Random IEM / Headphone Rants

nope x3 has bad interface or so ppl keep telling me.
and ur point on selling r3 is right but its a hassle man,,,who will upload pics and write and upload...........naa

but x5 has better interface than x3,,,ppl with beta units are saying that[DOUBLEPOST=1389427032][/DOUBLEPOST]
rdst_1 said:
Where is that deal. I would love to get RE400 for free.:D:D:D

Edit - NVM. I thought HM700 was some headphone.
Click to expand...
lol
 
A newbie here..
Whats your impressions about Vsonic GR02 - BE ??
I brought it after reading ljokerl's mega thread..

Although i didn't compared it with other IEMs, i feels like its not worth the money..:(

May be problem with source ?
Am playing from rockboxed Clip+, most of time just mp3s ;)
 
dixoncx said:
A newbie here..
Whats your impressions about Vsonic GR02 - BE ??
I brought it after reading ljokerl's mega thread..

Although i didn't compared it with other IEMs, i feels like its not worth the money..:(

May be problem with source ?
Am playing from rockboxed Clip+, most of time just mp3s ;)
Click to expand...
128 kbps??
 
dixoncx said:
A newbie here..
Whats your impressions about Vsonic GR02 - BE ??
I brought it after reading ljokerl's mega thread..

Although i didn't compared it with other IEMs, i feels like its not worth the money..:(

May be problem with source ?
Am playing from rockboxed Clip+, most of time just mp3s ;)
Click to expand...

Vsonic gr02be is not a wow iem at first listen.But it grows on you over time.I found all vsonic iems [gr02be,vsd1,gr07be] to behave in such a way.Also another reason maybe you expected a hell lot from it and must have been disappointed.My advice would be to give atleast 3-4 weeks to adjust to the iem sig and if still not satisfied sell it off.
 
dixoncx said:
What all music you guys listen to..?
To test different capabilities of different IEMs ?
What type music will make me feel like i need a better costly IEM ?
Click to expand...

I play music which I like.Some orchestra shit just to test the iem imaging and other usual stuff.TBH no iem I have listened to has wowed me at first try.The usual impression is shit this iem is so expensive but sounds so ordinary.When you stick with one iem for few weeks you get accustomed to the sig.But the real wow factor is when you move from a high tier iem to a low tier.
You can try going to a stock iem and check if you can make out the difference.And it's very important that you play music that you like as you have heard a specific song hundreds of times and are accustomed to every note.When you move to a low tier iem your brain will sub-consciously tell you something is wrong.That's when you know the high tier iem is better and worth the extra cash.
Also about the skullcandies the sound is average but the worst part about them is the below average build-quality so strictly no-no.
 
Part I: It's time to let the cat out of the bag.

My planned surprise for post #2000 was a Noble IEM. But it is not a Noble 4 universal as I have led you to believe, but a 4C custom.

Soon after I ordered Noble 4, I contacted Brannan and explored my options. I chose to upgrade to 4C due to the following reasons
  • I would always be wondering about the sound in Custom form.
  • I have been fearful of the whole CIEM process for as long as I can remember. At some point, I needed to take the risk.
  • Noble does not re-shell their universals. So, even if I wanted to upgrade to 4C, I would have to sell N4 and then place a separate order for 4C. While N4 could sell within India, it is possible that I had to ship it abroad.
  • I could still buy 4C at the Black Friday sale price if I immediately opted for it.
So, I finally decided to go for 4C and waited for it. I wanted this to be a surprise and kept it under wraps. On 14th morning, I received an E-mail saying that my 4C was ready. I gave the go ahead and got this message from Nancy at 9:46 AM

Thanks for your fast confirmation! We will ship them out to you asap and inform you the tracking number then!
Click to expand...


Part II: Except, there is no cat.
  1. I never got the confirmation message. I asked them once more on 14th and again on 15th, but got no replies.
  2. If anyone had followed Head-fi closely yesterday, they might have noticed a short lived thread with the subject line "Noble audio in trouble". The first post mentioned that the Noble audio facility was raided by Chinese authorities. That post was made by a person who had just registered to create that post. As with most 'one post wonders', it was assumed that it was a rumour just to kill the reputation of Noble Audio.
  3. When I combined [1] and [2], I got jittery. This morning, I got a mail from Brannan

    I am writing to inform you that on Monday, January 13th, Chinese authorities searched our CIEM facility after receiving a tip we were conducting illegal business activities. While we operate in strict adherence to the law and the allegations against us are undoubtedly false, authorities confiscated several sets of ear mold impressions and completed CIEMs to help augment their investigation.

    Unfortunately, your CIEMs and ear mold impressions were among those taken. It is unclear if/when these items will be returned to us and in what condition they will be in.

    We have confirmed that the source of the tip is a competitor. We are extremely disappointed this company has decided to compete not on the basis of quality, innovation, and customer service, but rather petty and cowardly attacks.
    Click to expand...
Part III: Now...

The current status is as follows
  • Noble has two facilities - one in US that caters to all universal IEMs and CIEM orders from North American customers. Their China facility caters to CIEM orders from outside N.A.,
  • Despite the raid, the CIEM labs in China is said to be "100% operational" and their team "is planning to work through Chinese New Year"
  • I was initially asked to ship a fresh set of impressions to their US address. But subsequently, they managed to locate my ear mold impressions.
  • The CIEM will once again be re-built from scratch. The build process and the shipping will be expedited.
From my side,
  1. I was expecting to listen to 4C this weekend. Now all that hype, build-up and expectation has been ruined. I have to wait for more time. It would not be right on my part to expect them to finish within a week, which is reserved for 'rush orders' at $300 additional cost. The CNY holidays go on forever in China. There are eBay sellers who shut down for a month. So, if they cannot finish the build in 2 weeks, I will need to wait till mid to late March.
  2. The Chinese lab is working now. But, I have little clue about the authorities in China. We do know how the law "works" in India. If Heir audio is behind this 'revenge attack', who's to say that they won't bribe to shut down the facility altogether? In this case, their US labs would be the only facility left. If I need a re-fit, I may have to send it all the way to US.
  3. What happens if Noble itself gets into trouble, not just the Chinese facility? In this case, I am risking my entire big investment.
So, those are my scenarios - Best to worse.

So far, there is no information or discussion about this on Head-fi. I surely am not the only one whose CIEM / ear mold impressions got lost. I am guessing everyone involved got a similar E-mail and are contemplating what to do.

I would be happy to get a CIEM at my door step no matter how long it takes. While I am hopeful that Noble would not leave customers stranded, the sum involved is not small enough for me to feel any less jittery. I could ask for a refund or keep hoping for a 4C and that Noble will live through the trouble. I am currently thinking the latter, but sometimes I am wondering if I am risking huge money by not asking for a refund :(

Sadly yours,
esanthosh,
IEM Addict
 
Damn, what the F? :O Who can be behind all this, why would any company (which I am feeling must be any other CIEM company) do this? I don't think so it has been done because of threat of noble audio or so overtaking their business or so.
 
im deeply saddened to see this post esantosh, heir audio (pre noble) and dr wizard and the entire team have always had major issues with the post sales. there have been times where there is broken wood stuck with glue and assumed that the owner who payed 1200+ will be fine with it. me and a few others who had ordered their 8.a have had issues. when i had sent mine back for a treble spike issue. they expected me to pay for both way shipping. and jacked up the price of shipment after my iems reached them.. and took as long as the entire build time to get the fix done., i got fedup with no emails and no updates and eventually sold it on head fi while the custom was still with them for a fix... it hasto be one of the most over rated companies. i had taken a swear never to buy any of their products and after heir kicked dr wizbang out... ive not even followed up on the noble thread, cuz i know how they are.. i really hope u get an update/receive ur iems/ get a refund. whatever conclusion it comes down too.. that thread just vanished from head fi and wiz did confirm the situation bout the raid.. but apprently its the one they outsource too in china and no big deal... i hope they finish ur set before the chinese new year or its another two week delay. whatever the case do keep us updated. all the best.
 
@esanthosh
What a shocker?!
I'm surprised you chose Noble audio, among all those CIEM companies, honestly I never heard of them, even though I have to accept I'm here and there guy when looking into CIEM info. In latest Inner fidelity article comparing CIEM flagships your fav Joker has high praise for JH13 FreqPhase, I'm surprised you never chose establised companies, and ClieOS was fan of LEAR (though Chinese company and could be the company that put noble in trouble). And there is also Unique Melody which was very good company for CIEM, at least that's what I heard.
Two options comes to my mind, ask them to send universal 'fast'! abandoning your CIEM plan if you are too worried. Or ask them to keep you posted on progress and hope everything works fine. Real sad man. I always want to try Customs just like you, and just like you too worried to take risk, my worries mostly on how it is often 'two to three remoulds' to get perfect fit. Now you scared me further. Real sad man. All the best though, wish your '2000' post to be successful one!
 
id pick a universal aswell just like santoshr said right now and screw the whole custom thing, trust me, u will loose a pretty good amount incase u dont like them and want to sell. ... ive taken the risk and the $ hit.. universal will sell easier anyday. hope u figure it all out and take a good call.
 
@toxicdrift,

I guess I should have contacted you before :(

@santhoshr,

Yes! But, JH Audio is not known for their timely response or customer service either. Besides, I did not want to ship over and over again to US in case of re-fits.

I have heard good things about 4S from Joker (See here, though this is post placing my order). It seemed like a good neutral reference. I also heard good things about the Noble 4 universal from FlySweep recently. It scored 9.9 in SQ with not a lot behind JH13FP in terms of clarity, but came at a cheaper price.

The company that allegedly put Noble in trouble is Heir Audio due to their history with The Wizard, not Lear.
 
Last edited:
Wow. :confused:So that's what went down. That Head-fi thread was taken down pretty quickly.

I didn't know Heir could be this vengeful. They didn't seem to have a problem with showing off the Wizard's designs(during his time there) on their Facebook page recently.

I've yet to see a disgruntled Noble Audio customer.
You shouldn't be too worried about Noble Audio covering you(refund or the finished CIEM). Have "they" given you an estimated finish date?

BTW, how can you/they be sure the impressions are in good condition? Who knows where and how the authorities stored it. You don't want a re-fitting scenario on your hands.


Edit: I just read the cached copy of the original thread. o_O Looks like there's more to it.
 
Last edited:
@kenpachiroks,

#1) No! Noble has not spelt out an ETA.

#2) After reading this,
We have been able to recover your ear mold impressions and therefore there is no need to obtain new impressions.
We will proceed with building your CIEMs again as planned.
Click to expand...

I assumed that it was 'found' within their facility rather than being returned by authorities, which is why I was not worried. Ear mold impressions would remain stable for a good number of weeks. I have sent them in crush proof boxes provided by Amplifon. If they kept it in the same box, it should be fine.

#3) No one knows for sure if Heir audio is that vengeful, except the parties involved.

Here's the thread from Google Cache (2nd page is useless). Here are quotes that are relevant which I am saving here before they disappear from cache :)

Neverblue (Joined 4:04, posted at 4:15)
~It is said that this morning, Noble Audio's lab in Chengdu was raided by the Chinese authorities, like kind of violation of the laws there.
Click to expand...

Sorensiim
Apparently there has been a lot of bad blood between Noble and Heir after Dr.Moulton walked out and took the entire staff with him. I wonder if the raid happened, how did "Neverblue" learn about it? Was it in the news or something?
Click to expand...

iFit (Heir Audio)
Strange enough, you speak for Noble Audio about this! Just want to clarify something here. Since last July, Heir Audio has not said a SINGLE word about Noble Audio. Heir Audio has more staff members now than before, some of the best in the industry. Don't know how you come up with your comments. In fact, there have been too many sayings about Heir Audio by those from... As for the raid,you probably should talk to Noble Audio first.
Click to expand...

Sorensiim
I do not speak for Noble. But I have spoken with Noble when I reviewed their K10. We spoke about the new designs and how the company works. And not least - where the company is. - and they have just confirmed that there has indeed been a raid in a lab.

Let's assume for a moment that "Neverblue" is a legitimate user, just an average consumer who wanted to share some news. Let's say he was watching the local news and saw a CIEM lab was raided. If I saw that, I would be posting it here immediately. However, there is no Noble lab in China. There is a lab, yes, but it's not Noble. It's a completely separate, independent company with a name that in no shape, way or form even resembles Noble. However, they do not sell to consumers and they work exclusively for Noble Audio. Not many people know this. If I were to venture a guess, I'd say the complete list of people who knows that Lab X is working for Noble could be confined to these people:
  • Reviewers like myself who has spoken at lenght with Noble Audio about their new company
  • Noble Audio staff
  • Lab X staff
  • Former partners of Noble Audio staff
Given that I never mentioned this information in my review, "Neverblue" will have to be in one of the 4 groups I just listed.

Let's deduct: Would a reviewer post this thread? Possibly, but he would most certainly use his real username and get the facts straight - like mentioning the name of the lab, not Noble. Would Noble Audio staff post this thread? Possibly, but most certainly A) use their proper accounts and B) try to calm down worried customers. Would Lab X staff post this thread? Highly unlikely, as it would be pretty damaging to their business.

That leaves only one possibility regarding the identity of Neverblue. I know business can get ugly but this is just a new low. Damn stupid that they revealed themselves by stating that "Noble Audio has been in trouble".

Just my thoughts on this matter. Feel free to check the facts and come to your own conclusions.
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
This is so messed up. Lets hope they put new orders on hold and try to get builds rushed for customers who had to sit through all this.
 
Back
Top