Having reviewed many Noble IEMs including the Noble FoKus Pro TWS IEMs and Noble FoKus Prestige TWS IEMs, I was very excited to hear about their first entry into the over-ear Headphone market the Noble FoKus APOLLO Hybrid True Wireless Headphone, and finally I was able to procure a pair for review at CanJam Dallas 2024 which was no mean feat as demand has significantly outstripped supply.

The Noble FoKus APOLLO Hybrid True Wireless Headphone

As one would expect from Noble Audio’s first foray into over-ear headphones the Noble FoKus APOLLO Hybrid True Wireless Headphone is rife with groundbreaking technology. Not only is it the world’s first pairing of a 14.5mm planar magnetic driver with a 40mm dynamic driver subwoofer in a headphone it employs Hybrid ANC, a type of active noise cancellation that uses microphones on both the inside and outside of the headphone to cancel out ambient noise. It combines the advantages of feedforward and feedback ANC, allowing for faster noise pickup and more precise cancellation. 

Gamers will appreciate the detachable boom mic, while audiophiles will appreciate the optional wired capabilities which can function with or without the internal amplifier. It can also be operated via USB-C.

In appearance, the FoKus APOLLO is simple and elegant with a black anodized aluminum frame, black Alcantara memory foam padded headband, and premium protein leather earpads. The gimbaled aluminum earpieces rotate in two directions making for a perfect fit and seal.

For accessories, the FoKus APOLLO came with a beautiful hard shell zipper case, a 4’ headphone cable (3.5mm TRRRS to accommodate the microphone), a 4’ USB-C cable, a 4.4mm TRRRS adaptor, a ¼” TRS adaptor, a dual 3.5mm TS airplane adaptor, the aforementioned boom mic, and a velvet carrying bag for the connectors.

The full list of bullet points is as follows:

• The world’s first 1x40mm dynamic driver + 14.5mm planar magnetic hybrid driver speaker arrangement;
• supported codecs include LDAC, AAC, aptX, aptX HD, SBC;
• QCC3084 chip;
• Integrated ADI chip combined with 3 microphones per side providing hybrid ANC with a reduction depth of up to -35db;
• Bluetooth 5.3;
• Superior transparency mode;
• Removable boom mic;
• Onboard mute switch for all microphones, including the boom mic;
• Excellent call quality with or without the supplied boom mic attached;
• Multipoint connection;
• 80 hours of play time without ANC / 60 hours of play time with ANC;
• Can be played with an included 3.5mm auxiliary cable;
• Accessories include an EVA carrying case, 3.5mm auxiliary cable, USB-C cable, two prong airline adapter, 1/4″ adapter for headphone amps, a 3.5mm to 4.4mm adapter, and a detachable boom mic;
• Premium components including anodized aluminum frame, memory foam, premium protein leather earpads that are replaceable, and Alcantara headband material;
• Compatible with Noble’s FoKus app.

Living with the Noble FoKus APOLLO Hybrid True Wireless Headphone

I did my first listening tests of the Noble FoKus APOLLO Hybrid True Wireless Headphone on my flight back home from CanJam Dallas 2024. Since they had been used for two consecutive CanJams I figured they had enough hours on them for an honest listen. Ironically, my iPad would not connect to the in-flight entertainment and my DAP was in my luggage so I just used the noise canceling, which totally blew me away, cutting out all of the airplane noise but allowing the announcements to come through clearly, announcements which I couldn’t understand without the FoKus Apollo’s on. I have reviewed quite a few ANC headphones and IEMs and none compared to the FoKus Apollo.

During the two weeks following CanJam, while I wrote my show reports, I listened to the FoKus Apollo via Bluetooth and my Motorola G Power (2022) smartphone while doing my morning exercises and via my HIFIMAN EF600 R2R DAC & Headphone Amplifier using the headphone cable and the 4.4mm TRRRS adaptor with a 4.4mm TRRRS to 4-pin XLR adaptor while working at my desk. I also experimented with the 1/4” TRS adaptor and the USB-C cable (direct to my computer), as well as, wired with and without the internal amplifier. I also gave the “Personal EQ” in the Noble FoKus App a try, though the results were interesting and well worth checking out, I, of course, performed my review with it turned off.  Needless to say, the sound was enjoyable, and the comfort such as to allow for long hours of listening. I also made a few phone calls using the boom mic and was assured the sound was clear and unmuffled.

For my serious listening, I began with Bluetooth and the G Power streaming Qobuz and chose John Cale’s 2024 remaster of “Paris 1919” (24-bit/96kHz – Qobuz). The sound was surprisingly musical for Bluetooth with a rich linear and natural tonal balance that exhibited a slight upswing on the bottom end. The bass was deep with excellent control. I did note that the mid-bass was slightly depressed when the ANC was on (if you use the Personal EQ you will want to set up separate profiles with and without the ANC).

Next up was “Bouquet” (24-bit/48kHz – Qobuz) by Gwen Stefani, which offered up warm driving bass, a mellow midrange, clear and honeyed vocal, textured cymbals, and crisp but musical guitars. Gwen’s voice was relaxed and intimate, while the soundstage of the instruments was wide, three-dimensional, and immersive with the percussion, keyboards, slide guitar, and piano more distant than the electric guitars, with the bass guitar a bit forward of the rest. The ANC moved the bass behind the drums making the presentation more realistic.

At this point, I switched over to wired with the EF600 continuing with Gwen Stefani for comparison’s sake and the FoKus APOLLO scaled up nicely with increased dynamics and detail. The bass had improved tonality with more resonance.

I cued up “American Railroad” (24-bit/96kHz – Qobuz) conceived and organized by Rhiannon Giddens and performed by the Silkroad Ensemble and the sound was just magical, the FoKus APOLLO working even better with traditional and acoustic instruments than it did with the electrical ones, adding a resonance to the cello without making it sound artificial.

While the EF600 is a great match for the FoKus APOLLO at $799, the amp I would be most inclined to recommend for it would be my favorite amplifier the Schiit Audio VALI 2++ which I moved to next using the EF600 as DAC. My first selection was Supertramp’s “Crime of the Century” (“Crime of the Century” – 24-bit/96kHz) and I was simply floored. The soundstage was massive, the resonance and dynamic range epic.

As a final test, I cued up my 24-bit/96kHz vinyl rip of “The Firebird Suite” (“Stravinsky: The Firebird; Borodin: Music from Prince Igor”) as performed by Robert Shaw conducting the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. The imaging and musicality were to die for, and once again the soundstage was huge.

Conclusions on the Noble FoKus APOLLO Hybrid True Wireless Headphone

Wow, just wow. I expected great things from Noble Audio’s first foray into the world of over-ear headphones to be a success given their long history of making epic IEMs, but the Noble FoKus APOLLO Hybrid True Wireless Headphone exceeded all my expectations. The FoKus APOLLO is not just the best Bluetooth headphone I have heard, it is a great headphone at its price point period. I have literally been listening to this headphone every day since I received it. Dynamic and musical, with a more accurate tonal balance than is normal in its price point and application, plus the speed of a planar with the bottom end of a dynamic the FoKus APOLLO will compete favorably with most headphones under a thousand dollars. Add to that the boom mic and the wired mic capabilities and gamers will wet themselves. As noted above it has the best ANC I have encountered, and I tended to use it whenever I was listening via Bluetooth, after all, what is the point of closed-back over-ear headphones if not to block out unwanted noise? For those who want a little more, there is the FoKus App which includes a 10-band EQ, and for those who are aging and worried they are possibly missing something there is the Personal EQ which performs a quick hearing test across the 10 bands and automatically adjusts the FoKus APOLLO to your personal ability to hear (I do recommend creating separate profiles for with and without ANC). And for audiophiles, the FoKus APOLLO scales up marvelously with wired use without changing the overall sonic profile.

I can’t praise or recommend this headphone enough, full kudos to Noble for a fantastic first effort. As this will probably be my last review for the year, I can say that the Noble FoKus APOLLO Hybrid True Wireless Headphone will get my vote for our Product of the Year Awards.

Price $649

Manufacturer’s Website: https://nobleaudio.com/collections/over-ear-headphones/products/fokus-apollo