Purchase the Dan Clark Audio Noire X Here:
- Audio46: Use code AUDIONOTIONS for 5% off
- Headphones.com
- Dan Clark Audio
Introduction
As someone who has listened to over 150 portable audio transducers across IEMs, headphones, and flathead earbuds a very disproportionately few have been closed back headphones – to date I have only included a total of 3 on my ranking lists. Admittedly, I have been guilty of blindly subscribing to the common (perhaps, if incorrect) belief that open-back headphones are superior to their closed back counterparts. For that reason, when deciding which headphones to own for myself, the vast majority have been open-backs.
I credit Fiio with reigniting my interest in closed back headphones. When the FT1 closed back headphone was released at the relatively affordable price of $150 it was widely heralded as a spectacular value proposition and curiosity got a hold on me and to my pleasant surprise, the FT1 was an incredibly capable headphone, far surpassing my expectations, not only of closed-back headphones, but also of any headphone within the price category. If Fiio could do this for $150, then what could I expect from the company known over the years for their mastery of closed-back headphones, and moreover, planar magnetic closed backs?
One thing led to another and I purchased the Drop x DCA Aeon Closed X, finding it to be an incredibly well tuned headphone. It didn’t have any egregious dips or bloat, commonly associated with closed-back headphones. If anything the Closed X was a very well tuned, bright leaning headphone lacking only in dynamics to my ears. The Closed X is a very good headphone that excels in providing a smooth presentation. It’s a great headphone but lacked the punch and texture I crave and the bass could sometimes feel a bit bloomy and soft.
Next I tried the DCA Aeon 2 Noire which takes a lot of the characteristics I liked about the Closed X and improves upon them. The Noire is, like the Closed X, a bright leaning neutral headphone. Notably, the Noire sounds like a more controlled, faster, and more incisive Closed X. Perceived resolution and macrodynamics on the Noire are a step or two above the Closed X and overall, I quite enjoyed the Noire. But in the end, even with the improved cleanliness and speed and technical capabilities, the Noire still lacked a bit of the crisp initial attack on notes that I really enjoy. The Noire is an incredibly well executed and well tuned headphone and a true testament to what a good closed back can sound like.
Enter the Noire X. Dan Clark Audio’s latest headphone release, a headphone that seems to benefit from the trickle down tech from the summit-fi headphones in the DCA stable. Not only is build quality improved, but comfort is improved as well, with the self-adjusting suspension strap system found in the more expensive models (for those of you familiar with the Meze 109 Pro, this system is fairly similar). However, the most intriguing tech innovation that tricked down to the Noire X is DCA’s Acoustic Metamaterial Tuning System from the Stealth and the Expanse.
Now I won’t claim to understand the physics of what’s going on but AMTS is DCA’s patent pending device that integrates waveguides, diffusion control, quarter-wave, and Helmholtz resonators into a structure placed between the driver and the users ear and this supposedly helps shape and smooth the mid to upper frequencies. And as fancy as this sounds, what really matters it how it sounds. One thing to note here is that anecdotally AMTS does not affect the sound uniformly across all heads and it might not actually affect the sound some perceive, while it does help with others.
Well, I ended up purchasing a set for myself from Audio46 who have been incredibly helpful throughout my audio journey (if you’d like to purchase a pair of the Noire X through them, the code AUDIONOTIONS will give you 5% off). And without further ado, let’s jump right into the review:
What comes in the box
All three DCA headphones that I’ve handled have come in almost identical packaging, which is not to say that it’s lacking – it’s definitely not. But if you’ve owned a pair of Dan Clark Audio headphones, you’ll be very familiar with what you get in the box.
Included are:
- The magnetic close box with the Enjoy text upon opening
- A compact headphone case
- Certificate of Authenticity
- The cable of your choosing in a soft cloth bag. The Noire X comes with your choice of two levels of cables in multiple different terminations. My unit came with the DCA DUMMER Cable terminated in 4.4mm.
- A cleaning cloth (much needed for the gorgeous but fingerprint prone piano black finish)
Overall, the unboxing experience does not disappoint. It comes with basically everything I’d expect from a premium headphone and nothing more. Of note is that the hard-shelled carrying case is surprisingly compact and when folded folded up and placed within, the Noire X becomes an incredibly easy to carry headphone. The case is rigid enough to be carried in a backpack with other gear without fear of being damaged. I do wish there was slightly more space in the case to fit the cable but that isn’t a deal breaker. The cable can be carried separately in the included cloth carrying bag.
Fit, Finish, and Comfort
If you’ve handled the original Aeon 2 Noire, you’ll be very familiar with the build of it’s successor, the Noire X. Coming in at 385 grams, the Noire X is lighter than one might expect but the fit and finish is solid and high quality. Gone is the carbon fiber finish of the original Noire (a welcome change in my book) and instead you get a gorgeous Gorilla glass finishing in glossy piano black. This is a controversial design choice that some might question but I think it looks great. Only time will tell how durable it is compared to carbon fiber or plastic. Also, with the glossy finish, fingerprints and dust specs stand out like a sore thumb. After being wiped down, there is beauty in simplicity here I don’t think I can think of a more understated, classy, and refined looking headphone. The Noire X does not rely on embellishments to look more expensive and beside the shape and size on the head, won’t attract attention in the office or whatever environment you use them in.
Where the original Aeon 2 Noire had a suspension strap that had to be adjusted manually to fit each head, the Noire X takes the improved, elastic suspension strap from the flagship models like the E3, Stealth, and Expanse. This makes them incredibly easy to put on and take off and share with friends and family. It’s very easy to get them to seal correctly on a wide range of head sizes and shapes. The clamp force is in what I consider to be the goldilocks range of not too tight (like the Sennheiser HD 6X0 line can sometimes be) and not too loose (like Sennheiser’s HD 800 line). The headphones stay in place on my medium to large sized head, without any hot spots from the suspension strap on my head and the clamp is comfortable enough for hours long listening sessions.
The included pads are deep and plush while remaining surprisingly breathable while providing decent sound isolation. It doesn’t leak sound to the outside and yet I don’t get hot ears after wearing them for longer sessions. In terms of comfort, I’d have to rank the Noire X among the most comfortable headphones I’ve tried, coming close to the comfort of the HD 800S, which I consider to be the most comfortable headphone.
All in all, the build and comfort of the Noire X does not let me down whatsoever!
Sound
First a note on drivability as this may or may not affect sound. The Noire X is neither a very easy to drive nor an incredibly hard to drive headphone. I did most of my listening through the balanced output of my Fiio JM21 DAC, with some additional testing through the headphone jack of a WiiM Ultra, an M2 Macbook Pro, and finally through an SMSL SP200 headphone amp. I found that all of these sources were able to power the Noire X adequately with plenty of headroom remaining.
Overall the Noire X follows the Harman 2018 target curve quite well, which also means that this is a headphone that likely will appeal to a broad audience. The general sound signature is within the range of what I could call very well balanced with a satisfying amount of elevation in the bass and in the treble which adds a bit of excitement to the mix.
Bass
Upon first listening to the Noire X, I breathed a sigh of relief. Coming from the Closed X and the original Noire, I was hoping for a bit more bounce and liveliness in the bass and the Noire X came through. Both the Closed X and Noire had what I’d consider an almost pillowy bass. Bass is extended very well into the subbass regions and while the elevation is not excessive, remaining within what I’d consider neutral, there is a bump in the frequency response at around 100hz going into the midbass region. This seems to add a bit more physicality and excitement to the mix. The bass is clean and tight and packs a bit of punch.
Mids
Once again, the name of the game here is balance. The mids of the Noire X are very well tuned, and incredibly clean, without any noticeable peaks or humps. Voices and instruments sound natural and well placed and separated. It maintains relative neutrality throughout the region, and perhaps benefits from the midbass hump, which seems to add a bit more satisfying body to male and female vocals. Female vocals do sound slightly more forward on the Noire X than male vocals, but only slightly so. Overall there is a sense of fullness and clarity throughout the mids that makes this headphone very easy to listen to.
Treble
My expectations coming from the Closed X and Noire were that the Noire X might also have a more treble forward and bright (sometimes sibilant) sound signature. Without tuning pads, I found the Closed X and Noire to be just slightly peaky and shrill with certain songs and I was expecting similar with the Noire X while hoping this wouldn’t be the case. This is where AMTS technology is supposed to help the most and going by impressions shared across various reviews and forums, this is something that can be a bit hit or miss.
The frequency response graphs show a bit of elevation beyond preference bounds which can sometimes indicate a sound signature that might be fatiguing or sibilant. But thankfully, AMTS seems to be doing it’s job for me and rather than finding the Noire X to be fatiguing in anyway, I find that instead, the upper treble elevation adds quite a bit of exciting sparkle and air without sound too piercing. This, coupled with the improved bass dynamics make the Noire X a very engaging headphone to listen to.
Other Thoughts on Technicalities
The Noire X, while being a closed back headphone, presents as a more open and wide sounding headphone than some open-back headphones. For example, it does sound more open than the HD 6X0 series. That said, the Noire X is not a stage monster and you won’t find an excessively expansive soundstage here like you might with some Hifimans or the HD 800S. Nonetheless, there is palatable depth, width, and height to the soundstage which while not super wide, does give the impression of an almost three-dimensional sound scape.
Couple this with excellent imaging and instrument separation and the Noire X gives the sense that each individual voice and instrument has a very clear position within the soundscape.
Where the previous models leaned more into being well tuned with good microdynamics, often at the cost of sacrificing macrodynamics and tactility, the Noire X is a very dynamic headphone, improving upon the original Noire in both micro and macrodynamics. Where I’d almost consider the Closed X and Noire to be too smoothed over, that is not the case here.
Conclusion
The Noire X receives my emphatic recommendation as one of the best headphones available today at any price. While it’s not cheap by any means, for $1000, you get one of the most well built, most comfortable, and best sounding headphones available on the market today. This is what not just closed back headphones but all headphones should sound and feel like, and if this is the direction the headphone market is taking, I’m excited to see what comes next. No longer will I be writing off closed back headphones – I might even start preferring them going forward. And given how much I am enjoying the Noire X, I’ll be looking to get my hands on an E3 next!
