I just installed the Modu82+ 525 in an Antec Solo and, fortunately, it is as quiet as the the SPCR review indicates -- totally silent.

I had an Earthwatts 500 since last summer (also in the Sonata Designer) and just replaced it yesterday; Antec confirmed that it is defective since my system became unstable (off-on-off-on, wouldn't start on several occasions). In fact, the head of Antec's support (which was excellent, by the way) ca...

Asulc wrote:THIS IS A MAYBE
5.1 Speakers $160-180 (rebate)

With surround speakers, this doesn't exactly "sound" like a silent system...

I was recently in the same boat and looked very carefully at some of the same components for a Linux system (Ubuntu). It turns out that Intels will be similarly energy efficient, since their average power draw is a bit lower even though their idle draw is slightly more. Tom's Hardware also published...

I'm running Linux as my primary OS and my Barracuda ES definitely doesn't spin up every couple of minutes... Maybe Seagate doesn't implement self-verifying feature to enterprise-class HDs, only in consumer-class, but I doubt it. Another possible reason is that you simply didn't notice it due to hig...

Idle noise is the sound of platters spinning. The chattering/clunking sound are the seeks. Thanks. I meant to say that, at least on Ubuntu, the drive definitely doesn't seek every couple minutes. It's clearly accessed only when I load or save something from / to it. In any case, the idle platter sp...

Seagate has been verifying their HDDs that runs periodically when the HD at idle. I find it very disturbing to hear my drive seek every 120 seconds... I'm running Linux as my primary OS and my Barracuda ES definitely doesn't spin up every couple of minutes. It's simply idling most of the time, and ...

So you're making a sweeping statement about overall drive brand reliability based on one manufacturer's advertising, and the fact that your sample of 1 (one) has lasted for nine months without failing... :( Sure, if one user's experience with one drive is not incontrovertible, generalizable scienti...

I decided on this model from Seagate for vital data: http://www.seagate.com/www/en-us/products/servers/barracuda_es/barracuda_es/ From their website: "The Seagate® Barracuda® ES enterprise hard drive is the industry’s most reliable, highest-capacity 7200-RPM hard drive for 24 x 7, multidrive, bu...

There's one catch: Seagates are almost certainly more reliable. I have both in my system and use a new Samsung as my OS drive. I love how quiet it is. I got the enterprise class Seagate (ES series) for mission-critical data for which I'm willing to sacrifice a bit of noise, but that drive is only us...

That sounds funny. I just built a similar system, though in what should be a hotter case (Antec Sonata Designer, same as Solo or P 150), and just installed a Ninja the other day. (The other relevant parts of the system are E6750, single Noctua case fan and passive 7600GT.) I have the Ninja running p...

why not just swap the fan in the Earthwatts? That could be interesting but I'd void the warranty and would rather avoid electric shock therapy... opening up a 500-watt power supply is probably a very bad idea for a complete newbie like me. Is this a simple (and safe) thing to do, and would it make ...

I was very interested to discover the new Corsair PSU and have an important question based on the review. The conclusion states: "In real use, at idle in most PCs in most environments, all the Corsair PSUs, the Seasonics and the Antec Trio 550 would have about the same subjective loudness. All would...

When people start trying to silence their PC by covering it in strips of silver foil, rubbing it with different creams, or writing on it with a special pen, then I'll start getting worried... No self-respecting audiophile snake oil salesman will claim that their product can silence your PC. They wi...

Steve, You got me thinking about blind listening. I think one useful application might be to go to a hi-fi shop and have the dealer play various combinations of equipment within a given price range. Listen blindly, buy what you like best, and you wouldn't be influenced by other factors. It's blind t...

... it just rattles my cage when people make sweeping statements like "MP3 is obviously inferior" and decline to provide any data to back up their assertion. If I were to make a post in the storage forum to the effect that "suspending hard drives will cause them to die early" without any evidence t...

Can you not give a single specific example, in the entire immeasurable catalog of commercially released music, where you personally have heard these differences (with your high quality equipment and highly developed ears)? I've done my best to express myself with a respectful tone and would appreci...

Steve, Your comments are immanently reasonable and I personally agree it's wise to regard some of the more esoteric products with suspicion, although not all products are snake oil and there's nothing to preclude some of them from working as claimed, even some of the more unusual ones. There have be...

The whole subjective nature of listening to music is precisely the problem, and precisely what ABX testing is designed to counteract, so that an objective claim of MP3 encoding causing audible degradation can be independently repeated and verified. Sure. Listening is inherently subjective, as are a...

I don't really understand this. Surely the only significant difference between a blind and a non-blind test is whether you know what you're listening to? I don't see why that would add any extra fatigue and confusion to the process. This seems more like an argument against any kind of testing, but ...

Can you give specific examples of where you and your friends heard this "night and day" difference (in blind testing)? If the difference is as "typically astronomical" as you claim, you should have plenty to choose from, and I'd like to post the clips on the HA forums for further analysis. I just d...

My problem with the "hi-fi industry" is that an £1000 amp will only have £150 worth of electronics inside it, you are paying for brand/lifestyle/boasting prowess etc. That's why I suggest buying as cheap as sounds good enough, because basically you're getting ripped off. The same can be said of a...

MP3's get a bad rap, there are plenty of poorly ripped ones out there. But given the LAME converter at 256kbps or so, you'd be very hard pushed to tell the difference from the original source, which is pretty good at 1/6th wav size. The difference between any MP3 (or LAME, or OGG, etc.) and the ori...

Hi, I'm a professional classical musician and lifelong audiophile and work extensively in professional audio. Perhaps my input may be valuable, but be sure to use your own judgment and your taste will develop over time. If you have a limited budget, it's always wise to invest in more "modest" audio ...

Some links to the "swopper":

Homepage: http://www.swopper.de/index.php?lang=en

An accurate review: http://www.newstarget.com/002687.html

It may be completely different from your conception, but I can't recommend the "swopper" highly enough. It's an extremely high-quality German product that couldn't be more ideal for office and computer work. It's an "active" chair that strengthens your back muscles as you sit, while keeping them fle...