Noble FoKus REX5 TWS Bluetooth IEMs Review – Dramatic And Spicy Sound
Noble FoKus Rex5 is a $449 USD pair of bluetooth tws true wireless earphone IEMS with a 5-Driver internal design, Bluetooth 5.4 support, and with flagship looks. Today we will review the FoKus Rex5 and explore how it compares to other high-end bluetooth iems including Noble FoKus Amadeus (320 USD), Final Audio ZE8000 (399 USD).
Introduction
Noble is a super popular IEM manufacturer and designer that is known for introducing a V-Shaped sound with their products, a lush bass and excellent build quality. You can find products from Noble sold through multiple Hifi channels, but also on Amazon and Aliexpress as they are widely available and supported.
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Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/4kFuPIr
Official Link – https://nobleaudio.com/products/noble-fokus-rex5
Build Quality – Design
Noble Fokus rex 5 is designed with 5 drivers at the heart, and they have a hybrid driver configuration. Each earbud combines one 10mm dynamic driver, a precise 6mm planar magnetic driver and three balanced armatures, to deliver the sound. At the back of those drivers we have a powerful driving engine, with hi-end codecs including LDAC, aptX Adaptive, as well as Audiodo’s innovative sound personalization software that is able to fine tune the IEMs to your personal needs.
You can store that customized profile on the Rex5 using the QCC3091 chip, and after the initial setup, no app is needed to use the profile with other devices. Battery life is long, with up to 7 hours of battery life without ANC and 5 with ANC turned on, and charging the case adds 18 hours of battery life, so 2 and a half charges. It takes 15 minutes to charge 2 hours of playback, and ANC minimizes external noise, allowing for a more immersive listening experience.
Technically, Noble Fokus rex5 comes with 5 drivers, one dynamic driver, three balanced armatures and one planar driver, and they have an aluminum plus acrylic construction. They have wireless charging, and multipoint connection with audiodo integration.
Subjective Usage
Inside of my ears, Rex5 feels like two smooth, rounded marbles. It is rather comfortable, but feels cold, which will be an issue if it is super cold outside. Using ANC will affect the sound and kill parts of the subbass and upper bass too, leaving in more mid bass. Comfort is generally close to perfect, fit is secure, they are not very heavy.
The main downsides include that the IEMS do not charge wirelessly, but with golden pin contacts, which in contact with sweat and skil oils will eventually corrode. Only the case can charge wirelessly. Rex5 offers a fairly good passive noise isolation, and I recommend trying them that way as ANC introduces a bit of hissing noise, and passthrough mode introduces a loud hissing and noise floor.
Insertion depth is medium, bore size is natural towards small, default eartips quality is excellent. Battery life is also decent, very close to what Noble promises, but I listen louder, so I got one hour less. I did not test the sound with ANC as I personally am not a fan of the feeling and signature it bears. There is delay with all protocols, as expected, and I recommend not seeking Bluetooth with little delay, because it damages the sound considerably as I’ve explored in many other reviews. Touch controls are quite sensitive, and there is no palm rejection, so I get a ton of mishandling with rex5, they simply react too much to being adjusted or moved, and also they don’t detect when they’ve been taken out of my ears, so they keep messing up with the volume player and volume on my phone and pc.
Sound Quality
Pairings – I mainly have used my Samsung S24 Ultra Smartphone, alongside Lenovo Yoga Tab Plus Tablet to test the Noble Fokus rex 5. I was also able to test the Khadas mind mini PC as the driving force, with or without FiiO Air Link to test whether better codecs and their implementation can change the sound of the Rex5.
It does not really matter which source you’re using with Rex5 as they sound similar across all sources. There’s a tendency for LDAC to disconnect more often in crowded environments like if sitting next to a router, or in between the router and PC, and at the gym. In those situations, SBC and AAC are rock solid. Best sound will be heard with S24 Ultra or when using Khadas Mind 1 mini PC, with or without FiiO Air Link.
Overall Signature – Rex 5 is quite V-Shaped, likely one of the most aggressively V-Shaped sounding TWS Bluetooth IEMs out there. It reminds me a lot of how most sources sound like when you use the Rock EQ preset, voices are not absent, but lower midrange is most clearly recessed, and so is upper bass, and there’s an uplift of sub-bass, plus a strong uplift of treble, which is incredibly sharp, crisp and aggressive. Resolution is very impressive, but this is a downside for rex because they really show a big difference between LDAC and SBC, and LDAC is quite a bit less stable. Using aptX as a family does not help much because aptX can consume even more bandwidth. LDAC sounds more V-Shaped than any of the other codecs with Rex Five.
Bass – Bass is quite colored and specific, and will sound similar across all songs and tracks. This is because it has a strong sub bass, which starts at 40 Hz, and then it rolls off considerably above 80 Hz, emulating a bit of a subwoofer qualitative subbass. The main downside is that this type of tuning creates a bit of a sucked out feeling to the sound. This is far more evident and stronger with ANC or Passthrough turned on, while it is far more balanced without ANC turned on. Different from most Noble products, Rex5 is not super basshead, they have a bit of bass, but it is mostly natural and clean, not forced or overpowering.
Voicing And Midrange – Vocals are clean, crisp, but a bit recessed and sucked out. Even if you turn off ANC and Passthrough, vocals are a bit recessed, ever so slightly nasal, but very detailed. Rex5 is great for music with less vocals, as it renders all instruments next to perfect, renders some crystalline pianos and it just sounds beautiful in general. The recessed midrange helps create a huge soundstage and gives music brilliance and treble air and sharpness.
Treble – Top end is quite bright, bold and aggressive. Rex5 works really well for metal, rock and recent music, where it renders a super exciting and brilliant top end. I like it a lot, but it can be fatiguing, and at most I would listen to Killwhitneydead and I would avoid extremely bright sounding bands like Infant Annihilator, Interrupting Cow, or Haggard. It works really well for newer music like Jake Hill or even bands like Dope. classical sounds extra enjoyable with the aid of a resolute top end.
Dynamics And Textures – Rex5 sounds dynamically wide, natural, it is engaging and vivid. Textures are natural towards slightly grainy, it really renders micro bits of information in textures, and while for guitars this creates a feeling of richness, it also adds a metallic grain to cymbal crashes, especially in bands with older, more grainy recordings in general. Rex5 has a fast midrange and treble, but a natural-fast bass.
Loudness Saturation Gradient – Loudness control is excellent, sound is consistent at all volumes, but Rex5 does not get very loud even at absolute maximum. I can comfortably listen to it at almost max volume, and max volume will not be enough for the gym, but I believe that is why they included the ANC in the first place.
Soundstage – Stage is wide, deep and laterally expanded for rexfive. It has a defined layering with strong separation, works best for modern, new music, pop, rap, and electronic. Size is not quite enough for grand orchestras, and it does not create a wall of sound typically desirable for rock and metal substyles.
Comparisons
Noble FoKus Rex5 vs Final Audio ZE8000 – (449 USD vs 339 USD) – Final Audio introduced a lot of marketing with their ZE8000 like 8K sound, but physically those are different from most TWS IEMs, as they have a larger body, long back part, and behave a bit like a pair of apple airpods but with far improved comfort. Rex5 is far more traditional, feels better for both casual listening, gym and for walking, while ZE8000 feels premium and high-end with the plastic feeling similar to that on a canon camera, but I feel like Noble FoKus Rex 5 will have a much better change of withstanding actual usage, sweat, salt and all that a TWS IEM will be subjected to. Rex 5 has a stronger passive noise isolation, neither doesn’t have a good ANC, ZE8000 has stronger antennas and more reliable BT signal in busy environments, the case and design of ze8000 does feel more premium, but FoKus Rex5 is just a bit more practical and ergonomic. Sonically, ZE8000 is bloomy, dark, and smooth, with a full bass, having nothing to do with a resolution that would feel 8K, while Rex5 is far more revealing, more V-Shaped and generally far better for detail addicts and those who want to hear everything. Basically, I would far more often go with rex5 if you are listening to modern music, pop, rock, edm, and modern music, if you want crispness in sound. ZE8000 is perfect for those who know they want a dark, velvety sound with less focus on analytical properties but more focus on sounding as laid-back and relaxed as possible.
Noble FoKus Rex5 vs Noble FoKus Amadeus – (449 USD vs 320 USD) – Amadeus is a nice comparison, because both models come from Noble and both have an excellent comfort, both are practical, so what is the difference. I wouldn’t engage ANC or other bells and whistles, passive noise isolation is comparable, but Amadeus is a bit lighter, better for gym usage and portability. Actual differences are small in the sound, Rex5 is more revealing, more aggressive and more V-Shaped, while Amadeus sounds a bit warmer, smoother and a bit fuller, with a more voluptuous sound, feeling better for lighter activities.
Value and Conclusion
Noble currently makes the priciest pair of TWS Bluetooth earphones that we’ve reviewed, so Rex5 has a lot of competition. They sound about as good as a pair of FiiO UTWS5 2025 running an IEM like Simgot EM10 or BQEYZ Winter II, so Rex5 has a better value as it costs less. This being said, it is less replaceable, so value is good, but you have to really take into account whether it is what you need and desire.
With a V-Shaped sound and an ergonomic fit, Noble FoKus Rex5 meets the world and gets published with the help of excellent companies like Jackrabbit, and overall it is an excellent choice, if a bit over the top for a pair of bluetooth tws iems.
PROs
- Bespoke V-Shaped sound with one of the best resolution levels available for this kind of tuning
- Comfortable and ergonomic
- Potential of complex EQ and excellent tuning
- Sounds excellent even without any kind of EQ
- Good battery life
- Support for advanced codecs
- Wide soundstage with excellent instrument separation
- Powerful and deep bass
- Very little distortion
- Exceptional build quality
Cons
- ANC is not very effective and changes the sound
- Charging time is not the fastest
- IEMs use metallic pin connectors for charging
- Touch control very sensitive and doesn’t have good accidental touch rejection
- Signal strength struggles in busy environments like a gym
- LDAC has minor dropouts
Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/4kFuPIr
Official Link – https://nobleaudio.com/products/noble-fokus-rex5
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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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