I have been following Noble Audio headphones for a long time. First of all, TWS models, because I consider them the most versatile in terms of use in any conditions. Noble Audio models usually not only sound great, but are also interesting in their experiments with configurations and types of emitters. Therefore, I was looking forward to the new Noble Audio FoKus Rex5 model, which has a hybrid circuit with five emitters of different types in each earbud, an active noise cancellation system and Audiodo sound customization. And, I must say, the wait was not in vain: the headphones even exceeded some of my expectations. Therefore, I will tell you more about them below.
Specifications of Noble Audio FoKus Rex5
| Headphone type | Intracanal |
| Emitters | Hybrid circuit: 10 mm dynamic + 6 mm planar + triple armature |
| Connection type | Wireless, True Wireless |
| Compatibility | Android, iOS, PC |
| Bluetooth version | 5.4 |
| Range | 10+ meters |
| Codec support | SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX Adaptive, aptX Lossless, LDAC |
| Management | Sensory |
| Volume control | + |
| Microphones | 4 |
| Protection from moisture | missing |
| Autonomy | Up to 7 g, up to 32 g with case |
| Exercise | USB Type-C, wireless |
| Recommended price in Ukraine | 21,999 hryvnias |
Package contents
Noble Audio FoKus Rex5 is packed in a bright box with a lot of typography, quite typical for the manufacturer. The box depicts the headphones themselves on a black and green background, the model name, and all the main characteristics.
The set is interesting, as always. In addition to the headphones with a charging case, the box contains a carrying bag, a short Type-C cable for charging, documentation and 9 pairs of eartips. Three pairs of different types. Including double-flange "herringbone" ones.
Design and usability
The company knows how to design. Noble Audio FoKus Rex5 is no exception. They consist of two parts. The main inner part is made of bright green aluminum. The faceplates are made of acrylic. Between them is a golden strip around the perimeter. The headphones are quite large and have a pseudo-custom shape.
The faceplates have an interesting pattern that resembles a stone with green accents. On the outer part there are Noble logos, above there are microphone holes, and a little lower there are LED indicators, next to which there is another microphone. Almost the entire surface of the faceplates is touch-sensitive.
The outer coating is completely glossy, so it is a bit slippery and collects fingerprints. Although there were no particular problems with this, the Noble Audio FoKus Rex5 never fell out of my hands and are quite convenient to take out of the charging case.
The interior is made entirely of brushed aluminum. It has charging contacts, left and right earbud markings, and two more small, seemingly compensatory holes.
Traditionally, the inner part of the headphones has a complex ergonomic shape with additional protrusions for a correct and more reliable position in the ears.
The sound guides are an extension of the inner part of the headphones. They are of medium length and are located at the right angle for the ear canal. At the end there is a rim for reliable fixation of the ear pads. But the most interesting thing is the mesh that protects the sound guide from dirt, made in the shape of the Noble logo.
Noble Audio FoKus Rex5 sit comfortably in the ears and are not burdensome due to their low weight. But it is worth saying that they are quite large and protrude slightly from the ears. The fit in the ear canals is moderately deep, but with the right ear cups, passive sound insulation is good. Protection against moisture is not stated.
The charging case is almost entirely made of metal in the same green color. There is a Noble logo on the top cover and an LED charging indicator on the front. The case is relatively small, but due to its thickness, it will not be very comfortable to carry in your pocket.
The auto-close is clear and pleasant both in the open and closed state. Inside, everything is standard: places for headphones, left and right markings, as well as a button to switch to connection mode.
On the back is a Type-C connector for charging. The only plastic part of the case is the bottom. Which is quite justified, considering the support for wireless charging.
Management
The touch panels on the Noble Audio FoKus Rex5 cases are large, so controlling the headphones is quite convenient. In the proprietary application, you can change the actions to touch, including volume control, as well as switching between tracks.
The standard control scheme is convenient: a single tap on either earbud is responsible for playing, pausing, and answering a call. Double and triple taps on the right earbud switch tracks. On the left earbud adjust the volume. A long tap on the right earbud launches Siri or Google Assistant. On the left earbud turns on/off active noise cancellation and transparency mode.
Connectivity and functionality
The Noble Audio FoKus Rex5 uses a Qualcomm QCC3091 chip with Bluetooth 5.4, which supports a bunch of technologies, including Qualcomm Snapdragon Sound and the company's own active noise cancellation algorithms. The headphones support Multipoint, the function works as it should, including automatic switching of sound sources. During the use of the headphones, there were no problems with the stability of the connection.
Noble Audio FoKus Rex5 support a full set of current codecs: SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX Adaptive, aptX Lossless and LDAC. So Android smartphone owners have a choice. But when using Multipoint, the headphones automatically switch from LDAC to aptX Lossless.
All headphones in the line use the common Noble FoKus application. It recently received an important update, which improved the stability of working with sources connected to several Bluetooth devices at the same time. Before the update, the application did not see the headphones periodically on my smartphone (to which the smartwatch is also constantly connected). Now there is no such problem. The interface is quite simple and clear. The main screen displays the charge level of each headphone, there are playback controls, a quick switch to a custom equalizer, and noise cancellation and transparency modes.
There are several sections in the drop-down menu. The first three are equalizers. The first is a ten-band one with presets. The second is a simpler graphic one with dragging three points. And the last one is the one developed by Audiodo. A similar system has already been used in previous Noble models. A certain number of signals at different frequencies are fed to the headphones and the user must specify how many. Based on this, the characteristics of hearing are determined and an equalizer is built. A feature of the updated system from Audiodo is that an individual equalizer is built separately for each ear.
The next section is responsible for setting up touch controls. Next are general settings: Prompt Tone Switch (disabling service sounds), volume, disabling touch controls, language selection, and the presence of an ANC switch on the main screen. Next are sections for updating the firmware and disconnecting the headphones from the smartphone.
Sound, noise isolation and microphones
Now to the main thing - the sound of the Noble Audio FoKus Rex5. The engineers did a very good job. They managed to install a hybrid configuration of five radiators in small TWS headphones. And this is in addition to the rest of the necessary electronics. The headphones use one 10 mm dynamic radiator, a 6 mm planar and three armature.
To begin with, it is worth saying that Noble managed to create an extremely musical, driving and enchanting sound, with excellent detailing across the entire frequency range. And I was also very impressed by the imaginary stage, which is usually a problem with TWS with a closed acoustic design. In FoKus Rex5, the stage is very wide, deep and spacious. The separation and positioning of instruments is at an excellent level.
The low frequencies are slightly accentuated. They are massive, elastic, dense, deep and with excellent attack. But they are well controlled and do not lose in detail and texture. Even in heavy music with high speed, number of notes per unit time and mass of overload, the bass is clearly readable and does not lose the character of the sound itself. The midrange frequencies are excellent. This part of the spectrum is not cluttered, has excellent detail, accuracy and clearly conveys the character of instruments and vocals. The high frequencies are detailed and moderately bright: just enough to add space and air to the sound. But no more, so they will not annoy the HF-phobes.
Noble Audio FoKus Rex5 are absolutely omnivorous in terms of musical genres and quality of reproduced material. During testing, the LDAC codec was used exclusively. The vast majority of the material during testing was in FLAC on a smartphone, or Deezer HiFi (again, FLAC), although there was some in MP3. The difference is there, but not critical.
Active noise cancellation combined with good passive sound insulation is quite effective. Especially with monotonous sounds at low and mid frequencies. However, the effectiveness is somewhat lower than that of such professionals in their field as Sony or Bose.
Microphones are not the strongest point of the Noble Audio FoKus Rex5. They are enough for the interlocutor to clearly hear your voice even on the street. But the voice itself sounds quite plastic and compressed in the range.
Battery life
The manufacturer claims that the Noble Audio FoKus Rex5 headphones can work on a single charge for up to 7 hours without active noise cancellation and up to 5 hours with ANC. The headphones were used mainly with active noise cancellation, but not at maximum volume. Indeed, they work for about 5-5.5 hours. The charging case has a 500 mAh battery and adds 18-25 hours of additional playback time. There is support for fast charging: 15 minutes should provide about two hours of playback. But, more conveniently, there is support for wireless charging. During use, I never used a cable.
The editorial team would like to thank the Soundmag store for kindly providing us with the Noble Audio FoKus Rex5 headphones for review.