What's the Best Noble Audio IEM for Me 2022?

Noble Audio released an updated line of IEMs for 2022 which refreshes the face of their whole lineup. There’s a little something for everyone with the fun, single dynamic driver MXII at $599, the 5-driver hybrid Jade at $1199, the spacious sounding 8-driver Kadence at $1599, the flagship level Kublai Khan at $2599, and the top-of-the-line Viking Ragnar at $4000. Rather than being 4 different price tiers on the same ideas or sound, each has a unique character.

Noble DXII

With the DXII, Noble gives us an aggressive single driver dynamic IEM. There’s a clear emphasis in the bass, with a ton of impact in the low end, but the bass is well-articulated and has good dimension in addition to being strong and physical. The overall tuning is somewhat W-shaped, with strong bass emphasis, moderate presence in the mids, and a bit of extra presence in the highs to preserve the snap and sizzle in the drums.

Noble Jade

Jade’s sound is well balanced, but just on the “fun” side of neutral. Jade is a 5 driver hybrid that gives you a good-sized soundstage, solid imaging, and a sound signature that balances detail, precision, and a bit of fun. Perfect for most popular music genres, and balanced well enough to provide great performance with classic jazz or classical as well.

Noble Kadence

Kadence is Noble’s 8 balanced armature driver take on something like the Campfire Audio Andromeda or 64 Audio U12t. A highly detailed, very spacious and highly resolving IEM with a balance between reference capabilities and a musical sweetness. Kadence’s sense of space and imaging helps it excel with orchestral music ranging from traditional classical music to modern movie soundtracks, and its strong but natural bass extension can still deliver the goods for pop and rock.

Noble Kublai Khan

If you’re looking for technical proficiency, a massive soundstage, incredible detail, and lifelike imaging with a musical tuning, Kublai Khan delivers an incredible top of the line IEM experience. Kublai builds its sound with four different types of drivers: bone conduction for the subbass, dynamic for bass, balanced armature for mids, and a Piezo super tweeter at the top. This combination results in incredible accuracy in the reproduction of music along with absolutely top of the line speed and resolution.

Noble Viking Ragnar

Viking Ragnar takes the sound of the fully Damascus Steel-bound $7900 Limited Edition Noble Viking, makes the shell a little more down to earth while bringing the price down to $4000. Viking Ragnar is a tribrid design with two dynamics drivers, four balanced armatures, and four EST drivers, that delivers a clarity focused, reference sound. Viking Ragnar demonstrates peak technical performance with incredible resolution, vivid imaging, and a sense of cohesion that brings it all together in the ultimate flagship experience.

Which Noble IEM is right for me?

In addition to the new models for 2022, Noble still offers the Tux 5 ($1199), Zephyr ($1450), and their previous flagship Sultan ($2900). Tux 5 is a 5 driver hybrid for the bassheads with deep thick bass, but not without some detail and definition at the top. Zephyr is a 3-driver hybrid, with a more neutral, linear sound and strong extension into both the bass and treble. Sultan delivers top of the line sound with a slightly warm tuning, juicy bass, incredible speed, and a brilliantly constructed 3D image.

For flagship level performance, you have three options: Sultan gives you a more addictive tuning and more punch in the bass, while Kublai Khan provides a more neutral sound and a bigger focus on the imaging and soundstage, while Viking Ragnar is next level in terms of detail, imaging, and reference detail. In the middle there’s something for everyone, whether it’s the fun, bassy Tux 5; the more balanced – but still fun – Jade; Kadence’s strong resolution and highly technical, but still musical, delivery; or Zephyr’s accurate, reference sound. And if you’re on a tighter budget, DXII gives you a taste of Noble’s sound and design at a price point that won’t break the bank.