Noble Knight Hybrid IEMs – Crown Of Earphone Nobility Origins
Noble Knight is a $289 USD pair of IEMs or In-Ear Monitors with a hybrid driver setup, reaching back to the heritage of Noble as a company, and delivering a uniquely crisp and revealing sound. Today we will review the Noble Knight and also compare them with other IEMs wit a similar price including ZiiGaat Crescent (279 USD) and YanYin Canon Pro (399 USD)
Introduction
Noble Audio is one of the most popular earphone and IEM manufacturers and designers, currently with the company HQ being in the USA, and having made models that were worn by the most popular bands during live concerts, thus gaining momentum and popularity with both music lovers and musicians alike.
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Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/4qjIeYg
Official Website – https://nobleaudio.com/products/knight
Build Quality And Design
Noble Audio Knight draws in inspiration from the idea of Knights, honorable and mighty, and projects that into a pair of earphones that has an aura beaming honesty and heritage. This is an engineered response to the growing demand for entry-level IEMs, offering a rich, deep Noble signature, with an affordable price point. Pairing an aluminum shell with a three-dimensional effect acrylic faceplate and a mix of deep purple and blue, knight looks bold and ergonomic.
On the inside, Knight has a Dual Magnetic Dynamic driver 10mm in size, delivering a deep bass and sub-bass, with Sonion BA Drivers to deliver the clear and articulate midrange, and piezo super tweeter to render a soaring and shimmer treble. This all sums up to a V-Shaped promised sound in the marketing material of Noble Audio.
Technically, Noble Audio Knight has one 10mm dynamic driver, 1 Sonion BA Driver, 1 Piezo Super Tweeter, 8-Strand Woven OFC Silver Plated Cable, and a custom eartip case and cleaning tool. It does not come with a transport case, but a pouch instead of a case. A case like ddHIFI C2023 or C100 would be most helpful and handy.
Subjective Usage
Noble Audio Knight feels comfortable overall, has an ergonomic shape but has an unusual fit. For myt ears, it is larger than the average, it wants to go deeper inside of my ears, but it is too large, so I get a medium fit, with a considerable portion of the IEMs sitting outside of myh ears. It has a really nice cable, ending in a 4.4mm balanced jack connector, and it has 2-Pin connectors at the IEM side. This means that it is compatible with most aftermarket cables if you’re looking for an upgrade.
On the other hand, Noble Knight has an interesting effect – it has a very strong passive isolation, even with the somewhat odd fit I am getting, and it offers between 20 dB and 25 dB of passive noise isolation, and the cable is a bit microphonic while wearing them. The 4.4mm balabaced termination is helpful for modern sources, DAC AMPs and DAPs, but it is a bit limited in accessories.
Sound Quality
Pairings – I have paired Noble Audio Knight with a collection of sources, FiiO K17, Audioengine HXL, Shanling Onix Beta XI2, Surfans F35 Music Player DAP, iBasso D17 Atheris, Burson Playmate 3, Rose Technics RT-5000, and Luxsin X9. Noble Knight has no public data available regarding the impedance and SPL, but in reality it is fairly easy to drive, has a medium-low impedance, it is not sensitive to source noise, which is nice as it does not show hissing or background noise easily, but it has a fairly easyt to drive design. It pairs well with both affordable and high-end sources, you don’t need to buy a flagship DAP, and it can easily reach max performance even with a cable DAC AMP like ddHIFI M198C.
Overall Signature – Noble Audio seems to be known for their V-Shaped and powerful sound, and I can confirm that this kind of signature is what you can expect from the Knight as well, as the actual tuning and sound is very much comparable with what Noble FoKus Amadeus and Noble FoKus Apollo offers, and it is much closer to what Apollo offers in tuning and signature. I love the bass, impact, rich bass and super heavy low-end, but also the smooth, playful midrange and smoother treble. In fact, the actual resolution, clarity and impact, depth is quite directly comparable to the Noble FoKus Apollo, which makes Knight a direct relative sonically. Overall, resolution and definition is really high despite the relaxed tuning.
Bass – Bottom end is clearly the Fokus in the sound of the Knight, as this is a bass-first, midrange-second pair of IEMS with a L-Shaped tuning that has most energy in the low-end, a bit less in the midrange, and with the least energy in the treble, where it is smooth, relaxed and laid-back. There’s a rich, rounded and deep bass, it has extreme depth, down to 20 Hz, with an excellent amount of low midrange presence too. Although bass is quite plentiful, it does not bleed into the midrange, and stays controlled and snappy. Knight has a clean bass, with very low distortion, even at high volumes being enjoyable and relatable.
Midrange – Knight has more focus in the lower midrange with a recessed, smoother upper midrange, tendency which is inherited from the bass and transmitted to the treble. This forever downgrade slope means that music relying heavily on male voices will have more energy, more presence and more punch to it, but it still has a bit of extra peak in the upper midrange / lower treble to make up for it, so quality, clarity and revealing abilities are high, quite a bit higher than I expected. Each driver has their own sound, tuning and speed, which gives music a much more revealing sound than it would have with a dynamic driver only driver that had this level of bass.
Treble – Treble of the Knight is mostly less in quantity and presence than the midrange and the treble, it sounds really smooth, a bit velvety and silky, but has a good resolution and energy in the upper midrange, and a really fast speed for that midrange, with a slower, more tame presentation for the treble. This combination of characters is not the most cohesive or coherent, but works well to deliver an experience that has it all, resolution, bass impact and more laid-back and relaxing tuning.
Dynamics And Textures – As I keep mentioning, the difference in decay speed, impulse response and overall clarity of each driver makes Noble Knight unique in how it sounds. Dynamics are on the compressy end of things, creating more of a loud, wall-of-sound presentation at all volume levels rather than a highly dynamic, contrasty sound. Bass is rounded, has a somewhat slow decay and strong punch, while midrange gains resolution, speed, that BA driver being so much faster and more revealing. This being said, there is enough overlap in frequency response that the midrange has some substance, depth and presence inherited from the bass. Treble driver is unique, velvety – silky, not very present nor very revealing, but enough existent to keep music interesting and not be completely rolled-off at the top end.
Loudness Saturation Gradient – Noble Knight, as it produces a more compressy type of sound, and has a lower contrast, plus multiple driver styles, sounds best at higher volumes, as that is where all those unique characteristics dissolve into what can be considered a rather cohesive and complete, loud, punchy and dynamic sound.
Soundstage – Staging is intimate but not narrow. Knight does not expand the soundstage too much laterally, but it has a fair depth, enough width to sound natural, but it clearly has an intimate voicing with the lead artist and lead instruments, while background instruments don’t go that far laterally. Instrument separation is natural, not very strong nor forced, and this type of character for the staging is why I believe the company considers Knight to be an entry-level type of IEM.
Comparisons
Noble Audio Knight vs ZiiGaat Crescent (289 USD vs 279 USD) – ZiiGaat Crescent has a much lighter shell, and a more traditional fit, with what could be considered a medium – shallow insertion, while Knight goes deeper, has harder, heavier, larger shells that are less comfortable to wear compared to the Crescent. Crescent comes with a transport case, but less interesting cable, although both have fairly basic cables and are comparable. Crescent is easier to drive, and far more sensitive to source noise and background noise, hissing. Sonically, Crescent has a true V-Shaped sound with a strong bass, recessed midrange and a far stronger treble. The drivers inside of the Crescent sound more cohesive, there is far less difference between their tuning, and Crescent in itself sounds more controlled and less colored. Soundstage of the Crescent is wider, but also a bit more vague. Overall Noble Knight sounds deeper, far bassier, more punchy, smoother in the treble, and more resolving in the midrange, while being more relaxed, laid-back and free of fatigue.
Noble Audio Knight vs YanYin Canon Pro (289 USD vs 399 USD) – Cannon Pro has smaller and more ergonomic shells and mostly a shallower fit, but I did not come to an agreement with their eartips and ended up using the mighty ddHIFI ST-35, so comfort is comparable. This being said, Canon Pro has a much better cable with less microphonic noise, less wearing noise, and it is less voidy, and has no driver flex. Sonically, Canon Pro is also warm, goes for the same tuning and signature as Noble Knight, but Canon PRO is more expensive, it has a sound that is more cohesive, similarly relaxed, but more vivid in the midrange, with a bit more energy and a less relaxing treble, with more punch and sparkle.
Value and Conclusion
What Noble considers to be entry-level here, 300 USD, is a price we usually consider midrange, especially in today’s market, so I would say that for this price, the package is lacking, sound is excellent, IEM quality is top, so while Noble Knight does not come with a transport case, it has a revealing, crisp sound that is totally worth the asking price.
At the end of the day, if you’re looking for a bassy, full, but high-resolution sounding pair of IEMs with a full metallic body, but high passive noise isolation, crisp midrange quality and yet a fatigue-free, relaxing sound, Noble Audio Knight will be happy to deliver and bring you a rounded, satisfying sound for years to come.
PROs
- Deep, powerful and punchy bass
- High-resolution midrange with exceptional resolution
- Excellent technical performance
- Fast midrange over a slow, sloppy and satisfying bass
- Good treble extension up to 14 kHz, with a fatigue-free presentation
- Beautiful shells
- No driver flex
Cons
- A bit of void in the fitting
- Package is limitative
- Cable is a bit microphonic with a basic jack connector
- Lack of cohesiveness in the sound due to multiple driver speeds, styles and signatures
Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/4qjIeYg
Official Website – https://nobleaudio.com/products/knight
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Full Playlist used for this review
We listened to more songs than those named in this playlist, but those are excellent for identifying a sonic signature. I recommend trying most of the songs from this playlist, especially if you’re searching for new music! The playlists are different for Spotify, Tidal and Youtube, and based on the songs I enjoy and are available on each!
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_cjBXGmwSHSdGcwuc_bKbBDGHL4QvYBu
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5J3oloz8Riy9LxEGenOjQ0?si=979ba4f082414be7
https://tidal.com/browse/playlist/330fd544-8e5b-4839-bd35-676b2edbb3d5
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