My amature impressions of the Noire.
History: AT ATH-M50, Monoprice m1060,Tin T2, Airpods Pro, Sony WH, Focal Celestee
Stack: Asus x570 pro>Topping d30Pro balanced XLR to THX AAA 789 balanced XLR cable to headphones
Music: Rap, Jazz, Electronic, Ambient, Rock
Style
At first, I wasn’t interested based on the shape and styling of the Noire. Not a fan of carbon fiber with it being associated with the sporty car look. To me, the Celestee is one of the best-looking headphones with navy blue and copper accenting giving it a classy look that stood out in the sea of black headphones or wood cups. I wasn’t interested in the Aeon’s shape at first either. It seemed like a different-just-to-be-different kind of move. Then I read someone explain it’s made to be shaped like an ear for comfort, then it made sense.
The cable on the Celestee is a joke. Focal must assume you have a dac/amp on your desk because it certainly is not long enough for any other listening scenario. I got the balanced XLR cable for the Noire and it’s perfect with no microphonics. The connectors are weird but I like them better than the m1060c connectors. It would be a problem if I was looking for a secondary cable but I don’t intend to do that since I enjoy this one. It feels nice to the touch. It’s very light. Not stiff like Focal cables are.
Comfort
Many reviews said it was the most comfortable headphone they’ve tried. Comfort was a reason why I wanted to upgrade from the m1060c. With the Noire, I immediately noticed how comfortable it was once I put it on. It is ultra-light and has very little pressure from the cups. The weight is the lightest I’ve tried on my head. The Celestee was better than the m1060 in weight but more than the Noire. Celestee clamping was not hard but made so I couldn’t forget the headphone was on. The Noire I could forget. The Noire was something I enjoyed putting on my head. The Celestee was kind of a gets the job done feel. The Noire has set my benchmark for comfort. I simply love wearing them.
Sound
The first thing I thought with the Noire was how subdued it seemed, but not in a bad way. It pointed out how shouty the Celestee was in contrast, even with EQ on both. Getting used to it for about a week now, the treble is pleasing. Mids are less forward but are still present. Celestee leaned more bright when Noire was almost warm.
Noire bass is slightly less hard than the Celestee, but not by far. Bass is where I want it to be, and if I wanted more it EQ’s great.
I use Oratory1990’s EQ. The Celestee EQ felt more like a required fix, and when I forgot to turn it on I was reminded by the Celestee’s sharp treble. Fatigue was a problem with the Celestee caused by the microdynamics/pressure as others have pointed out in this forum. I almost say I could notice the distortion others mention. The Noire I preferred it without EQ. With no EQ it has more life and detail. The soundstage seems larger.
Focal is said to bring detail and clarity forward and I would agree, but it’s a bit more in your face. Almost too much. The Noire is more subtle and laid back and does a great job with detail too, but you have to search for it. I don’t see the need for the inserts that come with the Noire. I’d say it could use the treble pulled up.
To my untrained ear, the Noire tone is good. I couldn’t find any distortion even at high volumes. In comparison, the Celestee was less pleasant to listen to at high volumes.
The Celestee was my first high-end headphone at $1k so I was expecting it to blow me away. I didn’t expect it to be perfect, but I could not ignore how little the soundstage was. It must have been smaller than the m1060c. It was a glaring problem that pushed me to look for a closed-back that had a less small stage. The Noire isn’t super impressive with stage or imaging but it was noticeable better. When listening to Oscar Peterson’s top tracks there is some whispering or breathing that makes me check my surroundings. It still had so much detail that I could undeniably notice the distortion in the tracks I mentioned in my recording quality post I made here; a blessing and a curse. The Noire has an airy feel to it. Neither had that behind a wood cup sound that the m1060c has.
I use a balanced cable on the Noire and only have to use the 2nd gain with volume never going past 50%. The amp is after a d30pro that sits in preamp mode -0.0db, and Windows/Tidal volume 100%.
I assumed Celestee would show me the benefits of “higher-end” headphones and when I didn’t love it I thought maybe I just wasn’t used to it. I felt I had to listen to them and I had to enjoy them because they were high end but I just didn’t. I’d keep them over my m1060c’s. The Noire I immediately enjoyed. I want to come back to it.
