Sound
My experience with Noble Audio has usually been positive. I’ve listened to many Noble creations, including the legendary Kaiser 10. The Kaiser Encore is even more impressive, and I also liked the old Savant when it first came out.
Noble targets to achieve a reference sound with the Kadence with the best possible details and balance. Kadence is not a monitor to impress you at first listen, but it somewhat grows on you with time.
It has been a while since I listened to this kind of refinement, balance and reference tuning. Nowadays most of the IEM world is focused on hybrids with tremendous bass impact, sparkling highs and lush mids. Even the budget models are playing on that field. And yes, that is also the case with Noble itself, with the Kublai Khan.
Noble Audio Kadence is having none of it. It’s all about the colourless, neutral and reference sound here. No frequency is in front or dominating the sound in any way. Everything is in place and under control at all times. It’s a neutral and uncoloured monitor as a direct result of that, and it’s technically very strong. From that reference perspective, this is one of the best monitors I’ve ever listened to. Let’s dive into the details about it.
Bass
Having a reference tuning brings a linear bass response usually, but the Kadence is a bit different. It has that certain authority and power when the recording asks for it. Lows have high resolution and excellent texture, especially in terms of mid-bass. The overall quality of lows is on a great level, helping Kadence to perform on a reference degree. Midbass is perfectly under control and has sufficient accentuation overall. It’s separated from lower mids nicely as well.
The layering and resolution of bass are very good and you get that kick if the recording has it. Quality here definitely is before quantity, as it’s not a particular bass-head monitor by any means. And yet, I expected a leaner and flatter bass response, and the Kadence has a bit more than that for sure. You might get a bit surprised by the slam and punch. But again, it’s nowhere near a bass monster it’s far from it.
Midrange
Mids have great transparency and resolution. They have great positioning and timbre combined, making it sound very realistic and correct. Tonality wise things are absolutely good. You don’t come across this correctness and reference tonality often in IEMs. It just can’t get truer than this. The overall detail among this part of the spectrum is just a joy to listen to, and transparency is excellent. At the same time, it doesn’t try to push those mids into your ear, instead, it gives them to you effortlessly.
Sometimes I felt the mids are a little upfront, but I realized that was because I was focusing on them at the time. When you switch your focal point and start to focus on the treble for example, then you can understand that’s not the case. It’s perfectly balanced, nothing is in front, and nothing is laid back. It’s not warm or cold like I hear with some other monitors, regardless of the price level. Noble deserves praise for this precision and correctness, especially in the current stage of the IEM market.
Treble
It’s a very transparent, detailed and high-resolution sound across the high-frequency region with the Kadence. It’s not aggressive, it’s not too thick or too thin. It just honestly gives what’s in the recording. There’s nothing to “wow” you in terms of presence or brightness, especially when compared to Kublai Khan. It instead impresses you with its correct quantity and very black background so that you can hear every cymbal one at a time, without any seizing.
Those who have experienced reference studio monitors should get what I mean here. The extension and micro detail level are very good and the treble, as I said, is perfectly articulated and balanced. What you have is simply a correct and effortless treble. There’s not a single thing that gives you any fatigue here.
Page 1: Noble Audio, Kublai Khan, Package, Build, Design, Fit
Page 3: Technical Performance, Cables
Page 4: Comparisons & Conclusion
