Dan Clark Audio - Noire X

If you don't need bass, I would say skip on buying these and look for used DCA AEON Closed X. Sound is amazing, comfort is the best, and their build is one of the most unique of any headphone.

If I was going to pick up a DCA headphone, it would be either the Noire X or Stealth. I compared the Noire X recently to the E3 and I MUCH preferred the Noire X: more comfortable and a more pleasing expression to me. It’s an excellent choice. Enjoy!

I went back and forth between the E3 and Noire X, A/B testing them for a while at canjam. I landed on the Noire X. I actually prefer the tuning. I think the E3 is more neutral which just kind of sounded flat. The Noire X is slightly more v shaped which makes it a more enjoyable and fun sounding headphone. If you want to analyze your music maybe the E3 is for you. If you want to just sit back and enjoy it, the Noire X is the pick. The cost savings, being easier to drive, more comfortable and lighter were all icing on the cake.

https://preview.redd.it/oahj6mrl7yuf1.jpeg?width=2934&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=da41f8a22c8c0d27e5ab42616c8da7f0d81776bb love my Noire X. amazing headphone.

how do you compare the X to the XO. I have the X and absolutely love them. Ive been downsizing my collection recently and I got to the X and at first I was going to sell them, then reconsidered bc how much I enjoy them. Widest sounded closedback Ive ever heard. Ive heard the E3 and I actually preferred the X as I felt they sounded more lively and dynamic. E3 sounded kind of flat to me.

Have had mine for about 6 months now. I am not even sure if there is an endgame after this. Other than changing your source and EQing it’s pretty fucking perfect. Supremely comfortable as well.

I liked my Noire X so much I bought a pair of E3's. They are fantastic headphones with very little competition at the $1k price point.

I’ve spent way too much money chasing the perfect sound, and after burning through a pile of headphones and IEMs, I think I’m finally there. The headphone path went: Sundara → HD600 → HD650 → Edition XS (good but too sharp and sibilant) → Focal Azurys (Did not get the hype here) → Audeze MM-500 (good but painful clamp). On the IEM side I tried the Kiwi Ears Astral, Moondrop x Crinacle Dusk (didn’t understand the here either), Moondrop Hype 4, and DUNU Brain Dance. Brain dance was my favorite until I randomly tried The Campfire Moon Rover, though, which has become my IEM of choice for a reason I’ll explain later. For over ears, eventually I gave Dan Clark Audio a shot. First the Noire X, then the Noire X Open… and wow. The Noire X Open is the first headphone I’ve heard that delivers incredible detail without stabbing me with harsh “s” and “t” sounds. It can be just a touch energetic above 10k, but a simple high-shelf EQ at -3 dB takes care of it instantly. I also like adding a +2 dB bass shelf, which rounds out the sound beautifully. What really surprised me is how perfectly this same EQ profile works on the Campfire Moon Rover as well. It feels like they were made to share it, and having one tuning that works seamlessly between both is a huge win. I’ve saved the preset on my HiBy R4, so switching back and forth between the XO and the Moon Rover is effortless. So at this point, my perfect setup has become the Moon Rover for IEMs and the Noire X Open. Ironically, the gear I’ve ended up loving the most has all been from American brands which I didn’t expect. I know endgame is a dangerous word in this hobby, but right now this feels like it. Has anyone else had that moment where you put something on and thought… yeah, this is it?

The noire x is basically the closed back version of the open, sounds very close. Just a little hotter with the “t” and “s” sounds but I actually thought the noire x sounded slightly better out of the box with no eq than the open 

Disregarding old over ear noise canceling cans i had years and years ago, 1. Fiio ft1. Its genuinely just amazing for the price. Nothing to sharp in the treble, decent enough mids that my ears (with abiut and hour of listening so far) dont pick out any issues, and the bass while the audio is there, bass heads like myself may feel it has less impact as a planar, and speakers obviously rival even good headphone bass impact. Its textured and clear. 2. Sjy horizon closed carbon There is a vocal forwardness to this set, has a decent little bass bump that I enjoy and the "detail" treble, is extended, I will say the headband, like the omega, kinda sucks. Its too big, very little clamp and doesn't feel secure, they are fairly heavy, there is also several songs that have a loud snap or crack sound, mostly edm if that helps because I couldn't pinpoint the frequency range myself, that comes across as very snappy and loud to my ears. Its there in the song with other sets but it doesn't hurt my ears the way this set does, if I could find the damn frequency and tone it down a few db I would enjoy it much more at my listening level. Detail retrieval is excellent and competitive with the noire x from dca. 3. The noire x from dca is very detailed, clean clear and sibalant on certain peoples heads including my own, the esses?? "S" while watching the headphoneshows closed back tier list was so bad I sent them back after a week. Its now a "test track" for things that may have an issue for me. Very comfy cans and if the amts works with your ears they will be a great pair, how ever the bass is there but doesn't lead to very much punch, kick, slam whatever term tickles your brain. Someone else i heard speak about the dynamic range, which I onky have a limited understanding of currently. 4. Hd569 To me the graphs seemed decent for the 60 bucks I paid, there not great. I've genuinely listened to them maybe an hour and 5 mins was actually listening and the rest was trying to eq them to sound more pleasant. I have very little impressions of the actual sound of them im sorry. They would be decent with someone who doesn't wear glasses, wants to eq them a little and is willing to buy open box. At the msrp, I rec the fiio ft1 much more.

Skip the Beyerdynamics unless you can listen to them first. They’re … very trebly. If you go that route, buy from somewhere with a good return policy AND get the lowest Ohm version you can find. If you can buy them from someone with a better return policy than Hifiman directly, the Arya Stealth is a great gaming headphone around $500 USD. I prefer the Meze 105 AER and 109 Pro personally for music (warmer tune), but any of those will be great. If you really want closed backs (and it doesn’t sound like you do), the best value on the market is the Fiio FT1, an excellent headphone at any price but currently $160 USD. (Their open back sister the FT1 Pro are also excellent). The closed back upgrade pick is the DCA Aeon Closed. Reviews: - Arya https://daemonxar.wordpress.com/2025/02/02/hifiman-arya-stealth-my-new-favorite-objective-open-back/ - 109 pro https://daemonxar.wordpress.com/2025/02/08/meze-109-pro-review/ - 105 AER https://daemonxar.wordpress.com/2025/06/05/meze-105-aer-review-another-great-meze-product/ - FT1 https://daemonxar.wordpress.com/2025/04/17/the-fiio-ft1-a-truly-excellent-budget-closed-back/

I personally like the DCA Aeon X Closed at $499 better than the Fiio FT1, but not three times more. That said, I basically don't use the FT1 anymore because I have a few things I like better. If you can find one, I personally think the Focal Elegia is the best closed back I've ever heard. They're not as prominently bassy as a lot of closed backs, but they have just the right amount for me. They've been out of production for a few years, but they're frequently available used for right around $300. For me: Focal Elegia > Aeon X Closed > FT1. There's not much on the market that I would consider worth listening to, and I've definitely tried! Folks really like the Focal Azurys, but it's just not for me, as much as I like their wireless brother, the Bathys.

Arya Stealth is about $600 nowadays, used to be $1600 and was still a good choice even at that price. As far as sound goes it's very good but the build quality is lacking and QC is infamously bad. LCD 2F, while worse sound wise is still very good and is well built but rather heavy. If you want a closed back instead then DCA Noire X is one of the best.

I had the Closed Drop version of the RT before the Noire X. I never listened to them as I found them muffled and lacked dynamics. Noire X is a whole league above with great separation and stage. I'm set now for closed cans