Sound Impressions
The following sound impressions of the Noble Audio Onyx were completed using a mix of the iBasso DX320 MAX Ti and the HiBy R8 II with the stock silicone tips, (with comments where necessary on the foam tip effects on the performance).
Summary
Noble needed the Onyx in its IEM lineup. Its weighty, smooth, and slightly dark tonal quality is quite a contrast to everything else in its high-end IEM lineup.
This is an accessible, non-fatiguing L-shaped sound signature that works wonderfully well with synth and EDM music. I would rank it as the company’s best offering yet for these genres.
It’s all about the power, especially with the stock foam tips which create a dense and impactful bass shelf compared to the more balanced wide-bore silicone alternatives.
With the grey foam tips, the bass is up close, intimate almost, but immense down to 20Hz. It is almost too intense at times meaning warmer upper-bass or lower-mids-centric recordings can sound unbalanced and overly bloated in their delivery.
They are ideal though for spacious synthwave and sparse EDM mixes that need a solid fundamental frequency to convey staging depth properly on the lows.
I usually keep the silicone tips on for the majority of my listening with the Onyx. It still hits hard and firm but lowers the shelf enough to create some critical space and separation between the lows and mids thus improving the monitor’s genre flexibility.
Any illusion of a mosh pit-type staging experience due to my characterization of the Onyx as a darker-sounding monitor would be erroneous.
Granted, it is not as sparkling as the Ragnar or Ronin, but there is enough of a lift around 6-8k and decent headroom to ensure it doesn’t sound claustrophobic. Where the Onyx soundstage excels is its excellent level of depth and impressive channel separation with above-average width.
Frequency Response
The Onyx has a predominantly L-shaped FR tuning though it’s not completely flat through the mids and highs. The bass shelf has a peak amplitude from 20Hz up to around 70Hz followed by a slow dive to around 300Hz meaning more of a sub-bass bias than an outright punch.
This shelf drops by a few dB with the silicone tips, though it remains quite prominent. The main benefit of the silicone tips is stripping out some of that upper-bass bloom around 100Hz to 300hz that can creep into the grey and black foam tip performance.
From there, the Onyx curve is relatively flat up to around 800Hz. Then, it has a bit of pinna gain up to 3k, but nothing too ‘pointed’ or forward, which has been Noble’s favored approach on the likes of the Ragnar for maintaining a stronger perception of space.
On less bass-busy tracks it works very well, with the bone conduction driver doing its job nicely adding some gritty texture to a weighted and dense instrumental and vocal timbre.
However, on very bass-heavy recordings with the foam tips, the vocal presence can seem more diminished when competing against some elevated bass bloom.
There has been some energy removed from the Onyx’s 4-6k range in favor of a 6-8k peak, but it’s a mild peak rather than the exuberant climb found in the Ragnar or Kublai Khan tuning.
There is just enough for percussion definition and height so upper register notes do not sound overly rounded and smoothed over but the spark found on the likes of the Ronin and Ragnar is not as prevalent on the Onyx.
Staging & Dynamics
The Onyx sounds huge. Of late, Noble has been excelling at creating IEMs with very spacious presentations and the Onyx is no exception.
However, unlike the more V-shaped Ragnar or the Kublai Khan, the Onyx’s strength lies in depth and width. If you want aggression in the highs or a heavy dose of treble sparkle then the former is preferable to the latter.
What we have with the Onyx is excellent power, gravitas, and a very strong fundamental frequency underpinning the lower register notes.
With the foam tips, the bass shelf up to 300Hz is the most forward aspect of the tuning, perhaps overly so on some recordings that need space for the midrange’s more neutral imaging and gentler elevation to be heard clearly.
Switching to the silicone tips tempers the potential for bloom and bass excess perfectly. It’s still a strong low-end in terms of staging dominance but the midrange clarity is much improved from the net dB reduction sub-300Hz.
Combined with a neutral, clean source with good dynamic range, the Onyx’s bass layering and imaging across the FR sound a little more balanced to my ear making it amenable to more nuanced recordings.
Synergy
Efficiency & Sensitivity
The Noble Audio Onyx is rated with an impedance of 14Ω and an SPL of 108 dB @1kHz (though there is no mention if the benchmarked dB is mW or Vrms). On paper, this is a medium sensitivity rating though since there are EST drivers the Onyx will demand a bit more volume.
Compared to the Ragnar it has a similar ballpark volume level, perhaps 1-2 steps below at most using the iBasso DX320 MAX Ti on a gain stage 5 balanced output.
I got a similar outcome with the piezoelectric hybrid Kublai Khan though all three, including the Onyx, are less sensitive than the flagship Ronin by a good 3-4 steps on the DX320 MAX Ti dial.
That being said, it’s not an IEM that needs heavy-duty amping. A good quality dongle such as the iBasso DC-Elite or the Cayin RU7 on a high gain balanced connection will drive it quite well also.
DAP Pairings
I tested the Onyx with the DX320 MAX Ti, Cayin’s N7 and N8ii, and the HiBy R8 II. I also threw the Chord Electronics Mojo 2 since its clean, neutral sound signature might suit the darker Onyx tuning.
True enough the more neutral the source sounded the better the Onyx sounded. This IEM needs space and clarity to sound optimal. Anything that lacks treble reach or sparkle, has a soft tonal quality or has poor dynamic range will be a poor pairing.
For example, the N7 sounded spacious but the rounded tone overly smoothed over the Onyx detail with unnecessary bloom. It sounded too dark for my tastes and lacking in contrast.
The N8ii created a much-improved level of instrumental separation, vocal presence, and enhanced headroom from the Onyx.
However, tube mode has a bit of softness in the lows with long note decay from the dynamic driver. Using the N8’s solid state mode is not the answer either. It sounds quite flat compared to the more spacious tube mode.
Once you start using neutral sources the Onyx sounds much more controlled with improved tonal contrast and treble sparkle. Especially the DX320 MAX Ti whose dynamic range combined with an excellent bass punch in the lows drove the Onyx really well.
The R8 II is not quite as spacious as the iBasso, however, there is a lot of energy and control on the Onyx lows with a clear and open midrange presentation.
The Mojo 2 is quite neutral, keeping the Onyx bloom in check. However, it is not as expansive in the mids and highs as the HiBy and iBasso DAPs so it struggled a little more with space.
Dongle Pairings
Out of the four dongles I tested with the Onyx I came away with a preference for any dongle that could get a grip on the dynamic driver response, especially on the mid-to-upper bass bloom.
The Cayin RU7 did quite well but like its N7 cousin, it has some softness and bloom that can be overpowering when the lows start to reach deep or deliver some energetic passages.
The Onyx’s gentle midrange vocal lift can get nullified a little with the RU7’s already neutral set of mids, despite it not sounding as dark as I thought it might be. Space is good, separation is also quite good with this pairing.
The DC-Elite is excellent with the Onyx. It’s taller sounding than the RU7, but importantly, has better control and definition on the lows. They still sound very powerful but the punch is faster and the decay is slightly shorter from the Onyx dynamic driver which helps retain clarity through the mids.
The HiBy FC6 did well for vocal presence but alongside a fat and slow Onyx bass response that is all I heard from this combination. Backing instruments have weaker imaging and channel separation creating a shallower staging performance.
The Cayin RU6 also did ok with the Onyx for vocal presence but the softness and bloom from the lows muddied up the presentation with detail struggling to be heard.
