Nocs NS1100 Air Review: Great Wireless Sound, Sharp Design

Nocs Design released a couple of stylish earbuds a decade ago. I found the titanium-bodied NS400 and the bass-forward NS600 to be pretty good, with superb sound, sharp aesthetic, and a good in- ear fit. The brand kind of disappeared after Nocs made some nice DJ headphones and a set of desktop speakers.

It turned out to be more accurate. The founder and lead designer, Daniel Alm, switched over to designing some fancy watches. Alm and his team are getting back to listening to audio. The first Nocs product in a long time is a pair of earbuds.

A lot has changed when it comes to portable audio. Everything has changed as a result of the wireless revolution. We've got a lot of new products. Enough cheap dross to fill the Hudson Bay and luxury buds to match your Jaguar's paint job is what we have. The Nocs have better things to say. They do. The earbuds are easy to use and sound good. They have a cool design and cost less than $125.

There is air supply.

The Nocs NS1100 Air are a wirefree design with a pair of buds that fit into a charging case. Inside each bud is a 9.2mm driver, a pair of mics for taking calls, and a transparency mode that pipes a bit of outside noise into your ears. Their signal range and stability are excellent because they use a wireless communication technology. I did not experience a dropped connection with my laptop in the next room or with my phone in my backpack.

There are six different sizes of eartips when you open the box. It is easy to find a tip that fits and seals your ear canal because it is three more than most companies. It's a good idea to keep in mind that your ear canals may be different sizes. I tend to forget this until I get to try on earbuds that fit.

The buds are mostly plastic, which makes them feel flimsy, but they are lighter and more comfortable to wear. The shapely design of the earbuds makes them float in your ear. They're less fatiguing to wear for long stretches.

Touch panels on earpieces control them. Go to the next track if you tap the right ear. If you want to switch between ANC mode, transparency mode, or naturally isolated sound, you need to tap the left ear.

There is no audio indicator to tell you which mode you are in, just a chime. You can download the Nocs app to find out which mode you are in. The option to personalize the sound of the headphones is available in the app. Nocs Design and Audiodo worked together to develop this feature. You will hear a series of tones in the headphones when you launch the feature. If you hear a tone, tell the app that you can hear it, just like you would a hearing test. The app creates a personal sound profile after a couple of minutes of playing aural hide-and-seek. You can either turn it on or off in the app. Multiple profiles can be stored at once.