Noble Audio FoKus Rex 5 Review – Aberration

Usability –

Connectivity

Qualcomm’s SOC provides a familiar and relatively hassle-free user experience similar to other implementations I’ve tested. The latest BT 5.4 standard is supported alongside high-res codes including AptX Adaptive and LDAC in addition to AAC and SBC. Pairing is made simple with the carrying case design. Opening the case powers the earbuds on and they enter pairing mode on first use automatically. Otherwise, holding the MFB for 5s enters pairing mode.

Once connected, latency was a strong performer with minimal lip sync issues due to the adaptive codec support. This makes them a good choice for multimedia in addition to music. Dropouts weren’t a notable issue during my testing despite the metal shells however, I did notice range was slightly shorter than most competitors and they were more subject to interference when used around devices emitting strong EMF such as my induction cooktop. Perhaps this is owing to the more sensitive driver setup or shielding of the actual audio circuitry. Beyond this fringe use case, in normal listening and commuting, this wasn’t an issue.

Controls

Each faceplate houses a capacitive touch panel that serves as the primary method of control. The sensitivity and accuracy of the hardware are quite good but fall short of the very best from Sony and Sennheiser. Part of this comes down to the lack of audio feedback when tapping, making it difficult to execute multi-tap gestures as reliably. The touch area is quite large, however, so I didn’t find myself missing too many inputs. You can palm the faceplate instead of tapping with your fingertip which aids accuracy when out and about. Unfortunately, I am not personally a fan of Noble’s pre-configured control scheme as it employs too many multi-tap and hold gestures.

For instance, I would rather delegate volume control to the source and use the double tap gesture to skip tracks so all playback controls can be assumed by a single earpiece. This would free up the other to control ANC, aware and passive modes more efficiently. Unfortunately, as all tap gestures are mapped to playback, toggling between listening modes requires a 2s hold of the left earpiece. I found myself constantly having to remove the earbuds to hear conversations as it would take over 10s to cycle from passive to aware modes. Unfortunately, the ANC controls cannot be remapped either which is something I am hoping Noble can address in future firmware updates.

Noble FoKus App

The FoKus app offers a clean aesthetic, but the UI doesn’t feel well ported for use on smaller smartphone screens. The majority of the screen space is unused with the controls cramped right down at the bottom and setting into a small drop-down menu on the right. Besides this, it is straightforward to use and was bug-free during my testing. The highlight is a 10-band eQ offering 12dB of adjustment in either direction. You also get an eQ curve function that offers user-adjustable frequency band manipulation but over a reduced 3 adjustment points. A personal eQ function is available for those who may find manual adjustment intimidating. It uses Audiodo integration that assesses the frequency range of the user’s hearing and adjusts the eQ accordingly. The app otherwise offers basic control over double and triple-tap gesture functions and firmware updates. Version R1330A_20250114_V0.2.6 was the latest available during this review.

Call Quality

Noble has implemented higher quality mics in the Rex5 which translates to impressive call quality in quiet environments. Due to the use of multiple microphones, you can also use ANC and Aware modes during calls. This is an area where many audiophile models falter however, callers noted that the Rex5 delivered strong volume and clarity. Qualcomm’s noise cancellation algorithm is also at work for use when out and about. Recipients mentioned background noise wasn’t too apparent, however, wind noise was quite obtrusive, which appears to be a product of the physical placement of the mics over the actual mic quality or software. While still usable, competitors from Apple and Sony were markedly better in the noise cancellation department. Still, the Rex5 works well as a handset, certainly one of the better TWS models I’ve tested in this regard.

Battery Life

Noble promises 5 hours of listening time with ANC on and 7 hours with ANC off. The charging case adds an extra 35-40 hours of listening with fast charge support offering almost 50% charge in 15 minutes. I found the quoted runtimes to be quite accurate, I was reliably able to get 5 hours of listening with ANC on before getting the low power alert. The charging case power quote is ambitious, however. I was seeing about 3 full charges which is about half what is quoted. At a stretch, Noble’s figures make sense if using the earbuds in mono.

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