Noble Kahn - tri-level hybrid

Discussion in 'IEMs and Portable Gear' started by xsuperxapplex, Nov 21, 2018.

  1. xsuperxapplex

    xsuperxapplex Acquaintance

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    https://nobleaudio.com/en/shop/universal/khan/

    SPECS
    MSRP: $2399
    6 DRIVER
    TRI-LEVEL HYBRID
    3 TYPES OF DRIVER TECHNOLOGIES IMPLEMENTED IN DESIGN
    4 BALANCED ARMATURE
    1 10MM DYNAMIC
    1 10MM PIEZO ELECTRIC
    SENSITIVE ENOUGH FOR USE WITH SMARTPHONES AS WELL AS PORTABLE AMPS AND DAPS
    HAND-ASSEMBLED AND MATCHED
    DETACHABLE CABLE WITH INDUSTRY STANDARD 2-PIN CONFIGURATION (0.78 MM DIAMETER)

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
     
  2. xsuperxapplex

    xsuperxapplex Acquaintance

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    From a HF thread, it seems like there are no plans right now for a custom version of the Kahn, so it'll stay universal only for the time being. It's on sale right now for 20% off for black friday despite not even being released yet which leaves a bad taste in my mouth at least. This seems like the first high end hybrid that Noble is making, so I'm a bit skeptical, but the piezo electric driver for highs sounds interesting. Never heard a headphone that uses that tech for drivers before.
     
  3. Bina

    Bina MOT - Shanling

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    Hyla CE-5 has piezo electric ceramic driver, some Radius IEMs also had them. So it's unique, but nothing new.
     
  4. yotacowboy

    yotacowboy McRibs Kind of Guy

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    c'mon, is nobody gonna do this?

    [​IMG]
     
  5. Rowethren

    Rowethren Acquaintance

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    Just think of the Black Friday pre-release sale on the Khan as a pre-order discount like you get with ZMF Verite. People seemed happy enough with that :p
     
  6. xsuperxapplex

    xsuperxapplex Acquaintance

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    Ah yeah, that was an unclear statement on my part, I meant that I personally have never listened to anything using a piezo-electric driver, not that I've never seen it be used before.

    Haha true, good point. IEM pre-orders though do scare me a bit cause fit and sound vary a lot more depending on the person and tips compared to a full sized headphone. Noble's universals (at least the Massdrop collabs) simply do not want to stay in my ear :/
     
  7. bFlat

    bFlat New

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    So, a BA, DD, and PE walk into a bar.....

    You khan't be serious...
     
  8. musicfan1

    musicfan1 New

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    So looking forward to this.
     
  9. Zhanming057

    Zhanming057 Friend

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    My experience with Piezoelectric driver is limited to the Fitear EST (the actual first IEM to use those?). While I enjoyed the treble on those, coherence between treble and mids was somewhat problematic.

    The PE treble is definitely something special and even the single PE EST had amazing treble extension and energy. Really looking forward to trying these, as well as the Jerry Harvey Janis which is a quad PE design for treble).
     
  10. Kunlun

    Kunlun cat-alyzes cat-aclysmic cat-erwauling - Friend

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    @Vansen may we request a loaner?
    I can ask John, but iirc you have contacts with Noble.
     
  11. Augmentin

    Augmentin MOT - DUNU IEM Company

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    Piezoelectric =\= Electrostatic
     
  12. Crinacle

    Crinacle Friend

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    I managed to get a long demo of it (~2 hours), S/N 0001 so basically the first Khan built. It's a very clean sounding hybrid though a little hot up top and lean down in the lower mids. Well-controlled sub-bass boost, no particularly oddities in tone apart from splashy-ish cymbals. The Khan would be more suited for percussions, plucked strings and female vocals due to its relatively short decay. Resolution is acceptable for the TOTL realm, imaging is rather average and no significant timbre issues, though I can see those sensitive to the "BA timbre" being put off by these.

    (Also managed to get FR measurements, though not sure if I should post publicly due to the product being not released. Also to protect the guy who has graciously given me a try at them.)
     
  13. roscoeiii

    roscoeiii Acquaintance

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    How was the coherence between those three types of drivers? That would be my biggest concern.
     
  14. Bloom

    Bloom MOT: Bloom Audio

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    Would love to read more impressions if anyone has had a chance to purchase or spend extended time with the Khan yet this year.
     
  15. Lyander

    Lyander Official SBAF Equitable Empathizer

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    Still not in love with IEMs but as a matter of curiosity have you published those measurements yet, @La Cenric? Curious how they stack up to others. I'm thinking there's less risk posting those now?
     
  16. Crinacle

    Crinacle Friend

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    Updated my subreddit with the graphs a while back.

    [​IMG]
     
  17. Lyander

    Lyander Official SBAF Equitable Empathizer

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    TIL you had a sub! Will be looking for it, but thanks for the squiggles :))
     
  18. Bloom

    Bloom MOT: Bloom Audio

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    I've spent about a week or so with the Khan and have a few random impressions. Let me preface by saying that I have very limited experience with IEMs. So limited that I almost feel hesitant to share any thoughts. I've always preferred over ear headphones. So keep that in mind!
    • Fit and finish isn't very impressive. I certainly understand the usage of mostly plastic to keep it lightweight, but FWIW, it doesn't feel like particularly high quality plastic. And it picks up oils like a magnet. I wish it had been an aluminum or brass enclosure like Noble's other flagships. The 2 pin connection also looks a bit brittle, and I've heard reports of breakage there, so that's definitely to be aware of if/when swapping cables. Also, it's recessed, yet the cable doesn't insert into the recessed area which is bizarre to me.
    • Instrument timbre is extremely accurate and natural. Classical music is a pure joy on the Khan. I listen to a lot of solo piano music and as someone who grew up playing on a Steinway (thanks, Dad!), I have a pretty good reference for what it "should sound like." Instrument separation is also excellent.
    • Resolution is off the charts. Sometimes alarmingly so.
    • Bass is clean and smooth, not very impactful.
    • Mids, especially upper mids, feel very forward. Uncolored and detailed.
    • Treble is bright and can be very unforgiving. On well recorded/mastered songs, especially classical and soundtracks (gimme dat Hans plz), the clarity and richness is wonderful. But on rock music, especially less-than-stellar recordings, it can be painful. I am VERY sensitive to sibilance and boy howdy will the Khan reveal sibilance like crazy if it's in the track.
    I listened via iFi Pro DSD (both balanced 2.5 and SE 3.5), Hugo 2, and SP1000M (2.5 and 3.5). Surprisingly, I personally enjoyed pairing it with those in that order from best to worst. My SP1000M required EQing, otherwise it was unbearably bright to me. Anyway, those are just a few thoughts off the top of my head. Feel free to AMA.
     
  19. Bloom

    Bloom MOT: Bloom Audio

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  20. Galm

    Galm Still looking for Little Red Riding Hood

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    So these were what I picked up at RMAF. The treble is a little hot but the timbre, resolution, and imaging is phenomenal. I've been using Andro for the last year and these things are making me want to rehear all my favorite songs. I'm using the Sennheiser Captune app to EQ Tidal by dropping the treble in accordance with the above measurements and like...

    If you guys have the chance please try it, I'm loving these things. And that's from an Andro fan and owner. They're a bit harder to drive though, a DragonFly Cobalt when a good way to the sound. It's more work than I'd normally be willing to go to for iems, but I'm still finding it worth the effort.
     
    Last edited: Sep 10, 2019

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