Noble Audio FoKus Pro True Wireless Review

It’s been a year since Noble Audio introduced the Falcon Pro, a true wireless designed by one of the major audiophile manufacturers. It was at the high-end of true wireless and parts of its sound reflected that. Now Noble Audio has released its next iteration of this series, the FoKus Pro for $349. A price like that for wireless earbuds is still quite a sell, so let’s find out if it lives up to the Noble name.

What You Get

• Noble branded velvet drawstring case
• Tips tray (3 x dual flange, 2 x single bore silicone)
• A short USB-C cable for charging
• Manual and warranty materials

Look and Feel

The FoKus Pro comes out the gate strong, presenting you with one of the best designs of any true wireless earphone. It reminds me more of what a lot of modern IEMs look like, with an artistically designed faceplate and ergonomic shape. Out of all of Noble Audio’s true wireless designs, this one is their biggest winner. Their past builds have not been the most ideal, but the FoKus finally brings a fit that’s comfortable enough to easily wear for a significant amount of hours without being fatiguing.

Design and Functionality

Inside of the FoKus is an 8.2mm dynamic driver with two Knowles balanced armatures. Listening to the FoKus for quite some time, and being familiar with other models like the Falcon Pro, I can say that these are some of the most voluminous earbuds around. Half volume gives you a pretty substantial loudness that stands out to me when compared to other models. They also use the latest Qualcomm 3040 Bluetooth chipset supporting Bluetooth 5.2. While pairing the FoKus is simple, the stability of the connection isn’t always consistent. I encountered a few instances of desynchronization between the right and left earbud, but it wasn’t often enough to take me completely out of the experience, and each time, the FoKus instantly regained connection anyway.

Using the earphones themselves is much more user-friendly than ever before. The touch interface is a lot more sensitive this time around, and the sensors respond well after a short delay. Some of the actions are also completely customizable using Noble’s FoKus app available for IOS and Android. I don’t know why this app is separate from Noble’s sound suit app, but it offers some great features nonetheless. You can change the controls and also access an EQ which is always welcome for these wireless systems.

Battery Life

You should be able to get 7.5 hours of playtime off a single charge of the FoKus. The charging case gives you an extra 3-4 charges, which is definitely efficient, but for the price, it’s not as impressive.

Soundstage

While not always a strong suit in true wireless earphones, brands like Noble Audio have mostly delivered. The Falcon Pro exceeded my expectations with its rather large imaging and width, so I was more excited going into my testing for the FoKus. What I noticed about the FoKus is that it has a similar level of scale to the Falcon Pro, but here you’re given a broader sense of depth. You get a better sense of spaciousness and layering with the FoKus, giving you forward and backward imaging. This creates an especially immersive soundstage that makes its layers easy to identify due to its articulate separation and clear positioning. The stereo field is heavily extended, but never appears overly stretched out or too thin.

Low End  

There’s a lot happening in the bass here, but it’s not consistently giving you its goods. It’s a much more dynamic response that evens itself out with the majority of the sound signature, performing a smooth timbre that showcases a considerable level of control. The texture of the lows is clean and detailed, but its tonality creeps up rather than making a heavy impact. It wouldn’t be as impressive if the depth of the bass wasn’t so engaging. This gives the response a good lift so that the coloration of the bass isn’t too flat or neutral, and still offers a level of fullness that gives the frequencies a compact feel.

Mids

Parts of the midrange response are very strong. It veers away from a v-shaped signature and gives the mids more of a fundamental presence. The frequencies here are a lot more quick and lively, offering a more instantaneous transient response that makes the details of the timbre pop. This is especially effective with more forward positioning of instruments and vocals, which are given a grander showcase. Vocals get a significantly more energetic presence which reveals great detail in the upper mids that give the timbre an intimate flavor.

Highs

The treble gives you most everything you’d be looking for in a true wireless. Their response is slightly more reserved than the mids, but still retains a consistent level of fidelity. This creates a more natural output that is a lot easier on the ears than the FoKus’s predecessor. Overwhelming brightness is replaced by smooth textures and a fine level of air to increase the height of the music.

Summary

I feel like with the FoKus, Noble Audio finally got right everything they needed to in creating a true wireless earphone that anyone can enjoy. Past models have been successful, but they could be picky in terms of sound. In terms of accessibility, this is Noble Audio operating at its best, combining a comfortable fit with a non-fatiguing sound that offers plenty of texture and detail for a true wireless. It’s a higher price but asserts its value with its sonic fidelity and unique aesthetic design.

The Noble Audio FoKus Pro is available at Audio46.