I tested Noble's high-end IEMs and they boast an unbelievably wide soundstage — but are the Iris worth $699?

Noble Audio is no stranger to making expensive, high-end audio gear that makes your ears smile. Having spent a week listening to my favorite tunes through the Noble Audio Iris, I have to say, they’re phenomenal. Intricately and beautifully designed, the Iris are a sight for sore eyes, and they’re built well, too. That’s not even the best part. The Iris boast an extremely wide soundstage with airy treble and accurate imaging.

The Iris are ridiculously comfortable IEMs, too, and you can wear them all day long with no problem. But let’s talk about the elephant in the room: the eye-watering $699 price tag. Are they worth the premium when the bass lacks a punch (but that’s down to their neutral-sounding tuning) and plug replacement is a little finicky? I’m almost convinced that they are.

To find out if these are the best wired headphones for you, read my full Noble Audio Iris review.

Noble Audio Iris review: Specs

Noble Audio Iris review: Price & availability

Noble Audio’s headphones, earbuds and in-ear monitors (IEMs) rarely come cheap, and the same goes for the Noble Audio Iris. These IEMs retail for $699 and can be bought directly from the American manufacturer. The Iris launched in July 2026 alongside the Vanguard, which are slightly cheaper at $325.

Though they sound extremely expensive, the Iris are some of Noble Audio’s cheapest IEMs, with the next most expensive IEMs, the Lu Ban, retailing for $1,399 — and the Kronos, at $4,500, are the brand’s priciest monitors. Given that context, the Iris are Noble Audio’s budget-ish IEMs.

The Iris find themselves competing with other high-end IEMs, like the Sennheiser IE 600 ($699) and the Shanling Moria ($699). Are the Iris worth the money? Oh hell yes! But if you can’t afford them, the Sivga Lyrebird ($149) and Sennheiser IE 200 ($149) are phenomenal budget-friendly IEMs.

Noble Audio Iris review: Design

The Noble Audio Iris are some of the most beautiful in-ear monitors I’ve laid my eyes on. When I first unboxed them, I couldn’t stop staring at them. They feature a blue CNC-machined Micarta (a durable material made by stacking layers under heat) shell. Noble Audio’s crown insignia is engraved on and adorns each ear piece. Given their name, you can tell that they’ve been inspired by an iris flower.

In addition to looking downright gorgeous, the Iris are built extremely well and they feel solid — and let’s be honest, you wouldn’t expect any less for the premium you’re paying. The anti-tangle cable is made of high-purity copper and it looks and feels great. Similar to other IEMs, the cable can be detached from the ear pieces and replaced with another if it gets damaged.

Weatherproofing

Similar to other IEMs I’ve tested, the Iris aren’t waterproof or weather-sealed. This isn’t uncommon for IEMs, though the Beyerdynamic DT 30 IE ($159) are IP54-rated splash-proof — but they don’t sound anywhere near as good as the Iris. Since Noble Audio doesn’t specify an IP rating, I wouldn’t recommend wearing the Iris in the rain or during sweaty workouts. But that’s not really what IEMs are designed for anyway.

Comfort

When I first held the Iris in my palm, they felt substantial and a little heavy, and I was concerned that they wouldn’t feel very comfortable for extended wear. Boy, was I wrong. The Iris are supremely comfortable IEMs. Each ear piece weighs 0.5oz, so while they’re slightly heavier than the Sennheiser IE 600 (0.21oz each), they don’t feel unwieldy.

They fit snugly in my ears, and the braided cable wraps comfortably around each ear. The Iris didn’t fall out of my ears, even when I was bobbing my head. I wore them for a six-hour stretch without feeling any discomfort.

Controls

The Iris don’t feature an in-line remote for controlling playback, so you’ll need to use your smartphone, laptop or other audio source to play, pause, rewind and skip tracks. Again, not uncommon with IEMs.

Connectivity & drive

As is the nature of wired IEMs, the Iris need to be driven, or powered, by a power source, and there are two ways of doing so. In the box, you’ll find a 3.5mm plug as well as a 4.4mm one, and you can easily swap between the two as and when needed. The 3.5mm plug is handy for using the Iris with your laptop, while the 4.4mm jack (which separates audio into left and right channels to keep interference to a minimum) can be used with a DAC/amp, like the FiiO K11 R2R ($175).

In theory, the Iris’ termination plug should be super easy to remove. All you need to do is unscrew the bolt and then pull out the one that’s already attached, line up the four alignment pins correctly, and push it in. Et voilà. But I struggled to do so, and so did three of my coworkers. There’s a joke in there somewhere, along the lines of, “How many tech journalists does it take to unscrew a bolt?” It’s worth noting, though, that this could be down to my Iris being a pre-production sample, and this may not apply to everyone. Just try not to overtorque the fastener.

Noble Audio Iris review: Sound quality

Unlike the Sivga Lyrebird which use a quad-driver setup, or the Noble Audio Vanguard with their triple-driver configuration, the Noble Audio Iris utilizes a single 10.2mm custom dynamic driver. The single driver eliminates crossover distortion as it handles the entire frequency spectrum on its own. The Iris also features a three-layer diaphragm and a triple-chamber acoustic structure to reduce distortion and improve sound clarity.

All of these elements come together to deliver an astonishing, sublime listening experience that makes the Iris (almost) worth their asking price. I tested the Iris by listening to my favorite tunes on Qobuz, the best music streaming service for audiophiles, using the 4.4mm jack plugged into the FiiO K11 R2R.

When listening to ‘Time’ by Pink Floyd, I immediately appreciated the Iris’ wide soundstage which gave the track’s layered production plenty of room to breathe. Imaging feels extremely accurate as the individual percussion hits, guitar lines and atmospheric details occupied well-defined positions. The opening clocks felt especially immersive, spreading naturally across the soundstage rather than forming a flat wall of sound. Instrument separation feels excellent, too, and I felt like I was finding new details in my favorite song of all time.

I then listened to ‘Misty Mountain Hop’ by Led Zeppelin to see how the Iris handled the upper frequencies and crunchy guitar slides. The IEMs gave me newfound appreciation for the track as they reproduced the energetic character accurately, and there was plenty of sparkle in the percussion. The bite of the guitar came through with precision without making the song feel overly sharp or unpleasant.

Billie Eilish’s ‘BITTERSUITE’ proved to be an excellent test for the Iris’ mid-range, and one the IEMs passed with flying colors. Vocal presentation feels beautiful, as Billie’s haunting vocals sat front and center, sounded natural, and the Iris ensured that the instrumental arrangement didn’t get lost either. Everything felt well-balanced. I loved how textured and smooth the vocals sounded, with subtle inflections and breathiness coming through without sounding exaggerated.

The only area where the Iris fall short of perfection is bass, as I found out when listening to ‘Baby Driver’ by 070 Shake. The Iris made the track’s pounding bassline sound tight and controlled, but it lacked the oomph and pronounced rumble I thoroughly enjoyed through the Sivga Lyrebird. This was especially apparent in the distorted, electronic bassline leading up to the second verse. It’s supposed to drive the alternative R&B track but instead, the sheer force of it felt subdued. This isn't a flaw, per se, as much of Noble's gear is tuned to sound neutral, but just a pre-purchase consideration if you like meaty bass.

Listen along to my review with the Noble Audio Iris testing playlist:

Noble Audio Iris review: Verdict

The Noble Audio Iris are seriously impressive in-ear monitors, and after a week of testing, I can (almost) see why they cost as much as they do. They look drop-dead gorgeous, feel incredibly well made, and, most importantly, sound brilliant. The soundstage is extremely wide. The treble is oh-so-crispy. The mids are refined. The imaging is accurate. What more could you want?

Punchy bass, I suppose. The Iris make bass sound tight and controlled but they lack oomph — although this isn’t a dealbreaker as the Iris are tuned to sound neutral. It’s also great that you can swap between 3.5mm and 4.4mm plugs, but try not to overtorque the bolt.

And there’s the small matter of the price. $699 is a serious investment, even if the Iris are comparatively affordable by Noble’s standards. If all you care about is spacious, balanced and highly detailed sound, the Iris warrant a recommendation. At the end of the day, they’re beautiful, comfortable, and a joy to listen to.