Time for another
64 Audio shill session, and this time we are doing none other than their ultimate TOTL, the
Fourte Noir! Naturally, no one is to post about the Noir without mentioning the one and only Tiger Ears,
@Vitaly2017!
As I mentioned in the 64 thread some time ago, I found the OG Fourte to be this odd combination of extremely smooth and buttery mids, paired with this really harsh, in your face treble. The Fourte Noir to me isn't necessarily a Fourte upgrade, but in a way it does still appeal to a most broad "treble head" category IMHO.
Disclaimer: I found the Fourte Noir to be extremely responsive to sources. This review is based on the LPGT exclusively, but your impressions might vary significantly depending on what DAP you've got paired with them.
I found that there are two definining characteristics of the Fourte Noir - the tubeless presentation and the upper treble. As
@aaf evo described it, it feels like the sound is appearing out of nowhere, which I also experienced when I heard the FiR M5 and the OG Fourte. It's very hard to describe, but you really cannot feel the IEM producing the sound as one would with a traditional tubed IEM like say the A18S. I suppose that is the "speaker-like" presentation that people have mentioned in their Noir reviews. I can't really say that I expressly prefer that to regular IEMs, it works very well for the Noir but it isn't something that I'd necessarily want in every IEM I own
The bass on the Noir has pretty enjoyable decay with spectacular texture. It is a dynamic driver that's been given freedom to show off. The quantity is certainly above neutral but I wouldn't put it as far as a basshead territory. Off the WM1Z though, the bass was pretty crazy in both quantity and texture. Back to LPGT impressions though, a mild bump with a really good balance between speed, texture and decay. Very enjoyable lows all around, with some focus on the subbass over the midbass.
The midrange on the Noir is a little weird, but not too much so. For the most part I found it to be quite linear with a decently even balance between the lower and upper midrange. There's a little upper midrange forwardness that mostly presents itself in the highest vocal registers, which oddly enough sounds pretty enjoyable. Vocals don't sound bloated but they "assume" that bite once vocalists really go at it, and that actually feels like a pretty realistic presentation. The forwardness is also resolved through an even more forward upper treble, which pushes instruments slightly above vocals, and also extremely wide staging which gives space to instruments to perform regardless of the occasionally oversized vocals.
In terms of texture, the midrange is very consistent and coherent with the bass in that it is extremely well textured without being overly thick.
The treble... dayum. I love it, but that isn't to say that it'll work for everyone. It has what might just be the most upper treble that I've heard on any monitor ever. The 1266 TC approaches but doesn't quite reach it. I think my sensitivity to upper treble is pretty much non-existent, and I do really enjoy it, so the Noir works especially well, but it will also hit the sensitivities of so many people. I've spoken to friends who weren't able to get through so much as a song because of the treble on the Noir lul
In terms of extension - spectacular. Sparkle? I personally found it a little bit more on the drier and faster side, but tia treble has a smoothness to it that makes it very pleasant to listen to. I found the IER Z1R to be quite hot in comparison for example. The lower treble is also quite flat, making the Noir much more enjoyable than the OG for more mainstream performances.
Staging - exceptionally wide, and exceptionally holographic. The height is also very impressive, and competes with the very best. With the amount of upper treble the detail and sense of space/air are naturally quite good. Instrumental separation is on point, but I feel that the speaker-like presentation that I mentioned earlier somewhat gets in the way of the separation. It isn't bad, it's just not as exaggerated as the rest of the technical ability of the Fourte Noir.
Overall verdict? Great for me, but a very caution recommendation to anyone with an upper treble sensitivity. Certainly worth experiencing though
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