Audiophilepure

It has been a while since I listened to this kind of refinement, balance and reference tuning. Nowadays most of the IEM world is focused on hybrids with tremendous bass impact, sparkling highs and lush mids. Even the budget models are playing on that field. And yes, that is also the case with Noble itself, with the Kublai Khan.

Noble Audio Kadence is having none of it. It’s all about the colourless, neutral and reference sound here. No frequency is in front or dominating the sound in any way. Everything is in place and under control at all times. It’s a neutral and uncoloured monitor as a direct result of that, and it’s technically very strong. From that reference perspective, this is one of the best monitors I’ve ever listened to. Let’s dive into the details about it.

At first listen, I heard an overall neutral IEM with a gentle lift in the treble and bass, a signature some may call “u-shaped.”

The Dioko’s sound reminded me a lot of the Timeless (which I constantly compared during my evaluation), albeit with a slightly smoother lower treble and a cleaner midrange. That said, while the former has excellent detail and resolution for the price point, the latter is better in both departments.

There was no surprise that the Astell&Kern DAPs provided a slightly warmer and more organic sound than the Sony which leans more towards being analytical sounding.

Both the RME and Aurora offered similar sonic signature with a bit less warmth than the Astell&Kern DAPs but a touch more than the Sony. The best pairings were the Astell&Kern SP2000 and Yulong Aurora that struck the best balance between color, texture, and detail overall.

The Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 is the best TWS the brand has to offer, for now, and one of the best solutions in the sub-$250 territory.

Sound is very good, comfort is impressive, and the extensive battery life makes them the perfect solution on the go. Add to that effective noise-canceling, adaptive apX, plus a comprehensive app, and you get a solid alternative to the classic AirPods Pro or the Gemini.

Sure, the old one was better-looking, but the new one is better-sounding, and that’s what really matters at the end of the day! 

The PWAudio cables comes delivered connected to the IEMS and UM/PWAudio have added a kind of removable mesh protection around the 4.4mm connector and Y-splitter so they can’t get damaged during transport. A nice detail. The cable looks simple but fancy, with a nice, elegant finish. I do have to note that the heat shrink ear hooks on the M1 are rather fierce and that’s quite annoying when you have the units just dangling over your ear. Once inserted it’s fully comfortable, however.

Comfort-wise the MEST is perfect just like my other UM customs. Of course, that all depends on your scans, but in my case there’s nothing to complain about and long listening sessions are no issue. The only thing I need to mention (and I have mentioned it before) is that there is “Driver Flex” with these IEMS inserting/removing them from your ears. Next to that they stick out a bit further out of your ear because of the shell size, but that doesn’t make them any less comfortable.

However, if I had to pick, I’d go with Classical Rock, Jazz, Classical and RnB genres with the Kublai Khan. Thanks to its excellent staging and imaging performance, Classical and Jazz give me the best experience.

The only negative in terms of technical performance I can bring up is that, with many types of drivers in one package, sometimes you feel like the music is disjointed, too wide and too deep. Especially with the bone-conducting subwoofer, the lowest notes of bass are too separated at times, and the piezoelectric driver gives a similar feeling to treble-heavy songs. If you enjoy a more rounded presentation with more darkness and a bit of ”dirtiness” and lushness, the Kublai Khan may sound too separated and too spacious.