Noble FoKus Pro Review

As a successor of the Noble Falcon Pro earbuds, people have noticed updates in the driver configuration, shell shape and performance that have taken place in the Noble FoKus Pro earbuds. Being known for their IEM’s and TWS (True Wireless Stereo), Nobel’s wireless earbuds come with high expectations. $349 would seem like a steep price for ordinary consumer earbuds. However, given Noble’s focus on providing a quality in-ear monitor experience, I wasn’t surprised to find that FoKus Pro earbuds are currently sold out on their website.

Design and Functionality

The FoKus Pro features a hybrid three-driver configuration, including an 8.2 dynamic driver and 2 Knowles balanced armature drivers. It also features a Qualcomm QCC3040 chip, the latest available for TWS (True Wireless Stereo) technology, which provides higher performance at lower power consumption. Additionally, the earbuds connect via Bluetooth 5.2. The FoKus Pro is made from an ergonomic 3D printed shell, in addition to an embedded touch trigger on both the left and right. Battery life is rated at 7.5 hours of audio play-time at 50% volume, while the battery life contained within the case is around 60 hours, with the potential to be up to 75 hours! The Noble FoKus app is available on Apple’s App Store and Google Play. The app’s 10 band EQ has built-in presets, with the added ability of creating your own presets. As a premium audiocentric earbud, it is not necessarily recommended for use while working out or being active as it is not waterproof. However, it performs well when consuming media other than music such as movies or games. The FoKus Pros will automatically pair to the most recent device used when they are taken out of the case.

Look and Feel

I find that these earbuds fit snuggly in my ears and don’t fall out. Being a solid plastic earbud user, I was surprised by the effectiveness of these rubber-tipped earbuds. The earbud design is unique, distinct, and ergonomic. The earbuds are made of plastic, yet they are completely solid and have a high-quality feel. The color on the FoKus Pro’s is also very striking and vivid. One gripe I have with these earbuds is that when I go to take one out or put one back in, I will instinctively place my finger on the back, which usually triggers the play/pause touch function. I am personally not a fan of this and I wish these earbuds were designed in a way where the play/pause function wouldn’t be triggered so easily. One thing I found was that FoKus Pros generally sit at a somewhat high volume. Even with my phone volume on the lowest setting, the earbuds were still at a higher level than expected. With that being said, they are pretty good at blocking out ambient noise, mainly by masking it. Despite this, the high level does not seem to compromise the sound quality in any way.

Headphone Specifications

hip: QCC3040

Driver Details: one 8.2mm customized dynamic driver, two Knowles balanced armature drivers

Sensor type for earbud operation: Touch

cVc noise canceling for calls: Supported

Eartips: customized Noble eartips

Bluetooth 5.2

Bluetooth Profile: HPP, HSP, A2DP, AVRCP

Audio Codec: SBC/AAC/APTX/APTX adaptive

True Wireless Mirroring

Supported Multi-Pairing, however, Multi-Connection not supported.

Operating Range - about 10 meters.

Battery Capacity in Earbuds - 3.7v 45 mAH - approximately 7.5 hours at 50%

Battery capacity of charging case 500 mAH (approximately 3-4 charges of the earbuds)

Earbud and Charging case charge times - approximately 1.5 hours

Earbud standby time - approximately 100 days

Charging case standby time without earbuds - approximately 150 days

Charging port on case - USB Type C (5v / 1A)

Soundstage

The panning was more distinct to me on these earbuds than I’ve experienced on others. Reverbs, delays, and effects really shined through as well, making for an overall effective spatial imagining. While not as distinct as it is with a select few headphones, the sense of distance within the audio is apparent, and far exceeds most ordinary earbuds. One thing I noticed is that the audio is a little “muddy” or “low-bit” sounding at times, which is something I’ve found in other earbuds as well. However, the sound is still precise overall, with all frequencies/instruments being clear, present, and distinguishable.

Low End

The FoKus Pros really bring out the bass, with the sub-bass being very dynamic and energetic. It handles these frequencies well with no distortion of any sort in the low end. Overall bassy and bouncy, yet smooth, I’d say that the low-end is the most audible frequency range on these earbuds. 

Mids

I noticed that the mid frequencies are more present than the high-end and contain much of the vocals/lead instruments. I would describe the mid-range tone as having a nice balance of brightness and warmth, making it sound present and full. Another thing I noticed was that these earbuds brought out distinct parts in songs I listen to that I don’t usually notice on other earbuds. This is likely because the lows and mids have so much presence.

Highs

I found that the highs were not immediately present, yet there was just enough of them in the vocals/lead instruments for a quality sound. The high-end on the FoKus Pros doesn’t sound particularly bright or crisp, but instead rather balanced and blended with the other frequencies. The high frequencies seemed to act as support for the mid-range on these earbuds more than anything to me.

Summary

The FoKus Pro is able to deliver quality far beyond the average earbud experience in a number of ways. Even with $349 being an expensive earbud price, that is not necessarily expensive for a Noble product. As exemplified by their earbuds, Noble is known to innovate. The precision and detail that Noble brings to their sound is clearly exemplified in the FoKus Pro.

The Noble FoKus Pro is available here.