That sounds like a possible poor seal. Glasses? Thick hair? Closed headphones are more sensitive to seal than open headphones due to acoustic impedance, the net effect is leakage can reduce bass for closed headphones, similar to how many IEMs need a good seal to deliver bass.
There were two problems that could cause this, both are resolved, one in Aug and one last month. For this reason we're extending warranty for channel imbalance issues on these units in case some show the problem over longer periods of time, one was our issue, one was Molex parts suddenly not being reliable after 10+ years of use.
I appreciate the reply(thanks) and want to believe you but how do i know for sure that if i buy another i'll get a unit that neither has or will have these design issues? Thomann got restocked in mid November and the unit i got was manufactured in early August(US date format 8/5/25) so i can reasonably assume if i order another it'll have the same risk of issues...
We resolved the first issue in September production, the second was last month (it's far less common but it did need to be addressed). The second issue potentially affected other models (it was the Molex connector not holding as firmly as it should) but we have only seen two fail in the field, to my knowledge.
I have very short hair, and I do wear glasses, but I can't tell any difference with them on or off. Running a frequency sweep, I have nice, clear bass to below 30 Hertz, but when playing music, there just isn't any punch or thump as you should hear from bass drums, etc. The driver in my HiFiMan Stealth headphones is much larger than in the Noire X. Maybe that has something to do with it? I need the DCA Stealth, but that isn't in the budget!
I’ve seen it suggested that the HiFiMans are transferring much more energy to the skull, potentially via the ear pads. Similar concept to bone conduction headphones. Might explain some of the difference between measured FR and actual perception.
I am not sure, this is a bit of an ambiguous area. Some people like to talk about "slam" in headphones, but that to me is a complex subject. I have always believed "slam" really is the same region PA people call "kick," about 100-300Hz, which is where people tend to "feel" bass. There is zero research to back this up, that I know of, but the typical HiFiman doesn't follow the Harman bass profile, and instead measures "flat" like a ruler, which relative to Harman adds about 2dB of bass centered at 200Hz. You might try a +2dB PEQ at 200Hz, Q of about 1 which should cover 100-300Hz and see if that does what you expect. The flip is we should deliver much more deep bass if your seal is good. If that's not it, I am not sure I know what else to suggest.
Thanks, Dan. I just watched your "Measurements 101" presentation on YouTube from CanJam NYC in 2022. Your explanation on THD cleared some things up. I think harmonics in my HE1000 Stealth headphones is part of what I'm hearing - that and the fact that the HE1000 drivers are much larger that the ones in the Noire X. I need your Stealth headphones for their larger driver, but I'm a regular working person, and that kind of money is way out of budget. I'll listen more to my Noire X and try to get used to them. Thank you for all your input.
I really like this stand - Can someone provide a link to it, please ?
Thank you !
JDS Atom Amp 2 would be my first choice at that price point.
looks good but i want balanced in and balanced out, my headphones use 4.4mm in and my dac can output xlr 3 pin and 4.4mm but that goes threw it's internal amp
Check out the Topping A50s.
looks great but rca only input which is a deal breaker for me
Any pleasure obtained by listening stupid loud is always short lived. You'll soon end up deaf, and where's the pleasure in that? Just imagine that the Noires are super delicate and back off.
