Noble FoKus Apollo  Headphones Review

The Noble FoKus Apollo have a balanced signature with their default EQ over Bluetooth. That said, you might perceive them as slightly warm due to the contrast between their emphasized bass and scooped high-bass to low-mid frequencies. If their stock tuning isn't to your liking, you can always use their 10-band graphic EQ, try their multiple EQ presets, or go through the personalized EQ test on the headphones' app.

Matching the Focal Bathys Wireless, the Noble have an onboard DAC (digital-to-analog converter) and support Bluetooth, USB-C, and analog connections. While each connection type performs similarly under the same conditions (powered on, ANC on), the headphones' frequency response varies depending on the state of ANC (or power) for analog, USB-C, and Bluetooth connections. In further investigations, we also noticed that phase response mismatch was more pronounced in some ANC off configurations.

The Noble FoKus Apollo have great frequency response consistency for most people. That said, if you wear glasses, you may notice the headphones don't deliver as much sub-bass. Their audio delivery doesn't fluctuate much between reseats, though, so you'll enjoy consistent audio between sessions.

They have outstanding bass compliance. They have a bit of emphasis in both the sub-bass and mid-bass, with the latter indicated by group delay fluctuations. In practice, you won't perceive too many differences in thump and punch due to their relatively understated emphasis (5 dB) and our lower sensitivity to loudness changes in the bass range.

The headphones have excellent mid-range compliance. Slight underemphasis from the high bass continues into the low-mids, which sidesteps potential mudiness that could result from their slightly emphasized bass. Vocals and instruments are present but forward in the mix. The headphones reproduce Jacqueline du Pre's wistful cello in Elgar's Cello Concerto in E Minor without sounding boxy.

The Noble FoKus Apollo have great treble range compliance. On average, their frequency response lines up with our target curve. However, their response fluctuates from band to band, which can render neighboring frequencies as piercing or dull as high-pitched vocals traverse their frequency response.

The Noble FoKus Apollo's peaks and dips performance is okay. Most of the frequency response is smooth and fluctuation-free, adhering to their balanced sound signature. However, the treble range contains alternating peaks and dips, which can render neighboring frequencies alternately dull or piercing, and hissy or closed-up. That said, fluctuations aren't more than 7 dB from trough to peak, and we aren't as sensitive to dB changes in this high-frequency range.

The Noble FoKus Apollo have great stereo matching in overall amplitude, frequency response, and phase response. Audio objects like individual instruments are rendered accurately in a stereo image without gaps.

That said, you might run into more obvious phase (and frequency) response mismatch issues, depending on your connection and ANC settings. We noticed that stereo mismatch varied depending on ANC settings when connected via Bluetooth and analog. There is an extended phase alignment issue around 350Hz–800Hz that was replicable for both Bluetooth and analog connections with ANC (or the headphones) off. In practice, this can bias the fundamental frequencies of vocals and instruments to the left.

These headphones have good group delay performance. That said, a small fluctuation around 90Hz contributes to a tuning decision of the frequency response in the same region due to constructive and destructive wave interactions of neighboring frequencies.

These closed-back headphones excite the pinna, but they don't sound as natural or immersive as a benchmark stereo speaker setup.

These headphones have good distortion performance. At high volumes, most listeners won't perceive an audible coloration due to distortion.

The headphones get plenty loud via Bluetooth and have a low enough impedance (and high enough sensitivity) that you won't need a dedicated amp to drive them. Content with a larger dynamic range, like orchestral music, won't clip during emotional swells, even if you're connected to your laptop or phone.

These are the settings used to test these headphones. Our results are only valid when used in this configuration.

The Noble FoKus Apollo are premium Bluetooth headphones, and they certainly look the part. Their silhouette is pretty wide on your head, and certainly more evocative of less modern designs, yet their finish and material selection support a refined look more suited for current sensibilities. The headphones house concentric hybrid drivers (14.5 mm planar magnetic and 40 mm dynamic drivers) and use a mix of materials throughout their design.

The earpads are memory foam bound with protein leather, while the ear cup housing, further from the head, has a textured finish mirrored by the top of the headband. The outer ear cups feature an anodized aluminum finish with the manufacturer's crown-like logo and branding. The asymmetrical yokes and hinges mirror the gunmetal aluminum finish of the outer ear cups, and telescope into the Alcantara-upholstered lower section of the headband.

The Noble FoKus Apollo are very comfortable headphones. While they aren't as lightweight as consumer flagships like the Sony WH-1000XM6 or Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Wireless, they hit a good middle ground, opting for a lighter design than the heavier Apple AirPods Max. To help them stay in the sweetspot, they have yokes and hinges that swivel and tilt to conform to your head shape, optimally sheltering your ears in deep, spacious earpads. Their headband also has ample padding and distributes their weight well; if you have a more exposed scalp, the suede-like finish of the band's Alcantara (synthetic suede) upholstery is soft and comfortable to the touch.

For gamers (or teleworkers), the boom mic takes the headphones' total weight to 0.77 lbs. It's also worth pointing out that due to their relatively high clamping force and deeper earpads, the headphones can apply mildly discomforting pressure on your temples, particularly if you wear glasses.

These headphones have great controls. Their control scheme exclusively uses physical buttons, which some users prefer due to the lower likelihood of erroneous inputs. We found them quite intuitive and easy to use, though certain mappings have consequences for overall usability. For example, holding the volume up button cycles to the next song, which means you need to press the volume button multiple times to increase your volume (rather than holding it down, which is common for other control schemes). You also have access to a dedicated ANC mode button and a switch to mute/unmute the microphone.

The headphones chime in response to inputs (which you can toggle off) and have physical notches and texture, which help with navigation. That said, you have to hold the power button down for a few seconds to power the headphones on/off. It's not a dealbreaker, but it's still noticeably longer compared to other brands' controls. If you have the headphones powered on and connected to your device via analog, you won't be able to control calls (but playback controls work just fine).

These headphones are quite bulky. While their hinges and yokes swivel, allowing the headphones to lie flat, they aren't foldable. That said, they won't be too cumbersome if you want to hang them around your neck. If you plan on putting them away during your travels, it's probably best to keep them safely stowed in their hard case, considering their price tag.

The headphones come with a great, albeit large, carrying case. Noble claims the hard case is made from EVA (a durable plastic material). It comes with ample storage space for the headphones and their included accessories. You can also store additional cables underneath the plastic structure inside the case.

The case comes with a handle, making it easier to carry around as a separate item. However, its bulky footprint can take up precious real estate in a carry-on bag or backpack on your next flight.

The Noble FoKus Apollo have excellent build quality. Their construction features premium materials, including an anodized aluminum frame, protein leather wrapped memory foam earpads, and a headband that incorporates Alcantara. The hinges and yoke can swivel easily and have tight tolerances without play or wobble. The bottom of the headband is upholstered with branded Alcantara, known for its durability and use in high-contact surfaces like car steering wheels. In terms of control surfaces, the headphones' buttons don't have much wobble and have a satisfying click. While their included cables aren't braided, they have thicker housings and are less prone to tangles.

These headphones have decent stability. Thanks to their relatively high clamping force, they won't move much if you tilt your head from side to side. That said, they can fall off your head if you get too into your music and start vigorously headbanging.

• Noble FoKus Apollo headphones
• Quick start guide
• Hard case
• Small accessory pouch
• Boom microphone
• 1/8" to 1/8" TRRS cable (1.24 m/4.06 ft)
• USB-C to USB-C cable (1.22 m/4.00 ft)
• 1/8" to balanced 4.4 mm adapter
• 1/8" to two-prong airplane adapter
• 1/8" to 1/4" adapter

These headphones have remarkable full-range noise isolation. Their closed-back design and ANC system provide solid attenuation against bassy engines, ambient chatter, and whirring fans. That said, they aren't as effective at mitigating noise from voices as the Sony WH-1000XM6, which provide stronger low-mid and mid-mid attenuation.

Our subjective assessment found their transparency mode somewhat digital compared to the benchmark, the Apple AirPods Max.

The Noble FoKus Apollo have outstanding noise isolation in common scenarios. They can handle the consistent rumble of airplane engines, screeching brakes of buses rolling to a stop, and whirring HVAC at the office.

Wind noise is challenging for most ANC headphones. ANC systems try to cancel phantom noise (from wind interacting with the systems' microphones) and produce undesirable popping. Unfortunately, these headphones lack a wind noise reduction feature, and the audio recordings indicate they're more susceptible to this phenomenon compared to the Mark Levinson Nº 5909.

The headphones don't leak much audio. Someone sitting beside you might notice a thin version of your audio if you're studying in a library. That said, busier workspaces will likely mask any leakage.

The Noble's boom microphone has impressive recording quality via Bluetooth. Your voice sounds quite natural and comprehensible.

The integrated microphone (also through Bluetooth) predictably performs worse. That said, it's still good: here's how it sounds. Your voice will sound a bit more boxy and nasal, but you'll still be intelligible if you prefer not to walk around public with the boom mic attached.

The boom mic's noise handling over Bluetooth is very good. Against both pink noise and subway noise, the microphone system doesn't seem to attenuate noise through software or noise cancelling. Instead, the proximity to your mouth and pickup pattern do the heavy lifting. In practice, your conversation partner will hear your background, but your voice will remain louder and audible even as the train comes to a screeching halt.

As you'd expect, the integrated microphone doesn't perform as well as the boom microphone. You can listen to the pink noise sample and the subway noise sample for comparison.

These headphones have impressive battery performance. Although our measurements underperformed the manufacturer's advertised 60 hours with ANC, the Noble FoKus Apollo have one of the longest-lasting batteries we've tested. Noble also advertises 80 hours of playback with ANC disabled, though we haven't verified this claim. It's also worth noting that other factors like microphone and codec usage, volume, and ANC load can also affect battery life.

While a Noble rep reached out in the comments about an upcoming firmware update that includes an auto-off timer, the feature isn't available in our tested firmware v1.0.6.

The Noble FoKus app is pretty lightweight, which isn't surprising considering they're relative newcomers in the active headphones space. That said, the app has good functionality. You can adjust their sound with a 10-band graphic EQ or the included presets, toggle feedback tones, and adjust your volume. Check out our app walkthrough for a more in-depth look that covers additional functionality like their personalized EQ test.

These headphones support two wired connections via their USB-C (1.22 m/4.00 ft) and 1/8" TRRS (1.24 m/4.06 ft) cables. While active (powered on), both connections have low latency, but you can use them passively (via analog) for even lower audio latency (0.24 ms). Their microphone (boom or integrated) also works with most devices over either connection. That said, Noble recommends using an analog connection and their boom microphone.

The Noble FoKus Apollo have impressive Bluetooth connectivity. They support a number of codecs, including SBC, AAC, and higher bitrate aptX HD and LDAC. That said, the Noble have high audio latency across the board, which is expected due to their lack of low-latency codec support. While apps and devices compensate for latency, you may notice some audio/visual desync in non-playback content like games.

You can pair the headphones with up to two devices simultaneously, and switching is quite snappy compared to the similarly positioned Focal Bathys Wireless. That said, you'll need to pause your content before switching devices.

You can connect the headphones to your PC via analog, wired USB, or Bluetooth. You'll get full audio output and mic compatibility (boom or integrated mic) over each connection. That said, Noble recommends using an analog connection and their boom microphone.

These headphones work as an audio output and a microphone input when connected to PlayStation consoles via analog and wired USB. Both their internal microphone and boom attachment function. That said, Noble recommends using an analog connection and their boom microphone.

These headphones have microphone and audio compatibility with Xbox consoles via their analog connection. Both their boom and integrated mic function.