Back to the discussion about IEMs; I bought a set of Savanna's from Watagump a few months back when I bought a new hi-res player and started the foray into audiophile land. He was very informative and helpful when discussing what the benefits and drawbacks from different Noble IEMs. I ended up making the purchase from him and was very satisfied with the transaction and the information that he provided me. It was on point and thorough. Even though I started with the Savanna universals, I knew I wanted to move up in the line and that started with the purchase of a Sony WM1A DAP. The Savanna's with a custom balanced cable shine with this setup but I still had the question in the back of my mind? Could the sound get any better?
I had been browsing the for sale forums looking for some custom Noble K10's or Encore's that were eligible for the Owner Transfer Service (OTS). Just happened to stumble upon an ad that was several months old for some K10's that were eligible for the OTS. I contacted the seller who told me that they were available and that he had personally contacted Noble to ensure they qualified for the OTS. Long story short, I purchased them and re-verified with Noble about the OTS. Nancy assured me that they were indeed eligible so my hunt was on to get custom molds made. I got them made and researched the Wizard reprints and found one that I really liked. Sent everything to Noble and then the wait began. Luckily I had to do some travel for business and vacation to Italy so the time went by pretty quickly. I got an email from Tiffany at Noble with pictures of my new CIEMs for approval which I quickly approved of and then I got a tracking number and they were at my door 3 days later.
Quick impression was that the fit and seal were outstanding. I knew from the previous owner that he had less than 10 hours of use on them so I didn't know what to expect as far as sound. One thing that quickly struck me was I thought the bass was louder (not boomy) and more to the forefront than the Savannas were. The sound quality on these K10s is outstanding to my ears compared to my previous universal. Huge thumbs up to the team at Noble Audio for answering all my questions and keeping me up to date with the progress. Great work guys.
My only question about these CIEMs; Is there a recommended burn in time or do they mature in sound as you listen to them? C'mon Watagump, I know you have a wealth of knowledge to share....
