Noctua Developing Fans With Integrated Active Noise Cancellation

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Noise reduction specialist RotoSub and renowned quiet cooling fan manufacturer Noctua today announced a strategic partnership agreement for the development and commercialisation of PC fans with integrated Active Noise Cancellation (ANC). A first prototype of a Noctua fan with integrated RotoSub ANC technology will be shown at Computex Taipei next week.

Active Noise Cancellation (also referred to as Active Noise Control or Active Noise Reduction, ANC) is the technique of using sound waves to reduce noise by means of an effect called phase cancellation or destructive interference. Lars Strömbäck and Mårten Oretorp from RotoSub have invented a system (RotoSub Active Noise Control, R-ANC) that allows a fan to emit the sound signal that cancels out the original sound of the fan and thereby greatly reduces the overall noise emission.
 
great..so my Pc fans will now cost me 5x more just so my computer is slightly quieter.


When can I buy them? :p
 
This is great but can they make a fan look good. All of their fans are so damn ugly.
 
Dekoth-E- said:
great..so my Pc fans will now cost me 5x more just so my computer is slightly quieter.


When can I buy them? :p
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Best performing fans in the world right now for airflow vs rotation speed vs noise already, if this improves on it I will be impressed

And they are the highest airflow fans in the world ATM, while being quietest for their rotational speed.

Even Cougar fans with 200-400+ RPM don't hit Noctua fan's airflow readings, but get close to it on noise production

Why am I praising them so much? Cause I applaud anybody that improves fans design, something that's been static for over 70 years now.
 
Interesting idea. Like mullet said, though, Noctua needs to ditch the disgusting-looking color scheme, or at least offer an alternative. The easily-identifiable scheme is good for branding, but if people are choosing fans from their competitors due to the Noctua color scheme, that's a pretty nonsensical trade-off.
 
wonderfield said:
Interesting idea. Like mullet said, though, Noctua needs to ditch the disgusting-looking color scheme, or at least offer an alternative. The easily-identifiable scheme is good for branding, but if people are choosing fans from their competitors due to the Noctua color scheme, that's a pretty nonsensical trade-off.
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Personally, I dont have an open case so the fan color scheme does not bother me.

The color scheme is great for branding though like you said. Everyone that knows Noctua recognizes the fans when they see them; however, I think it could easily be argued that the same could be achieved with a most tasteful color scheme. I think maybe even a default black casing with a red blade would accomplish the goal of branding while being more aesthetically pleasing.

But, doubt this will happen as they have already chosen a color scheme and will most likely not change it.
 
doug_7506 said:
Personally, I dont have an open case so the fan color scheme does not bother me.

The color scheme is great for branding though like you said. Everyone that knows Noctua recognizes the fans when they see them; however, I think it could easily be argued that the same could be achieved with a most tasteful color scheme. I think maybe even a default black casing with a red blade would accomplish the goal of branding while being more aesthetically pleasing.

But, doubt this will happen as they have already chosen a color scheme and will most likely not change it.
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Cougar fan's use black housings with red blades
 
temujin987 said:
people still use air to cool their computers? :confused:
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Even if you water cool, you still need fans to cool your water loop...

Quieter is always better. I'd definitely buy these. Here's hoping they come in 180mm format that will fit my Silverstone Raven case. :p
 
If these work, and work well this will be the most amazing thing ever.

I love fast overclocked computers, but I CAN NOT STAND the fan noise. Any computer I build has to be as quiet as possible, even if it means losing a little performance.


mullet said:
This is great but can they make a fan look good. All of their fans are so damn ugly.
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Says the man whom I presume wears the ugliest hairdo known to man :p


More seriously though, who cares? The inside of a computer isn't supposed to be pretty. (at least not unless you are Steve Jobs.)

I wish the silly windowed cases and LED's on everything would go away. I don't want to look at the inside of my computer or have it lit up like a christmas tree. The computer should be plain, boring and functional and hidden under my desk where I don't have to look at it. The part that really matters is whats on the screen, as well as stability, performance and noise.

If you make your computer to look pretty, then quite frankly, you've missed the point :p
 
People rarely focus entirely on aesthetic value. That doesn't mean aesthetic value cannot play a part, sometimes significant, in the decisions people make when they purchase components.

For me, the inside of my computer is the outside. Or, rather, mine has no "outside". Thus, I don't want stupid-looking components on it.
 
Zarathustra[H];1038788749 said:
If these work, and work well this will be the most amazing thing ever.

I love fast overclocked computers, but I CAN NOT STAND the fan noise. Any computer I build has to be as quiet as possible, even if it means losing a little performance.




Says the man whom I presume wears the ugliest hairdo known to man :p


More seriously though, who cares? The inside of a computer isn't supposed to be pretty. (at least not unless you are Steve Jobs.)

I wish the silly windowed cases and LED's on everything would go away. I don't want to look at the inside of my computer or have it lit up like a christmas tree. The computer should be plain, boring and functional and hidden under my desk where I don't have to look at it. The part that really matters is whats on the screen, as well as stability, performance and noise.

If you make your computer to look pretty, then quite frankly, you've missed the point :p
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Noctua P12 and P14's don't even break 19 decibel, and their F12 doesn't break 24 decibels

That said, I stick with the P12 and P14's, the F12 does push more air through a rad, but its far far far more narrow how the air is pushed, the P12 and P14 are far better for large rads or large fan openings for cases, the F12 doesn't push as nearly as much static air, and the F12 pushes more air through a heatsink, but its air footprint is only 70% that of the P12's
 
in the image on the site the fan's suspended on strings. I wonder if it'll be any louder when screwed onto a case. Some noise are caused by subtle sheet metal vibrations as well as fan noise.
 
Color is not important. I cannot help but laugh when people by computer hardware based on looks. How about Noctua starts offering PWM fans.
 
That's some good news right there. As I've gotten older, I've gotten really conscious of the noise levels from my pc. I welcome anything that will give me better performance with less noise.

Wish I could get those badass dyson fans that don't have blades in case fan size.
 
ShamisOMally said:
Best performing fans in the world right now for airflow vs rotation speed vs noise already, if this improves on it I will be impressed

And they are the highest airflow fans in the world ATM, while being quietest for their rotational speed.

Even Cougar fans with 200-400+ RPM don't hit Noctua fan's airflow readings, but get close to it on noise production

Why am I praising them so much? Cause I applaud anybody that improves fans design, something that's been static for over 70 years now.
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How would you rate the BitFenix Spectres?
 
B2BigAl said:
Wish I could get those badass dyson fans that don't have blades in case fan size.
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They don't have visible blades, but the pedestal contains a motor (which has "blades" to draw in air). So unfortunately, it wouldn't be physically possible to have them in case fan size. However, something like that could be designed into a case. It would take some serious engineering though.

My parents have one of the Dyson bladeless fans and they are nowhere near quiet.
 
Dyson makes great vacuum cleaners too. I've never seen anything suck as much in my life.
 
WetMacula said:
Color is not important. I cannot help but laugh when people by computer hardware based on looks. How about Noctua starts offering PWM fans.
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This is the only reason why I switched from Noctua to Arctic Cooling F12 fans... PWM control. I did not want to spend $80+ on a fan controller and needed fans with automatic variable speed control. Noctua makes a great fan and their HSF's are rock solid (Still use an NH-D14), but I totally agree they new PWM features.
 
c0mad0r said:
This is the only reason why I switched from Noctua to Arctic Cooling F12 fans... PWM control. I did not want to spend $80+ on a fan controller and needed fans with automatic variable speed control. Noctua makes a great fan and their HSF's are rock solid (Still use an NH-D14), but I totally agree they need PWM features.
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Noctua has had a NF-F12 PWM fan for less than $20 since last year.
 
Chimel said:
Noctua has had a NF-F12 PWM fan for less than $20 since last year.
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I bought mine prior to November, 2011, which is when Noctua appears to have released these. Bummer, but thanks for that, I did not know they had them now.
 
Actually surprised this hasn't been done sooner. It's not like noise canceling tech is anything new. The big question on whether it's worth it or not is how much does it cost? Good PC fans are already ridiculously expensive.
 
80% more airflow and 120% higher static pressure, sounds impressive.

WetMacula said:
Color is not important. I cannot help but laugh when people by computer hardware based on looks. How about Noctua starts offering PWM fans.
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Their choice of colour was pure brand awareness, and a rather smart one. You'll always know when it's fan from Noctua. I can't see them ever changing the colour. I kind of like them, they grow on you.
 
I'm surprised it took this long for someone to come up with this, something headphone companies have been doing for years.
 
Biggest issue I see is the directional nature of fan noise, you have the wind noise, sometimes a highly directional tone, and bearing noise to contend with. It'll be interesting to see how they try to overcome that and what compromises will be made. I doubt they'll ever get a 3000 RPM 100 CFM fan to 800 RPM Scythe Slipstream levels, but maybe they could make them practical for heatsinks in a home computer again.
 
ShamisOMally said:
Best performing fans in the world right now for airflow vs rotation speed vs noise already, if this improves on it I will be impressed

And they are the highest airflow fans in the world ATM, while being quietest for their rotational speed.

Even Cougar fans with 200-400+ RPM don't hit Noctua fan's airflow readings, but get close to it on noise production

Why am I praising them so much? Cause I applaud anybody that improves fans design, something that's been static for over 70 years now.
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You must have missed the introduction of the GT line of fans, and every review of fans since then for the past few years.

They are good fans no doubt, but the GT line is what is top dog right now. It seems you are basing everything off of MFG stated CFM/dbA numbers, which is a no no. Those fans are all well over 19dbA.

The P12: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qD0_VRxtmhQ&feature=plcp

The F12: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCOuo9C69AM&feature=plcp

And the GT line AP-15: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qw_YS7_x1Wc

As can be seen, not only does the GT fan put out more CFM but it also does it far quieter than either of the Noctua fans.
 
I recently spent $175 on Noctua fans and heatsink... but after reading this the only thing I can think of to say is...
1726009-shut_up_and_take_my_money_super.jpg
 
Shut up and take my money!

(Didn't realize I'm not allowed to attach a picture on Front Page News threads.) *Unamused*
 
Zarathustra said:
Here's hoping they come in 180mm format that will fit my Silverstone Raven case. :p
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:) if Noctua keeps the color scheme, they are not getting anywhere near my Raven case.
 
Just found a demo video from rotosub using a high RPM 80mm fan. I'll be, looks like they have a real functioning technology and not just a white paper. http://www.rotosub.com/s_products_demo.php At 1:20 they have the demo running with the system off, then they turn it on. I'm actually impressed if that wasn't just a faked marketing clip. It would make fans faster than 1200 RPM useful again. It'll also be interesting to see if this ends up on any smaller fans like the 40-60mm range. Would love a video card cooler that could do what the demo model does though I doubt the system as it exists would work on a typical reference blower fan. Looks like part of the reason this is a noctua job is it somehow needs the guide vanes on the fan for part of the noise cancellation system.
 
Yoda4561 said:
Just found a demo video from rotosub using a high RPM 80mm fan. I'll be, looks like they have a real functioning technology and not just a white paper. http://www.rotosub.com/s_products_demo.php At 1:20 they have the demo running with the system off, then they turn it on. I'm actually impressed if that wasn't just a faked marketing clip. It would make fans faster than 1200 RPM useful again. It'll also be interesting to see if this ends up on any smaller fans like the 40-60mm range. Would love a video card cooler that could do what the demo model does though I doubt the system as it exists would work on a typical reference blower fan. Looks like part of the reason this is a noctua job is it somehow needs the guide vanes on the fan for part of the noise cancellation system.
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If this video is true, they are cancelling the switching and/or motor whine in that fan, not the actual airflow / fan blade noise. imho.

I don't hear whine in my PC fans, just the air/blade related noise. What these folks are offering is a way to use cheaper motors or cheaper controls to accomplish the same thing most PCs have now. Which is cool, but I don't see anyone's fan noise experience improving. Unless they are really using some cheap cheap motors/controls. Although with the cost of magnet material going up, this is probably a good thing.
 
Yoda4561 said:
Just found a demo video from rotosub using a high RPM 80mm fan. I'll be, looks like they have a real functioning technology and not just a white paper. http://www.rotosub.com/s_products_demo.php At 1:20 they have the demo running with the system off, then they turn it on. I'm actually impressed if that wasn't just a faked marketing clip. It would make fans faster than 1200 RPM useful again. It'll also be interesting to see if this ends up on any smaller fans like the 40-60mm range. Would love a video card cooler that could do what the demo model does though I doubt the system as it exists would work on a typical reference blower fan. Looks like part of the reason this is a noctua job is it somehow needs the guide vanes on the fan for part of the noise cancellation system.
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Wow... a little cheesy at first, but that really shows off how well this tech works.

I'd love to give these a shot. Shut up and take my money Noctua!
 
Yoda4561 said:
Just found a demo video from rotosub using a high RPM 80mm fan. I'll be, looks like they have a real functioning technology and not just a white paper. http://www.rotosub.com/s_products_demo.php At 1:20 they have the demo running with the system off, then they turn it on. I'm actually impressed if that wasn't just a faked marketing clip. It would make fans faster than 1200 RPM useful again. It'll also be interesting to see if this ends up on any smaller fans like the 40-60mm range. Would love a video card cooler that could do what the demo model does though I doubt the system as it exists would work on a typical reference blower fan. Looks like part of the reason this is a noctua job is it somehow needs the guide vanes on the fan for part of the noise cancellation system.
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That is really cool! (No pun intended)

If this works as well as demonstrated, I am all in!
 
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