In my pursuit of home cinema nirvana one of my major considerations is fan noise. I currently run my Z1 in low mode which supposedly gives about 23db. The projector sits about 3 feet above my head when I watch movies (it sits on a tv wall mount which has a fairly long swing arm with a swivel joint in the middle of it).

Now the Z3, HS30A, 4805, HS50 have my attention, but which would be louder/quieter than a Z1 in low mode?

[Wasabi]

Pete,

Z1 noise is 28db in low mode.

z3 23db in eco mode
ae700 26db
hs50 24db in eco mode, although projectorcentral thought both z3 and ae700 was quieter.
h30A 30db in eco mode
4805 37db

the current crop of lcd pj's are def quieter.

Wasabi

They're nearly all quieter, fantastic...and I thought the Z1 was pretty good.

That Z3 gets more and more tempting, the prices seem to be dropping, DLP sounds good but possible rainbows and noisey machines are not what I'm after...

[ntslik]

Originally Posted by Wasabi

Pete,

Z1 noise is 28db in low mode.

z3 23db in eco mode
ae700 26db
hs50 24db in eco mode, although projectorcentral thought both z3 and ae700 was quieter.
h30A 30db in eco mode
4805 37db

the current crop of lcd pj's are def quieter.

Wasabi

Just a small correction the Themescene H30A is 26db at 2m, not sure what that makes it 3ft away

[GrahamMG]

Twice as loud?????

Originally Posted by GrahamMG

Twice as loud?????

[Wasabi]

Originally Posted by ntslik

Just a small correction the Themescene H30A is 26db at 2m, not sure what that makes it 3ft away

According to optoma themselves, its 30db or is 2m the standard distance all manufacturers use?

http://www.optomahometheater.com/content/H31.asp

Wasabi

So what's the consensus here...is the H30A expected to be louder or quieter than a Z1 (is it on the market yet?).

[Wasabi]

H30A is on the market now, and looking at the specifications, H30A should be as loud as when z1 is on the high-mode, however, in reality i guess it could be a different matter as Neil says 26db.

It should be on the market now, have a look at Neil's website, its a good price they have, and they are offering with free ceiling bracket and half price screen.


optoma also comes with 3 year on-site loan exchange warranty as standard as well as zero dead pixel tolerance.

Wasabi

[Cool-hand]

Hi

If your looking at the HS50 price bracket then the H57 has to be included there too...!! :-)

CH

'upgradeitus' a nasty little disease that creates a strange sense of 'pennylessness' which is a nasty side effect of the said illness. Classic symtoms of the approaching malardy are; reading reviews,seeking opinions, becoming confused, extending your budget and then starting the whole process again (going round in circles). Eventually, once sufficient circles have been negotiated, the inevitable happens, when credit card numbers are passed on to the supplier and following a brief sense of uphoria, one wakes the next day suffering from the main side effect.

Now this H57 thingy....is it any good????

[ntslik]

Originally Posted by Wasabi

According to optoma themselves, its 30db or is 2m the standard distance all manufacturers use?

http://www.optomahometheater.com/content/H31.asp

Wasabi

Hi, the link refers to the H31 the USA version, I know that we get a tweaked version here so it's not quite the same model, hense the difference in spec, the spec on our site is the official Optoma UK spec, i got to see ont the other day, and we sat it next to the old H30, was quite amazed at how quiet the H30A was.

Now this H57 thingy....is it any good????

Amazing picture quality for the money, whisper quiet (23db), 4000:1 contrast, HD ready, it's just a stunning all rounder, hats off to the Optoma guys

[Wasabi]

Originally Posted by ntslik

Hi, the link refers to the H31 the USA version, I know that we get a tweaked version here so it's not quite the same model, hense the difference in spec, the spec on our site is the official Optoma UK spec, i got to see ont the other day, and we sat it next to the old H30, was quite amazed at how quiet the H30A was.

IC Neil, but in your specs on the site, it also says 30db?

Btw are Europe getting a better H30 version than USA? I find it hard to believe, as USA market must be much bigger for Optoma.

Wasabi

[ntslik]

Originally Posted by Wasabi

IC Neil, but in your specs on the site, it also says 30db?

Btw are Europe getting a better H30 version than USA? I find it hard to believe, as USA market must be much bigger for Optoma.

Wasabi

Your right , not sure why it says that.

Hi,

"...
Z1 noise is 28db in low mode.

z3 23db in eco mode
ae700 26db
hs50 24db in eco mode, although projectorcentral thought both z3 and ae700 was quieter.
h30A 30db in eco mode
4805 37db
..."

I heard quite a few good reviews about the 4805. But emitting 37Gdb is a bit too nosiy when you don't have a choice but to have it loctaed near to your viewing position!

What about the Toshiba MT-200? Who has experience with this PJ?

Please advise.

Rgds

[ntaylo]

Pete

I upgraded from a Sanyo Z1 to a Sony HS50 and can confirm that the HS50 is very noticeably quieter than the Z1. That's not to say that the Z1 in Eco mode was particularly noisy, rather that the HS50 in Eco mode gives a new meaning to quiet cooling. I haven't experienced the Z3 or AE700, so they may also offer similar improvements.

I also prefer the somewhat longer throw of the HS50 as this means it can be positioned behind my seating position (and therefore out of eyeshot) rather than above and just in front as with the Z1.

Nick