Select Comparisons
The following comparisons to the Noble Audio Onyx were completed with the stock cable, the single flange silicone tips, and using a mix of the iBasso DX320 MAX Ti, the HiBy RS8, and the Chord Electronics Mojo 2 for source and amplification.
Noble Audio Viking Ragnar
The Viking Ragnar was launched in late 2022 as one of the company’s flagship offerings and a winner of the Top Gear 2022 Awards for Best Universal IEM.
Technical
Like the Onyx, the Ragnar is a hybrid universal IEM though the precise driver type and configuration are different since it was launched just before Noble started using bone conduction drivers.
The Ragnar consists of 10 drivers per shell with a dual as opposed to a single 10mm dynamic driver for the lows and a similar quad BA mix for the mids and highs.
Both use Sonion e-stat drivers with Ragnar’s quad array covering the highs and ultra-highs as opposed to just the ultra-highs for the Onyx dual driver configuration.
The biggest driver difference here is the Onyx’s bone conduction driver for additional mids and treble texture. Despite using a dual dynamic driver setup for the lows, I would also consider the Ragnar to sound the more controlled of the two with a very different presentation.
The Viking Ragnar is rated at 17Ω impedance and has an SPL of 112 dB/mW @1kHz which is a little more sensitive on paper than the Onyx’s 108 dB/mW.
However, as with most electrostatic hybrids, they both suck up more power than the number suggests so be prepared to throw up the volume dial a bit more than usual.
Design
The Onyx and Ragnar have similar form factors and share a dense and sturdy tactile feel from their CNC-Machined aluminum shells.
Where they differ is the finishing with Ragnar’s ribbed 2-piece shell, anodized matte black finish with subtle rune markings, and a Chris Ploom-partnered Damascus steel faceplate creating a more premium look.
The Onyx’s Raffir-partnered faceplate is unique but perhaps slightly muted compared to the Ragnar’s striking plate looks. However, I will say that the Onyx’s smoother and curvier main shell finish is comfier than the ‘gritty’ ribbed shell of the Ragnar.
Tips will help steady both and mitigate the differences in how they feel in your ear. With both IEMs using the black foam variants I felt both offered similar levels of passive isolation with a matching secure fitting experience.
The only noticeable difference I could find was the Ragnar’s softer curves, which created a slightly looser feel in the ear canal with smaller tips. Unless things have changed since 2022, each monitor has the same selection of tips.
The Ragnar stock cable is a pre-Eletech creation called the Magnus. It has a 4-wire geometry consisting of graphene, monocrystalline silver, and copper-silver alloy.
It’s a bulkier creation than Onyx’s stock Courage cable with plainer-looking barrels. However, it is quite soft and easily managed with low microphonics and delivers a nice dynamic performance with the Ragnar.
Performance
I suspect the people who will love the Onyx are the same ones who may have shied away from the Viking Ragnar—and probably vice versa. It’s almost as if Noble flipped Ragnar’s frequency response upside down and said, “Here you go; this is the Onyx.”
The elephant in the Viking room is the treble. Some love it; others loathe it. Personally, I’m agnostic. In certain situations, its narrow-band heavy 7–8 kHz peak brings soft and warm recordings to life. Yet in other instances, it can sound overly bright, with an upper-harmonic coloration that skews percussion timbre.
In contrast, the Onyx heads in the opposite direction, delivering a wonderfully smooth sound with a rounded, weighty timbre and an even harmonic bias throughout. For bright or percussive recordings, it balances things beautifully, making them less fatiguing than the Ragnar.
That said, the Onyx has its challenges. Take Billie Eilish’s new album ‘Hit Me Hard and Soft. Its lower-mids-dominant instrumental mix and wispy vocal tones can create a bloated, veiled sound with the Onyx.
The Ragnar, with its cleaner timbre, airier highs, and slightly stronger mids lift, provides the necessary headroom and separation to enjoy the album.
With EDM and dance music, the Onyx (using silicone tips) shares similarities with the Ragnar in the lows. The Ragnar offers excellent punch and extension, sounding more defined when pushed.
However, the Onyx provides more sub-bass power and mid-bass warmth, which can add weight to electronic tracks.
Switching to the Onyx’s white foam tips transforms the sound entirely, boosting the bass significantly. This creates a more intimate and darker presentation, particularly through the mids and highs, offering an alternative sound signature.
Noble Audio Ronin
The flagship Ronin was launched in mid-2023 and scored quite highly with me, becoming one of our Top Gear Award winners in the same year.
Technical
The Ronin is also a hybrid multi-driver universal IEM but while both use Sonion EST drivers, the Ronin has no dynamic or bone conduction equivalent, instead, it is EST and BA only.
The specific Ronin driver grouping is 4 Sonion BA drivers for the sub-bass and bass, 4 Knowles full-range drivers for the lower mids and mids, and a quad-driver EST array for the highs and super highs.
I presume both monitors use 2nd generation Sonion energizers for the EST drivers at this stage in the industry driver lifecycle.
As with the Onyx rating sourcing, Ronin’s numbers are gathered from 3rd party sources and listed at 114 dB SPL/mW for SPL with an impedance rating of 17Ω.
This is a slightly more sensitive IEM than the 14Ω and 108 dB/mW-rated Onyx though both should be considered fairly efficient monitors for dongles and DAPs.
Design
The Ronin is a resin shell design, significantly larger than the Onyx, but because of the resin material, it is a lighter IEM.
You can do lots of cool things with resin aesthetics, perhaps more so than aluminum. The Ronin is no exception with a striking mix of blush nebula or marble brush strokes and a speckled layer on a smoky black underlay.
This covers both plate and shell giving it a nice homogenous vibe that I prefer over a highly separated plate and shell look.
The Onyx machined aluminum is one of the better ones for contouring, perhaps even more so than the Ronin’s bulbous main shell but its aesthetics are somewhat lower profile. I would call it more discreet and symbolic of that darker tonal sound signature.
As you might expect from a ventless BA/EST resin shell the Ronin has slightly superior passive isolation capabilities than the Onyx. Its resin shell also feels a bit lighter and comfier in the ear.
I should caveat that experience by saying the Onyx is not that far behind in all honesty. It’s cooler to the touch metal shells are also smaller and sit lower in the concha basin than the Ronin.
Both IEMs use balanced 4.4mm 4-wire Eletech cables, the Courage with the Onyx, and the “Ronin” cable for the Ronin.
I would say the wire choice inside the Ronin cable is a bit more high-end with a fairly exotic mix of 26AWG Gold Plated OCC, OCC Copper, and silver-plated OCC Copper with an individually enameled dual-stranded 7-core Litz geometry.
However, the external finishing is very similar. The only major difference is the choice of color finishes and what you see behind those PVC jackets.
Performance
The Ronin remains one of my favorite Noble IEMs for its midrange detail and vocal tonal balance. Even with its impressive performance, the Onyx struggles to dethrone it in that regard.
However, the Onyx brings a distinctly different tonal and imaging character that sets it apart, making it more suitable for certain recordings and genres.
For starters, the Onyx leans much heavier on the lows, particularly up to around 300Hz. It delivers a strong fundamental, rounded timbral quality to instruments and a forward bass imaging experience.
The Ronin’s BA-driven lows feel lighter, cleaner, and less impactful, making it less suited for hard-hitting EDM basslines, rock kick drums, or the weighty pluck of a bass guitar.
This contrast highlights Ronin’s strengths in the midrange. Its airier, more controlled presentation allows vocals to sound clear, sweet, and engaging, making it ideal for easy listening or midrange-focused tracks like Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft.
The Onyx’s vocal timbre sounds firmer, more rounded, and weightier, but it lacks the sweetness and articulation of the Ronin equivalent.
The Onyx also suffers from a relative lack of air in the highs, which diminishes the contrast and detail in upper-register instrumental timbre, especially compared to the Ronin.
Ultimately, I’d recommend the Ronin for nuanced, midrange-focused, or complex recordings where capturing detail is critical to the listening experience.
The Onyx is better suited to genres that demand impact and heft. With foam tips, it brings a sledgehammer-like intensity, while silicone tips provide a more balanced presentation, making them the better option for versatility.
Noble Audio Kublai Khan
The Kublai Khan was released in late 2022 with our review coming out shortly after in 2023. This second-generation monitor has an enhanced setup over the original Khan and is positioned just below the Onyx.
Technical
The Kublai Khan is one of the first Noble Audio IEMs to use a bone conduction driver. However, unlike the PZT version inside the Onyx which focuses on the mids and highs texture, this one targets the lows enhancing the dynamic driver note texture.
The rest of the 7-driver mix consists of a hybrid of dynamic and BA with a 10mm dynamic driver for the lows, 2 Knowles BA for the low to mids, and 2 Knowles BA for the mid to highs.
Instead of Onyx’s EST drivers for the highs and ultra-highs, the Kublai Khan uses a ceramic 10mm Piezoelectric super tweeter which I always find to create a slightly different tone and timbre compared to EST variants.
As with the other comparisons, my rating data for the Kublai Khan is 3rd party sourced at 15.4Ω with an SPL of 107 dB/mW @1kHz so it’s not hugely different at all from the 14Ω 108 dB/mW Onyx benchmark.
Design
I find these two IEMs to be aesthetically quite similar or at least following a similarly understated all-black shell and unique faceplate theme.
They differ in the sizing and materials used with the Onyx the smaller of the two and using sturdier but heavier CNC-Machines aluminum materials for the shell instead of the Kublai Khans resin.
So, despite the smaller size, the Onyx feels the heavier of the two IEMs in the ear and the hand. That has pros and cons, mainly in the fitting since the passive isolation differences are negligible, i.e. very good for hybrid IEMs.
The Kublai Khan’s shells feel lighter and smoother when inserted into the ear, but the longer spout means that foam tips tend to stick quite far out of the ear.
The shallower shell combined with the stronger contouring means the Onyx has a deeper fit, which makes it more discreet. However, the metal material is not quite as comfortable in the ear.
There is no contest on the cable. The Kublai Khan uses Noble’s stock 1.2m 8-core OCC wire in a PVC all-black tightly braided jacket. This is a heavier cable compared to the lightweight malleable Courage.
I always liked the Kublai Khan stock cable’s design and looks but it is nowhere near the level of craftsmanship put into the Courage from Eletech.
Performance
I have always considered the Kublai Khan to be a sort of “Ragnar lite”, a junior sibling destined to remain in its shadow technically, but still an appealing alternative for fans of that sound signature on a lower budget.
The comparative observations between the two are somewhat repetitive, as the Khan’s more V-shaped sound signature, with its elevated bass response and sparkling highs, contrasts markedly with the rounded, warmer L-shaped tuning of the Onyx.
Both offer some forwardness in the mids, but the Kublai Khan’s stronger 200–500Hz dip and elevated 6–8k peak lend it a lighter, cleaner midrange timbre. The Onyx keeps things smoother and darker, yet firmer and weightier through the same region.
This contrast means that each IEM has its moments to shine. The Kublai Khan excels with warmer, more spacious recordings, such as our often-cited Billie Eilish album, where its cleaner mids and airier highs offer excellent separation and welcome clarity.
The Onyx’s relaxed highs and denser timbre are ideal for taming fatigue in percussion from heavy rock or synth-driven tracks, offering a more forgiving yet relatively immersive experience.
The Kublai Khan can deliver substantial sub-bass power and impressive staging depth. However, its gradual roll-off below 50Hz makes it less mid-bass-intensive and with reduced bloom than the Onyx.
This makes the Onyx a better choice for bass-driven genres like dance and electronic music, where its rich, rounded lows take center stage but there is enough space for bloom to be a non-issue.
Ultimately, the Kublai Khan’s V-shaped tuning shines when midrange separation and headroom in the highs are key, while the Onyx’s L-shaped warmth offers a more grounded, impactful experience.
My Verdict
The Noble Audio Onyx is a welcome antithesis to the shimmering sparkle and technical prowess of its sibling IEMs in the company’s current lineup.
This is not a monitor for those who need delicacy, sweetness, and a more complex midrange chock full of detail. The Ronin or the Ragnar will suit you better if that is your taste.
It has been a while since Noble went all out on a bass performer. Some might vote for the Jade at a lower level, perhaps even the Django from 6 years ago, however, neither comes close to the Onyx’s low-end ferocity.
This is a heavy hitter, a basshead contender for the high-rollers, and a definite ‘in the travel bag’ contender for people like me who want to let rip when patiently waiting in an airport lounge or on a long-haul flight.
Noble Audio Onyx Technical Specifications
- Driver Configuration: 1 Dynamic Driver, 2 BA (Mids), 2 BA (Highs), 2 Sonion Electrostatic Drivers, 1 PZT Bone Conductor
- 5-way Crossover
- Impedance: 14Ω
- Sensitivity: 108 dB @1kHz
- Frequency Response: 20Hz-70kHz
