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Cancelling Out CPU Fan Noise

Percy_Blakeney writes "After realizing how noisy his computer was, a professor at BYU has created a new CPU fan that uses small microphones and speakers to cancel out its own noise. It isn't perfected yet -- it only nixes the whine, not the whoosh -- but it looks like it could be promising, especially given the professor's background: making jet engines quieter."

3 of 507 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Noise and Heat by crackshoe · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    next to no. fucking engrish paper eating my brain. this is a bad sign.

    --
    Don't worry - its just stigmata. Pass me a napkin and don't you dare tell my mother.
  2. Re:Nope by Sycraft-fu · · Score: 1, Offtopic

    No, they mesurably change sound slightly (at least the ones I like). I've checked with actualy measuring equipment. It's not much, I'm not sure I could pick it out in a blind A/B test, but it's real. I figure why not? Doesn't hurt anything, and ensures that the sound isn't going to change on me. I use my speakers quite a bit for mixing and mastering, so I need the sound to be consistent.

    You'll also notice that your articles are talking about CABLE break in. Yes, that is a crock of shit, as are high end cables. I use normal braided copper wire in nice sheaths. Speakers are a different matter. They are actual moving parts. As such there is a slight difference in stiffness at manufacture than after some work.

    I'm not going to run around claiming that all those who have never burned in their speakers are missing out on some awesome experience. Speakers burn them selves in with normal use. It's simply to give them the equivalant of a bit of use to normalize the sound and get past any slight changes that are going to happen.

  3. Re:Nope by Reverberant · · Score: 0, Offtopic
    You'll also notice that your articles are talking about CABLE break in.

    Well some of the articles talk about cable break-in, but the search brings up several speaker-specific articles (for exmaple, the topic "Speaker burn-in question"). Dick Pierce's comments are particularly insightful.

    No, they mesurably change sound slightly (at least the ones I like). I've checked with actualy measuring equipment.

    By how much? (and measured with what?) Enough that the difference can't be attributed to humidty, temperature and ambient pressure differences? Speaker drivers are generally "burned-in" for several hours at the factory as part of the Q/A checks. Any more is redundant.