Dan Clark NOIRE X Headphone Review

[Dan Clark]

not sure what your idea of a headphone's lifetime is, but my HD25-1/II got to their 3rd set of pads and 4th cable (fck that cable!) before I replaced them..
The Beyers (1350) I replaced them with would still be good, but the plastic softener started oozing out and all the "matte satin finish" surfaces are now sticky gooey surfaces..

I didn't know that the pads are removable, to be honest.
So far, everytime I read about the Aeon closed, it was "mimimi, pads are glued on"... and then the seemingly omni-present issue of the foam deforming.. if that's truly such a pressing issue, you'll be replacing pads a couple times a year.
(by the way, that's what they recommend usually.. to replace pads twice a year, because they get softer and the sound signature drastically changes with them )


But if those pads are truly easily replacable, I will give the DropX Aeon Closed another consideration...

Hi, the pads use a tape, and so some people say "glue" which is technically not really correct, though of course tape is an adhesive. The pads can be easily replaced, and we maintain pad availability for years after products are no longer made, for example we still have Alpha and Ether pads available. We never want warn pads to limit the life of the headphone.

Changing the pads just takes a few minutes, it's very easy, we also have a little video on YouTube.

 

[Viennacalling]

Can you share the YouTube video link please

 

[Dan Clark]

Can you share the YouTube video link please

Method works for all headphones we sell.

 

[BeeKay]

Method works for all headphones we sell.

Excellent. Thanks!
Maybe this finally stops the weird narrative of 'glued' and irreplaceable AEON ear pads.

 

[Maiky76]

Here are some thoughts about the EQ.
Please report your findings, positive or negative!

Notes about the EQ design:

• The average L/R is used to calculate the score.
• The resolution is 12 points per octave interpolated from the raw data (provided by @amirm)
• A Genetic Algorithm is used to optimize the EQ.
• The EQ Score is designed to MAXIMIZE the Score WHILE fitting the Harman target curve (and other constrains) with a fixed complexity.
  This will avoid weird results if one only optimizes for the Score, start your journey here or there.
  There is a presentation by S. Olive here.
  It will probably flatten the Error regression doing so, the tonal balance should be therefore more neutral.
• The EQs are starting point and may require tuning (certainly at LF and maybe at HF).
• The range around and above 10kHz is usually not EQed unless smooth enough to do so.
• I am using PEQ (PK) as from my experience the definition is more consistent across different DSP/platform implementations than shelves.
• With some HP/amp combo, the boosts and preamp gain (loss of Dynamic range) need to be carefully considered to avoid issues with, amongst other things, too low a Max SPL or damaging your device. You have beed warned.
• Not all units of the same product are made equal. The EQ is based on the measurements of a single unit. YMMV with regard to the very unit you are trying this EQ on.
• I sometimes use variations of the Harman curve for some reasons. See rational here and here
• NOTE: the score then calculated is not comparable to the scores derived from the default Harman target curve if not otherwise noted.

Good L/R match.

I have generated one EQ, the APO config file is attached.

Score no EQ: 88.1
Score Amirm: 91.9
Score with EQ: 97.7

View attachment 409859

@Cyberagent

5BQ version

Score no EQ: 88.1
Score Amirm: 91.9
Score with EQ: 97.7
Score with EQ 5BQ: 95.2

Dan Clark NOIRE X APO EQ 5BQ Flat@HF 96000Hz
June112025-142631

Preamp: -3.50 dB

Filter 1: ON PK Fc 63.3 Hz Gain 1.52 dB Q 2.08
Filter 2: ON PK Fc 626.5 Hz Gain 2.50 dB Q 1.58
Filter 3: ON PK Fc 3449.2 Hz Gain 7.49 dB Q 2.86
Filter 4: ON PK Fc 4744.0 Hz Gain -6.43 dB Q 1.03
Filter 5: ON PK Fc 6512.5 Hz Gain 7.99 dB Q 2.45

 

[TRDK]

Has anybody seen a "impedance vs frequency (solid line)" kurve for Noire X

Like this:

 

[Alexander Gödde]

Amir has that in his review. Like with many planar magnetic headphones, it has flat impedance.

 

[Ahmonge]

Has anybody seen a "impedance vs frequency (solid line)" kurve for Noire X

From Amirm's review:

 

[Snoopy]

In thinking about trading in my Aeon Noire and upgrade to the Noire X or should I better get the E3 ?


Nothing wrong with the Noire but I should replace the pads soon and I figured I could also upgrade the Headphones instead

 

[BeeKay]

In thinking about trading in my Aeon Noire and upgrade to the Noire X or should I better get the E3 ?


Nothing wrong with the Noire but I should replace the pads soon and I figured I could also upgrade the Headphones instead

About the next headphone decision for me as well.
So AEON2 Noire -> E3 probably, as X does not seem to be a major upgrade. The E3 gets me as close to a Stealth as possible, while not crazily expensive.

 

[Theriverlethe]

About the next headphone decision for me as well.
So AEON2 Noire -> E3 probably, as X does not seem to be a major upgrade. The E3 gets me as close to a Stealth as possible, while not crazily expensive.

Why is that? Based purely on measurements, Aeon2 Noire -> Noire X looks like a much bigger upgrade than Noire X -> E3 or Stealth.

 

[BeeKay]

Because it complies better with Harman and diistorts even a bit less? Maybe more a matter of taste. I could test the E3 and was very pleased. Anyway, the Noire X will be great as well, no doubt.

 

[AryaStealth]

Because it complies better with Harman

A lot depends on a good seal. E3 has larger cups than Noire X, so to some people Noire X may sound better than E3 just because of a better/proper seal with smaller cups.
Noire X probably has worse quality control than E3, I have seen measurments that show channel imbalance 2.5-3db on 80Hz-8khz, E3 measurments look better in that regard.

 

[Theriverlethe]

Because it complies better with Harman and diistorts even a bit less? Maybe more a matter of taste. I could test the E3 and was very pleased. Anyway, the Noire X will be great as well, no doubt.

My point is the Noire X complies much better with the Harman Curve than Aeon 2 Noire, whereas the E3 complies only slightly better than Noire X. Oratory1990 gives Aeon 2 Noire a preference rating of 68/100, while Noire X gets 92/100. E3 gets 100/100, but a difference of ≤7 points on the preference rating is a statistical tie. A couple of the "flaws" in Noire X may be accounted for by different measurements devices. Whether any of them exhibit audible distortion at anything approaching safe listening levels is open to debate.

 

[Dazerdoreal]

I tested both for a short while at the High End in Munich.
While both sounded very good of course, I heard a hint of harshness on the Noire X and I didnt hear any harshness whatsoever on the E3.

(I am aware that this is just another subjective impression.)

 

[Theriverlethe]

I tested both for a short while at the High End in Munich.
While both sounded very good of course, I heard a hint of harshness on the Noire X and I didnt hear any harshness whatsoever on the E3.

(I am aware that this is just another subjective impression.)

The graphs do show slightly smoother response from 1kHz -> 8kHz or so. I wouldn't be surprised if it's in "just noticeable difference" territory. Whether that's worth 2X the price is a completely subjective decision.

Edit: I'm trying Oratory1990's EQ settings for the Noire X and I don't think I could reliably tell the difference in blind testing.

 

[Robbo99999]

I tested both for a short while at the High End in Munich.
While both sounded very good of course, I heard a hint of harshness on the Noire X and I didnt hear any harshness whatsoever on the E3.

(I am aware that this is just another subjective impression.)

As a casual observance I'm a bit suspicious of the large amount of energy between about 11-14kHz in both of those headphones, just I've always had best results on my headphones by EQing that area to be about equal to (at most) or more like 2dB below the amount of energy at the 1kHz point, so I'd kind of be not surprised if I felt a slight harshness in both of them without taking down that area, because both have a peak in that 11-14kHz region. It's specific to the individual though, and I wonder if it might be an attempt at EQing in age related hearing loss, eventhough I'm not a proponent of EQing out age related hearing loss as I think we normalise sound based on what our ears are capable of, but still.

EDIT: and to be honest the Noire X is harsher in the 2-5kHz measurement area anyway where the measurements are indeed more reliable.

 

[maruko]

Hi,

I purchased the Nore X headphones in April 2025, from Thomann here in Europe, but unfortunately, I’m past the return period.

I’ve been noticing a slight channel imbalance — vocals and imaging are slightly shifted to the left. This occurs even when using a test CD with a track specifically designed to check channel balance.

I tried adjusting the balance in EQ software and found that I need to reduce the left channel volume to around 93% (with the right at 100%) to perceive the vocals as perfectly centered.

To make sure it’s not an issue with my hearing, I sat exactly in the center (measured) between my loudspeakers and experienced no imbalance or shifting. In fact, when I applied the same balance correction used for the headphones, vocals and imaging shifted noticeably to the right.

I’ve never dropped the headphones to the ground or disconnected them while the amplifier (Topping A90D) was on. I always unplug the power first.

Thomann is offering a repair service at their own facilities. However, as much as I trust them, considering how precise this headphone is and the tight tolerances it’s built to, I’d prefer to avoid having it opened by their technicians (don't know if they deal directly with Dan Clark, in this case).

So, what I can do?

Has anyone else experienced this issue? What should I do in this case — is it something covered under warranty?

 

[Theriverlethe]

Hi,

I purchased these headphones about a month ago, but I’m noticing a slight channel imbalance — vocals are shifted slightly to the left.

This happens even when using a test CD with a track specifically designed to check channel balance.

I tried adjusting the balance in eqMac and found that I need to reduce the left channel volume to around 93% (with the right at 100%) to hear the vocals perfectly centered.



Has anyone else experienced this issue? What should I do in this case — is it something covered under warranty?

It sounds like a warranty issue, but it would probably be easier to exchange them if you're within the return window.

 

[maruko]

It sounds like a warranty issue, but it would probably be easier to exchange them if you're within the return window.

I edited my initial post