- Noble The Knight IEMs just unveiled, with triple-driver configuration
- You’re also getting an 8-strand OFC silver-plated cable
- Available from today, with arguably ‘entry-level’ pricing
Reader, all these years I’ve traipsed to work every day, put in my 8.5 hours (plus overtime) for the powers that have always been, hoping The Knight of my dreams is poised ready to whisk me off my feet and take me away from all this. And now – oh Noble steed! – it has happened. Sort of.
Audio specialist Noble (see the Noble FoKus Apollo wireless headphones and Noble Audio IXM1 in-ear monitors for further example’s of the company’s oeuvre) has just unveiled a triple-driver in-ear monitor (IEM) headphone option called The Knight. And it’s pitching them at what it calls the “entry-level market” – if $289 (around £269/€309/AU$465) counts as entry-level in your book.
For the money, you’re getting an admittedly beautiful pair of IEMs with a premium 8-strand woven OFC silver-plated upgrade cable to boot. The Knight also comes with an aluminum shell (it really is a Knight in shining armour!), with what Noble calls a “3D effect acrylic faceplate in an eye-catching combination of deep purples and rich blues”.
The Knight drivers
The Knight’s drivers aren’t trivial pieces of kit (or Kitt! Sorry) either. The dual magnet 10mm dynamic driver in each earpiece promises deep, controlled bass, while the Sonion balanced armature (BA) driver handles the mid-range frequencies. Finally, the Piezo driver takes care of the high frequencies.
For me, the look here is not dissimilar to something Campfire Audio might unveil (see the Solaris Stellar Horizon, the Moon Rover or Trifecta to see what I mean) and to do this for the fee above is no small achievement.
When done well, triple-driver designs can provide notably clearer and more detailed audio over solo-driver options – but I must stress the ‘done well’ part of that statement. Those drivers must be well integrated so that timing doesn’t become an issue, resulting in a slightly cluttered experience where certain sounds seem to lag or ‘stick out’. But there’s no reason whatsoever to suspect that could happen here. I truly hope Noble The Knight become some of the best wired earbuds on the market – and I hope I get to hear them soon.
This Noble Knight is available to buy from today (January 3, 2025) at nobleaudio.com and select retailers worldwide. Looking for over ears instead? Our best wired headphones guide is the place to go, but know this: none of them has a name quite so intriguing or fun as ‘Noble The Knight’…
