Noble Audio has announced the new Noble Audio Lu Ban ahead of CanJam Singapore 2026, and it looks like one of the company’s more ambitious universal IEM releases in recent memory. Launching officially on 14th May 2026, Lu Ban combines a wooden composite dynamic driver with a dual planar setup, landing at a retail price of $1,399 USD.
The driver configuration is particularly interesting. Noble is using a 10mm wooden composite diaphragm dynamic driver for the lows and mids, paired with two newly developed “Super-Magnetic” planar drivers handling the upper frequencies. According to the company, the idea is to combine the more natural tonality and physicality of a dynamic driver with the speed and precision that planar drivers are known for.
Wood is obviously nothing new in the audio world, especially when it comes to speaker cabinets and musical instruments, but Noble says the wooden composite diaphragm here was chosen specifically for its tonal properties and resonance behaviour. The company describes the bass response as deep and textured without becoming overly loose or bloated, while vocals and acoustic instruments are said to benefit from improved harmonic richness and more natural decay.
The planar side of things is where Noble is pushing the technical angle a bit harder. The new Super-Magnetic planar drivers use an updated neodymium iron boron magnetic structure with copper refinement to improve magnetic flux stability and efficiency. In simpler terms, Noble claims this results in faster transient response, cleaner treble extension, better separation and improved micro-detail retrieval.
From the description alone, it sounds like Noble is aiming for a balance between musicality and technical performance rather than leaning too heavily in either direction. That hybrid approach has become increasingly common lately, although dual-planar implementations are still relatively uncommon in universal IEMs.
Physically, the Lu Ban also looks fairly distinctive. The shells combine Cocobolo wood with a high-precision 3D printed resin internal structure. Noble says the wood grain pattern will vary slightly from pair to pair, giving each unit a more unique appearance.
The included cable is a 4-strand OCC silver-plated design with a fibre-woven outer sleeve, standard 2-pin connectors and a 4.4mm balanced termination included as standard.
The Noble Audio Lu Ban will be available globally from 14th May 2026 through selected retailers, with CanJam Singapore attendees among the first to hear it in person.
