As a big fan of both listening to and using classical music to test headphones, I am intimately familiar with the music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. So too, it would appear, are British headphone manufacturer Noble, which has named its newest pair of earbuds after the maestro.
Named the Noble Fokus Amadeus, they're even clad in crimson to echo their namesake's red coat — and they look all the better for it.
I've been testing them since their release, and I've come to absolutely adore them and their little red shells. Here's why.
Stand out design
Noble's products always have a pretty attractive look, due in part to lower production runs. These earbuds are built to look like jewelry, with incredible resin surfaces of multiple colors and cases made from anodized metal.
The Amadeus are the next in line for 'most attractive wireless earbuds" after the wicked green FoKus Rex5, and in a way, I think they're almost more attractive. The swirled red panels on the earbuds house the touch controls, and they make sure that you feel like you're getting your $329 worth.
Sadly the case is unavoidably large. It's the largest earbud case on my desk at the moment, though it does bring its own charm in the form of excellent battery life — to the tune of around 42 hours of use. That's some of the best battery life I've ever seen, and it's a worthy trade off for a larger case.
Next gen features
When you connect the buds to your phone, the first thing you're going to want to do is install the Noble app. From there, you'll find a bunch of extra useful features, including the ANC settings, EQ, and more.
My favorite is the hearing profile function. It's incredibly clever, testing your hearing and then creating a profile that ensures they sound excellent no matter the health of your ears. I've found it the most useful hearing customization feature of any pair of earbuds or headphones I've tried.
The buds recognized the difference in hearing ability between my left and right ears, and accommodated that in my hearing profile.
Once you've set your hearing profile, you can still change the EQ and get the earbuds sounding just right.
Finally, you can change the function of the touch controls and how they change between ANC modes. They might not have some of the hi-tech features of the likes of the WF-1000XM5, but they're easily up there with the best wireless earbuds.
Studio sound
The big reason you buy the Amadeus is the sound. Thanks to some very impressive internals, the Amadeus are some of the best sounding earbuds at the $300-$350 price point, with a very detailed sound signature that shows you all the smallest parts of your favorite music.
They are similar to my current favorite earbuds, the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8, although where the B&W option has a warmer signature, the Noble are more precise. I love the way both sound, although I'd be lying if I said that the extra detail of the Amadeus wasn't tantalizing.
That's not to say there's not enough bass from the buds. There's some precise low-end on offer, and it goes further down the frequency range than others. It's not jaw rattling, but there's plenty of impact for everything from bass guitars to bass drums.
Getting Ghaal's Words latest going revealed all that lovely detail. Braiding the Stories had loads of detail in the cymbals and calm moments, and the strummed guitars had plenty of edge. The drums hit hard enough without being too overbearing, while the guitar solos do a good job of bringing some extra dimension.
Instrument separation is top notch, with each member of the group placeable within the mix. The Amadeus do a fabulous job of bringing the slightly lo-fi edge to the surface.
It'd be remiss of me not to play some Mozart, given the buds' name. The Piano Concerto No.1 in F Major happens to be a personal favorite, and the buds relish the opportunity to show off some very fine detail throughout.
The piano is beautifully clean and clear, while the orchestral support is wide and spacious. There's loads of space to the recording that I chose, and the Amadeus do a fabulous job of making things feel airy.
My new go to?
Given the number of different earbuds that I'm able to pull from, it's tricky to land yourself a permanent spot in my rotation. The Amadeus more expensive cousins, the FoKus Rex5, managed it, and I'm happy to say that these have too.
The Amadeus earbuds bring a different enough sound signature to the table that they stand out from their very impressive stable mates, and they more than make a name for themselves in a very busy space.
Now, should you buy a pair? If you're an audiophile looking for the best way to get stunning sound on the go but you can't quite stretch to the Rex5, go for it. They're excellent. Given their lofty price, however, AirPods fans are better off looking at $250 options — although if you can stretch for the extra, they're well worth it.
If you can find a pair, at least. They've been extremely popular amongst online earbud fanatics, and it means they're sold out almost everywhere.
Don't give up — just keep searching on the Noble website and more dedicated audio outlets, and you'll get there eventually. And when you do? You're in for a treat.
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