Noble Sultan – Review 

First and foremost I want to thank Bill Barra and AudioTiers for setting up this tour and also a BIG thank you to Noble Audio for providing their newest flagship the Sultan for all of us to enjoy.

This will be a quick and non-technical review. Please see the link below for my YouTube review.
https://youtu.be/K0owjWDZZZI

Here are some links for technical specs to nerd out about:

https://www.nobleaudio.com/universalfit/p/sultan-dragonfly-red-bundle

7 DRIVERS

10 MM DYNAMIC

4 BALANCED ARMATURE

2 ULTRA FREQUENCY ELECTROSTATIC

I did not do any research, watch videos or read reviews on the Sultan prior to receiving them. They were a complete mystery to me.  I did this on purpose as I wanted to be surprised by the product. 

Package:

The Noble Audio Sultan has a very pleasing unboxing experience.  I was very surprised at the quality of the Noble Audio Sultan and the included accessories.  Even though the accessories are limited, what is provided is spectacular.  A pair of white foams S,M,L and a pair of black foam S,M,L. You also get 4 silicone tips, XL, L, M,S.  A cleaning tool, 2 rubber rings and a velvet bag. A leather flip case with a magnetic flap is included and I find that it holds the Sultan nicely for those times it stays on the desk. You can purchase it here: https://www.nobleaudio.com/accessories/p/noble-carrying-case
But the star of the unboxing is the carry case that protects the Sultan.  The case is a heavy-duty, locking Pelican case is the best I have ever experienced with an IEM.  This case rivals Audeze cases and some watch cases. You can purchase it for $55 and I highly recommend it: https://www.nobleaudio.com/accessories/p/noble-nanuk-903-case

Design/Comfort/Fit:

The Noble Audio Sultan is a universal shape shell that has a brown, marble, woodsy look to it that is just stunning and the CNC aluminium shell is clunky but comfortable.  I find that the Noble Sultan fits my ears nicely and provides a great seal from outside noises.  I do not have any complaints when it comes to comfort or fit with the Noble Sultan.  Also, the cable is one of the nicest stock cables I have experienced and I see no reason to change it. I did try the various silicone tips included but not the foams as I do not like to use foams that someone else may have used prior.  I did try some foam tips from Meze, Dekoni, Linsoul and JLab on the Sultan. I finally settled on the small Meze Rai Penta single tip. 

Sound: 

I wasn’t sure what to expect from the Noble Audio Sultan because I have had very limited time with Noble products over the years.  I own the Drop Noble X Univeral and it is an alright IEM but I find it to be somewhat lacking for the price, review link https://youtu.be/B25GMwgFTPk
So I was a little skeptical when I first put the Sultan into my ears. Was I as surprised in a pleasing way as I was with the package and unboxing?

Bass:

The Sultan has a very defined and elevated bass that is fun and pleasing to both the basshead and audiophile in me, the 10mm dynamic driver is a good one.  Now I am not much of a basshead to be honest as I don’t care much for big, bombastic bass but when it is clean and defined I love it and the Noble Audio Sultan does bass the way I like it.  Now the bass on the Sultan reaches deep into the sub-bass regions and has good impact but the detail clarity is crazy good.  Mid bass and upper bass are not quite as prominent as the sub bass but still pack a good bunch of impact and excel in detail clarity. But I wouldn’t call the bass on the Sultan reference or neutral as it is very elevated but it sure is in the fun category and also is pleasing enough for this audiophile.  

Treble:

The Noble Audio Sultan treble is pleasing in a non-fatiguing way with just enough energy and air to keep it engaging, the two electrostatics do their job well.  I do enjoy the treble on the Sultan as it is very smooth and somewhat laidback.  It doesn’t get into the boring region but it never ventures into the high energy, overbearing regions either.  There is really nothing for me to complain about here with the treble of the Sultan.   

Soundstage/Imaging:

The Noble Audio Sultan isn’t the largest soundstage but it isn’t intimate; I’d call it average width. Where the Sultan excels is in depth and layering. There is a lot packed into the stage and you can decipher the placement easily and the isolation and separation of instruments is very well done.  Every now and then a song will sound slightly closed in but those instances are few and far between.  I never heard the Sultan get confused or muddled on busier tracks; it just seems to close the space between instruments a little more than normal.  The soundstage is very engaging and fun and you can easily get lost in it trying to decipher all the various instruments and vocals.  

Details:

The Noble Audio Sultan also excels in detail retrieval and resolution but I wouldn’t say it is the best.  You are not going to be lacking details but you may have to put a little more effort into hearing them. Resolution of details is good but not the best and sometimes the details can seem a tad bit hidden in a mix but again those instances are few and far between.  

Mids:   

The four balanced armatures for the mids are interesting for me and you probably noticed that I put them last in this review.  I love forward mids and vocals and the Sultan lacks slightly in this area for me. I love the tone and texture of the mids; the lower mids have a nice body and lushness to them, playing well with deeper vocals and instruments. The upper mids are a little more forward and bring out higher reaching vocals and instruments.  But the middle section is a little further back and can sound thin and unbalanced to me at times.  This is evident in instrument timbre, piano and guitar sound uneven and unnatural.  It isn’t enough to right off the Sultan but it is enough to be annoying on some tracks. But I do enjoy the mids of the Sultan most of the time but they just don’t sound natural.  Sources that were cold and analytical brought out a harshness, sharp, edge to the mids.  

Comparisons:

Meze Rai Penta:

The Meze Rai Penta fits me like a glove and is way more comfortable for me then the Noble Audio Sultan.  Soundwise the Sultan has more oomph and body in the bass and is more laidback in the treble.  The Rai Penta has more air and energy in the mids and trebles. Soundstage is wider on the Rai Penta. Detail retrieval and resolution are very similar but the Rai Penta portrays them in a more noticeable manner. When it comes to sounding natural my reach is for the Rai Penta as the Sultan sounds too bassy and laid back in the treble. 

Empire Ears Zeus (Drop):

The Empire Ears Zeus (Drop) is similar in comfort and fit for me; neither the Sultan or Zeus are clear winners.  Soundwise the Sultan has more oomph and body in the bass and is way more laidback in the treble. Mids are similar but the Sultan has more energy in the upper mids.  Treble is elevated on the Zeus and it has way more extension and details but is far more bright.  Soundstage is larger on the Zeus and has more isolation and separation. Depth and layering are very similar and the Sultan gets the edge as it is more immersive.  Detail retrieval and resolution go to the Empire Ears Zeus as they are clear and prominent.  When it comes to sounding natural my reach is for the Sultan as the Zeus is a little too bright and forward.   

Gear:

I used the Noble Audio Sulton on a lot of gear from desktop to portable and I found that it didn’t complain at all.  I had no issues whatsoever with anything that I used the Sultan on.  The Mytek Liberty and iFi Audio Neo iDSD were my two favorites for desktop and the Sony Walkman NW-A105 was my favorite for portable.  I did find that a more natural, warm source was a more pleasing pairing with the Noble Audio Sultan. Colder, analytical sources seemed to bring out a sharp, edge with the mids that was fatiguing.  

Here is a list of gear I used:

MyTek Liberty
iFi Audio Neo iDSD
iFi Audio Micro iDSD Signature
Grace Design SDAC-Balanced
Drop THX AAA 789
Sony Walkman NW-A105
Pioneer XDP-30r

Conclusion:

The Noble Audio Sultan is a flagship from the presentation of sound to the unboxing, accessories and of course the pricetag of $2,900. BUT is it a flagship for me? When I reviewed the Meze Rai Penta I knew that was the IEM for me immediately and the Noble Audio Sultan doesn’t have that same effect on me.  The Sultan does so much right and I truly have enjoyed the time with them but to me they just don’t cut the mustard. I do recommend them though if you are looking for that bassy, laid back, immersive sound but I will stick with the Meze Rai Penta for it’s more energetic and natural sound.