"They do not seek good from the good", "it's better to have a bird in your hand than a crane in the sky", "to teach a scientist-only to spoil" ... There are a lot of proverbs and sayings in Russian that restrain the desire to improve what is already good. Fortunately, the developers of Noble Audio with all the wealth of Russian folklore are not familiar and resolutely updated their flagship Noble Kaiser. About the model, which received the name of the prefix Encore, and will go today speech.
If suddenly you did not read my review of the previous revision of these headphones, I advise you to at least glance through it, there I talked about the company Noble Audio and their unique contribution to the IEM case. Even before reading this review, I advise you to look to understand how beautiful the Noble design can be.
However, in the current review, it still goes about the universals made in the company's standard aluminum enclosure. Many users who compared the first universal Kaisers in the acrylic case and K10UA noted that the sound of the aluminum model had changed (arguments about which way they are going so far). Noble decided to nip these disputes, and Encore was designed to sound better than both previous models, and, in fact, it did.
The struggle for perfection affected the price: the new Encore cost mega-bombs $ 1,850, the same as the second flagship of Katana. But who will stop the price, if it comes to IEM, not unsuccessfully claiming the title of the best in the world?
Specifications
- Emitters: with a balanced armature, 10 on each ear
- Crossover: 4-way
- Impedance: <30Ω
- Cable: interchangeable with separate ground. 2-pin connector at 0.78 mm
- Housing material: aluminum
- Weight: 8g
Packing and delivery kit
Judging by the recent reviews, Noble finalized the packaging, while I was preparing for this review. However, even in the previous version, everything was at the top level. A stylish box of black cardboard, made with spectacular "divorce", hides a robust plastic case that protects the headphones from damage and everything included in the delivery:
- two pairs of foam nozzles
- 6 pairs of different silicone single-flange nozzles
- 3 pairs of dual-flange attachments
- a pair of rubber rings for fans of "sandwiches" from the player and amplifier
- velvety bag for storing headphones
- carbine
- cleaning tool
- a metal card with information about the owner
Much attention is paid to the details, for example, the nozzles are fixed in a convenient metal plate with slots.
Design and comfortable wearing
10 reinforcing radiators - this is very, very much. Therefore, they can not be placed physically in a small building. Before the developers of Noble Audio had the task to make these headphones as convenient as possible in the available sizes, and they coped with it. If you look from the side of the outer covers - the headphones are very compact, and due to the ergonomic shape they provide a comfortable fit in almost any ears. Of course, the emitters must be placed somewhere, so the headphones turned out to be prominently out of the ears, but this is the lesser of possible evils.
The body is made of aluminum with an interesting longitudinal texture. The outer covers are corrugated and contain the company logo. Noble make all their versatile headphones in similar cases, choosing their own color for each model, for Kaiser Encore was chosen a stylish gray-green shade, underlined by silvery aluminum on the inside.
Sound insulation in the "Enkorov" - very good. Of course, to the level of the same Etymotic they are far away, but they cut off noise better than the average for this form factor, especially in combination with double nozzles. Convenience of wearing any questions does not cause (unless you have very small ears), headphones can be worn for a long time without the slightest signs of discomfort.
Of course, headphones are equipped with a replaceable wire, Noble uses a standard two-pin connector, so fans of searching for some unusual wire can do it. I advise you to pay close attention to the complete cable of this model, it is good from all sides: both aesthetically and acoustically. The developers have managed to make the wire soft, almost noisy and not prone to entanglement. It's the same silvered copper, but, unlike the previous revision, the new wire has lost hard zaushin with the memory effect, which, in my opinion, went for the benefit of comfort. The microphone effect is also almost absent. In general - a great alternative to the typical "ropes".
Sound
The following equipment was used for listening.
- Yulong DA9 and Resonessence Labs Concero HP as DAC and Amplifier
- Apple MacBook Pro Retina 2016 as a source
- Fidelia as a player
- Lotoo PAW Gold, theBit OPUS # 2 and iBasso DX200 and others as portable players
- High Definition Records in Lossless-formats (Dr. Chesky The Ultimate Headphone Demonstration Disc and others)
Before listening to the headphones were warmed for 48 hours, although for reinforcing radiators this is unnecessary.
Like all Noble products, the new Kaisers are distinguished by their excellent coherence, they practically lack the typical "gluing" effect at the junction of the emitters, which makes the headphones sound natural, and in the case of Kaiser Encore is also large. The updated flagship was "pumped" in the mid-range, which positively influenced the spatial characteristics of the sound. In this case, the headphones have a slight emphasis on bass, providing them a "musical" sound, but fans of the same neutrality is the second flagship model of the company Katana. But it's better to be more detailed about everything.
Bass has always been one of the strengths of Noble's headphones, and Encore was no exception. There is not the slightest hint of "armature" LF, bass - weighty, beautifully textured and, when necessary, has an enviable bend and massiveness. LF are well controlled and thanks to a small, very appropriate accent sound very bodily.
The mid-range is characterized by a very clean and unpainted feed, which allows the headphones to play back any material in any style without problems. The main thing is that this material should be of high quality. The imaginary scene is one of the strongest aspects of this model, providing them with the most spectacular effect that gives them a flagship status. The scene is built as deep and wide as possible for the headphones of this form factor, all instruments have realistic dimensions and are perfectly positioned in space. Naturally, in the Encore filing there is not the slightest hint of dryness and detachment typical for some reinforcement models, they perfectly convey all the emotions contained in the record.
I do not think anyone will be surprised that Noble's HF range also deserves praise. Detailed, long HFs are fed with the correct amount, they have excellent attacks and damping. Despite this, Encore does not sound abruptly, they seem to smooth out the most poisonous hard HF, returning them to the level where they sound still acceptable to the ear.
In my opinion, there is no sense to paint comparisons of new Kaisers with any other model, they really surpass everything I've heard, but since the questions will still be, I will draw several models.
Noble Audio Kaiser K10UA . You can not just take it and not compare the new model with its predecessor. The previous version of this model differs more allocated to the second plan of MF, which gives them the supply of "goodies", the payment for which is a decrease in naturalness. The previous version of the Kaisers is good for lovers of accented LF and more aggressive filing of HF, although Encore clearly sounds "nobler".
Campfire Audio Andromeda . The model, which in many ways has become a cult. Andromeda is an excellent choice for fans of neutral filing, offering a great imaginary scene combined with natural sound. But Encore thanks to a competent arrangement of accents sound more interesting and interesting on many points: the LF is deeper and more massive, the MF is more musical, the HF is less critical to the quality of recording, the imaginary scene is slightly deeper (although the width of the models is almost parity). However, it should be taken into account that Andromeda is noticeably cheaper, so the ratio of quality and price - they are quite competitive with Encore. In absolute terms, these are models of different segments. From the "side" of the advantages of the model from Kaiser I can note a simpler landing and a lesser propensity to transmit the noise of the source.
Campfire Audio Vega . Another flagship model from Campfire, this time using a dynamic radiator with some kind of fantastic membrane. Vega - representatives of the camp of taste, leading the idea of V-shaped frequency response to the maximum level, in which the headphones can still be considered a flagship. Vega offers more powerful LF, with more powerful impact and interesting mid-range with the vocals put forward. In turn, Encore sound more natural, offering better resolution across the entire range (especially noticeable on the midrange).
Compatibility
Of course, headphones of this level require a source corresponding to them. They are quite nice even with inexpensive players, but, after listening to them at least once with something top, you realize how undisclosed their potential remains. Headphones have sufficient sensitivity and intelligently chosen impedance, so for their "disclosure" does not need some exceptional power source, the main thing - that he had the necessary resolution and frequency control. Also Encore is not as prone to noise as their more sensitive brethren (ku-ku, Andromeda).
Briefly describe a few options for the ligaments that I remember.
Cozoy REI . Looking ahead, I will say that this tiny Zapik managed to surprise me, and not only a solid price tag. I do not know what kind of magic it was stuffed by developers (the size hints that there is hardly any megatsup and superus there), but it offers a really great sound for IEM users. Excellent textured low frequency, live and natural midrange, absolutely "dark background", emphasizing every micronuans of sound - all this in combination with the heroes of today's review gives a stunning effect.
A & K AK320 . Of course, I could not do without my pet. Musical midrange players are combined with a neutral supply of "encores", offering a storm of emotions and a flurry of music, which has a really "kryshesnosnym" effect.
iBasso DX200 . Ideal for lovers of unadorned filing. Kaiser slightly offsets the criticality of the iBasso player to the quality of the material, so you can listen to them even with imperfectly recorded material. In turn, class records will be played back at a beyond the level of technicality, falling in love with themselves once and for all.
Well, by tradition, a few tracks for example. I did not specifically choose something "audiophile", "encore" - this is not a model, suitable only for critical listening to individual sounds. They are able to put new emotions into any already familiar track.
Magnum - How Far Jerusalem . A perfect standard of the genre AOR. Music driving, created in order to lift the whole stadiums on their feet. Just one more atmospheric entry will make the goose go over your skin, and the transition to the drive reef of the verse and chorus will not let you stay in place.
Maurice Ravel - Bolero . Sometimes it seems to me that Ravel wrote this music for testing audio equipment: a spectacular pitch with a gradual introduction of instruments, a relatively simple but attractive melody, a complex polyphonic crescendo - all that is needed for the audiophile. Encore with their voluminous scene will give the listener an unprecedented level of authenticity, which rarely succeeds even in full-size models.
Charles Mingus - Open Letter to Duke . A perfect example of how not particularly high-quality headphones can deprive the listener of a piece of musical material. In this case - a background bass line, sometimes lost in a primitive and poorly structured buzz. Naturally, the heroes of today's review do not allow themselves such a mauve, passing everything with maximum reliability and quality.
conclusions
Sometimes it seems that before us is a masterpiece that is already difficult to improve, as it was with K10UA, but the real skill is to constantly overcome yourself and achieve new records. Noble Audio showed that they do not stand still and are able to improve even the best of their models. Of course, the price of perfection is great, but it is perfect.
The article is based on materials .
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