I see this one a lot on people's boards as of late, it has an 11 month wait list and costs almost as much as a second hand Ampeg SVT at $1400. What makes this thing so special that people are using it this frequently at this price point?
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Noble DI - Worth The Hype?
- Thread starter WouldULikeSomeE
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Let me don my asbestos suit real quick...
The Noble is a case study in sunk cost fallacy and price/prestige placebo, AKA hearing with your eyes, emotions, and wallet. It's good, but absolutely not worth the price for what you get, in the same way that a Rolex is not worth the money for telling time. My points:
My $50 Casio is a better time keeping device than any Rolex ever made. Also, nobody else on the planet cares. This doesn't stop Rolex from selling a million watches a year.
At the end of the day, it's your money to spend on what makes you happy and provides value to your life, perceived or actual. There's no shame in liking things because they are expensive or exclusive, but let's all be honest about what we're actually paying for. We are all hopeless romantics in one way or another.
Now if you'll excuse, I have some clouds to go yell at.
The Noble is a case study in sunk cost fallacy and price/prestige placebo, AKA hearing with your eyes, emotions, and wallet. It's good, but absolutely not worth the price for what you get, in the same way that a Rolex is not worth the money for telling time. My points:
- You can get the same sound with a multi-band/parametric EQ, HPF, and maybe a compressor for a tiny fraction of the money. If you get something like the Empress ParaEQ or Compressor or the Origin Effects Cali76 or DCX, you can achieve the same thing with similar feel and equal sound quality and it's 15-20% of the cost. Even the Line6 model is indistinguishable, and you can get it on any helix product, even the HX One.
- If you're using it for studio work, the studio has a better preamp, DI, and compressor, and the engineer will get better sounds out of them. (hint: it's a Radial JDI and 1176/LA2A or some janky-ass Radio Shack poopie held together with gaff tape that the engineer swears by)
- If you're using it to play live through a PA, you will be lucky to notice, and nobody else in at the venue will notice. You are completely at the mercy of the sound engineer and they will EQ/HPF/Compress you to fit the room, not your ideal toan.
- If you're playing through a cab, you won't hear any nuance vs. using an EQ. The cab will color over the Nobel. If the cab is mic'd, also see my previous point.
- If you're using it for IEMs, you're just paying $2k to slightly EQ the sound, only for yourself.
My $50 Casio is a better time keeping device than any Rolex ever made. Also, nobody else on the planet cares. This doesn't stop Rolex from selling a million watches a year.
At the end of the day, it's your money to spend on what makes you happy and provides value to your life, perceived or actual. There's no shame in liking things because they are expensive or exclusive, but let's all be honest about what we're actually paying for. We are all hopeless romantics in one way or another.
Now if you'll excuse, I have some clouds to go yell at.
My feelings about the Noble, which I've never tried, changed when I tried the Noble model on the HX Stomp. Even set flat with the EQ at zero, it sounds suave and has a distinct feel. It's worth trying in different points in your chain. (Which is an advantage over the real thing.) It is almost a must-use effect. If Noble chose to "allow" Line6 to use its circuit, that was a masterstroke in advertising.
I spent quite a bit of time a while back messing around with DI and preamp options, which included trying a Noble for a week. It sounds good but when you take a second to look at and think about what it actually does the price tag is pretty absurd for what you're getting. IIRC, the bass and treble knobs are boosts, not a full EQ. No mid control, no cab sim, no gain. From what I could understand in playing with it, it was essentially a warm tone enhancer with pretty limited functionality.
It clearly works well, it's good at what it does and there's a reason many top notch pros like it. It's absolutely a professional piece of gear, but the irony is $1400 for a preamp is pretty steep for 90% of musicians actually trying to pay bills with gigs. In several DI comparison videos (as well as my own comparisons at home) I couldn't really tell a difference with just hearing the bass, so I can't imagine anyone hears a difference in a live mix. Nuance in the preamp is sorta out the window, people don't hear what kind of DI you have, they just hear whether your tone is good or not. You don't need a Noble to have good tone.
Not to mention the large amount of alternatives that do the job just as well or sometimes better for a fraction of the cost (not to mention all the clones!). I've done several professional theater runs using an MXR M80 (a small fraction of the cost of a Noble) and sound engineers have always been happy with it. Again the Noble is clearly a good DI but you're paying a lot of money for something with minimal features. There's a plethora of options available for much less money that are just as good.
It clearly works well, it's good at what it does and there's a reason many top notch pros like it. It's absolutely a professional piece of gear, but the irony is $1400 for a preamp is pretty steep for 90% of musicians actually trying to pay bills with gigs. In several DI comparison videos (as well as my own comparisons at home) I couldn't really tell a difference with just hearing the bass, so I can't imagine anyone hears a difference in a live mix. Nuance in the preamp is sorta out the window, people don't hear what kind of DI you have, they just hear whether your tone is good or not. You don't need a Noble to have good tone.
Not to mention the large amount of alternatives that do the job just as well or sometimes better for a fraction of the cost (not to mention all the clones!). I've done several professional theater runs using an MXR M80 (a small fraction of the cost of a Noble) and sound engineers have always been happy with it. Again the Noble is clearly a good DI but you're paying a lot of money for something with minimal features. There's a plethora of options available for much less money that are just as good.
If he still makes them, the Sushi Box Neptunium is a very good pedal. A person I know who has the Noble, thinks this little pedal got it. I do have an OG Demeter before he called it the VTBP-201 - a rack mount unit with Telefunken tubes. and currently on a long term loan an Alembic F2-B as well as Frenzel preamp (works for bass and guitar ). All impractical to bring to a gig specially the Frenzel with its exposed tubes, The Sushi Box hangs with the 3 of these. They may be slightly better, and definitely more features and only the Demeter has a DI and of course Jensen transformers. The Sushi box just imparts the right amount of tightness to lows, glow and sheen -- but it is subtle. It can take a lot of abuse signal wise from upstream signal chain - has an HPF for good measure and just the right bass and treble for room adjustments.. The Avalon U5 is equally awesome. Yes no tubes but well curated tone knob.
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Yep. That is a good summary of the Noble phenomenon.
Oh wait, let me check if I have a studio gig today in Nashville -- nope and I am free for the next 6 months and I have a Noble.
The Noble has been my mainstay for 5 years now. I own many other high end DI’s but the Noble almost always sounds right in the mix and stays on my pedalboard for >80% of the gigs I play.
Nothing more to say than it simply sounds good.
Nothing more to say than it simply sounds good.
I have the Noble, Khan, and a Neptunium. They all sound great. I like the Noble better for the full package experience. I usually run a clean sound with just a tuner, LAB compressor and Tumpinator. I can just plug all those pedals into the Noble and I don't need a power supply for my board. I also like that the Noble has a power switch on it. I don't need to unplug my board between sets or during breaks in practice, I can just turn everything off at the Noble. I also really like the way the Noble's EQ works. I don't feel like I need another pedal for EQ as I like how the Noble works so well. So, if it's just the sound you are after, lots to choose from and it's really your ear that will decide for you. But I wouldn't discount the entire experience the Noble offers. It is a long wait (full 11 months for me) but as others have said, you can get your money back out of it rather quickly. It is certainly nice that we have so many options to choose from right now! Probably can't go wrong with any of them.
The device itself is demonstrably no better than others. You can achieve this sound for a fraction of the price with other pedals. When it comes to luxury products - and the Noble is one - the only question is whether you're willing to pay the price.
I’d really love to rent one!!! I want to compare it to the “Regal DI” in my HX.
I also think sound samples online are helpful, but I like to include in my judgment how the sound responds to my playing when different boxes are used.
Does anyone know how the Helix “Regal DI” replicates the Noble?
I also think sound samples online are helpful, but I like to include in my judgment how the sound responds to my playing when different boxes are used.
Does anyone know how the Helix “Regal DI” replicates the Noble?
The Helix version is very accurate to the real deal. The thing that shocked me was the feel - the helix is unbelievably close to the feel and playing response of the Noble, and closer to a real amp than any of the amp sims IMO. There are many amazing things about the Helix but this is the one that truly shocked me. I’m a tube amp and fridge Luddite and the Regal DI combined with the tape echo (first in the chain, dialed in subtle - trust me and try it) and I couldn’t tell you if I was playing through my vintage Bassman or the Helix. The feel was THAT good.
I don’t have a helix anymore, but that was the basis for most of my presets. (Sometimes swapping the Regal for the Mic Studio Tube Pre - NO AMP SIMS)
Another nice thing about the Regal DI is that it’s a distortion model and not an amp sim. That means it’s on basically all Line6 modelers including the HX One, HX Effects, and even some of the POD family.
I have to plug into one in a studio from time to time. It sits there and does it's job, but it doesn't wow me in any way. I don't argue with the engineer when he points me to it and says "You're over there" - I'm not high enough on the totem pole to question the engineer.
But I usually do plug something into it that adds character like a BDDI or an EBS Tubedrive and nobody ever complains.
If you're already thinking in terms of your family financial obligations, it's actually not worth it. If you want to treat yourself, by all means spend the money, but I really don't see it as such a wondrous tone device. It's a good DI, but it's not really all that magical.
If you are just looking for a good quality reliable DI, the Radial JDI or JDV will get you all the way there. No engineer has ever been disappointed by those, and you wont be stuck using the house-sound-tech's janky-tossed-around DI marked "For bass only" that rattles like a can of nails.
Other option is to drop hints at your SWMBO from time to time that you want one, and maybe she will contribute to the cause?
But I usually do plug something into it that adds character like a BDDI or an EBS Tubedrive and nobody ever complains.
If you're already thinking in terms of your family financial obligations, it's actually not worth it. If you want to treat yourself, by all means spend the money, but I really don't see it as such a wondrous tone device. It's a good DI, but it's not really all that magical.
If you are just looking for a good quality reliable DI, the Radial JDI or JDV will get you all the way there. No engineer has ever been disappointed by those, and you wont be stuck using the house-sound-tech's janky-tossed-around DI marked "For bass only" that rattles like a can of nails.
Other option is to drop hints at your SWMBO from time to time that you want one, and maybe she will contribute to the cause?
Hell no. If it were the holy relic of ToAn, people would cash out their kid's college funds before selling it. But they get flipped all the time.
The clones won't work though, because the magic is in telling people you have a Noble. Even if the sushi box works exactly the same, you can't post your $14,000 pedal board on instagram that you use for the morning church service.
Notes > Tone, always
The clones won't work though, because the magic is in telling people you have a Noble. Even if the sushi box works exactly the same, you can't post your $14,000 pedal board on instagram that you use for the morning church service.
Notes > Tone, always
About 5 years ago the worship leader at my church brought in a buddy of his to play bass. It was the guy’s one and only time to play at our church and his tone was amazing- like nothing I had ever heard at our church before. I mentioned it to the worship leader and he told me his buddy played through a Noble and that was the difference, so I went and ordered one.
A few months after I got my Noble I did a worship night gig and used the Noble. At the end of the event a guy who I’d never met came up to me and told me he was a bass player at another church and wanted to know what I was using to get my amazing tone, and I told him it was the Noble.
I’m not going to say that you can’t get the same result with other gear but I continue to get compliments on my tone and I attribute it to playing through my Noble.
A few months after I got my Noble I did a worship night gig and used the Noble. At the end of the event a guy who I’d never met came up to me and told me he was a bass player at another church and wanted to know what I was using to get my amazing tone, and I told him it was the Noble.
I’m not going to say that you can’t get the same result with other gear but I continue to get compliments on my tone and I attribute it to playing through my Noble.
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I’ve had mine for about 6 years. I couldn’t imagine my rig without it. It’s an essential part of my bass sound. I’ve tried others such as the the Avalon U5 and the Khan but they were quickly sold when I bought my Noble. It is a fixture on my board. It is extremely versatile. I use it with IEMs, with an amp on stage, or as a preamp in my studio. (It really shines in the studio.) It is perfect for gain staging and the bass and treble boost controls are sublime, not to mention the HPF. (One thing I like to do is boost the bass way up with the HPF engaged. That tone is glorious.) It is also a handmade piece of art and built like a tank. When I bought it new back then it was $900. Turned out to be a great investment, as they sell used now for almost twice that.
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I caught both bands at a double bill at Osheaga. The performances were epic; my own personal "truth" tells me it was worth selling both of my kidneys to buy the tix, although dialysis is a bitch!
It’s really close! I don’t have the noble anymore, but I use the regal on my hx stomp quite a bit.
Anyone compare the HX Regal with the Darkglass Anagram 'Gentle' (both Noble simulations).
I traded a bass for a Noble a few years ago. I figured that if I didn't love it, it would sell quicker than the bass. So, I had nothing to lose. Unfortunitly, I loved it.
I suppose one could look at it in terms of costing the same as a second hand SVT. But, gear is so specific to the situation. I'm ampless and on in ears, so the comparison never really presented itself. I'm not sure I would have both. But, an SVT isn't really an option for me at this point.
We're all building our rigs based on certain parameters. I've found that pedalboard preamps shine more when using in ears. Some, or even a lot, of the nuances will be lost in the FOH mix, but they are loud and clear in the ears. I used to bring an Ampeg V4 out for gigs and quite often, the FOH guy would take the bass signal direct, leaving me with an amazing and heavy monitor. So, things get lost when dealing with live sound. I don't think that the Noble is any better or worse in that regard versus traditional tube amps. Just as our gear is situation specific, so is FOH sound. Espcially when I was playing in original bands, sharing the bill with 3-5 other acts. I didn't have a Noble then, but I did carry a pedal preamp with me because I might be playing though a backline SVT one night and a thrown together rig the next night. Having my own preamp allowed me to have some control over the tone and have a peice of gear that I was familiar with.
There are a ton of great options available these days. The Noble is one of them. I tried a bunch of different preamps, and the only one that is giving the Noble a run for the money is the Luce. It's too early to tell, but one will end up on top for me.
I would suggest looking at your particular situation. If you're playing through an SVT in a dense rock mix, then a Noble (or other high end preamp/DI) might make less sense than if you're playing in a trio with in ears.
I suppose one could look at it in terms of costing the same as a second hand SVT. But, gear is so specific to the situation. I'm ampless and on in ears, so the comparison never really presented itself. I'm not sure I would have both. But, an SVT isn't really an option for me at this point.
We're all building our rigs based on certain parameters. I've found that pedalboard preamps shine more when using in ears. Some, or even a lot, of the nuances will be lost in the FOH mix, but they are loud and clear in the ears. I used to bring an Ampeg V4 out for gigs and quite often, the FOH guy would take the bass signal direct, leaving me with an amazing and heavy monitor. So, things get lost when dealing with live sound. I don't think that the Noble is any better or worse in that regard versus traditional tube amps. Just as our gear is situation specific, so is FOH sound. Espcially when I was playing in original bands, sharing the bill with 3-5 other acts. I didn't have a Noble then, but I did carry a pedal preamp with me because I might be playing though a backline SVT one night and a thrown together rig the next night. Having my own preamp allowed me to have some control over the tone and have a peice of gear that I was familiar with.
There are a ton of great options available these days. The Noble is one of them. I tried a bunch of different preamps, and the only one that is giving the Noble a run for the money is the Luce. It's too early to tell, but one will end up on top for me.
I would suggest looking at your particular situation. If you're playing through an SVT in a dense rock mix, then a Noble (or other high end preamp/DI) might make less sense than if you're playing in a trio with in ears.
You may have actual talent also. We're always chasing tone. I heard a guy play a jazz bass at a Andrew Peterson concert here in town and I was enthralled with the tone. Maybe he had a Noble. No one would tell me.
Yes. Regal DI is much closer as it has some baked in eq and maybe a little compression to emulate the softness of the Noble. The gentle is just the bass and treble boost but does nothing flat.
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