Headphones — Noble Audio Kronos

The Kronos is a universal in-ear earphone made by Noble Audio, hand assembled and individually matched in the USA. Noble calls it a quadbrid design because it combines four transducer types in each earpiece - dynamic, balanced armature, electrostatic and bone conduction. Launch pricing was GBP 4,100, USD 4,500 and EUR 4,750.

Key specs that matter

Nine drivers work in each ear through a six-way crossover. A 10 mm dynamic driver handles sub-bass and a 7 mm dynamic driver covers bass. Two Knowles balanced armatures take the midrange, another two Knowles units cover the highs, and a pair of Sonion electrostatic drivers handles the ultra-high range. A dual membrane bone conduction driver works across the full range. Stated response is 20 Hz to 70 kHz, sensitivity is 102 dB at 1 kHz and 1 mW, and impedance is 8.6 ohm at 1 kHz.

Engineering and use context

Each shell is CNC machined from grade 2 titanium and wears titanium Damascus faceplates. A stainless steel wax guard is built into the nozzle to keep debris away from the drivers. The detachable cable is a custom hybrid of palladium plated 4N pure silver and 6N OCC conductors, with a titanium yoke, 0.78 mm 2-pin plugs at the earpieces and a 4.4 mm balanced termination. In the box are a set of ear tips, a velvet bag, a fabric protector bag, a hard carry case, a warranty card, a Noble crown logo sticker and the owner's manual. The enclosed shell construction keeps outside noise out, which suits commuting and stage monitoring as well as home listening.

Pairing

The low impedance means the Kronos is easy to drive, and a portable player or dongle with a matching balanced output connects directly with the supplied cable. Sources with only a 3.5 mm single ended jack need an adapter or an aftermarket cable using the standard 2-pin connectors. Because the load is so light, a player whose output impedance and background noise stay low is the sensible choice, since hiss is easier to notice with sensitive in-ears.

Alternatives

Another hybrid in-ear from Noble Audio is the Viking Ragnar, which pairs two dynamic drivers with four Knowles balanced armatures and four electrostatic drivers through a four-way crossover.