The American brand Noble Audio has become famous for its exclusive wired headphones – take, for example, as breathtaking as the expensive Gold and Diamond Sultans for $27,000. But the founder of the company, John “The Wizard” Moulton, to the delight of lovers of portable audio, pays attention to more affordable TWS models . The new wireless Noble Audio FoKus Prestige looks amazing and sounds great.
Form and content
The Prestige model is essentially a product of evolution, and the company itself prefers to call it a premium update of the Mistique version, from which it borrowed the design and basic technical solutions. And that, in turn, became the development of FoKus Pro TWS headphones, which received the title “Headphonic’s best TWS of the Year” in 2021.
They decided not to change the main trump card – it still inspires respect to this day. This is a hybrid design of two armature drivers from Knowles Electronics and one 8.2-m speaker. They are powered by a high-quality and proven Qualcomm SoC QCC3040 processor, which supports Bluetooth 5.2 and SBC, ACC, aptX and aptX Adaptive codecs.
Related technologies from Qualcomm were also used here – True Wireless Mirroring and cVc noise cancelling. The first means that one earphone is connected to the source, and the second duplicates it and can instantly intercept the connection if the host device is removed from the ear or put into a case.
This connection is more reliable and consumes less energy. And the cVc (Clear Voice Capture) function removes background noise during a telephone conversation, making your voice clearer. However, the headphones do not have active noise cancellation (ANC), however, in audiophile models, ANC is sometimes deliberately not used so as not to distort the emphatically pure sound, and a large selection of complete ear pads, including double ones, ensures already reliable sound insulation. However, for safety reasons, they decided to leave the plug-in “transparent” mode for monitoring the environment.
If we talk about the internal contents, then with many similar components and technologies from the Mistique model, the Prestige version differs, first of all, in a new printed circuit board with SMD (Surface Mount Device) installation, when parts are soldered directly on top of the board tracks without fixing them in the holes – it is more compact and more efficient, although technologically more complex. Also, the operating time at half volume has increased from 7.5 to 10 hours. The battery capacity in the case is enough for two more full charges.
The shape, that is, the external differences, is truly impressive here. We don’t argue that the 3D-printed Mistique headphones look gorgeous, but the CNC-cut lacquered cases and case of the Prestige model look, perhaps, no less luxurious than the top-end wired Noble Audio with a four-digit dollar price tag. The headphones may have a noble wood tone or sport blue tones, but they still look like a very expensive accessory in an equally sophisticated case. Individual plastic parts are almost invisible.
Noble Audio Prestige
The sound is new but familiar
The recognizable music lover presentation of this series has been preserved and supplemented with new shades. The emphatically voluminous stage, both in width and height, still impresses. Sound images are very accurately localized and form an expressive stereo image.
The bass is thick and tight without becoming boomy or washed out, and instruments in this range sound clear and natural. The mids are prominent and detailed with a natural balance between vocals and music. High frequencies are very neat – without ringing or deliberate loudness. In short, the Prestige’s sound can compete with other expensive wired models in terms of accuracy and balance.
If the user wants to add personal nuances to the sound, the Noble FoKus mobile application is at his service, which can analyze hearing and adjust the presentation using a 10-band equalizer and presets.
