Odi Productions
In this article, I’m going to share my HONEST Noble FoKus Rex5 review for those who are wondering whether they are WORTH IT. I’ll also be comparing the Noble FoKus Rex5 vs AirPods Pro 3, Technics AZ100, Bowers & Wilkins Pi8, Denon PerL Pro, Status Pro X, Sony WF-1000XM5, SoundPEATS H3, Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4, Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2nd Gen, and more!
I’m going to do my best to share whether these wireless earbuds are worth it, and ideally who these are perfect for. I’ve owned these for a while now and have quite a few thoughts.
I’ll be sharing my critical opinion with 10 years of experience as a professional music producer, audio engineer, and tech journalist.
Let’s dive right in!
Noble FoKus Rex5 Review in Short
The Noble FoKus Rex5 is the #1 wireless earbud for sound quality we’ve tested to date, but at the cost of average noise cancelling performance, mic quality, and daily practicality. Not to mention the actual cost itself. Competes in the wireless noise cancelling earbuds class with the likes of Technics EAH-AZ100, Bowers & Wilkins Pi8, Denon PerL Pro, Apple AirPods Pro 3rd Generation, Status Pro X, Sony WF-1000XM5, Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2nd Gen, and Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4.
Pros and Cons
- #1 wireless earbud for sound quality
- LDAC and aptX Adaptive support
- Beautiful design and premium materials
- Average noise cancelling performance
- Average microphone quality
- No water-resistance rating
- A little bulky
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Comfort + Features
Comfort
The Noble FoKus Rex5 comes with a whopping 10 pairs of eartips, the most in any earbuds I’ve tested by a large margin of at least 5 more pairs than any other earbuds.
This mixture includes your standard silicone eartips, “Christmas tree” silicone eartips that are layered for a better fit, and memory foam tips.
Thanks to all the variety of options, you should have no issue finding a combination that works for you.
That said, the beautiful earbud itself is designed much like a traditional IEM, and it has a bit of size and weight to it versus some of the more streamlined wireless earbuds.
For that reason, I find the FoKus Rex5 to be of average comfort and secure-fitting, as many pairs are more practical due to a much smaller form factor and footprint.
If for whatever reason the stock eartips aren’t to your liking, I’ve really enjoyed using these aftermarket ones I tested from SpinFit (note that this entire review is using the stock eartips):
The wireless earbuds that I find more comfortable and secure-fitting include:
- Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2nd and 1st Gen
- Apple AirPods Pro 3
- Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro
- Google Pixel Buds Pro 2
Features
The Noble FoKus Rex5 was originally released in November 2024, so it has many modern wireless earbud features:
- No water, sweat, or dust resistance rating ❌
- LDAC and aptX Adaptive high-res codec support
- Built-in microphones for taking calls
- USB-C charging case
- Bluetooth 5.4
- Multi-point connection
- Adaptive Noise Cancelling
- Transparency Mode
- iOS and Android app support
The most notable feature for audiophiles is the LDAC and aptX Adaptive high-res codec support, which is the only one I’m aware of for this class of wireless earbuds, as most typically only support one or the other.
No IPX rating for water and dust-resistance is a bit of a bummer, as most earbuds have an IPX4 rating at minimum for sweat and light splashes of water.
Also, it’s nice that there is a native app offered for both iOS and Android users alike.
Microphone Quality
I find the microphone quality on the Noble FoKus Rex5 to be serviceable, but clearly not in that elite tier of AirPods Pro 3, Sony WF-1000XM5, and Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2nd Gen.
This makes sense, as these earbuds are really designed to be audiophile listening experiences first and foremost.
When pitted against the more audiophile brands that it directly competes with, I do prefer the microphone quality from the Technics AZ100 and Status Pro X.
It’s around the same level as the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8, if not slightly superior.
Battery Life
- With ANC on: 5 hours of battery life on a single charge / 40 hours total with charging case
- With ANC off: 7 hours on a single charge / 40 hours total with charging case
- Fast Charge: 15 minutes = 2 hours of playback
This battery life is slightly below average for the class, as most competitors are 6-8 hours on a single charge, and 24-30 hours with the charging case.
Comfort + Features Score: 8.5 out of 10
Noble FoKus Rex5 Noise Cancelling Performance
As mentioned with the mic quality, these are clearly an audiophile listening experience first and foremost, so I wasn’t sure what to expect with noise cancelling.
I would say the noise cancelling performance is average for this class of wireless earbuds.
It definitely cuts down on a decent amount of outside noise, but there are still a good amount of frequencies that can leak through.
If you’re seeking the best options for ANC, there is much better options like the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2nd Gen, AirPods Pro 3, and Sony WF-1000XM5.
For the more audiophile contenders, I also prefer the ANC on the Technics AZ100 and Status Pro X to name a couple.
Noise Cancelling Score: 7.5 out of 10
Sound Quality
Now this is what you probably came for.
Noble Audio is a well-respected brand in the audiophile community, so I was super excited to finally give one of their products a proper testing.
Let’s start with the high-res codecs of LDAC and aptX Adaptive support, which is the only earbuds I’ve tested that supports both. Typically, it’s only one or the other.
To conduct this test, I used my Questyle QCC Dongle Pro to unlock LDAC and aptX Adaptive support:
![Questyle QCC Dongle Pro [MFi Certified] USB-C Bluetooth Audio Adapter with LDAC,aptX Lossless&aptX-Adaptive,Low Latency Bluetooth 5.4 Dongle for PS5,Wireless Lossless Transmitter for PC/Headphones](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/21jT-Cm5ZVL._SL500_.jpg)
If you’re an iPhone user, or if your phone doesn’t support aptX codecs, then I highly recommend you pick up the dongle above which will cover both LDAC and aptX Adaptive high-res codecs. It’s the only one of its kind that supports both, to my knowledge.
On paper, what sets the Noble FoKus Rex5 is its unique “5-Driver Hybrid System”.
Aside from 3 “normal” drivers, there is a 10mm dynamic driver dedicated to bass, and a 6mm planar driver dedicated to highs.
Let me tell you, the end result is quite unlike anything I’ve heard before from a wireless earbud of the 20+ pairs I’ve tested to date…
First, the stock sound profile is… interesting.
It’s a bit on the darker and smoother end of the spectrum, which is not my personal preference.
Due to this, vocals have a tendency to sound either boxy, muffled, or distant at times.
The plus side is that the timbre, soundstage, and depth of the vocals is one of the most realistic and believable for the class. I’d say these are the closest to sounding “3D” in holography.
Moving onto the bass, which is easily the most visceral bass response I’ve heard from a wireless earbud.
It’s like they packed a tiny subwoofer into these, and I can hear that dedicated 10mm dynamic driver put to good use.
The bass is full, tactile, and full of quantity and slam. Now, other earbuds have a lot of bass as well, but none quite as clean as the implementation in the Rex5.
With 3 drivers dedicated to the mids, they are indeed full and rich. In some cases a little too boxy, but the timbre is excellent.
Lastly, the 6mm planar driver for the highs delivers some very nice yet smooth treble detail to top everything off.
From an audiophile perspective, these simply have the highest sound quality ceiling of any wireless earbuds I’ve tested, and just excels in its resolution, details, soundstage, separation, and layering.
Sure, I don’t love the stock sound profile and tuning, but there’s a 10-band EQ and Sound Personalization with a hearing test to make up for that.
So for that reason, I put these slightly above my beloved Technics AZ100, Denon PerL Pro, Status Pro X, and Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 – all of which are excellent listening experiences as well.
And against the mainstream earbuds like AirPods Pro 3, Sony WF-1000XM5, Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2nd Gen, Sennheiser Momentrum True Wireless 4, and the like?
They’re decent enough, sure, but this is truly audiophile territory.
Sound Quality Score: 8.8 out of 10
Value
The Noble FoKus Rex5 retails at $449 USD and seems to still stay around that price today.
The very competitive Technics EAH-AZ100 and Denon PerL Pro is actually around $249 on sale, which is also in line with the mainstream brands like AirPods Pro 3, Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2nd Gen, and Sony WF-1000XM5.
To put things into a better perspective, the Noble FoKus Rex5 competes more directly with fellow audiophile brands like the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 at $400 and Devialet Gemini II at $499.
One value standout here is the SoundPEATS H3 at under $130 retail, but the sound quality is noticeably higher on the Rex5.
Overall, what you’re paying for is to get the best audiophile sound quality in a wireless earbud currently.
I think this achieves that, but perhaps at the cost of not being a great all-arounder when it comes to noise cancelling performance, mic quality, and even the lack of IPX water-resistance rating.
Value Score: 7.5 out of 10
Overall Scoring Breakdown
Comfort + Features (15% of score): 8.5 / 10
Noise Cancelling (25% of score): 7.5 / 10
Sound Quality (50% of score): 8.8 / 10
Value (10% of score): 7.5 / 10
Total: 8.3 out of 10
Is the Noble FoKus Rex5 Worth it?
It all boils down to this question, and my answer is… it depends.
If you’re solely looking for the absolute best sound quality in a wireless earbud to date, hit that “Buy” button and thank me later.
But… if factors like noise cancelling performance, mic quality, and water resistance are very important to you…
Then there are alternatives that sound almost as good, but with much more daily usage practicality.
The two most notable ones that stand out to me are the Technics AZ100 and Status Pro X.
Either way, you’re looking at peak wireless earbud sound quality currently, and I hope you get a chance to hear them for yourself.
Lastly, if you’d like to save some money and keep supporting RecordingNOW.com’s 100% independent, unbiased reviews, do consider using some of our affiliate links below to shop and even just compare prices. We purchase all products we review with our own money to maintain the highest level of integrity, and your support goes into that plus a continuously improving site experience.
Order HERE for the LOWEST PRICE AVAILABLE (Do NOT pay retail):
Disclosure: These affiliate links may provide a discount and in return, give us a commission in order to keep this website 100% independent to ensure honest unfiltered reviews 🙂
How We Tested and Our Methodology
RecordingNOW.com is a 100% independent publisher with over 10 years of experience testing and reviewing consumer electronics and headphones.
We currently purchase the products we test with our own money, and are not paid by any company or manufacturer to influence our opinions or decisions.
After purchasing the product, we conduct up to hundreds of hours of detailed hands-on testing in a controlled, acoustically-treated environment.
ODi Productions is our resident expert and author of this article, with 10 years of experience as a professional music producer, tech journalist, and audiophile.
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