Quiet / Noisy Monitor Survey

They make noise, too.

Moderators: NeilBlanchard, Ralf Hutter, sthayashi, Lawrence Lee

ck8-04
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Joined: Sun Jan 21, 2007 9:58 pm
Location: Malden, MA

Post by ck8-04 » Fri Feb 06, 2009 7:22 am

I ditched my NEC LCD2090UXi for an HP LP2065. The panels are the same (S-IPS), but the HP is much quieter. There is a slight hum when I put my ear to the back of it, but it is inaudible under normal conditions. Finally, an S-IPS panel that is as close to silent as possible. The NEC was much better with respect to image quality related features, but I'll take silence over those extra features any day.

spc988
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Location: Scandinavia

Post by spc988 » Thu Feb 12, 2009 1:15 am

Fujitsu Siemens L24W-2 Whining noise at all settings below 100% brightness, increasing with lower settings. Whining even worse when Off or in Standby. Brand new replacement unit for the monitor I bought 4 months ago (same make) which was also noisy. Giving up on Fujitsu Siemens now.

Probably getting a Samsung SyncMaster T240HD instead. Does anyone have good/bad experience with that monitor?

Tsorovan
Posts: 65
Joined: Thu Apr 03, 2003 9:44 am

Post by Tsorovan » Thu Feb 12, 2009 12:32 pm

Philips 220SW9F, 2 samples. Quite annoying medium-pitched whine at brightness below ~85%, at its worst at around 30%.

Pretty quiet in standby/off. I have to have my ear a few inches away from them to hear it.

Getting tired of this... I can't see anyone using their monitors at 100% brightness without going blind.

Edit: Managed to get them decently quiet by setting brightness at 82% and setting RGB at 40, 40, 40, but I haven't yet tried calibrating them with my Eye-One, so I can't vouch for colour accuracy at these settings. Also, the black point isn't too awesome at this brightness setting.

Other than that, this is probably the best value 22" monitor I've seen so far. Colours out of the box at 6500°K (and 30% brightness) were surprisingly similar to my calibrated Lenovo L220x. Way better than the Samsung 2243BW for instance, which is more expensive. Backlight was a bit uneven at the top and bottom on one monitor, however.

flashvlad
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Joined: Sun Feb 22, 2009 2:21 pm
Location: Romania

Post by flashvlad » Sun Feb 22, 2009 2:27 pm

Samsung SyncMaster T240
Bought it for 2 days and it started from the very begging to do the annoying buzzing sound after lowering the brightness from 100 to even 99 or lower.
Is this something general?
Are there any chances i could get my monitor fixed or repaired? Or is this thing considered normal and we are forced to live with it after we payed quite a fortune?

rpsgc
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Post by rpsgc » Sat Feb 28, 2009 3:40 am

I've ordered a Benq G2400WD. I'll report back with my experiences with it. If it sucks you're all gonna pay! :twisted:

rpsgc
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Post by rpsgc » Wed Mar 11, 2009 4:34 am

rpsgc wrote:I've ordered a Benq G2400WD. I'll report back with my experiences with it. If it sucks you're all gonna pay! :twisted:
OK, it has arrived. First impression? Holy **** this thing is huge!


Regarding the buzzing, yes, it buzzes. Lightly but it can still be heard if the room is silent.


What settings do you recommend?

tackle
Posts: 45
Joined: Fri Mar 09, 2007 4:58 pm

Post by tackle » Tue Mar 24, 2009 1:52 pm

I have a Samsung Syncmaster 940B from 2005 that sounds like a phaser/flanger when adjusting brightness and contrast.

I have a saved txt file which tells me what setting it is quiet and looks good at, which is:
Brightness 76
Contrast 62

There should IMO be a law that enforces monitor manufacturers to make sure there are no dead pixels and no frickin noise depending on what setting you have. It's so ridiculous.

tackle
Posts: 45
Joined: Fri Mar 09, 2007 4:58 pm

Post by tackle » Sat Mar 28, 2009 11:04 am

My mom just got a Samsung Syncmaster 2443BW.
Anything below 99% on brightness makes insanely loud buzzing noises.

Is this standard in every monitor now? I can't recommend her any other monitor fearing everyone does the same.

mond
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Post by mond » Wed Apr 01, 2009 7:25 am

Typing this from my second sample of a Samsung 2443BW.
Both buzz when brightness is reduced below 97. Noise is clearly audible when sitting at a normal position in front of the screen, and this is even with quite a bit of streetnoise.
So it's going back tomorrow, and the hunt continues. Incredibly frustrating... :?
Last edited by mond on Mon Apr 27, 2009 6:45 am, edited 1 time in total.

doom
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Joined: Sat Apr 04, 2009 6:17 am
Location: Finland

Post by doom » Sat Apr 04, 2009 6:29 am

I bougth Samsung 2493HM 6 months ago. It had terrible rustle coming out of its speakers (even at volume 0%) so I contacted Samsung and asked if this was normal... enging up to RMA the device. This new one has quiet speakers but has a little whining feature (probably the previous one had it too). It seems to stop completetly at 50% of brightness. It whines at 0% brightness and 100% brigthness but not at all at 45-55%. How normal is that? :)

mond
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Post by mond » Sat Apr 04, 2009 9:51 am

doom wrote:It seems to stop completetly at 50% of brightness. It whines at 0% brightness and 100% brigthness but not at all at 45-55%. How normal is that? :)
Perhaps quite normal, I've seen reviews of several different monitors mention noise at particular brightness settings. At work I got a new Dell 22" the other day, and it whines at reduced brightness, except for some particular intervals.

sp139
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Location: Canada

Post by sp139 » Sun Apr 05, 2009 8:36 am

Hello,

Lacie 324
24" widescreen -- spva

Noisy when brightness < level 49 (possible levels are 0 to 50), can be heard 3 meters away.
Noise coould be compared to small hight speed fan inside of a pc.
Tone of the noise varies a bit from setting to setting.

Went already through 3 lacie 324 (all under warranty. All complaints about the noise, among other things)
All of them make the noise, so I've stop and kept the last monitor since it seems to be by "design".
I would have expected a better result with this supposed "high end" lcd.
I'm comming from the crt world, so I knew whatever I chose it was going to be worst but I wasn't expecting the noise to be part of it.

I hate noise of all kind and I have good hearing. The noise may not irritate some people, but it does to me.
I'm considering putting it to max brightness and calibrate it with calibrator.
Brightness doesn't seem to affect color quality, it's just brighter and colors shine a bit more.
Power consumption = 140W according to doc. It's higher than my old viewsonic professional crt (130W)!

mond
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Post by mond » Thu Apr 09, 2009 12:22 pm

Tried a NEC LCD2470WVX after two noisy Samsungs.

Unfortunately, this one also emits a loud hum when brightness is reduced below about 90. Amplitude increases til about half brightness, where is levels off and is constant till 0. Not as much a buzz as the two Samsung 2443BW I tried, more just a hum, that is however very clearly heard when sitting in front of the monitor. Completely unacceptable!!

How can they get themselves to sell this sh*t?!?
Last edited by mond on Mon Apr 27, 2009 6:45 am, edited 1 time in total.

Swordfish
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Joined: Tue Apr 14, 2009 9:16 am
Location: Switzerland

Samsung SyncMaster 205BW

Post by Swordfish » Tue Apr 14, 2009 9:34 am

Samsung SyncMaster 205BW:

Whines when brightness < 95.
Decreasing the brightness modulates the whine but it's noisy from 0 to <95.

The noise is very low but also high pitched and annoying...

Keep-up the good work, this thread is very informative!

sandy keelow
Posts: 3
Joined: Tue Apr 21, 2009 3:31 pm
Location: France

Post by sandy keelow » Tue Apr 21, 2009 4:07 pm

ASUS VW192S
Annoying buzz at any brightness setting below 100%, a bit lower at 0% and 50%...
I tried to put some epoxy glue on the coil but probably didn't put enough of it, noise didn't really change, next time I open the thing I'm going to try drowning the coil in silicon and using rubber bolts to hold the PCB...

K.Murx
Posts: 177
Joined: Tue Mar 17, 2009 10:26 am
Location: Germany

Post by K.Murx » Fri Apr 24, 2009 11:26 am

Acer X193W+BD
Whiny at first, broke down, got repaired, whine stopped. Silent as of now

Carson89
Posts: 21
Joined: Tue Feb 26, 2008 5:05 am
Location: UK

Post by Carson89 » Sun Apr 26, 2009 8:23 am

Dell 2709W
No noises what so every, despite having it replaced under warranty for a new one twice already.

Samsung 205BW
Very slight high pitch noise in a quiet environment at all brightness settings.

mond
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Post by mond » Mon Apr 27, 2009 6:42 am

Lenovo L2440X

Completely silent in use at any brightness setting. A very faint buzz can be heard when I press my ear to the back of the monitor, but not a problem unless you plan to use it this way :wink:

Before purchasing I asked SPCR user strongbad about it, following this thread.

The reply was that "There is some very slight sound from the monitor, but I can only hear it when the room is completely silent and my ear is right next to screen. Two feet back and I can't hear it."

And asked about changes with varying brightness: "Not that I can tell. You must have really good ears and a very quiet environment to hear any noise at all."

SecretFire
Posts: 7
Joined: Wed Feb 14, 2007 5:22 pm

Post by SecretFire » Sat May 02, 2009 10:02 am

Samsung T220

At most brightness levels (basically anything but full), there is a mid-band whine that's relatively quiet but still noticeable. No noise during standby/poweroff that I noticed. I don't think it annoys me enough to do anything about it, but definitely not suitable for someone who wants complete silence.[/b]

pjeremy
Posts: 26
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Post by pjeremy » Wed May 13, 2009 3:11 am

Benq V2400W
absolutely silent at any brightness level.

Dell 3008WFP
also completely silent.

Sake
Posts: 10
Joined: Tue Jan 25, 2005 1:45 pm
Location: The Netherlands

Post by Sake » Fri Jun 05, 2009 5:20 am

Please keep this thread updated. Very usefull.
No noise when adjusting brightness has become my first buying selection
What about the Lenovo L2440P? Anyone has one in use?

I found that the LG W2442PA-BF is noisy <95% brightness.

Sake
Posts: 10
Joined: Tue Jan 25, 2005 1:45 pm
Location: The Netherlands

Post by Sake » Sun Jun 07, 2009 12:56 pm

Very first review-site with monitor reviews that state noise!
http://www.prad.de/en/index.html

Shamgar
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Location: Where I Am

Post by Shamgar » Mon Jun 29, 2009 8:38 am

Dell UltraSharp 2209WA : audible on-off humming sound when computer is switched on and reset. In very quiet conditions and working at desk, humming is audible at brightness less than 87.

Brightness on this monitor is set no higher than 16 -- usually at 8 or less. Anything higher is too bright for my eyes. During day, system and other ambient noise drowns out monitor noise.

Played with software brightness control while boosting monitor brightness to 87+, but image quality and power consumption both suffer as a result.

Other than slightly intrusive noise in very quiet conditions and higher power consumption than TN monitors of same size, I am very happy with this e-IPS monitor. Excellent image quality and features (USB 2.0 4-port hub, fully adjustable stand, sturdy construction) for the price. I paid AUD ~$330 for it. Almost paid $549 for a Samsung 204B TN two years ago. Glad I didn't.

Wonder if it's worth returning monitors with noise issues under warranty? Might end up with a worse one; maybe a quieter one, but worse in other areas.

JamieT
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Joined: Sat Jun 13, 2009 7:48 am
Location: UK

Post by JamieT » Thu Jul 02, 2009 3:24 pm

I didn't notice until I've just built my 'quiet' computer, but my Samsung 215TW has an incredibly annoying high pitched buzzing noise when the contrast is above 30% (below 30% is basically too dark to be usable) so looks like I'll be buying a new monitor too!

ZaphodB
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Location: Slovenia

Post by ZaphodB » Wed Jul 08, 2009 12:46 pm

Philips 190P6ES - dead silent

Philips 2240PW9ES - a small, hardly hearable buzz at brightness levels bellow 100% and above 50%. Perfectly tolerable, especially because there are other louder things in the room (computer - fairly silent though).

Samsung 2443BW - if you value silent computers and peripherals, get away from this model. Not tolerable at any other brightness levels other than 100% (which is a default and one cannot look at such bright screen).

pepve
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Post by pepve » Fri Jul 17, 2009 2:04 pm

Captain John wrote:Dell 1905FP- absolutely silent under all conditions I've experienced. It has set a standard that the earlier two failed to match.
Just got a refurbished Dell 1905FP because of this recommendation, and it is silent indeed.

new2spcr
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Location: Sweden

Post by new2spcr » Mon Aug 24, 2009 12:29 pm

Samsung SyncMaster 2243FW -

Front: silent

Back: some buzzing (left side, top) and some high pitched (right side, bottom) noise but only detectable when my I put my ear very close to these areas. When the monitor displays thick horizontal lines the buzzing noise gets worse.

Overall, I'm very happy with this monitor.

fnukyguy
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Location: norway

Post by fnukyguy » Sat Sep 26, 2009 5:59 pm

Samsung 2443BW - horrible buzzing noise when brightness under 97%. Really a shame, because I loved the design and the picture was good.
Impossible to run it at 100% brightness, too bright !

Benq G2400WD- does buzz under 93, but its not overwhelming..Can't hear it over music played at low volume...
Luckily I can run it at 100% brightness without damaging my eyes.

Both monitor are dead silent at 100% brightness

bleh111
Posts: 1
Joined: Mon Sep 28, 2009 2:17 pm
Location: Ireland

Post by bleh111 » Mon Sep 28, 2009 2:23 pm

Samsung sm2443NW

Completely silent at 100% brightness. Once brightness is reduced below 100 it starts to buzz. Annoying if you are in a silent room.
I returned it and now trying to pick a good replacement. I dont know if this is possible to find, seems to be an issue with all LCDs, just a bigger issue with some. From my research Samsung seems to be the worst offenders.

Interestingly I have tested my dell xps laptop. I notice that if you put your ear beside the back of the display and turn the brightness below max you can indeed hear a slight buzz. Not noticable unless you put your ear on it but there all the same.

qstoffe
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Location: Sweden

Post by qstoffe » Tue Sep 29, 2009 12:46 am

LG W2600HP-BF
Completely unacceptable noise levels when brightness is set to lower than 95% ! :evil:

@ 100% it is silent. I tried working with brighness @100% for a couple of days but my eyes just couldn't take it. I decided to try the "hot glue fix". After applying a little hot glue the noise was reduced. Then I decided to cover the buzzing components with a little more glue. Now all I get is a black screen :(

What bugs me the most about this phurchase is that I actually read the review at Prad but somehow I failed to read that they reported the display to be noisy at lower brightness levels. Prad always mention noise levels in their reviews and I shall read more carefully before I buy another display.

Prad review:
http://www.prad.de/en/monitore/review/2 ... 600hp.html

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