You may not have heard of UK-based Noble Audio, but it makes some excellent-sounding earbuds and headphones and has gradually been producing more affordable true-wireless models. A couple of years ago, I added its FoKus Amadeus buds ($320) to CNET’s list of best-sounding wireless earbuds as my “top audiophile” pick. Now we get the Osprey, which are available for preorder on Thursday for $199 and ship in Late June.
I haven’t tried the new buds yet, but like other Noble Audio earbuds, the Osprey have a faceplate with an eye-catching marbled finish and an aluminum charging case. The company’s earbuds are on the larger side and feature dual-drivers — the Osprey pairs a 10mm dynamic driver paired with a custom balanced armature driver.
Noble says, “This carefully considered design provides confident, controlled bass, a natural and expressive midrange, and clean, extended highs with excellent separation.” Multiple ear tip options are included to support an optimal seal, which I certainly appreciate.
The aluminum charging case does not appear to offer wireless charging.
While the earbuds feature active noise canceling, don’t expect it to be top-tier ANC, as audiophile wireless earbuds like the Fokus Amadeus don’t have the strongest noise canceling since it tends to impact sound quality. Also, the rated battery life is adequate but not great — up to 5 hours with noise canceling on and 7 hours with it off at moderate volume levels.
I’ll let you know how these Osprey buds perform and fit as soon as I get my hands on a review sample. In the meantime, here are their notable specs.
Noble Osprey key specs
- Hybrid dual-driver configuration: 10mm dynamic driver + custom balanced armature
- Frequency Response: 20Hz – 40kHz
- Bluetooth 5.4
- Chipset: Airoha 1571 (Airoha is a subsidiary of MediaTek)
- Supported Codecs: SBC, AAC and LDAC
- Bluetooth multipoint
- Active noise cancellation and transparency mode
- Dual microphones with cVc noise reduction
- Battery life: Up to 5 hours of playback with ANC on and 7 hours of playback with ANC off
- 10-minute quick charge gets you about 2 hours of playback
- USB-C charging
- Noble Audio app support with equalizer settings and firmware updates
- Price: $199
