Audiophile-oriented company Noble Audio debuts affordable Osprey earbuds

You may not have heard of UK-based Noble Audio, but they make some excellent-sounding earphones and headphones and are gradually producing more affordable true wireless models. Two years ago, I added to it Focus Amadeus Buds ($320) to CNET’s list Best wireless earbuds As a “Best Audiophiles’ Choice”. Now we’ve got the Osprey, it’s available for pre-order on Thursday for $199 and will ship in late June.

I haven’t tried the new earbuds yet, but like Noble Audio’s other earbuds, the Osprey has an eye-catching marble-look front panel 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 driver.

“This carefully considered design delivers confident, controlled bass, a natural and expressive midrange, and clean, extended highs with excellent separation,” says Noble. Multiple ear tip options are included to support an optimal seal, which I definitely appreciate.

While the earbuds feature active noise cancellation, don’t expect top-notch ANC, as wireless audiophile earbuds like the Fokus Amadeus don’t have the strongest noise cancellation as it tends to affect the sound quality. The rated battery life is also adequate but not great – up to 5 hours with noise cancellation on and 7 hours with it off at moderate volume levels.

I’ll let you know how the Osprey buds perform and fit as soon as I get my hands on a review sample. In the meantime, here are their notable specifications.

Key Specifications Noble Osprey

• Hybrid dual driver configuration: 10mm dynamic driver + custom balanced armature
• Frequency response: 20Hz – 40kHz
• Bluetooth 5.4
• Slices: Love 1571 (Airoha is a subsidiary of MediaTek)
• Supported codecs: SBC, AAC, LDAC
• Multipoint Bluetooth
• 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.
• A 10-minute quick charge gives you about 2 hours of playback
• USB-C charging
• Noble Audio app support with equalizer settings and firmware updates
• Price: $199