Need Quiet CRT Monitor
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Need Quiet CRT Monitor
I need a quiet CRT monitor. I'm currently using a 15" Daewoo CMC-1501BA1 (it's OK, but I want something bigger). I tried a 17" Samsung 790DF and it was horrible. An annoying flicker on the right side of the screen made me run it at 85 Hz just so it was tolerable. The buzz during operation was really bad and it also made a high pitched whine even when it was off. I had to unplug it every time I turned my computer off.
Any suggestions? I'd prefer a 19".
Oh, Don't suggest an LCD or I'll start ranting. You've been warned!
Any suggestions? I'd prefer a 19".
Oh, Don't suggest an LCD or I'll start ranting. You've been warned!
It would help if you told me which CRT you have.perplex wrote:what the hell do you mean your CRT is buzzing? maybe it's about to explode or something? my CRT is silent
Surely, there must be some hope without buying one of those OTHER monitors (*shudders)...IsaacKuo wrote:As a fellow sufferer of CRT whine, I have only two words of advice: "Good luck!"
(Actually, I have few other words of advice, but I don't want to start a rant...)
Keep in mind that I'm young and can hear high frequencies.
I'd go as far as to say that my FW900 is a bit betterperplex wrote:sorry. i got sony g200 17" its the best CRT ever made - fact!
so your saying your CRT buzzes like a honeybee breeding?
No buzzing here either. Buzzing is mostly present in cheap low quality CRTs or very old ones.
I don't get the point about having to run it at 85Hz? why would you ever run at anything less on a CRT? It's bad for your eyes.
You would run it at less if the monitor was only capable of 75 HZ or if you don't notice flicker or eyestrain. Keep in mind that more refreshes could be harder on the monitor hardware.Mumrik wrote: I don't get the point about having to run it at 85Hz? why would you ever run at anything less on a CRT? It's bad for your eyes.
True, but to be honest, if your budget is so low that you have to settle for less that 85Hz at your preferred resolution, you might have a hard time finding a monitor that is "quiet".
Also remember that any high pitched whine (not talking about buzzing) from the CRT usually tends to go away (out of the audible spectrum) at higher refresh rates.
BTW even if you don't really notice the difference between 75Hz and 85+, the low refresh might still be putting a strain on your eyes.
I forgot to comment on the whine when the monitor is in stand by. Yeah, that's very common, I had a Samsung 959NF (lovely monitor) that did that too, but I've never had to unplug a monitor to get it to stop - turning it off was always enough.
Also remember that any high pitched whine (not talking about buzzing) from the CRT usually tends to go away (out of the audible spectrum) at higher refresh rates.
BTW even if you don't really notice the difference between 75Hz and 85+, the low refresh might still be putting a strain on your eyes.
I forgot to comment on the whine when the monitor is in stand by. Yeah, that's very common, I had a Samsung 959NF (lovely monitor) that did that too, but I've never had to unplug a monitor to get it to stop - turning it off was always enough.
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Oh man perplex, if you can't hear a CRT's buzzing you are DEAF!! Ok ok just kidding but man I haven't found a CRT in my life that is silent or even close. I have a Sony F500R so low quality is not the reason (drool FW900!!). Admittedly my definition of quiet is one of the lowest noise levels out of all SPCR users.
My monitor however, is placed so that the top of the monitor is above my ear level so the buzzing does'nt really make it to my ears (and has not much to reflect off of in my orientation). To be ergonomically sound (pun!) you want the top of the viewable area of the monitor to be at eye level and you want to look down onto most of the viewable surface for the least strain. Although 75hz is apple's standard and officially flicker free, research still shows a great reduction in eye strain by moving up to 85hz, I would recommend no less than 85hz. Above 85hz showed massively diminishing returns and as mentioned will get blurry, so 85hz or 90hz is the sweet spot. Higher refresh rates also does seem to put more strain on the hardware, though I can't confirm with technical know-how, only experience and observation.
I'm a CRT guy myself, I do not feel LCD's have the image quality of a good sony CRT. However, the chances of my next monitor being an LCD have increased dramatically in the last year. I've wanted to do a dual or triple monitor setup for a while now but have not had the budjet or desk space, of which space can be solved with LCD's and budjet is increasing...at the same time that P180 is tempting
Edit: Sorry forgot to make a recommendation: Sony G420 19 inch.
-Ken
My monitor however, is placed so that the top of the monitor is above my ear level so the buzzing does'nt really make it to my ears (and has not much to reflect off of in my orientation). To be ergonomically sound (pun!) you want the top of the viewable area of the monitor to be at eye level and you want to look down onto most of the viewable surface for the least strain. Although 75hz is apple's standard and officially flicker free, research still shows a great reduction in eye strain by moving up to 85hz, I would recommend no less than 85hz. Above 85hz showed massively diminishing returns and as mentioned will get blurry, so 85hz or 90hz is the sweet spot. Higher refresh rates also does seem to put more strain on the hardware, though I can't confirm with technical know-how, only experience and observation.
I'm a CRT guy myself, I do not feel LCD's have the image quality of a good sony CRT. However, the chances of my next monitor being an LCD have increased dramatically in the last year. I've wanted to do a dual or triple monitor setup for a while now but have not had the budjet or desk space, of which space can be solved with LCD's and budjet is increasing...at the same time that P180 is tempting
Edit: Sorry forgot to make a recommendation: Sony G420 19 inch.
-Ken
Honestly, I don't concider it normal for CRTs to be noisy, and I have very good hearing.
I've never seen a CRT TV that wasn't noisy - 50Hz sets whine like hell, 100Hz sets can be heard buzzing a bit if you get close enough - but good CRT monitors at high refresh? I've never noticed anything - at least not from the standard sitting position, and I've used:
1) Daewoo 17" cheapie
2) Samsung 19" 959NF
3) Dual 21" IBM P260
4) Sony FW900
It might be because I haven't had a chance to listen in an absolutely silent enviroment, who knows...
The Daewoo would occasionally whine while in use, but it seemed to be vibration related in some way. At least it went away if I readjusted its tilt or something like that.
I've heard about a certain coil that can be damaged, causing CRTs to whine, but if should be fixable...
I've never seen a CRT TV that wasn't noisy - 50Hz sets whine like hell, 100Hz sets can be heard buzzing a bit if you get close enough - but good CRT monitors at high refresh? I've never noticed anything - at least not from the standard sitting position, and I've used:
1) Daewoo 17" cheapie
2) Samsung 19" 959NF
3) Dual 21" IBM P260
4) Sony FW900
It might be because I haven't had a chance to listen in an absolutely silent enviroment, who knows...
The Daewoo would occasionally whine while in use, but it seemed to be vibration related in some way. At least it went away if I readjusted its tilt or something like that.
I've heard about a certain coil that can be damaged, causing CRTs to whine, but if should be fixable...
Well I must dissagree here!!perplex wrote:sorry. i got sony g200 17" its the best CRT ever made - fact!
so your saying your CRT buzzes like a honeybee breeding?
The best CRT monitor ever made is SONY G220 !!
It's the same with G200 but it has USB hub!
I used to have a Viewpoint something and it was had this irritating noise.
The Sony is absolutely silent.
The noise from the CRTs has to do with the electronics inside them and the cathod tube.
The difference in expensive and inexpensive CRTs apart from the quality of display is the quality of electronics.
I would bet that good models of Sony,Eizo,Viewsonic won't have such problem.
Try to find a comparison test of CRT monitors in which apart from the quality of the screens ,the quality of the electronics is examined.
In such a test i choose my screen.I t had 9,5/10 in electronics section.
I hope this was helpful.
Sorry for any mistake in writing
i'm in the same position as Gxcad and a lot of other people. I have a philips 109P4 and it's a brilliant monitor colour-wise and everything-else-to-do-with-image-quality-wise - but it's the loudest part of my system by far. even in your average 'quiet' system, it'd still be prominent. the noise is a high-pitched buzzing and doesn't go away with any res or refresh rate tweaks.
i'd swap it for an LCD but i do graphics/3d/web design so i need to have a crt as a 2nd point of reference - a lot of the initial designs i do look totally different when moved from one screen over to the other!
guess it's just random luck. all i can say is, avoid the philips 109p4, although ymmv. good monitor, but not silent.
i'd swap it for an LCD but i do graphics/3d/web design so i need to have a crt as a 2nd point of reference - a lot of the initial designs i do look totally different when moved from one screen over to the other!
guess it's just random luck. all i can say is, avoid the philips 109p4, although ymmv. good monitor, but not silent.
perplex wrote:what the hell do you mean your CRT is buzzing? maybe it's about to explode or something? my CRT is silent
How old are you, perplex? If you're in your twenties and you can't hear your CRT whine, then it's intriguing. If you are much older than that, then it's not, since after a certain age you can't hear the 15,000+ Hz whine anyway.
It appears Sony no longer makes CRT monitors. All I can find are refurbs. (No thanks)
Money isn't a huge concern to me, but I don't want to waste money shipping($$$), RMA'ing, and paying restocking fees. If only there was a way to hear the monitor before I bought it. I've already exhausted all the brick-and-mortar options around here.
Hmmm. I'll look at some high end Viewsonics. OR I'll just suffer with this 15" 800x600 72Hz monitor.
Thanks for your help everyone.
Money isn't a huge concern to me, but I don't want to waste money shipping($$$), RMA'ing, and paying restocking fees. If only there was a way to hear the monitor before I bought it. I've already exhausted all the brick-and-mortar options around here.
Hmmm. I'll look at some high end Viewsonics. OR I'll just suffer with this 15" 800x600 72Hz monitor.
Thanks for your help everyone.
i'm 18... hey your getting me worried. maybe i need a checkup?Reachable wrote:perplex wrote:what the hell do you mean your CRT is buzzing? maybe it's about to explode or something? my CRT is silent
How old are you, perplex? If you're in your twenties and you can't hear your CRT whine, then it's intriguing. If you are much older than that, then it's not, since after a certain age you can't hear the 15,000+ Hz whine anyway.
i'm putting my head to the case of the CRT and i dont hear anything?
jackylman why dont you just get a nice LCD? it's the perfect opportunity to get one surely?
No, sir... the best CRT ever made was, and is, the incomparable LaCie electron22blue IV. Get one now while you still can...fouster wrote: The best CRT monitor ever made is SONY G220 !!
It's the same with G200 but it has USB hub!
Mine certainly has a slight high pitched whine though, as has every CRT I've ever encountered to a greater or lesser degree. My GF says she barely notices it, and she has better high-frequency hearing than I do, so maybe it's just that some people are more bothered by certain sounds than others and not necessarily a physical hearing issue..
edit: regarding the recommendation, there's a more modestly priced 19" version as well...
Jackylman..... not sure of your location in Pa. but have you checked out MicroCenter? They have a 21" Trinitron for $200. It is classified as a closeout / refurb but the link below has more info regarding their definition of refurb. The monitor is new, I have one and am very happy with the image.
http://forums.silentpcreview.com/viewtopic.php?t=20348
http://microcenter.com/single_product_r ... _id=182542
I can't help you with if it is noisy, I'm way past my 20's and probably half deaf compared to a young set of ears
http://forums.silentpcreview.com/viewtopic.php?t=20348
http://microcenter.com/single_product_r ... _id=182542
I can't help you with if it is noisy, I'm way past my 20's and probably half deaf compared to a young set of ears