Dan Clark NOIRE X Headphone Review

[Mr Swing King]

Thanks for the review Amir.
This looks pretty good and for once I can finally get my hands on a DCA with something other than pleather touching my face…and I happen to like Alcantra.
Looking at the measurements it does remind me a fair bit of the recently released Fiio FT1 closedback that also comes with a bit of shout in the upper midrange. The Noire X does look a good deal more well controlled in the higher frequencies though.

 

[beeface]

Some 5128 measurements on it (and also comparisons to the E3):

lol at the thumbnail

 

[cowsgomoo2002]

I've owned the original Aeon, Aeon 2 Noire, and E3. It's great to see the trickle down technology here. The MSRP is just a bit under the original Aeon flow's adjusted $799 from 2017.

The E3 has the best sonics I've tried for any closed back, and sound very pleasant out of the box with no EQ. The Noire has treble peaks that are hard to EQ out otherwise it's close.

I dislike the logo on the cups and the weight increase from around 325g to 400g from the original Noire... If I was in the market for a closed back at under $1000 this is would be in consideration with the new Focal Harman-tuned closed backs

 

[TRDK]

While I highly recommend a proper hp amp, I see no need to boost the bass in these.

Thanks @amirm What would that be in terms of mW@32 Ω?

Torben

 

[taotone]

Great review - thanks @amirm

I prefer closed back headphones for their sound isolation and these look like a nice 1/2 price version of the E3 giving very similar performance at anything less than unpleasantly high volumes.

 

[Buckchester]

I've owned the original Aeon, Aeon 2 Noire, and E3. It's great to see the trickle down technology here. The MSRP is just a bit under the original Aeon flow's adjusted $799 from 2017.

The E3 has the best sonics I've tried for any closed back, and sound very pleasant out of the box with no EQ. The Noire has treble peaks that are hard to EQ out otherwise it's close.

I dislike the logo on the cups and the weight increase from around 325g to 400g from the original Noire... If I was in the market for a closed back at under $1000 this is would be in consideration with the new Focal Harman-tuned closed backs

Which Focals are tuned like that?

 

[BrooklynNick]

Personally, I wish they'd do this one in an open back, because closed backs simply don't work well with the Smyth A16, but I'd love to try one of his open backs with it.

If having a closed-back is useful to you, it might be worth trying. The DCA Stealth is the only closed-back I've found that works well with the A-16. It is still a small compromise over headphones like the HD-800 with the A-16, but not the sort of thing that distracts you when listening.

 

[AdamG]

Manufacturer Specifications:

NOIRE X

NOIRE X™ updates our iconic AEON 2 NOIRE by integrating DCA’s state-of-the-art Acoustic Metamaterial Tuning System™ (AMTS™) with an improved driver, all carefully wrapped in a gorgeous ergonomically-enhanced design. NOIRE X’s dramatic black-on-black aesthetic, improved ear pads, self-adjusting...

danclarkaudio.com

 

[Dan Clark]

Weight?

We measured 385 but someone else measured 400 so I am awaiting a new scale to double check. Assume 400gr to be safe.

 

[Dan Clark]

@amirm why didn't you do a teardown? Is it serviceable? All glued inside?

Making headphones like this is very high precision, including getting torque right on baffle screws, etc. While it is possible to open we really don’t suggest it as you can de-tune a driver with improper handling.

 

[Dan Clark]

Really significant and well done review of a product the entire community is highly interested in, Amir. A lot more people are going to be able to afford this one than previous DCA offerings. Personally, I wish they'd do this one in an open back, because closed backs simply don't work well with the Smyth A16, but I'd love to try one of his open backs with it.

I also wonder if there's any data regarding its sensitivity to frequency vaiance based on how it's positioned on head as that seemed to be an issue with some of this company's earlier designs?

AEON Aand NOIRE X are all consistent relative to position. Why? Smaller ear hole means fewer placement choices. Our larger headphones are very consistent when placed as suggested. When Sean Olive ran his research on placement he wasn’t aware we actually recommend placement of E3, Stealth and Expanse such that the ear touches the back of the ear pad, around 10 o’clock. Noire is more of an “auto fit” in that regard….

 

[DrZingo]

That’s what I did and the data, portability, design and build quality all backed up by Dan himself being available to answer any and all questions adds up to a “great” to myself otherwise we’d only be allowed to vote on a product if we own or have direct long term experience of it.

The rating system will never satisfy all, nor cover every aspect, but as a general guide it’s the best we have.

But that's precisely my point. The price and rather middling measurements don't add up to "great" in my book. That's all. It appears that portability, design and (expectations of) build quality count for a lot for many, since they can't all have listened to it. But I'll get off my soapbox now.

 

[DavidK442]

I really value the few hours of peace and quiet I get each week to sit and listen to music uninterrupted. Looking to elevate the experience beyond the excellent IEM’s reviewed here brought me to the E3’s, but very difficult to justify at $2700 CAD. With the Noire X at 1/2 the cost and 95% of the performance I have found my Christmas present for this year. Thanks Amir for continuing to shine objectivity on a murky market.

 

[AryaStealth]

The question is, would it sound better than Sennheiser 560s which has very similar tuning/small treble peak around 4400Hz?
By the way, if it has exactly the same headband design as E3, I would avoid it: there is a piece of metal inside a E3 strap which makes its headband uncomforable and creates pressure points.
Suggestion to amirm: why not add measurments with inear mics on a real head? Until 6Khz it should be pretty accurate.

 

[Chagall]

The question is, would it sound better than Sennheiser 560s which has very similar tuning/small treble peak around 4400Hz?
By the way, if it has exactly the same headband design as E3, I would avoid it: there is a piece of metal inside a E3 strap which makes its headband uncomforable and creates pressure points.
Suggestion to amirm: why not add measurments with inear mics on a real head? Until 6Khz it should be pretty accurate.

From personal experience, the headband on E3 isn't an issue at all. It took a couple of days for the initial stiffness to go away and conform to my head shape. Remember that the headphone arrives folded in the packaging and the leather strap needs some time to loosen up. I leave it unfolded all the time and don't notice it at all.

If that fails there is a ZMF padded headband strap, Dan mentioned this, or any other...

 

[thegammaray]

From personal experience, the headband on E3 isn't an issue at all. It took a couple of days for the initial stiffness to go away and conform to my head shape. Remember that the headphone arrives folded in the packaging and the leather strap needs some time to loosen up. I leave it unfolded all the time and don't notice it at all.

If that fails there is a ZMF padded headband strap, Dan mentioned this, or any other...

My personal experience was the opposite: I used the E3 for about 10 days, and the strap never got comfortable. Beyond the stiffness, there's those quadrilateral kneecaps in the headband that press downward into your head. It's fine at first, but after wearing them for a couple hours straight, it hurts. (Do you have hair? Maybe it's better with hair. I don't have any.)

Obviously we could add padding ourselves, but... a thousand dollars (or two, for the E3) is a lot less palatable when we have to DIY comfort into the headphone. Especially when the older design was more comfortable, and simpler, and lighter.

 

[Dan Clark]

My personal experience was the opposite: I used the E3 for about 10 days, and the strap never got comfortable. Beyond the stiffness, there's those quadrilateral kneecaps in the headband that press downward into your head. It's fine at first, but after wearing them for a couple hours straight, it hurts. (Do you have hair? Maybe it's better with hair. I don't have any.)

Obviously we could add padding ourselves, but... a thousand dollars (or two, for the E3) is a lot less palatable when we have to DIY comfort into the headphone. Especially when the older design was more comfortable, and simpler, and lighter.

The vast majority of users prefer the new straps, there's not even a question this was the right call. That said, as with all things YMMV and if it doesn't work for you I'm sorry. We do try to make our products fit everyone always, but that's not always possible, but hearing your concern I'd like to understand it to be sure we keep it in mind for the future.

What is a "quadrilateral kneecap?"

 

[Mauro]

My personal experience was the opposite: I used the E3 for about 10 days, and the strap never got comfortable. Beyond the stiffness, there's those quadrilateral kneecaps in the headband that press downward into your head. It's fine at first, but after wearing them for a couple hours straight, it hurts. (Do you have hair? Maybe it's better with hair. I don't have any.)

Obviously we could add padding ourselves, but... a thousand dollars (or two, for the E3) is a lot less palatable when we have to DIY comfort into the headphone. Especially when the older design was more comfortable, and simpler, and lighter.

I agree. Stiffness was there after 30 days. It wasn’t that problematic for me, but it wasn’t comfortable. I much preferred the older design apart from the plastic thing sliding on the headband that was easy to break and aged fast. Hey Dan you don’t feel our (bald heads) pain From look perspective, the newer feels more premium, though

 

[cowsgomoo2002]

Which Focals are tuned like that?

The new Focals with the updated headband design, check out these measurements (missing the Lensys there) https://headphones.com/blogs/reviews/focal-azurys-and-hadenys-dual-review-the-focal-evolution

 

[DEF]

Making headphones like this is very high precision, including getting torque right on baffle screws, etc. While it is possible to open we really don’t suggest it as you can de-tune a driver with improper handling.

Yea but I want to know if this thing lasts after my warranty from the merchant.
I am having the itch to buy one but I can't afford to lose it