Now that I'm getting my HTPC silent enough to use when watching TV, does anyone have any ideas about how to silence a projector?

I have not taken the plunge to get on yet but the only hurdle remaining is its noise. They claim 34db and I have a feeling that that will be way to loud with the projector sitting a few feet above my head.

Anyone done this before?

/N

Projectors vary wildly in noise level (and features). A friend had a Sony, and exchanged it for a Panasonic. A lot less noise. Both were nice small devices.

What may help as well is think where you locatethething. Sony on ceiling was not a good idea (no correction built in for that).

Also keep in mind tht vendors lie even about the brightness and contrast (even though it is clear how to measure that). Sound in dB(A) is an even bigger problem - measured in 1 meter, 10 meters, 1 ft? And in which direction?

I'm sure that if you make the right choice you will be happy - but there are still a lot of noisy projectors I guess.


Thomas

Check the fan size on the projector. Most projects use very small fans. Typically 40mm, and to push a decent amount of air in that size it needs to be a screamer fan.
If you can get a projector with a bigger fan.
If you are prepared to mod the projector (and void the warranty) you might be able to mount a duct so you can put a bigger fan on the outside of the projector. If might not look that nice to have the fan on the outside...

Any experience with the InFocus X1? I have been considering getting one for business purposes. Is it noisy?

Thanks in advance.

If you want my opinion, DON'T DO IT. That loud fan is there for a reason. The light bulb that does all the projecting gets REALLY REALLY HOT, and if you reduce the amount of air that gets to it, you can easily reduce the life of the bulb. Now go price shopping on projector bulbs. If you've accepted that you're willing to buy some in the sake of quietness, then you may alright to mod a projector.

The first mod that comes to mind would be cutting away any and all grills that exist. Every projector I have seen limits their airflow with grills. The downside is that if you cut out the grills, the projector will sound louder without having something to block the fan noise.

Other than that, I'd have to see the internals of the specific projector that you want to modify.

Yep, small fast fans on the projectors. And they do get HOT.

This is also why I don't think I could build a box around it. It needs lots of cool air.

Has anyone pulled them apart and put them in a big box with a bigger slower fan that could push enough air at the lamp?

Do they have any kind of overheat shutdown protection?

Kind of expensive to experiment with a $400 bulb.

/N

Not only thebuld is aproblem - the LCDs like to be cooled as well or thy will melt and get very uneven.

If you care about noise, get a projector that is not so nisy. It seems the 'home' models are less noise than those por presentation purposes.

As far as that friend's Panasonic: It is very quiet, not obtrusive at all.


Thomas

I agree with zak that presentation models tend to be a lot worse for noise than home cinema models.
If you're thinking about getting a projector I'd look up some reviews in specialist magazines - I've read a few projector reviews in What HiFi, and they winged when anything had a bad fan/said if it was particularly quiet (plus you get to find out if the picture is any good ).

One thing that may be as important as what you buy, is where you buy it from. Find a place that will let you return it if the noise is obtrusive.

You're not likely to find that at a bigbox retail store, but a mom-and-pop will probably understand, especially if you tell them up front that you're looking to buy a new one because your old one is too loud.

good thread, we should continue this, when we speak of replacing the fan with a bigger one and worry about less air moving we should remember that even a couple 1200rpm slipstreams would be worlds quieter than some(/most?) projectors, you could for example make a soundproof zigzag soundproofed (foam etc) wind tunnel cooling the projector with acousticpack inside and all around the front upto the lense so all noise projects backwards away from the listening position reduced to near inaudible even with 4 120mm 1200rpm fans (undervolted to desired air/noise ratio) and keep your projector cooler than with the standard screamer fan
(cooler = longer bulb life?)
i have a vent in my room (basically a square hole in the wall with a plastic grill screwed either side) which i plan to duct to the projector with something like (and probably borrowed from) the one out the back of my tumble dryer with a 120mm (hopefully undervolted) 1900rpm slipstream at the vents end (quieter but may not be sufficient, may have to be at projector's end) which would pump very cold air into and through the projector hopefully increasing the life of the bulb and dramatically decreasing the level of noise

avsforum.com is the place for stuff like that. building a hush box for the projector isnt a new thing, but its not a trivial matter, it will cost you some time and money. The best is to get a quiet projector to start with, then work from there. I have an Epson TW700, and its not too bad in theatre black mode.

A fast reference would be: is the projector small? then its probably noisy.

its small, and noisey