Cool to see the Noble FR mentioned on Changstar. It's been the best universal I've tried so far, as a lot of the others I've owned/tried (Westone 3, TG334, Parterre, Kaede) had one or more things wrong I didn't like about them sonically. The F setting actually is fairly well-tuned to my ears and works well in noisy outdoor environments and with thin sounding music. It adds thickness and a bad-for-quiet-conditions-and-well-recorded-music-but-fun-with-crap-recordings bump in the bass.

For $700, I'd personally take it over anything I've tried at a higher price point. If the reference setting was released alone at $350, that'd be an absolute steal to me.

Interestingly enough, Noble mentioned that they can add on the R setting as a switch to their CIEMs as well. If I didn't already have the FR and a pair of customs I'm happy with, that probably would have been something I'd have looked into. 

Thanks for posting all your impressions.


If possible, can any of you comment more about what you thought of Alex's modded Oppo's?


He tells me that he modded just about every aspect of the Oppo's. Not just the pads, and damping materials but also the driver itself, etc. I guess the mods were pretty extensive.


Did anyone spend much time comparing the modded Oppo's? Or since the stock Oppo's were not very well liked, did you pretty much "write off" the modded Oppo's too?


I know Warren and a few others preferred the stock Oppo's over the modded ones. But I really felt the modded Oppo's were night and day different in a good way.


Thanks,


-Darin

Thanks for having me guys! As I didn't have to lift a finger for this meet, I actually got to listen to stuff.

Noble's R driver mode (via my AK120):

I thoroughly enjoyed Noble's R (single BA driver) mode in the two products I auditioned (their PR and FR universals).  In both cases, the R driver was more balanced and coherent with surprisingly good extension at both ends.  A simplistic way of looking at it would be to imagine an RE-400 with more body and richness, or an ER-4 that isn't as compressed or narrowband sounding.

I agree with everyone that there should be an R model at a reduced price.  For many of us there, the R conjured up the image of a $300~$350 universal unit to serve as a back-up to our UERMs.  That price is just a rough estimate though, as I think we all envisioned it as a competitor to the ER-4S/ER-4PT.  So as long as the price would be on par with such, it should be a winner.

Regarding the F mode of the FR, it's basically moar bass (though not offensively more).  It's fine, I found no fault with it.  Though, for me, it would see limited usage versus the R setting.

Regarding the P mode of the PR, I think the jury is still out on that for me.  It's higher impedance and lower sensitivity - and it was plainly evident that my AK120 wasn't doing it justice.  If anyone is thinking about auditioning the PR, please make sure you intend to supply it with ample amplification.

Eddie Current 4-45 (with my LCD-X):

I'm reluctant to say more pending a more extensive audition, but this is a very, very, VERY good amp.  I'm not sure my LCD-X had the best synergy with it, and I didn't try the 4-45 with any other headphones.  But what I did hear was mighty impressive.  It was a very stable and even keeled presenation with no faults to speak of, definitely reference.

Oppo PM-1 (via Marv's 4-45):

And finally, the Oppo PM-1.  Let me start by pointing out that I was not listening to one of my own tracks, nor was I listening to it on my gear, and it wasn't a very long audition.  And yes, it's possible that there was a defect (in both drivers?), or there is some wild build variance at work/play here.  Having thrown all of those reservations out... I didn't enjoy the PM-1.

I think I remarked that it was like listening to a band playing at one end of a 50ft carpeted cylinder, while I was at the other, with both ends of the cylinder closed off.  It was intimate and distant at the same time, which was something I've never experienced before.  Very peculiar.

At the end of the day, I would have to classify it as one of the biggest disappointments of the past year for me... along with the TH500RP prototype at CanJam.  I actually think Marv is being a little kind here WRT the SQ.  Comfort was pretty good though!

Must have missed the LCD-X. I still haven't had a chance to really listen to it, outside of short sessions on unfamiliar gear that confirmed that it still carries the Audeze house sound.

Thanks for posting all your impressions.


If possible, can any of you comment more about what you thought of Alex's modded Oppo's?


He tells me that he modded just about every aspect of the Oppo's. Not just the pads, and damping materials but also the driver itself, etc. I guess the mods were pretty extensive.


Did anyone spend much time comparing the modded Oppo's? Or since the stock Oppo's were not very well liked, did you pretty much "write off" the modded Oppo's too?


I know Warren and a few others preferred the stock Oppo's over the modded ones. But I really felt the modded Oppo's were night and day different in a good way.


Thanks,


-Darin

Better clarity and air, removed quite a bit of that veil in exchange for increased treble presence and harshness (a bit too much of each).  I'd suspect an increased but rather narrow treble peak, ringing and/or distortion.  Felt a bit less muddy and suffocating but more fatiguing.