A hybrid speaker system gives these hefty over-ear wireless headphones a rich, sparkling sound

The quest for the ultimate pair of headphones is a very personal one. Sound is subjective, and although arguably quality certainly isn’t, one factor that really defines whether a pair of over-ears is right for you or not is their size. These days no one bats an eyelid at massive cans that clamp down over a commuter’s ears, but if you’re the commuter in question, bigger isn’t always better. It’s true that the heftier the ear pads the better the coverage and the greater the audio isolation, but there are trade-offs with portability.

That brings us nicely to Noble’s first venture into the over-ear sector. After setting out our selection of the best over-ear headphones earlier this year, we reached out to Noble to explore its newest pair in greater depth. First up, the FoKus Apollo are not small headphones. That’s partly due to the hybrid speaker set-up, which pairs a dynamic driver and a planar magnetic hybrid driver in each ear. The reason for this combination approach is to utilise the accuracy of the planar magnetic speaker, with its ultra-thin diaphragm, with the heft and bass-friendly power of a dynamic driver. Add the two together, and the FoKus reproduces music superbly.

The hefty headset provides complete immersion, which in turns builds up a rich stereo picture. Bass-heavy music provides a punch without muddying the highs – the sparkling vocals, guitar and synth lines of ‘Vertigo’ by the Miki Berenyi Trio shimmered above a rock-solid bass pulse, for example.

Scale also has other advantages. There’s up to 80 hours of playback, for example (a figure that drops to 60 if you use the hybrid ANC). Materials are first rate, with an aluminium frame, memory foam and pleather earpads, along with Alcantara on the headband. None of this can disguise the depth of the earpads, however, and the Apollos stick out a fair distance compared to some competitors.

The carrying case is hefty but solid – no danger of crushing its precious cargo – and has space for the optional 3.5mm aux cable for standard wired listening. Another bonus is the inclusion of a detachable boom mic for voice calls. All onboard mics can be physically switched off. Bluetooth 5.3 comes as standard, while charging is conducted via USB-C. All-in-all, the Apollos offer audiophile results in a flexible package. The fact they’re not quite as portable as equivalent wireless headphones depends on your use case, but for home and office listening, Apollo reaches new heights.

Noble FoKus Apollo ANC wireless headphones, $649, NobleAudio.com