Short answer: the Aful Dawn X. Both are rated 4.0/5 for sound quality (#449 and #441 of 1291 in-ear headphones), and the Aful Dawn X costs $1,299.99 against $1,400 for the Hercules Audio Noah, so with nothing between them on sound quality, price settles it.
Why pick the Aful Dawn X: The median of 15 hobbyist measurements gives it a solid Harman preference score of 73 with a 1.86 dB spread. Watch for: Presence sits about 4.6 dB low with a 5.2 dB dip near 4.1 kHz, so vocals and instruments lose some bite.
What the Hercules Audio Noah does well: A broadly balanced tuning with a preference score of 74 against the Harman target. Watch for: Treble about 4 dB below target from 3 to 10 kHz, which can sound dull or veiled next to brighter headphones.
Buy the Aful Dawn X. Both are rated the same for sound quality, and it costs $100.01 less than the Hercules Audio Noah.
Looking for alternatives? See the complete Headphones rankings.
The median of 15 hobbyist measurements gives it a solid Harman preference score of 73 with a 1.86 dB spread.
HiFiGo $1,299.99 eBay
A broadly balanced tuning with a preference score of 74 against the Harman target.
Zeppelin & Co $1,400 eBayPrices on this page were last checked October 16, 2026 at 5:46 PM UTC. Product prices and availability are accurate as of that date/time and are subject to change; the price and availability shown on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
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Specifications Side By Side
| Aful Dawn X | Hercules Audio Noah | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1,299.99 | $1,400 |
| Ranked | #449 of 1291 in In-Ear Headphones | #441 of 1291 in In-Ear Headphones |
| Form Factor | In-ear | In-ear |
| Back | Closed | Closed |
| Harman Preference Score | 73 (median of 15 squig.link measurements, calibrated to AutoEQ) | 74 (median of 9 squig.link measurements, calibrated to AutoEQ) |
| Deviation From Target | 1.86 dB standard deviation | 1.74 dB standard deviation |
| Tonal Tilt | -0.68 (negative is warmer, positive brighter) | -0.69 (negative is warmer, positive brighter) |
| Sub-bass Extension | Within 6 dB of target down to 20 Hz (+0.4 dB at 30 Hz) | Within 6 dB of target down to 20 Hz (+1.2 dB at 30 Hz) |
| Connection | Wired | Wired |
| Driver Type | Hybrid (1 dynamic + 8 balanced armature + 4 electrostatic + 1 bone conduction) | Tribrid (1 dynamic + 4 balanced armature + 2 electrostatic) |
| Drivers | 1 x dynamic + 8 x balanced armature + 4 x electrostatic + 1 x bone conduction | 1 x dynamic + 4 x balanced armature + 2 x electrostatic |
| Impedance | 15 ohms | - |
| Sensitivity | 101 dB | - |
| Frequency Response | 5Hz - 35kHz (Manufacturer specified) | - |
| Built-in Microphone | No | - |
Frequency Response Compared
Both headphones’ measurements overlaid on the Harman target. Above the target sounds louder in that range, below it quieter. Each curve is the median of several independent measurements, shifted so its 500 Hz to 2 kHz average sits at 0 dB, so only the tuning is compared.
Measurement data: the Aful Dawn X from aden, aftersound, atechreviews, audioamigo, bassaudio, ducbloke, eliseaudio, gadgetgenerations, jaytiss, koi, practiphile, precog, soundignity, superreview and tonedeafmonk; the Hercules Audio Noah from aden, audioamigo, boizoff, dl, eliseaudio, iemocean, jaytiss, kazi, koi, pw and superreview, all via squig.link.
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