Today, Marcus reviews the Noble FoKus Rex5, a new high-end hybrid multi-driver TWS with ANC and LDAC decoding capability priced at $449.00.
Disclaimer: This sample was sent to me in exchange for my honest opinion. Headfonics is an independent website with no affiliate links or status. I thank Noble Audio for their support.
Click here to read more about the Noble Audio products we have previously featured on Headfonics.
This article follows our latest scoring guidelines, which you can read in more detail here.
The Noble Audio FoKus Rex5 is the company’s latest in their long line of high-end True Wireless Systems stretching back to the original Falcon in 2020.
Since then, Noble has come up with some stellar performers, with the Mystique being the most recent I covered in 2023. Sadly, I missed the 2024 FoKus Prestige release, but by all accounts, it was a premium version of the Mystique.
For those who have been keeping an eye on Noble’s lineup, the ‘5’ title was previously used in their wired division with the TUX 5 back in 2019.
The 5 stands for 5-driver, and that’s what we have here, a 5-driver TWS, which, outside of HK’s Geekfly, is probably one of the most advanced TWS driver configs I have encountered thus far.
Going by its $449 price point, the FoKus Rex5 is a premium product, but historically not their most expensive TWS. Which is intriguing because with a tribrid mix of drivers, the additional LDAC decoding capability, and a very resolving and dynamic sound signature, it really should be.
How does it perform and differ from their popular Mystique and earlier models, such as the FoKus Pro? I found out in detail in my full review below.
Features
The Noble Audio FoKus Rex5 is a 5-driver tribrid True Wireless System. Its driver grouping consists of a single 10mm dynamic driver for the lows, 3 BA drivers for the mids, and a single 6mm planar driver for the highs.
In a significant step up from the Mystique, the Rex5 now offers the Triumph model’s LDAC decoding capability rather than stopping at aptX Adaptive.
That means a reduction in data compression and a stronger gateway into hi-res audio with decoding now upgraded from 24-bit/48 kHz to a maximum of 24-bit/96 kHz.
iPhone users will still receive AAC, with SBC, aptX, and aptX HD all still catered for via the FoKus Rex5’s new Bluetooth 5.4 capable Qualcomm QCC3091 chipset.
This is the first serious upgrade from the Mystique and the Falcon Pro, with previous models, save for the Triumph, using the older BT5.2-capable Qualcomm QCC3040.
The Triumph was equipped with a Qualcomm QCC3071 chipset, and though also capable of LDAC, it was a BT5.3 model as opposed to BT5.4.
Although the QCC3071 has ANC capability, this feature was not integrated into the Triumph. Instead, the Fokus Rex5 has the honor of being the first Noble Audio TWS model to offer active noise canceling since the Airoha 1562A equipped entry-level H-ANC from 2022.
Design
Aesthetically, the Rex5 is all about the green. Except for the orange-tinged Triumph, their TWS offerings have played strong in the blue camp for the cradle and earbud shells.
This time it’s a gorgeous jade marble, black and green touch-sensitive face plate with a gold rim and solid aluminum shells in a green finish. Eagle-eyed readers will also notice the little etched yellow mesh finish on the tip of the nozzles, complete with the Noble crown logo.
It’s a cute touch but also feels functional, given the deeper recesses of the Mystique’s nozzle, which usually requires me to clean it a lot after prolonged use.
You will also notice the multiple port openings for the ANC mics, with two around the nozzle and one low-profile opening on the rear end of the faceplate.
The earbud form factor also feels more refined than the Mystique and Pro models. The older versions were primarily acrylic shells, whereas this Rex5 is built with a tougher aluminum material in a slightly more compact and smoother form factor.
Noble monitors usually have deep nozzles, but that’s not the case with the FoKus Rex5. It’s a little stubbier, with slightly shorter nozzles, but, given the Rex5 comes with ANC, it does not need to rely so much on long nozzles for isolation.
As with most of Noble’s high-end TWS offerings, there is no IPX rating for the Rex5. Typically, Noble states it’s ok to use their TWS for short, sweaty workouts, but I do not see that this time on the product page, meaning it’s likely the ANC mic array ports might be fussier for liquids than previous models.
Cradle
The cradle seems to have gone through a bit of a welcome change, switching from the Mystique and Pro’s blue, tall top-loading type version to a more compact side-loading version with a matching jade green finish and etched Noble logo on top.
Why is this a welcome change? Well, if you have been pulling the Mystique and Pro models in and out of their cradles for the last few years, you will know that sometimes they are not the easiest units to grip and extract with your fingers.
With a side-loading or display-type tray, I can easily grip the earbuds without them slipping from my fingers, as well as have improved access to the central reset button.
Another improvement is the lid and hinge system, which is thicker, wider, and set deeper into the cradle chassis, making it feel more durable than the older models as well as reducing the ‘slap’ noise when closing the lid.
The USB-C charging status system has also been changed from a 4-LED light array to a single multi-colored diode that flashes blue when charging, and a continuous light when the buds are charged.
Battery Life
Because the FoKus Rex5 has ANC capability, you get two tiers of battery life from the earbuds. Without ANC, the Rex5 buds are officially rated at up to 7 hours from a full charge, and with ANC on, down to 5 hours at 50% volume.
Battery life was the very first thing I tested with the Rex5, getting around 3.5 hours on ANC on a 75% volume with LDAC on my smartphone active, processing 16-bit/48 kHz FLAC tracks from a Samsung S23 Ultra.
I honestly felt that was industry standard, if not slightly above, given my older Huawei Freebuds Pro 2 struggles to give me up to 3 hours in any given single session without needing a fresh charge.
If you want to get closer to the official 5-hour ANC rating, I suggest turning off LDAC, dropping the volume, and trying not to poke the touch-sensitive controls too much.
The cradle is rated for 18-25 hours of additional charge cycle time, which is about 3-4 additional full charges before it needs to be charged itself.
That seems like a slightly reduced capacity level from the Mystique version, which offers up to 4 cycles at 7.5 hours per cycle, though it now comes with fast charging so you can get 2 hours of playback time within 15 minutes. You can also wirelessly charge it, though it’s a bit slower.
One critique I did want to note on the battery test run was a slightly fuzzy low-battery alert experience with the Rex5 via the Noble Fokus app.
When levels drop to 20%, it will give you an alert, but beyond 20%, the indicators don’t drop linearly, meaning the buds went flat before the indicator states sub-10% or zero.
Comfort & Isolation
TWS earbuds can get really small, so I wouldn’t describe the Rex5 as tiny. However, compared to regular IEMs, it’s relatively compact and does not extend too deeply into your ear, causing unnecessary discomfort.
It is not sporty tight, it’s not a TWS I would take to the gym with huge confidence that it will stay rock solid in my ear during rigorous physical activity. However, the buds feel much more secure in my ear than any stem-based TWS I have owned, such as the Freebuds Pro 2, which fall out at the slightest prompt.
With the stock silicone tips, the Rex5’s passive isolation is decent and on par with previous models, if not slightly better than the Mystique, though by no means as good as some of their wired IEM creations.
With ANC, however, it is less of an issue. I would rate the ANC as very good and a significant step up on the H-ANC ANC performance, though slightly behind my older Huawei Freebuds Pro 2 ANC capabilities when fitted properly.
The Rex5 seems to have a balanced dB attenuation throughout the full background noise range FR, meaning low-end rumble and high-pitched whines are targeted equally.
It’s a pleasing level of attenuation and generally effective, though the low-end rumble and wind noise are not quite as effectively canceled compared to the Freebuds Pro 2 performance.
That being said, the Freebuds Pro 2 are prone to slippage in the ear and can lose some of their effectiveness as they gently slide out and have to be repositioned several times during listening sessions.
There is an additional ambience mode, which most would want to revert to for situational awareness. However, like the ANC performance, it is not quite as accentuated as I would like when music is playing.
Ear Tips
You get plenty of ear tips with the FoKus Rex5, including foam, dual flange, and single flange silicone.
Each type comes in the regulation small, medium, and large, with all of the tips offering a new wide-bore finish. There is also an additional set of single flange, wide-bore tips attached to the earbuds out of the box.
That is a total of 19 pairs and arguably one of the best TWS packages for ear tips based on the 40+ units I have received for review in the last 6 years.
Performance-wise, the single flange silicone is the comfiest for my ears. The foam tips are slightly superior for passive noise isolation and will soften the sound over the silicone options, but can sound less precise.
The dual flange tips penetrate the ear canals more, but are a little brighter sounding than the single flange silicone variants.
Controls
The FoKus Rex5 is controlled via a mix of touch-sensitive clicks on each faceplate and interactive features from Noble’s long-standing FoKus app (available on Google Play and Apple’s App Store).
From my testing, I found the touch-sensitive controls to be quick and responsive, meaning I did not have to tap too hard to get them to work when in the ear.
Just be careful when taking them in and out of the ear, as the touch-sensitive area is quite broad, and you could accidentally activate playback or some other control. Once in the ear, the large touch surface area is a bonus as it’s hard to miss the controls with your fingers.
The specific sequence of controls and taps is not set in stone either. You can also adjust the specific control and tap count via the FoKus app to your preferred setup.
Packaging & accessories
The FoKus Rex5 comes in a small, professionally packaged box with a decent layout for a TWS system, including a tips tray, USB-C to USB-A charging cable, and a classic Noble-branded black pouch with a cleaning cloth.
You also get an assortment of leaflets and guides out of the box to help you quickly familiarize yourself with the control system and battery protocols.
It’s nothing I would term as exotic for accessories, but I have never really encountered a hugely fancy TWS unboxing experience to date. The main thing is that excellent ear tip selection for the Rex5.
Click on page 2 below for my sound impressions and the Rex5 Wireless Performance.
