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MP3 SOUND RECORDINGS
These recordings were made with a high resolution, lab quality,
digital recording system inside SPCR's own 11 dBA ambient anechoic chamber, then converted to LAME 128kbps encoded MP3s. We've
listened long and hard to ensure there is no audible degradation from the original
WAV files to these MP3s. They represent a quick snapshot of what we heard during
the review. Most of the recordings listed below were made with the mic at 1m distance.
For the most realistic results, set the volume so that the starting ambient
level is just barely audible, then don't change the volume setting again while
comparing all the sound files. Please note that some of the recordings were made at 1m distance and others at 0.6m.
Comparative PC System recordings?
There are no other PC systems we've tested recently which could be considered competitive with the PSi7. However, for reference sake, here are some of the other systems we've recorded in the anechoic chamber, mostly much smaller, lower power and less capable systems:
- Asus
Eee Box B202 at idle, 18 dBA@1m and 14 dBA@1m (behind LCD monitor) -- The recording of the Eee Box was made with the unit at idle, and the microphone
1m away, first on a table in the hemi-anechoic chamber, and then mounted on
the back of an LCD monitor, and the microphone 1m away from the front of the
monitor. It starts with the room ambient, followed by the product's noise. The acoustics of the Eee Box barely changes with load, which is why only idle noise was recorded; there's virtually no audible difference at full load.
DISCUSSIONS & MODS
1. Taming the CPU
The high CPU temperature was serious enough to discuss it with StoneWave. This led, eventually, to a long delay in the posting of this review. Here's a recent letter from StoneWave which summarizes the results of my conversations with them:
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Hi Mike,
Thanks to your testing and advice we have made changes that will be effective the afternoon of 9-25-09 on our web site. We would appreciate if you can make mention of these changes made to the Pro Studio i7 in your review (perhaps in the end).
This is the new design of the pro Studio i7 effective 9-25-09.
1.We moved drives to the right and installed high airflow grills on all three bays on the left.
2.We covered the Top Rear vent holes with Acoustipack soundproofing. This cuts down noise that was coming through the Rear Top vent holes and allows cooler air to come through the new front grills. This also prevents hotter air escaping from the Top Rear vents from being sucked back in to the computer.
3.We installed 2nd Noctua Rear exhaust fan. This increased the air exhaust.
4.With these changes we ran PRIME95 for 1 hour and got the following results.
5.CPU - 65°C, Hottest Core 82°C (We did not stress the GPU at the same time)
New Design for pro Studio i7 effective Sept 25, 2009
CONCLUSION: Thanks to Mike Chin’s expert advice we cooled down temperatures on the Pro Studio i7 by approx 8°C on the Hottest of the 8 Cores when full stressing the CPU. The Acoustipack soundproofing cut known noise even further and now there is not an issue to do a full Rackmount enclosure blocking the Top Rear vents since airflow comes from the front now. StoneWave explains airflow in their manual and to keep left side Bays unobstructed, and if occupied you can remove the Acoustipack to allow Top Rear Airflow.
Regards,
Robert J. Stone
President
StoneWaveProductions
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2. Energy Star Status
Another point of discussion concerned the question of Energy Star status. ES maintains a searchable database of all qualifying products. When I did a search for StoneWave products in July, the database turned up no hits. Why not? This is the reply that I received:
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ENERGY STAR QUALIFICATION NOTES:
Concerning the New Energy Star 5.0 specification that Started July 1, 2009: StoneWave had all of its 4.0 Certifications before July 1, 2009 and were proud to be the first company in the US to have a qualified i7 PC. We were fully in Energy Star’s search engine. It is unfortunate for us, that only a few months of obtaining this, Energy Star changed to the new 5.0 Specification in July 1, 2009, they decided to NOT carry over any Companies in the Search Engine, are requiring a 5.0 Recommitment, and only to list companies in the Search engine that re-certified their products for the 5.0 specification. This is why we still show Certification under 4.0 and have a link showing a certified product, but do not show up in the Search Engine. As soon as we re-certify our products, then we will re-appear. This is going to take us a few months.
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CONCLUSIONS
The StoneWave Pro Studio i7 sample reviewed here is indeed a very quiet computer. Given that the recording mode of any audio software is far less taxing than our lab stress test utilities, it is quiet enough to be in the same acoustic space where almost any type of music is recorded. Its noise footprint is small, and the character of that noise is smooth enough that the quietest notes of the music would surely render it completely inaudible. The build quality is very good, and the choice of components is intelligent and appropriate. The Intel i7-920 CPU and the Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD3R provide a solid high performance foundation for a DAW.
The amendments to the cooling setup made by StoneWave in response to our initial feedback appear to have brought the CPU temperature under load to a more acceptable level. Even so, 82°C for the hottest core is not a particularly good mark. While it is true that the SPCR test load is more extreme than any real-life application, we would still be happier with lower temperatures. A larger CPU cooler with a larger fan would probably achieve this without any increase in noise. In the space available, a big top-down cooler is probably the best practical option. But if the top crossbar was removed, a large 120mm fan tower style heatsink would probably fit as well.
While Energy Star certification might be good for marketing and PR, from SPCR's point of view, 93W is still a fair amount of power for a PC to be drawing at idle. The power consumption is about what you'd expect of an i7-920 system with the chosen components, but it could be measurably reduced (possibly as much as 10%) with the use of an 80 PLUS Gold certified power supply (rated for 87~90% efficiency).
Finally, it's nice to see a small company still in the fray; computing hardware is overwhelmingly dominated by giant brands. The Pro Studio i7 a good, practical product, ideal as a DAW for a home-based or small-business recording studio and fittingly made by a small specialist in the field.
Our thanks to StoneWave Productions for the review opportunity.
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