yes I know, that's why they are there and included:) dBA value doesn't tell everything and even the sound samples can be confusing

sound samples of fans are difficult because they depend on the sound setup of the reader as well, they are nice for HDs but for fans they can be misleading

maybe a compilation of all the samples to shed more light on it? small movie with sound & pics?

that would be intresting if it's done at a similar RPM

that's pretty much a job which can not be done, the way I tested the fan "subjectively" was by hooking them to an old PSU where I removed all fans from and did this in a dead quiet room.

to get the RPM readings and change them so they would all the same I have to make sure that the RPM monitor on the mobo is trustworthy or not... and then get a system running but that adds noise, the HDD is really responsible for an elevated ambient noise reading.

The article really annoyed me, and this is why: I think there's a significant group of people who would benefit from a quality review of 120mm fans, problem is, this one is a tease. With an "ambient room noise" of 34db, how are we supposed to decide which fans are the quietest? Say fan X is 22db, and fan Y is 32db. On the madshrimps test chart, they're equally ranked, because the damned room is so loud that you can't tell the difference! Come on guys, you can do better...

34 db is dead silent.

The values mentionned by manufacturers are tested in special room, and not a real world situation....

As 34 is unhearable, there is no difference between 22 or 33 dba....

maybe you should look up HOW <30dBA readings how measured. how much is costs to build a room capable of such low noise levels and how much an accurate <30dBA dBA meter costs;)

I'm convinced, that right now, in your room, without any PCs running you have >30dBA ambient noise.

:hello:

from www.globalwin.com.tw similar docs can be found at other companies, following ISO standards

[attachment]
http://www.iso.org/iso/en/CatalogueD...CSNUMBER=21750

Also check out this article: http://www.madshrimps.be/gotoartik.php?articID=268

I am in a quiet living room. The ambient sound is probably 20-23db or so. When I have a Vantec Stealth fan rated 28db on, I can EASILY hear it, and it annoys me. So if the room was 30db as you say, I wouldn't be able to easily hear that fan.