Dan Clark NOIRE XO Headphone Review

[Dan Clark]

Unfortunately, we don’t have the option to try these in Melbourne, as the closest store is in Sydney. I have no plans to travel to Sydney in the next few months. I almost bought the Noire X last month, but then the Noire XO came out, and I think I have to go for this one. My headphones for home listening have been the HD600 for at least 10 years, so I’d likely prefer another open design. On the go I listen to IEM, in the office I don't listen to music, or I listen on speakers.

Contact Advanced Audio, our distributor. They have a store in Melbourne and I believe a couple of other dealers there as well…

 

[lacheln]

Specifications

Weight: 408gr
Nominal Impedance: 13ohms
Distortion: <0.3% ref 94dB at 1KHz
Frequency Response: We do not publish this because no standard exists for what this actually means and far too many vendors simply publish absurd numbers in a spec game. We don't.


For the community, I have been working on a port of the Harman 2018 curve from the reference GRAS 45CA to the B&K 5128. The curve shown as the target was derived and verified using two independent processes, and with input from Sean Olive. This curve should be considered an Alpha target and not definitive but it is interesting for several reasons.

View attachment 450202

First, the areas that fall above or under target are extremely close to those measured on the 45CA, in other words where you see a bump above or below curve on the 45CA you will see a similar feature on the 5128 relative to the reference curve. This gives a degree of confidence in the results.

Second, it is worth noting that the Harman 2018 curve is almost universally used with KB5000 ears, but when it was developed Sean used a modified version of the original KB0065 ear. The two ears do not have the same response, which creates a built-in error above 9KHz on any KB5000 equipped ears. This is something that has been known, I believe, but not thoroughly discussed, and will also get some attention in my write up.

More details on the development process for this curve will be shared with the community the week after I return from the Munich High-End show. It will be interesting to see assessment by others of the potential 5128 curve, especially if they have both the GRAS and B&K

How can I purchase NOIRE XO in China and select a 4.4mm cable?

 

[Dan Clark]

How can I purchase NOIRE XO in China and select a 4.4mm cable?

Our distributor in China has not yet placed an order due to the tariff situation. At this time your best bet would be to order direct from us or from one of our retail partners.

 

[Peib]

thanks for sharing

 

[Sebby]

I listened to them at the HighEnd in Munich and I really liked them. It's a shame that buying in Italy means spending a fortune between VAT + customs. I listened to the open and closed versions and both sound very good, but I noticed a characteristic that often occurs: the closed ones are all more "edgy" in the mid-high/high frequencies, while I find the open ones very fluid despite having a more open sound. Despite everything, I'm surprised to have experienced a closed headphone that sounds so good, finally!

 

[TRDK]

 

[patoulol]

Amir says: ". It wears a bit warm »., normally it lets the ear breathe . doesn't it?

Because it's an open-back

 

[Viper780]

Amir says: ". It wears a bit warm »., normally it lets the ear breathe . doesn't it?

Because it's an open-back

It is semi open.

 

[patoulol]

It is semi open.

OK so it doesn't breathe as well as an Arya or an HD800S?

 

[HifiLover]

I wish there was a place in the Midwest to listen to these.

Sound is more important than looks, but these have a very attractive design!

 

[Viper780]

OK so it doesn't breathe as well as an Arya or an HD800S?

According to some reviewers and also Dan Clark (I'm not sure if here or on HeadFi) no it doesn't breathe that much.
But as far as I remember the HD800 S is also more open then the Hifiman Arya

 

[patoulol]

According to some reviewers and also Dan Clark (I'm not sure if here or on HeadFi) no it doesn't breathe that much.
But as far as I remember the HD800 S is also more open then the Hifiman Arya

Yes, I have trouble with the heat in my ears. I don't wear my HD580 very well, but I'm keeping it.

But yes, the HD800S is better for that.

 

[Theriverlethe]

Uh oh, a subjective question. I find the XO to be more open with a bigger soundstage and a big livelier tuning. X s a bit mellower with a little more upper bass while XO feels like it reaches deeper.

I have to wonder how much of this owes to the slight variance in frequency response, as opposed to the "type" of headphone. Eg., slightly louder bass on the Noire X could contribute to masking. The Noire XO's bass level is a little closer to the "expert" range of the Harman curve.

 

[Theriverlethe]

@amirm Is the ~4.8kHz peak from the Noire X gone with these, or are you compensating for the 5128 differences?

 

[Dan Clark]

@amirm Is the ~4.8kHz peak from the Noire X gone with these, or are you compensating for the 5128 differences?

There should be no 4.8 peak but this also is a region where there can be ear-specific effects, so it would be right to put in a caveat to say "for most people..."

 

[Theriverlethe]

There should be no 4.8 peak but this also is a region where there can be ear-specific effects, so it would be right to put in a caveat to say "for most people..."

I was just wondering if it's a difference between X and XO or Amir's measurement methods changed.

 

[Robbo99999]

I was just wondering if it's a difference between X and XO or Amir's measurement methods changed.

It's the Noire X (closed back) that has a peak at 4.8kHz according to Amir's GRAS measurement but that doesn't appear on the 5128 for that headphone, so I think you're getting things swapped around re Noire X & Noire XO and B&K & GRAS.

 

[Theriverlethe]

The Noire X (closed back) has a peak at 4.8kHz according to Amir's GRAS measurement but that doesn't appear on the 5128 for that headphone, so I think you're getting things swapped around:

Yes, I'm aware of that. Perhaps the wording was unclear. I'm asking if this is an actual difference between the two models or if Amir's measurement device/methodology changed. I do see Amir's "NOTE: company has been optimizing its design on BK 5128 fixture which may explain small discrepancies between my testing and theirs," so it's probably safe to assume nothing changed on Amir's end.

 

[Robbo99999]

Yes, I'm aware of that. Perhaps the wording was unclear. I'm asking if this is an actual difference between the two models or if Amir's measurement device/methodology changed. I do see Amir's "NOTE: company has been optimizing its design on BK 5128 fixture which may explain small discrepancies between my testing and theirs," so it's probably safe to assume nothing changed on Amir's end.

I don't get you, both headphones have been measured by Amir and the B&K doesn't show the peak at 4.8kHz for the Noire X. I'm pretty sure you're confusing which headphone is being talked about, etc.

EDIT: it's fine that the GRAS shows a peak that the B&K doesn't, they're different measurement rigs (so they react differently to the headphone).

 

[Theriverlethe]

I don't get you, both headphones have been measured by Amir and the B&K doesn't show the peak at 4.8kHz for the Noire X. I'm pretty sure you're confusing which headphone is being talked about, etc.

EDIT: it's fine that the GRAS shows a peak that the B&K doesn't, they're different measurement rigs (so they react differently to the headphone).

It's a measured difference between two similar models, so it doesn't matter what the starting point is. I was just asking if Amir changed measurement devices or compensation curves in the intervening months.