniques. Carbon fiber, exotic alloys, and H.R. Giger-esque earcup hinges immediately catch the audiophile gaze but it’s the sonic performance that keeps us coming for more. DCA lately has made a major mark with the E3 closed-back planar which got a “Headfonia Recommended” award from Lieven and shook up the closed-back headphone niche pretty good. Can the Noire X do the same for half the price? Read on to find out!
DCA Noire X
Dan calls the DCA Noire X their “midrange” offering. Having lived through the advent of the $1,000 USD headphones, my midrange is more HD650/DT880/K701 but maybe the times are a changin’. Clad mostly in dark metal, plastics and Gorilla glass, the DCA Noire X doesn’t veer off the design path of the rest of the Aeon line of closed-backs. From the outside, we see the same drop-shaped earcups and the spring-wire headband with a hammock head cushion.
The main sonic innovation in the Noire X is the Acoustic Metamaterial Tuning System (AMTS) which has trickled down from more up-tier offerings like the E3, Expanse and Stealth. DCA claims that it reduces acoustic interference in high frequencies and makes the highs sound less “synthetic”. Well, color me interested! Treble has always been the weak point of most headphones and I can’t wait to hear whether science can actually make an impact in real life.
Another new feature comes in the form of earpads. Previously the Aeon series DCA headphones came with either all-pleather standard pads or the perforated version. Both have garnered a bit of criticism due to how they change their shape with use and thus modify the sound. The Noire X comes with a new type of hybrid pad with a solid pleather outer perimeter, suede-like contact surface and a two-part inner perimeter with the backside being solid pleather and the front section using perforated pleather. Reportedly the inside foam has been improved as well.
Features
- Ported closed-back over-ear headphone
- 62 x 34mm DCA-designed single-ended planar magnetic driver
- 20 – 10 000 Hz RMS deviation within 0.5dB
- 13 ohm purely resistive load
- 94dB/mW or 113dB/V
- Weight: 404g without a cable
- Input connectors: proprietary locking 4-pin
- Cable jack: 4.4mm TRRRS, 3.5mm TRS with a screw-on 6.35mm adaptor
- Cable length: 2m, other lengths can be ordered
Design, Build & Haptics
Casing
Once you’re through the outside shipping cardboard box, the Dan Clark Audio semi-glossy hard cardboard box is revealed. It’s mostly black, with a company logo on the top and a sticker describing the contents on the bottom. To open the box, I had to cut the Noire X branded sticker that holds the magnetically held clasp shut. Once open, the inside of the lid flap greets me with an “Enjoy!” exclamation. While it is true that I don’t enjoy being bossed around by audio gear packaging, I’ll let this one slide!
Inside the box is dominated by the hard case that houses the folded-down DCA Noire X headphones with both the single-ended and balanced cables sitting in their zip-lock bags under it and paperwork hidden in the very bottom. In terms of papers, we get a quick user guide that explains the basics of using the DCA Noire X and a slightly comically old-timey-looking authenticity certificate complete with gothic lettering.
The included hard case seems quite sturdy and will protect the headphones inside from bumps and scratches when traveling. My only gripes about it are that while it houses the folded headphones nicely, there’s no room for the cable. And the fully folded DCA Noire X headphones seem to squish the earpads’ upper portion, which didn’t feel right to me for long-term storage.
Build Quality
Overall both the design and the build of the DCA Noire X is engineering porn. I’ve only seen better from way more established brands like Focal who always nail the look and feel of their offerings. It’s obvious that Dan Clark knows how to design and manufacture a headphone that shows zero signs of the brand’s humble DIY beginnings. There are no manufacturing imperfections and all joints feel solid.
This time the ear cups are almost all-black, a safe colorway if there ever was one. The frame of the cup is made out of machined metal (likely aluminum) and the face is a combination of sturdy plastics and one of the more controversial material choices – Gorilla glass. On the glass, there are “Noire X” logos and lots of fingerprints, if you’ve started using the headphones. I’m also a bit afraid of what would happen if I drop the DCA Noire X and shatter the glass. A feeling not too foreign, if you’ve handled any of the modern flagship smartphones. Good thing, the Noire X comes with a polishing cloth because chances are that you’ll need it. A lot.
The cable connectors gave me a warm and fuzzy feeling once I first plugged them in. There’s a reassuring click once the locks engage and there’s a bit of play in the connectors which works as a strain relief. My only gripe with the cable is that there’s no good way to rest the headphones on a desk without bending the cable either by its own weight sagging down or against the desktop.
Comfort and Ergonomics
I’ll start off by disclaiming that I’m a decently big guy with a cranium to match. I wear my Igorrr cap on the last hole and usually, most of my headphones are on the penultimate sizing click. In terms of head shape, I’m relatively normal and most helmets fit me well as long as there’s a XXL shell size.
The DCA Noire X depends on the clamp to stay on and the 404-gram weight is equally distributed between the earpad hug and the hammock-style headband. There are no pressure hotspots and I can confidently say that wearing the DCA Noire X for a full day is no problem for me. I very much liked the ingenious stretchy headband suspension that makes sure there’s no dicking around with sizing the headband to one’s head. Just pull down on the ear cups and you’re good to go!
One thing to keep in mind is that like most other closed-backs, the Noire X will trap heat in the ear cups and hot summers (or excessive tube electronics) can make things sweaty. In +22C ambient temps sweat was never an issue. As a rock and metal music enjoyer, I was also happy with how well the Noire X stood up to moderate headbanging. The weight was also never an issue but my neck muscles have been tempered by Audeze and ZMF, so your mileage may vary.
Isolation
Despite using a ported ear cup design, the DCA Noire X isolate pretty well. Yes, dedicated drummer closed-backs or ANC-augmented headphones can do better but for open office use, the DCA Noire X drown out the din pretty well. Commuting? Yeah, sure. Of course, for a long plane flight, I’d rather get a good ANC set to totally kill the engine noise, crying kids, and rowdy tourists.
Sound Signature and Technicalities
My main testing system for the DCA Noire X was the Topping x Holo Centuarus driving the DROP + SMSL HO150X, Feliks Euforia EVO and two portable rigs – the tiny Softears S01 dongle and the cheerful Snowsky Retro NANO Bluetooth dac/amp.
The part on sound continues on the second page. Click here or use the jumps below to go there.
Andrea
I just don’t understand the reasoning behing this sentence in your review:
“The 13-ohm flat impedance curve would make one think that the DCA Noire X plays nice with OTL tube amps because their high output impedance wouldn’t modify the sound.”
It should not have been a surprise that your OTL tube amplifier could not drive it. You need a powerful SS for this one, and one that deals well with low impendence and low sensitivity headphones (i.e. not a Violectric or SPL Phonitor).
Rudi
My remark about the resistive impedance curve was made to indicate that the Noire X, like many other orthodynamic headphones should be impervious to output impedance induced tone shifts. Most dynamic headphones have an impedance peak at the self-resonance frequency (60-ish Hz) and some have rising impedance in the highs due to voice-coil inductance. A non-zero output impedance would form a frequency variant voltage divider and increase the sensitivity of the headphone at the points of increased impedance.
With that said, the Noire X isn’t terribly hard to drive. A 110dB SPL peak requires the amp to source only 55mA or 40mW. Of course, OTLs can balk at the current requirement but a design with say more paralleled output tubes ought to do the trick.
John
Great review. Thank you. I’m assuming from the lack of discussion of them that the portable devices you mention could not drove the Noire X satisfactorily at all. Is that right?
Rudolfs
Thanks you for the kind words, John! Actually the Noire X should be fine with most portable sources. It’s a low impedance, medium efficiency headphone, so battery powered sources should be fine with it. I didn’t take mine outside a lot because of the 2m long cable. With a shorter cable, it’s a decent, if a bit overkill option.