Are these the most beautiful earbuds of the year?

For just slightly more than a decade now, Noble (straight outta Texas) has been turning out singular headphone designs of lesser or greater expense – and with its new FoKus Rex5 true wireless it's definitely nailed the 'greater expense' thing. How about the rest of the package though?

How much do Noble's FoKus Rex5 cost?

The Noble FoKus Rex5 true wireless in-ear headphones are on sale now, and in the United Kingdom they sell for £419 a pair. The going rate in the United States is $449, while in Australia you'll have to part with AU$699.

This is, as they like to say in football, 'top, top' money for even a pair of the best true wireless earbuds. When you're asking a chunk more than celebrated class leaders from the likes of Bowers & Wilkins and Technics, there had better be a good reason…

Noble FoKus Rex5 review: Features & What's new

'Thorough' is the word I'm going with here. The Noble FoKus Rex5 are thoroughly specified, and have a feature-set in excess of what might seem necessary. For instance, they use Bluetooth 5.4 for wireless connectivity, and are compatible with both aptX Adaptive and LDAC codecs. And they have multipoint connectivity too, so can switch seamlessly between a couple of sources of sound as and when you require.

Once the audio information is aboard, it's delivered by no fewer than five drivers per earbud. That's right, to achieve the quoted 20Hz – 40kHz frequency response, Noble has fitted each Rex5 earbud with a 6mm planar magnetic driver, a 10mm free-edge dynamic driver, and three (count 'em!) balanced armatures. Which is four more drivers per earbud than the overwhelming majority of its nominal rivals seem to think is required.

Battery life is an unremarkable five hours with ANC switched on, and closer to seven hours if you switch it off. What is definitely remarkable, though, is the fact that the (admittedly quite bulky) charging case has a further seven full charges in it. That’s quite a mitigation effort.

Noble FoKus Rex5 review: Performance

It seems fair to say that where sound quality is concerned, the Noble FoKus Rex5 are not exactly all-rounders. But then it's equally fair to say both that their good points significantly outweigh their not-so-good, and that where they're good they're really very good indeed.

As far as 'not so good' goes, we're looking at wind-noise suppression (or the lack thereof) when making or receiving calls, active noise-cancellation (ANC) and low-frequency characteristics. The first is easily dealt with: the Rex5 are absolutely bang average when it comes to keeping wind-noise low when involved in a call. This may be a deal-breaker for you, or it may not matter in the slightest. And when it comes to noise-cancellation, the Noble are a match for the majority of their (vaguely) price-comparable rivals – the problem, as it is for every brand, is that Bose do it best and everyone else is fighting for the runner-up spot.

The way the Rex5 deal with the low end may prove slightly more problematic. Just as with the rest of the frequency range, the earbuds invest the bottom end with a huge amount of detail – and they control bass sounds with the sort of unquestionable authority that means rhythmic expression is entirely convincing and naturalistic. The problem is simply that they're not an especially substantial listen where bass is concerned – they dig deep, they hit hard and they are able to describe a great deal of variation, but they don't have the sort of weight that can make music swing. If most true wireless in-ears are a bulldog when it comes to the lowest frequencies, the Rex5 are a whippet.

In every other respect, though, the FoKus Rex5 are an uncomplicated pleasure to listen to. As I mentioned, they're hawkish when it comes to detail – it doesn't matter how transitory or how low in the mix an occurrence in a recording might be, these earbuds identify it, reveal it and place it into convincing context. They have a lovely, natural tonal balance that neither adds to nor detracts from the sound of the recording they're playing. And their frequency response is smooth and even, this slight lack of low-end wallop notwithstanding.

They create a large and properly organised soundstage – even if your music is full to the brim with individual performers, there's somehow always enough room on the stage for each one to do their thing without coming under pressure for elbow-room. And their facility with dynamics, both the broad shifts in volume or intensity and the more minor, but no less significant, harmonic variations in an individual instrument or voice, is absolutely class-leading. When an orchestra (for example) shifts from 'contemplative solo instrument' to 'every section attempting a bigger crescendo than every other section', the distance the Noble can put between these two positions is enormous.

The overall presentation is direct, positive and unequivocal. Nowhere is this more apparent than through the midrange, where the Rex5 communicate eloquently and with absolute conviction – seldom does a vocalist sound more characterful, more focused or more attitudinal. If there is a pair of true wireless in-ear that are more articulate or more revealing where a singer is concerned, I have yet to hear them.

Noble FoKus Rex5 review: Design & Usability

There's 'green', and then there's the Noble FoKus Rex5. After you spend a few minutes with them you'll realise that they're beautifully built from premium materials – and impeccably finished too. But on first acquaintance I defy you to notice anything but just how very green they are.

The charging case is made of aluminium, with a little plastic area on its base to allow charging via Qi-certified pads – there's also a USB-C slot for the same job. The earbuds themselves are of aluminium with acrylic, and although they're both relatively big and relatively heavy (9.6g each), their sculpted and ergonomic shape, along with a total of 10 varieties of eartip, helps keep them secure and comfortable.

Each earbud has a couple of mics that take care of ANC (which is a three-stage system of 'off', 'on' and 'ambient'), telephony and voice-assistant interaction. As well as just asking for what you require, you can control the Rex5 using either the capacitive touch surface on each earbud or the 'FoKus' control app that's free for iOS and Android.

The app isn't the most extensive, to be honest, but as well as the basics of 'play/pause', 'skip forwards/backwards' and 'cycle through ANC options', it allows you redefine some of the touch commands and look into some EQ presets as well as create a few of your own. You can check on battery status, too, and there's a hearing test (courtesy of Audiodo) that helps trim performance to best suit your particular hearing profile. The Rex5 have sufficient memory, thanks to the integrated QCC3091 chip, to remember your settings without the app needing to be open.

Noble FoKus Rex5 review: Verdict

Very few true wireless in-ears sound as swift, detailed and downright musical as the Rex5 – but on the other hand, very few sound less substantial at the bottom end either.

In some ways, therefore, the Noble FoKus Rex5 are flawed – and even more so when you consider how much they cost.

But the things these earbuds get right, they get so very right that it's possible to forgive or even ignore their shortcomings – as long as you're okay with their green, that is.

Also consider

The splendid Pi8 by Bowers & Wilkins, suddenly made to look a bit of a bargain by the Noble FoKus Rex5, can do a bit of everything – and in some style. They sound great, first and foremost, they're comfortable and well made, they look good in an understated sort of way (not something that can be levelled at the Rex5), and they have an expansive and very usable control app.

Or you could save even more money on the price of a pair of Rex5 and instead enjoy the very agreeable sound and styling of the new Technics EAH-AZ100 – I doubt you'd be disappointed.