More 721 noise solutions?

[doode968]

Check out http://www.dynamat.com

I'm thinking about applying some to the metal case.

[marshalk]

Doode, did you try this stuff? It looks interesting. The problem with the 721 is not the fan so much as the drive. Some of this on the case that surrounds the drive inside the unit could be a real help.

[xavier]

I could see how it could work some, most of the noise comes from hard drive though as previously stated, being honest instead of buying that you may just want to fold a towel and lay it under the reciever it will greatly reduce your noise.

[Jacob S]

Turn your tv up, then you cant hear it, or connect it to a stereo system, drowning out the hard drive noise. not a solution while receiver is off to drown out noise

[Jerry Abbanat]

I have used Dynamat on my 721--it helps somewhat but not as much as I had hoped from their advertising.  I tried the towel and it worked great except I think it suppresses the noise by partially blocking some of the vents on the bottom of the receiver.  Also, on mine, the fan never went off as long as the towel was there.  I solved the problem to a great extent by a combination of  the Dynamat, elevating the 4 feet with a double layer of  1" square dense carpet which raised the feet about 1/2" above my shelf (I had some extra burbur carpet which is pretty dense).  I then placed a small pad of the same carpet under the fan area (single carpet layer which is about 1/4" tall).  Because the feet were elevated, the fan was not blocked by the carpet BUT the noise was greatly reduced.  My 721 had a whiney sound that drove me nuts (probably the hard drive spinning). I read where the noise does not bother some but our home is very quite and it was quite noticable.  This method has helped a lot.

[jerryyyyy]

These sound like good ideas. The noise, I feel,does come from the fan. This morning the house was cold and now noise (fan off) but if you listen closely you could stil hear the hard drive.

I have looked at adding a second fan to the unit- to cool it better and keep the noisy fan off, replacing the fan with one with better bearings, but have not had the energy. This has been discussed on the list several monthsago. It is major surgery and I looked at a number of fans- secure mounting is the problem.

I think I will try the carpet and see what that gives me, then the Dynamat.

I also want to see what the temp readings are on the L105 OS.

[Jacob S]

Putting it into another room considering it is UHF controlled would be a good solution.

[marshalk]

Actually another room is not a good solution, for me anyway. Keeping cable runs to a minimum is a good thing and I like to use a Pronto universal remote instead of trying to find the right remote for the situation. The pronto, and other universal remotes, are IR and not UHF. If I just had a simple setup, with the 721 and composite video to a TV it might be ok but for a complete home theater rig moving the 721 to another room is just not practical. A better solution is to use fans and drives that are quited down. For instance using a drive with fluid dynamic bearings, such as the IBM deskstars, would help to reduce drive noise. Some vibration dampening would be in order, perhaps on the feet and around the drive casing.

[Jacob S]

If wires is an issue why not use an wireless audio/video transmitter?

[dbronstein]

Just put it in a cabinet and you don't hear a thing. With a glass door you can still use an IR remote. I wouldn't have even known the 721 is so noisy if I didn't read this forum.

Dennis

[Jerry Abbanat]

All of my equipment is on expensive BDI audio/video shelving. It would not be possible to glass enclose my equipment unless I gave up this beautiful stuff. I did my work-around because of this. Before PVR with hard drives and fans, there was never a problem. I want to use my universal IR remote (MX500) and in my case it would be inconvenient to have my 721 far away from the rest of my equipment. Anyway, my carpet-Dynamax has solved my problem. I hope if works for others.

[larrydj]

I have a DP behind wooden cabinet doors, controlled by a Xantech IR distribution system. It's quiet, and the IR is flawless. I highly recommend this method.

[marshalk]

My setup is more like Jeffy Abbanat in that I have a nice shelving system that aestically fits in with our room. I have ordered some of the dynamat material and will give that a try. I may also look in to using one of the newer IBM drives with fluid dynamic bearings. More disk space and quieter.