Today, we review the Noble Audio FoKus Rex5 True Wireless Stereo In-Ear Monitors. It’s selling for $449 USD.
Disclaimer: We were supplied with the Noble FoKus Rex5 TWS in-ear monitors for this article. As always, the review reflects my unbiased opinions and experiences with the product.
Noble Audio
Noble Audio has been around for a while, and they make unique and well-crafted IEMs. The company was founded by John Moulton, aka The Wizard, and I’ve been following their work since I picked up the K10 and Savant back in 2014. Those were some of the best IEMs you could get at the time, and it was clear that Noble had a knack for both great sound and aesthetics. When they started making TWS IEMs, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but seeing how they’ve approached it over the years has been interesting.
Their first wireless model, the Falcon, came out in 2020, followed by the Falcon Pro and later the FoKus Pro, which I reviewed. Since then, they’ve continued to improve their lineup, adding models like the FoKus H-ANC and Falcon ANC. The flagship of the 2023 line was the Mystique, and I particularly liked the Triumph of the 2024 line. However, the latest flagship, the Rex5, is perhaps their most ambitious creation, with five drivers per side.
What sets the Rex5 apart is not just that it’s another “high-end” TWS. Many brands throw that label around. The real achievement here is that Noble has managed to squeeze three balanced armature drivers, a dynamic driver, and a planar driver into a TWS shell without making it ugly and bulky. On top of that, they’ve packed in a flagship-tier Bluetooth chipset with LDAC support, which is still rare in TWS. Most wireless IEMs are still stuck with aptX or other LDAC-inferior codecs.
So Noble isn’t just making “more premium” TWS IEMs; they’re actually pushing some of the standard hardware boundaries. The big question is whether all this engineering translates into better sound or if it’s just impressive on paper. That’s what we’re going to find out.
Throughout the years, we have published several articles covering Noble’s creations, both wired and wireless. You can check them out by clicking here.
Noble Rex5 5-Driver Tribrid TWS In-Ear Monitors
Having a tribrid setup in a TWS is rare. These driver types take up more space than a standard all-BA or hybrid design, so fitting them inside a beautiful shell is impressive. Noble has also stepped up the wireless tech, moving beyond the limitations of aptX and older Bluetooth implementations, starting with the Triumph. The Rex5 gets a chip upgrade from Triumph’s QCC3071 to QCC3091 Bluetooth 5.4, also supporting LDAC 990kbps. Also, with the FoKus Rex5, Noble introduces ANC back into the equation, and Rex5 may be the only 5-driver TWS with LDAC and ANC at the same time. It also retains some of the fan-favorite features such as multipoint connectivity, onboard EQ memory, transparency mode, native noise cancellation for calls, and more.
Noble has steadily refined their TWS lineup, and the Rex5 looks like their most complete package yet. But as always, features don’t mean much if the proper implementation and execution aren’t there. It’s time to see how it actually performs!
Specifications & Highlights
- x1 10mm DD, x1 6mm Planar, x3 BA drivers
- Qualcomm QCC3091 – Bluetooth 5.4 Chipset
- SBC, AAC, aptX Adaptive, LDAC
- Active Noise Canceling & Transparency Modes
- Aluminum Shell with Artisan Faceplates
- Aluminum Battery Case
- 2-Device Multipoint Connection
- Wireless Charging Aluminum Case with 18-25 extra hours of playtime
- 7-hour Battery Life (5 hours with ANC)
- Fast Charging – 15 minutes gets you around 2 hours of use.
- FoKus App Support, Onboard EQ, Touch Sensor & More
Packaging & Accessories
The Noble Rex5 arrives in a square cardboard box featuring a black and green patterned design similar to the one on the IEM’s faceplates. The packaging is straightforward, with product specs listed on the back and bottom, while the front displays an image of the Rex5 alongside the Wizard’s signature. Removing the outer sleeve reveals a minimalist black inner box, where the IEMs and charging case sit securely in a foam cradle. The accessories are neatly packed in a separate compartment underneath.
Noble sticks to their usual setup when it comes to accessories. Inside the box, you get a velvet-textured carrying pouch, a short USB-C charging cable, and a selection of ten eartips in three different styles. These include double-flange tips, wide-stem silicone tips, and wide-stem foam tips. The quality of the tips is impressive, especially the foam ones, which have a unique structure and come with thin wax filters. Overall, the included accessories feel well thought out, offering good variety. No complaints here.
Design, Build Quality & Fit
Let’s start with the charging case. With the Rex5, Noble has chosen a design theme that leans heavily on the green, which is immediately apparent from the green anodized finish on the case. The case itself is compact, lightweight, and has a smooth metallic texture. A small but welcome change is how the IEMs sit inside; the charging orientation is now more horizontal than in previous flagships, allowing me to remove them more easily. The charging pins and magnets hold them securely, so they’re safe, and the recessed USB-C port issue seen on the Triumph has been fixed.
The bottom half of the case is matte black, which isn’t just an aesthetic choice. It’s there to allow wireless charging. Despite being surprisingly light, the case houses a 500mAh battery, which is impressive for its size. There is a physical button for resetting the TWS IEMs at the center of the cradle.
Another improvement I noticed compared to previous generations is the hinge mechanism and stability of the lid, which is noticeably better than any other Noble TWS I’ve used. The external materials are still of high quality, as expected, but seeing refinements in the internal structure is a nice touch. As for the design, the case keeps things simple, with just a chic Noble logo on the top and a single LED on the front for charging status.
The TWS IEMs themselves take a slightly different approach than previous FoKus flagships. They don’t use an all-acrylic shell, at least not entirely. The Rex5 has a dual-material shell, with the bottom half made of aluminum in a shade that matches the charging case, while the artisan faceplate is acrylic. A gold trim separates the two materials, giving the IEMs a unique aesthetic. I’ve been using them for two weeks, and almost every time someone sees them, they ask what they are.
The gold accents don’t stop there. Of course, the charging pins are gold plated, there’s a gold Noble logo on each faceplate, and even the wax guards inside the nozzles are shaped like the Noble’s signature crown. The little details like these show how much thought went into the design.
Despite housing five drivers, a battery, and a Bluetooth chipset, the Rex5 doesn’t feel bulky at all. The inner shell is contoured to sit comfortably in the concha, and the nozzle length and angle feel just right. If you had a good fit with Noble’s previous TWS models, I don’t see why the Rex5 would be any different. For me, comfort is everything in a TWS, and Noble has nailed it here. The aluminum shell doesn’t add unnecessary weight, and the overall ergonomics are excellent.
At this point, we’ve come to expect high standards from Noble, and every time, they somehow manage to top themselves. The Rex5 is well-built, visually appealing, and a joy to use. Given their consistency, I have to give them credit. It isn’t easy to keep raising the bar, but they do it anyway.
Controls, EQ Options and Noble FoKus App
The Rex5’s touch controls are built into the faceplates, making them easy to use without physical buttons. They turn on automatically when you open the case and immediately enter pairing mode, making setup quick and painless. If you ever need to reset them, there’s a physical reset button inside the case. Pushing it for five seconds resets everything to factory defaults.
Playback controls are straightforward. A single tap plays or pauses music, you can answer or reject calls, and by double tapping, you can skip tracks, etc. The Noble app lets you customize the controls so you can rebind them to your preferences. Personally, I set triple-tap to skip tracks.
The Noble FoKus app, available in both the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store, extends the functionality of the Rex5. It includes a 10-band EQ with adjustable levels from +12 to -12. Once you save a preset, it’s stored on the IEMs, so you don’t have to keep the app running in the background. You can also create and switch between multiple EQ profiles, which is great if you like to tweak different sound signatures for different genres.
The app also integrates Audiodo’s hearing test, which creates a personalized preset based on your hearing profile. This can be useful if you have a slight hearing imbalance, as it compensates for any frequency gaps. Noble has also added a simplified 3-dot EQ with a slider, which is a more user-friendly alternative for quick tuning. While it’s not precise enough for serious fine-tuning, it can be useful for casual users who just want to make quick adjustments. For those who want more control, the 10-band EQ is the way to go.
Beyond EQ, the app also lets you check battery levels, manually disconnect the IEMs, and update firmware over the air. I used the latest 0.27 firmware for this review.
The review continues on Page Two, after the click HERE or by using the jump below.
Page 1: Noble, FoKus Rex5, Packaging & Accessories, Design, Build Quality & Fit, Controls, EQ Options and Noble FoKus App
Page 2: Connection Stability, Active Noise Canceling, Call Quality, Controls & FoKus App, Sound Quality & Performance, Last Words
