I ran the lamp in eco-mode mounted about 5'5" directly above the primary seating, fan noise was negligible to me, and nobody ever commented on it when watching content. ProjectorCentral has the fan noise listed at 22db in eco-mode. When running tests in normal lamp mode the fan could be heard in quiet scenes, or when the volume was low/muted..however, it was not to the point of being a distraction to me. My decision to run the lamp in eco-mode was because of brightness. Eco-mode provided more than enough brightness in my light controlled setup using a 127" 2.40 scope screen.
With respect to returns, the shipping cost would include insurance, to cover any damage during shipment. I would not be open to a 30 day try-out/return period though. Although it is in great working condition, it is does have almost 800 hours of use, and is out of the manufacturer's warranty period.