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
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
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!
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
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
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
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!
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.
Aureen
How would you compare Khan to the CA Solaris? From both a pure SQ standpoint as well as a price / value ratio.
Linus
Hi Aureen,
thanks for your comment.
I have zero experience with the Solaris, sorry, can’t help you there.
Have a great weekend!
Nitish
How does Khan compares to Hyla TE5T? Both have tri hybrid topology.
Thanks
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. 🙂
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
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).
Jason Kang
What’s cable rolling?
Linus
Hi Jason,
cable rolling is when you exchange the supplied stock cable with an aftermarket cable.
Hope that helps.
Cheers
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.
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. 🙂
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.
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!
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…
Dat
Hi Linus,
Can you do a short review about Khan with Linum SuperBar cable?.Is it reduce treble from Khan .Thanks
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!
Vladimir
Hello, thanks for the nice review. I would like to know how you compare this one with u12t and Nostalgia Camelot?