When it comes to audiophile-level true wireless earbuds, Noble Audio’s FoKus lineup constantly pushes the boundary of what wireless audio can achieve. In this head-to-head comparison, we dive deep into two of the brand’s most talked-about models: the Noble FoKus Prestige and the Noble FoKus Prestige Encore. Drawing from in-depth reviews and expert insights, we break down sound quality, features, comfort, battery life, and overall value so you can decide which flagship-caliber earbuds best fit your listening needs.
What You Get
| FoKus Prestige | FoKus Prestige Encore |
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Look & Feel
The original FoKus Prestige stands out immediately thanks to its handcrafted wooden housings and matching wooden charging case, a rare aesthetic choice in the true wireless category. Each unit features natural wood grain that gives every pair a unique appearance, and the smooth finish lends the earbuds a luxury feel that matches their flagship price point. The shape is slightly bulky by modern TWS standards, but the build quality is excellent and the shells feel solid and durable in daily use.
The Prestige Encore carries over the same premium wooden construction while refining the overall form factor. The earbuds are slightly slimmer and more contoured, allowing them to sit more naturally in the ear and distribute weight more evenly. The charging case also benefits from subtle ergonomic improvements, making it easier to pocket and handle. While both models feel distinctly high-end, the Encore’s updated shape and improved fit make it the more comfortable option for extended listening sessions.
Design & Functionality
The Noble FoKus Prestige is built around a carefully tuned hybrid three-driver configuration that combines a single dynamic driver with two Knowles balanced armature drivers. The FoKus Prestige Encore significantly upgrades this platform with a more advanced four-driver architecture that introduces a planar magnetic driver alongside a dynamic driver and two balanced armatures. The planar driver plays a critical role in enhancing transient speed, treble extension, and overall resolution, giving the Encore a more technically proficient sound signature.
The FoKus Prestige keeps things relatively simple in terms of features, focusing on stable Bluetooth performance and core functionality through the Noble FoKus companion app. Users can apply basic EQ adjustments and manage controls, but the emphasis remains squarely on sound quality rather than advanced wireless features. The Prestige Encore dramatically expands the feature set with the addition of hybrid active noise cancellation and an advanced transparency mode that makes the earbuds far more versatile in everyday environments.
The Noble FoKus Prestige uses a straightforward touch-control system that emphasizes reliability and simplicity over customization. The touch surfaces are responsive and easy to locate by feel, allowing users to manage basic playback functions such as play, pause, track skipping, and call handling directly from the earbuds. While the control scheme is intuitive, it offers limited flexibility compared to newer flagship models, and most advanced adjustments must be made through the Noble FoKus companion app. In practice, the Prestige’s controls perform consistently and with minimal accidental input, making them well suited for listeners who prefer a clean, distraction-free user experience that keeps the focus on sound quality rather than complex gesture mapping.
The FoKus Prestige Encore refines the control experience with a more feature-rich and configurable interface. Its touch controls are more sensitive and responsive, and the companion app allows for greater customization of gestures, enabling users to tailor playback, volume, ANC, and transparency functions to their preferences. Switching between noise-canceling modes, activating transparency, and managing calls can all be handled directly from the earbuds without reaching for a connected device. The Encore’s improved control layout and expanded gesture options make daily operation more fluid and convenient, especially for users who rely on frequent mode switching in different listening environments.
Bluetooth
Noble FoKus Prestige offers a stable and reliable Bluetooth connection with quick pairing and minimal dropouts, delivering smooth playback across phones, tablets, and portable players. While it lacks support for advanced high-resolution codecs, its well-optimized standard Bluetooth performance ensures consistent synchronization and dependable everyday use. FoKus Prestige Encore significantly upgrades wireless performance with support for aptX Adaptive, aptX Lossless, and LDAC, along with multipoint pairing and TrueWireless Mirroring for stronger stability and faster switching between devices. These additions give the Encore superior connection reliability and some of the highest-quality wireless audio transmission currently available in true wireless earbuds.
Battery Life
Battery performance remains strong on both models, with each delivering around ten hours of playback on a single charge under standard listening conditions. Additional charges from the case extend total listening time well beyond a full day, making both earbuds suitable for long sessions and daily commuting. Noise cancellation slightly reduces endurance on the newer model, but fast charging and wireless charging support help offset the difference, giving the updated version a small advantage in overall convenience and flexibility.
Soundstage
The Noble FoKus Prestige presents an impressively open soundstage for a true wireless earbud, with a natural sense of width that gives mixes room to breathe. Instruments are spaced comfortably across the stereo field, and the overall presentation feels airy and relaxed rather than congested. With the Prestige Encore, you get a noticeably more holographic and three-dimensional soundstage. The added planar magnetic driver contributes to greater depth and height, allowing instruments to occupy more defined positions within the mix. Imaging feels more precise, and spatial cues are easier to track, making complex recordings feel better organized and more lifelike. While depth is respectable, the Prestige’s staging leans more toward a wide, immersive presentation than a deeply layered one, favoring musical cohesion over pinpoint positioning. For listeners who prioritize expansive staging and accurate placement, the Encore offers a clear step forward.
Low End
Bass on the FoKus Prestige is warm, full-bodied, and musically engaging. The Prestige Encore has a tight bass offering faster transient response and greater texture throughout the bass region. Sub-bass reaches just as deep as the Prestige, but with improved control and cleaner decay. Mid-bass is more disciplined and less emphasized, resulting in a more neutral low-frequency balance that integrates seamlessly with the mids. The Encore’s bass feels more accurate and articulate, making it better suited for critical listening and complex bass passages. The Prestige’s dynamic driver still reproduces solid sub-bass extension with a pleasing sense of weight, while mid-bass remains rounded and punchy without bleeding excessively into the midrange. The low end favors richness over speed, giving electronic, hip-hop, and cinematic tracks a satisfying sense of impact while maintaining a smooth, fatigue-free presentation.
Mids
Midrange performance is one of the Prestige’s strongest qualities, delivering a rich and natural tonal character that flatters vocals and acoustic instruments. Voices come through with warmth and presence, and guitars and pianos carry a pleasing harmonic weight that gives recordings an organic feel. The tuning favors musicality, with smooth transitions from bass to mids that maintain coherence across the spectrum.
The Prestige Encore presents a more transparent and resolving midrange, with improved clarity and separation between instruments. Vocals sit slightly more forward in the mix and are rendered with greater micro-detail, revealing subtle textures and breathiness that the Prestige smooths over. The midrange remains neutral and well-balanced, offering a studio-like presentation that highlights accuracy without sacrificing emotional engagement.
Highs
Treble on the FoKus Prestige is smooth and well-controlled, extending high enough to convey air and sparkle without becoming sharp or fatiguing. The Prestige Encore elevates treble performance with noticeably greater extension and resolution. The planar driver adds speed and precision, allowing high-frequency details to emerge more clearly while maintaining excellent control. Cymbals and string harmonics sound natural and refined when listening to the Prestige, and the overall top end integrates gracefully with the rest of the frequency response. While detail retrieval is strong, the Prestige prioritizes a forgiving presentation that remains easy to listen to over long sessions. Micro-details in percussion and ambient effects are more apparent with the Prestige Encore, and the overall presentation feels cleaner and more open. Despite the increased clarity, the highs remain smooth and well-tuned, avoiding harshness while delivering a more revealing listening experience.
Summary
For listeners seeking maximum detail, technical precision, and a full suite of modern wireless features, the Noble FoKus Prestige Encore is the clear choice. Its upgraded driver system, advanced Bluetooth support, and active noise cancellation make it one of the most complete audiophile true wireless earbuds on the market. The original FoKus Prestige, however, remains an outstanding option for purists who prefer a warmer, more musical sound and a minimalist approach that focuses on tonal beauty rather than feature density. Both models represent the pinnacle of Noble Audio’s wireless engineering, and either choice delivers a genuinely high-end listening experience in a truly wireless form.
The Noble Audio FoKus Prestige and FoKus Prestige Encore are available at Audio46.
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