Most of the time, when I try a really good-sounding pair of headphones, I nod, make a face, and say “hm, yeah, those are pretty good.” It is incredibly rare that a pair of headphones makes me sit back, stare into space, and say “wow.” I think I could count the number of times it’s happened on one hand — only now I have to use one more finger thanks to the Noble Fokus Apollo noise-canceling headphones.
Noble has packed some very interesting audio tech into this pair of wireless premium over-ears, and in the process, created one of the best-sounding headsets I think I’ve ever experienced. They’re incredibly comfortable, feature impressive noise canceling, and they’re customizable to the nth degree thanks to a helpful app — but that, of course, isn’t the whole story. Let’s take a deep dive into these impressive headphones.
Noble Fokus Apollo review: Cheat sheet
- What is it? Some of the best-sounding headphones that I have ever experienced.
- Who is it for? Audiophiles looking for a pair of wireless headphones packed with some very clever audio hardware.
- What does it cost? $649/£499/AU$999
- What we like: The way that they sound, the way they feel — there’s little here not to enjoy.
- What we don’t like: There’s no wear detect — but that is about it.
Noble Fokus Apollo review: Price and availability
Noble Fokus Apollo: Specs
The Fokus Apollo are not a cheap pair of headphones. In the U.S., you’ll pay $649 — that’s $100 more than the already extremely expensive AirPods Max. They’re slightly cheaper in different locales, like the U.K., where potential buyers pay £589. That leaves us with a costly pair of cans, whether you get your money’s worth or not.
Availability is a tricky one as well. They are currently not available on Amazon, but you can find a pair on the Noble website and other third-party retailers. The issue arrives with stock. Noble isn’t a massive manufacturer, and because the headphones are so good and people want them, they keep going out of stock. This very review might make things even worse for stock levels — so bookmark those retailer pages and keep checking back.
There are other options around the same price, but they each offer different things. If you want something that has all the next-gen features, then there are great options from the likes of Bowers & Wilkins, Master & Dynamic, and Bang & Olufsen. They have more “refined” packages than the Apollo, but they don’t sound as good. If you want the utmost luxury though, the former should be your go-tos — everyone else should pick the Apollo. If, of course, you can find them.
Noble Fokus Apollo review: Design and build
- They’re super comfortable
- Great materials
- Stunningly protective but massive case
The Apollo borrow some key design elements from the Bowers & Wilkins Px series, and as a result, they are an attractive pair of headphones. I really like their lines, from their slightly chunkier headband, and their mixture of Alcantara, leather, and fabric. Their build is excellent as well. Shake the headset and it doesn’t rattle, and nothing feels like it’s going to come away from the unit. The metal outers of the earcups make them feel expensive and give them a reassuring heft in the hand.
What’s even better is that the heft doesn’t become too heavy. While their 11.5-ounce weight isn’t insignificant, once you’ve got them on your head, you won’t notice it. The padding in the earcups is soft, shaping to your head the moment it warms up to your body temperature. The headband is firm enough that you won’t find the metal bar that gives it structure with the top of your head, but it’s soft enough that it remains comfortable. Combine all that with an expertly dialed-in clamping force, and you’ve got a comfortable, secure fit from your very expensive headphones.
Very expensive headphones that you’ll want to keep safe, and they will be thanks to one of the most rugged cases I’ve ever seen come included with a pair of headphones. It’s more akin to a guitar case than a headphone case — lined with a soft, velvety grey fabric and padded with more material than you’ll find in a car interior. The headphones sit neatly inside and there’s a slot for the cables, but that’s it. Is it overkill? Yes. Do I adore it? Yes. Does it fit in my bag? Also yes, although I do have to leave one of my books behind.
Noble Fokus Apollo review: Controls
- Excellent, useful buttons
- No touch controls
It’s no secret that I am not a massive fan of fiddly touch controls, so you can imagine the sigh of relief when I pulled them from their packaging to find a series of physical controls on the headset. There are four buttons on the right earcup, and they’re all obvious in their function. There are three placed together for volume up, skipping tracks, and play/pause. That last button is slightly raised to make it easier to find. Further around the earcup, there’s the ANC button, which cycles through the ANC modes. Nice and simple.
The left earcup houses a mic switch, which mutes and activates the microphones in the headphones. It would be nice if there was some audio notification to tell you when it gets clicked, but the action of the switch is definite and positive. Touch control fans will miss their touchy-feely earcups from some of the competition, but I am far more happy with Noble’s choice in physical controls. No more accidental volume or track changes for me!
Noble Fokus Apollo review: Features
- A nice little bag of extras
- Useful app
- No extraneous extras
The Fokus Apollo are a pair of audiophile headphones, and as such, they forgo some of the more intrusive extra features that you might find on the likes of the Sony WH-1000XM5. That means there are no noise-canceling modes that read where you are, no spatial audio, and no audio handover to a Bluetooth speaker. The main omission in my eyes is the lack of wear detect — you actually have to pause your music when you take them off. Is it enough to make me all that annoyed? Not particularly, although I do miss it when I have to take them off quickly to run for the doorbell.
The features that are here work very well. Noble’s app is very good, packing in all the extras you actually need. Turn the ANC on and off, upgrade the firmware, change ANC modes, check the battery — and, perhaps most excitingly, a 10-band EQ customizer. I love a decent 10-band EQ, and what’s on offer here is loads of fun. I had a great time dialing them in to be just right for the kind of listening that I do, and then making more options for different genres. Don’t want to mess around with the EQ, and what some presets? There are five different options for different genres, and they all sound great.
Then there’s the little velvet bag that Noble has hidden in the headphone case. Inside, you find the standard double-prong AirPlane adaptor, along with some audiophile-focused options. There’s a quarter-inch jack adapter, and then a 4.4mm 4-pole right-angle adaptor for balanced connections. The latter is really cool for audiophiles, and a great addition to an already packed package. Finally in the bag is a microphone. A proper, wire boom, manipulatable mic. It’s great! It plugs into a specific 3.5mm connector on the left earcup, and then takes over mic duties from the main headset mics. It’s a lovely, unexpected addition to a great feature set.
Noble Fokus Apollo review: ANC
- Reasonable noise-blocking ability
- Almost up there with the very best
Usually, ANC is a weakness on more premium headsets. Instead of focusing on their ability to block noise, more attention is paid to their build, comfort, and sound. That means that the best noise-canceling headphones are the models that more listeners can afford, such as the Sony WH-1000XM5 and the Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones.
In the case of the Fokus Apollo, we’re looking somewhere in the middle. They block out a decent amount of noise, enough that you’ll not be bothered by the outside world. The sounds of train journeys melted away into the background, and walking busy streets in silence was no problem for the headphones. They don’t quite reach the heady heights of Sony or Bose, but they get deliciously close.
There’s a very good transparency mode that sweetens the deal, though. Hit the little noise-canceling button, and you’ll be able to hear the voice of the bus driver without any problem at all. There are no extra fancy modes here — all you get is the ANC and the transparency mode, which you can turn off completely. And that’s just fine by me.
Noble Fokus Apollo review: Connectivity
- Latest Bluetooth version
- Loads of physical options
- Solid Multipoint
Noble has packed in some useful connectivity options in the Fokus Apollo. There’s Bluetooth 5.3 as you might hope, and then a 3.5mm adapter for wired use. That adapter can be used with the included cable to listen to the headphones when the battery is dead, so provided your device has a headphone socket (a massive rarity these days), you can listen indefinitely. There’s barely even a drop in sound quality with battery-less use, which is an impressive achievement. Of course, they can be physically connected while turned on for the full hi-res sound experience.
There’s multipoint connection as well, so you can connect them to two different devices and not worry about entering any settings menus. It’s good! Although comes with the normal caveats of “why did my music sto-… oh, I just got a notification on my phone.”
Noble Fokus Apollo review: Call quality
- Solid mic quality
- Some noises make it through
I popped out for a quick trip on the bus with the Noble Fokus Apollo to accurately test the call quality. I should add that this is without the extra boom mic, for I do not want to look like a nerd to the public. My voice came through clear and easily understandable on the other side of the call, with only the loudest of bus noises audible over my own speaking. The headphones played the audio of my side of the call well too, with no problem understanding my call partner.
The boom mic was also useful for video calls for work and other applications. It’s a massive boon during my online Japanese lessons, and made sure that my teacher could hear every single problem with my pronunciation. It switches immediately from the internal mics to the boom mic in my testing, which is impressive.
Noble Fokus Apollo review: Sound quality
- Incredible soundstage
- Some of the best bass depth around
- Clear highs, masterful mids
If I may be allowed to get a little nerdy here, the Apollo are packed with one of the coolest audio-hardware things I’ve ever seen. There’s what’s called a “hybrid driver” inside, which uses two different kinds of headphone tech to produce some of the best audio I’ve ever heard in a pair of sub-$1,000 wireless headphones. There’s a Planar magnetic driver, the audiophile headphone tech of the minute, for the lower frequencies, and then a more traditional 40mm driver for the rest of the ensemble. It works wonders, and I adore the results.
The Apollo make no secret of their bassy sound signature. But when it’s this clean, controlled, and smooth, you won’t mind at all. There’s stunning bass extension on offer thanks to that planar magnetic driver, which hits in all the right ways. Because the dynamic driver is given less to do, the highs and mids are some of the best around as well. It’s detailed, clear, wide, and loads and loads of fun.
Spinning up Devin Townsend’s latest PowerNerd, and you’re gifted with an engaging, exciting musical experience. The bass thumps deep into your chest, like you were sitting next to a proper pair of speakers, while Devvy’s crisp distorted guitars chug with precision. The drums are clear, impactful, and driving while the cymbals crash and ride. For a pair of closed-back headphones, the soundstage is wide and spacious as well. Stereo imaging is great, with each element of the ensemble easy to place amongst the rest.
Fire up Focus’s Hocus Pocus, and you’re treated to a delightful, ’70s slab of guitar-fueled fun. What on earth happened to those wonderful stereo mixes? They were everywhere — and none more spectacular than you’ll find here. Akkerman’s guitar dances over the complex drum line, with some of the quickest bass responses around. The bass drum kicks are impactful, all intertwined with Van Leer’s bizarre crooning. It’s a private auditory delight, one that could make me believe I was sitting in front of my favorite pair of speakers. Even the breaths on Van Leer’s flute are clear as day, almost like he were next to me.
Want to really get a taste of that brain-shaking bass? Charlotte De Witte and Formula are more than happy to oblige. The thumping sub-bass is felt throughout your body, all while the hi-hats chime. The Revs of the F1 car are quick and impactful, as the synth line pulsates and moves. Is it complex? No, but the Apollo make short work of making you feel like you’re in a dark sweaty underground rave — only without the sweat, the dark, and the crowd.
Noble Fokus Apollo review: Battery life
- 65 hours with ANC on
- 80 hours with ANC off
Noble has packed some incredible battery life into the Fokus Apollo. With ANC turned on, they’ll last you 65 hours, and when you turn it off, it goes all the way up to 80 hours. That shows the likes of Sony and Bose the door, with more than double the battery of the WH-1000XM5 and nearly triple that of the QuietComfort Ultra headphones. It’s not quite as impressive as the Marshall Monitor III’s 70 hours, but it is tantalizingly close.
Noble Fokus Apollo review: Verdict
Look, I can’t tell you that they’re not expensive. They are more than the AirPods Max and you could grab a pair of WH-1000XM5s and take your partner out for a very nice steak dinner afterward for the same price. However, they are easily worth that high price. They are one of the most complete headphone packages that you’ll find today, with everything in the box that you’ll need to get started.
The very best bit is that all-conquering sound. They go lower than anything else with a wireless connection out there, and then wow with crystal-clear highs and perfectly rounded mids. They surround you with your music without needing Spatial Audio thanks to their immaculate soundstage, and make the rest of the world melt away with very solid ANC. I wish there was wear detect and that the case was just a bit slimmer, but I just can’t think of any big reason why I wouldn’t buy them if I had $649 in my pocket. They’re just excellent.
