Review: Noble Audio Khan – King of Kings

Noble Audio Khan

Sound:

I have always been fond of Noble’s creations. The Kaiser 10 was my first ever custom IEM, and it still holds a special place in my heart. Later on it was accompanied by the Sage, Kaiser Encore and Katana. Noble’s all-BA designs have tickled my fancy, but I probably was never as intrigued as when Noble told me about their upcoming Khan. A hybrid using three different technologies.

Khan has a very powerful bass reproduction, it’s fast, physical and full of impact. Lows have high resolution and excellent texture. It reaches very deep, with a guttural sub-bass rumble. Sub-bass creates a superb foundation for the rest of Khan’s signature to stand on. Mid- and upper-bass have good body and weight, but they’re not tuned to be in your face sounding. Quality here definitely is before quantity, as it’s not a particular bass-head monitor. The Khan, however, certainly knows how to throw a punch when needed.

Noble Audio Khan

Noble Audio Khan

Midrange is filled with resolution and air, it has very good texture and transports nice amounts of emotions and blood. Instruments are realistic, with the right amount of body and weight. There is a slight emphasis on lower mids rather than upper midrange, where male vocals are more favored. Though female singers also shine, they are especially rich and hard to let go.

Treble is something special again, and the piezo driver really does a great job here. Highs are fast, energetic and incredibly clean. They extend wide into the upper registers and have a wonderful sparkly presentation. Treble is detailed and rich, here lower treble shines more. I never felt the Khan would be sibilant or harsh.

The technical performance of the Khan also is very good. It creates a wide and deep sound stage, with immaculate resolution and imaging. The detail retrieval of Khan is very good, and I can hear fine nuances of the sound with ease. The stereo separation and imaging of Khan are very high quality. It creates enough room for the musicians to walk through, without getting in the way of each other.

Khan is a good all-rounder, and doesn’t particularly favor any genre or style. It presents a one-size fits-all kind of sound, where Classical, Industrial, Electronic, Jazz and Rock are played really well. It also isn’t an overly picky IEM when it comes to bad recordings, as it is a forgiving monitor with a close to neutral signature.

Noble Audio Khan

Noble Audio Khan

Aftermarket Cables:

Noble says that the supplied cable with Khan is an improvement to their previous stock cable. That’s true, but a good aftermarket cable still can tickle out a little more here and there with Khan. Cable rolling is not advised by Noble, and any damage caused by it, is on the customer’s hands. Noble does not provide warranty for that.

Effect Audio – Leonidas II

The Leonidas II usually brings out the very best of any monitor, and the Khan is no exception here. The already excellent imaging just stepped up and has become even better. Resolution is higher and the instrumental separation is just perfect.

What I like about Leonidas II is, that it doesn’t necessarily change the signature of the IEM it’s hooked up to, but elevates it to new heights. The key sound of Khan is still intact, but it just gains sound stage dimensions, layering and speed.

It goes on after the jump!

4.4/5 - (33 votes)
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A daytime code monkey with a passion for audio and his kids, Linus tends to look at gear with a technical approach, trying to understand why certain things sound the way they do. When there is no music around, Linus goes the extra mile and annoys the hell out of his colleagues with low level beatboxing.

21 Comments

  • Reply March 14, 2019

    James

    Nice to see you enjoying the Noble Audio Khan too!

    After trying out most of the latest batch of flagship iems, the Khan stood out. It is almost perfect, except the price ;)..but I still preordered anyways.

    My recent flagship iems ranking:

    1. Noble Khan
    2. Campfire Solaris
    3. QDC Anole VX
    4. Meze Rai Penta
    5. JVC FW10000
    6. Sony z1r
    7. Jomo Trinity

    • Reply March 15, 2019

      Terry

      Khan has a serious problem connecting to a smartphone such as an iPhone.
      This is obviously a device problem.
      So I can’t give Khan a score.
      Noble must resolve this device’s defects quickly.

      Here’s my ranking.
      1. Jomo Trinity
      2. QDC Anole VX
      3. Legend X
      3. JVC FW10000
      4. Campfire Solaris
      5. Sony z1r
      X. Noble Khan

      • Reply March 15, 2019

        Linus

        Hi Terry,
        thanks for your comment.
        I’ve heard about the iPhone problem, unfortunately I don’t have one to confirm. It works well with my OnePlus 5t.
        Cheers

      • Reply March 20, 2019

        Steven Zore

        Hey Terry:

        Looking at your rankings… I listened to the Trinity at NYC Canjam and thought it was an utter disaster… Yet you rank it #1.. LOL, Love this hobby!

    • Reply March 15, 2019

      Linus

      Hi James,
      thanks for your comment.
      Nice list you got there.
      I agree, Khan is very nice. Of course the price is always a big factor, but compared to other flagship prices it’s still more “normal”.
      Have a great weekend.

  • Reply March 14, 2019

    Aureen

    How would you compare Khan to the CA Solaris? From both a pure SQ standpoint as well as a price / value ratio.

    • Reply March 15, 2019

      Linus

      Hi Aureen,
      thanks for your comment.
      I have zero experience with the Solaris, sorry, can’t help you there.
      Have a great weekend!

  • Reply March 16, 2019

    Nitish

    How does Khan compares to Hyla TE5T? Both have tri hybrid topology.
    Thanks

    • Reply March 17, 2019

      Linus

      Hi Nitish,
      thanks for your comment.
      The 5T is considerably brighter up top and has a lighter, less powerful bass. The Khan is fuller and more dynamic. The 5T in my opinion needs a tube amp or warm source to keep that treble away from being too hot. It’s a rich treble, but too forward for my taste.
      A review of the TE-5B and 5T will be out soon. 🙂

      • Reply March 19, 2019

        Nitish

        Thanks Linus
        With LPGT, TE5T was too hot. I am pairing TE5T with sp1000cu & EA horus; excellent synergy imho.The bass improves a lot in quantity with JVC spiral dots for me but spinfits cp155 (M) has the best balance.
        Cheers

        • Reply March 19, 2019

          Linus

          No worries Nitish.
          You’re right, the 5T is source dependent, but for me it’s still on the edge. The only ones that keep it safe for me are pairings with tube amps (Oriolus BA-10 or Woo Audio WA8).

  • Reply March 17, 2019

    Jason Kang

    What’s cable rolling?

    • Reply March 17, 2019

      Linus

      Hi Jason,
      cable rolling is when you exchange the supplied stock cable with an aftermarket cable.
      Hope that helps.
      Cheers

  • Reply April 2, 2019

    Ben

    Hey Linus, great review. Heard it at Canjam Singapore and easily best of show, that and rupert neve rnhp 🙂

    Anyways compared to the OG k10s, how did you think it fared?

    Side note; had a friend who just got in to audio and he was floored by the Khan too.

    • Reply April 2, 2019

      Linus

      Hi Ben,
      thanks for your comment.
      The K10 is softer and more forgiving than the Khan, it can’t compete on a technical level and the Khan has faster and more shimmering highs. Khan’s bass is better controlled, tighter and faster.
      Glad you like them too. 🙂

  • Reply April 2, 2019

    YICHING

    The Khan is crazy good and heared it at Camjam too!!!
    It’s no doubt that Khan is the best and pair very well with my cable.

  • Reply April 13, 2019

    Wills Chiu

    Hi linus, how does the khan perform against Tia Fourte? I’ve heard the khan but would like to know is the Tia Fourte better than it since it is quite expensive. Have a great sounding weekend!

    • Reply May 3, 2019

      Linus

      Hi Wills,
      real sorry for the late response.
      The Khan isn’t as forward in its upper mids and treble section as the Fourté. The 64 creates a bigger stage and is better organized in my opinion. Bass on the Fourté is more organic and softer. Mids are fuller on the Khan though.
      Hope that helps.
      Sorry again for the delay in replying…

  • Reply February 8, 2020

    Dat

    Hi Linus,
    Can you do a short review about Khan with Linum SuperBar cable?.Is it reduce treble from Khan .Thanks

    • Reply February 10, 2020

      Linus

      Hi Dat,
      thanks for your comment.
      Well, the Linum doesn’t really change any frequency. It has a very neutral tone and won’t tame the treble of the Khan. If you’re after that you should seek out for copper cables. Something like the PlusSound tri-copper would be a very good choice.
      Cheers!

  • Reply April 17, 2023

    Vladimir

    Hello, thanks for the nice review. I would like to know how you compare this one with u12t and Nostalgia Camelot?

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