Django is a Quentin Tarantino movie which… wait, no, this time it’s an IEM by Noble Audio priced at 999$.
Sound quality for the price
Build quality
Value
Packaging
The unit that i’ve tested is a demo one, so I didn’t have full set of accessories. Anyway, in the original package you’ll find a waterproof Pelican 1010 Case, smaller acrylic case, soft pouch, 11 pairs of ear tips, a clip hook, two straps which you can use for stacking AMP + DAP e.g. and two stickers with Noble’s logo.
Cable
The stock cable is pretty thin to begin with. It’s a 4 core OCC cable terminated with 3,5mm jack. It is very flexible and comfortable. I adore this discrete jack, splitter, and 2pin connectors. The whole cable is very easy to hide.
The sound quality of the cable is great for a stock one, but I think other producers like Kinera provides better cables. Nothing special, even relatively cheap aftermarket cables may sound better. Anyway, I think Noble found a happy medium between quality and comfort.
Build quality
Each earphone is made from two parts, the outer one is metal, painted purple. It is quite durable, harder to scratch compared to e.g. campfire earphones.
The inner part is made of grey PVC with blinky particles. Everything is holding up well, they definitely feel premium in the hand.
I love their design, but unfortunately, there are some problems with comfort that I’ll mention in the paragraph below.
Comfort
Noble Audio Django is a big IEM. It sticks out of the ear, you can forget about wearing a beanie while using them.
Standoffs help to keep earphones in place, they didn’t fall out of my ear even once. I’m good with every single IEM, but for people with shallow ear canals they can be too heavy, and because center gravity is far away from the ear, there could be a problem with a secure fit. Anyway the cable is thin and flexible so it won’t be annoying during listening sessions.
Sound
Django is difficult to evaluate because we have some really strong players in this price range, like Kinera Odin, Meze Rai Penta and Campfire Audio Andromeda.
The sound signature is balancing on a thin line between natural and dark sounding. The bass is very powerful and dynamic, with great punch. The midrange is wild, aggressive and usually stays at the front, but it is doing a step back using warmer sources. Treble is kind, gentle, it doesn’t try to disturb bass and mid in it’s performance. I felt in love with their imaging, whole thing sounds natural, there is no feeling of emptiness but it’s all very precious.
Back to the bass, it is not the most important part of the sound, even if it is rich. It’s full, juicy, dense but also very dynamic, and directed. It totally doesn’t sound like an armature bass, it’s a little softer compared to typical BA lows, but thanks to that it is quite juicy. Subbas is usually purring in the background, but when it has to show up, it growls.
The midrange is the main part of the sound on all sound sources except the the ones that boosts the bass. For example, Django’s mids paired with iBasso DX160 disappear in the shadow of the bass. With the natural sources male vocals are full of life and natural. Some may call them dry, but for me it is very addictive. Female vocals are totally different. Higher midrange in overall is more intimate, smooth and delicate compared to lower mids, and unfortunately some details are lost there, especially in drum plates.
Treble may seem boring due to being too delicate. It’s all smooth, without any sign of sharpness. It forgives all mistakes in mastering, but this is due to poor reproduction of details compared to CA Andromeda. Thanks to this, it can be understood as dark. It can be changed easily with an aftermarket cable that focuses on treble, but it still will remain soft and round, it will only become louder and easier to notice.
Soundstage and holography are something wonderful. The scene is wide, high, deep, exact and lets the music fly over and around the listener’s head. I’m not missing anything here, distances are reproduced very well, Daft Punk – Giorgio by Moroder starts far away from the head but finishes inside, it allows the listener to stand in the middle of the show.
Summary
Noble Audio Django is a specific IEM. Rich lows and mids, softened higher midrange and treble, wonderful imaging, but not everything is that perfect. Their shells are big, for some too big to use them comfortably. Cable quality could be better, but it’s good enough, especially when it comes to comfort. In overall, I really like the Django, but it surely isn’t for everyone.
Gear used during this review for the sake of comparison and as an accompanying equipment:
- Earphones– Kinera Odin, Meze Rai Penta, Meze Rai Solo, FiiO FH7, Campfire Audio Andromeda
- Source – iBasso DX160, iFi iDSD Micro Black Label, FiiO X7 MK2, FiiO BTR5, Topping NX4DSD
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