Noble Unveils FoKus Rex5 ANC 5 Driver Earbuds For Discerning Audiophiles

Noble Audio has released its most advanced true wireless stereo (TWS) earphones yet in the form of the Fokus Rex5. Packed to the gills not just with active noise canceling, app control, and some of the better audio codecs, the Rex5 boasts five drivers per side and integrated sound personalization in collaboration with Audiodo. It all sounds promising, but is it worth the high sticker price?

Within the audio space, Texas-based Noble is largely known for crafting audiophile in-ear monitors (IEMs) such as the fantastic Katana, Khan, and Fokus Prestige. Today, the company has announced its zanniest TWS earphones yet, the Fokus Rex5. While it doesn't harbor fancy MEMs Knowles drivers like the recent Fokus H-ANC, the Rex5 has five a hybrid five-drive setup consisting of one 10mm dynamic, one 6mm planar, and three balanced armature drivers per side. This configuration (assuming the tuning is done right) allows the strength of each driver to shine through without accentuating their inherent weaknesses.

Noble is also proud of its new personalized sound customization feature. Within the Noble companion app, users can leverage the built-in Audiodo tool that uses algorithms to calibrate sound output independently for the users' left and right ears. The created sound compensation curves are stored in the Qualcomm QCC3091 chipset (in each earbud), thus making it accessible regardless of what device is used.

The Rex5 sports the latest Bluetooth 5.4 protocol with support for AAC, SBC, aptX Adaptive and LDAC, although there's no mention of Bluetooth LE audio or Snapdragon Sound, which the aforementioned QCC3091 is technically capable of. 

According to the manufacturer, battery life is rated at seven hours without ANC and 5 hours with ANC on. We're assuming that with hi-res codec like LDAC activated, however, those figures would drop dramatically. There's also no dust-water resistance listed anywhere, so it's safe to say that the Rex5 shouldn't be taken on your daily runs or in the rain.

The Noble Fokus Rex5 is open for pre-orders starting today for a hefty $450. For reference, high-end consumer earphones like the Sony WF-1000XM5 and Apple AirPods Pro 2 go for much less. Orders will start shipping from November 29, giving you enough time to stick this under the Christmas tree for your (hopefully grateful) loved one.