Do all large monitors buzz/hum?

[Neolink]

Recently I purchased a 27" Iiyama B2712HDS which emitted a subtle buzzing/humming/whining sound when the brightness was reduced to below around 85/90%, upon returning the monitor I was told that all monitors of this size make subtle buzzing sounds at low brightness, how true is this?

As the monitor is used in a 95% silent office, I could easily hear the monitors noise over everything else in the room, which I found unacceptable and managed to get my money back. So, I am now back in the market for another monitor of similar size, about £280 budget. I was very happy with the Iiyama overall and was tempted to order another one, hoping that it was just a fault with the old one, but I am reluctant to go through the stress again if they all do it

I read around on a few sites that the noise is caused by the back-lighting method in certain LCD monitors and can be avoided by using one which uses LED instead, I cannot see any LED monitors of this size in my price range though, so not really an option I realise that using the Windows options to reduce brightness is a solution, but as the monitor will be occasionally used for games consoles/dvds, it is not completely viable.

What I am trying to get at is, are there any monitors of around 27" with a HDMI port, which do not make a sound when reduced to low brightness settings, within my budget?

Cheers

 

[MikeHunt79]

I know what you mean, that buzzing can be really annoying.

Buzzing usually comes from poorly wound or poorly mounted inductors in the power supply. This is often referred to as coil whine. The whine/buzz is because they shake as they act like a magnet that is changing direction very quickly (Khz), which is why the buzzing is usually quite high pitched. I don't think it's acceptable myself, as it's not just annoying, it's also inefficient and there can also be increased EMI... This is where the distance selling thingy will be handy.

I would try and go for an LED model, I've found these are less likely to buzz due to the lower voltage that the backlight needs, it places less demands on the PSU.

That said, I've managed to fix my buzzy old 19" CCFL Samsung monitor with copious amounts of hot glue. It's not pretty but it works.

EDIT: I've just read about LED being too expensive... Maybe look at some 24" screens?

I'd rather have a non buzzy 24" over a buzzy 27 myself. LED's tend to last longer than CCFL's also, meaning LED is probably cheaper in the long run.

EDIT2:

Recently I purchased a 27" Iiyama B2712HDS which emitted a subtle buzzing/humming/whining sound when the brightness was reduced to below around 85/90%, upon returning the monitor I was told that all monitors of this size make subtle buzzing sounds at low brightness, how true is this?

I would say that you are being fobbed off. A monitor should not whine/buzz regardless of size. Poor quality control and cost cutting is the reason a monitor which buzzes/whines has even made it out the factory.

I guess if you bought a £100 budget jobbie you would not care too much, but imagine if you dropped £1000 on one of those 30" Dell screens, if that buzzed then I don't think many people would put up with it considering the price.

 

[PCM2]

You might want to keep an eye on this - http://www.pcmonitors.org/shop/acer-s273hl-now-available. Problem is it might just be too expensive thanks to British ripoff tax.

 

[Neolink]

Thanks for the input guys!

I am looking to order the replacement this weekend, I have been trawling hundreds of reviews since Thursday and I am getting nowhere with my decision Reviews never seem to mention the noise emitted, maybe I am just overly sensitive to it :/ The Acer mentioned seems just out of my budget and I can't find a lot of opinions on it yet, so I am reluctant to go for that.

Any other recommendations for a 24" to 27" screen, with guaranteed absolute silence and both DVI and HDMI ports as requirements? It will be used for a bit of everything, but mostly for browsing, gaming and non-professional photography/3D work. Budget of £240/£250ish for a 24", £275/£300 for a 27".

How easy is it to silence the non-silent monitors with hot glue, as mentioned above? Does it work for all of them? As a last resort, I would possibly order the Iiyama (As I was very happy with it aside from the noise) again and repair it myself, but I'd really rather not. :l

 

[MikeHunt79]

Any other recommendations for a 24" to 27" screen, with guaranteed absolute silence and both DVI and HDMI ports as requirements? It will be used for a bit of everything, but mostly for browsing, gaming and non-professional photography/3D work. Budget of £240/£250ish for a 24", £275/£300 for a 27".

These are worth a look:

LG W2486L-PF 24" Widescreen LED Monitor - Glossy Black
- Inputs: 1x Analogue, 1x DVI-D and 2x HDMI
- Warranty: 3 Years On-Site
£239.99 inc VAT
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MO-088-LG
(Shame the lady doesn't come with it! )

IIyama Prolite E2472HD 24" Widescreen LED Monitor - Black [PLE2472HD]
- Inputs: 1x Analogue & 1x DVI-D & 1x HDMI
- Warranty: 3 Years On-Site
£174.99 inc VAT
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MO-060-IY

How easy is it to silence the non-silent monitors with hot glue, as mentioned above? Does it work for all of them? As a last resort, I would possibly order the Iiyama (As I was very happy with it aside from the noise) again and repair it myself, but I'd really rather not. :l

It's not hard, it works for all of them, and many other product like car amplifiers come with hot glue already applied to the toroids in order to stop them shaking....

It's kinda catch 22 though, if you did fix it yourself you'd probably invalidate your warranty... :/

 

[Neolink]

Interesting choices, is the E2472HD actually better than the B2409HDS? (I had the latter in mind) I have a friend with the B2409HDS who claims it makes no noise on low brightness, hence me considering it.

There is quite a price difference on that LG W2486L-PF, in what ways is it better than the Iiyamas mentioned? It looks very yummy I did read in a few places that LED colours are quite poor however :/

 

[MikeHunt79]

Interesting choices, is the E2472HD actually better than the B2409HDS? (I had the latter in mind) I have a friend with the B2409HDS who claims it makes no noise on low brightness, hence me considering it.

I'd go for the E2472HD over the B2409HDS myself. An LED backlight will be better than CCFL backlight which is what the B2409HDS uses.

There is quite a price difference on that LG W2486L-PF, in what ways is it better than the Iiyamas mentioned? It looks very yummy

I'm not really sure why the LG costs quite a bit more, the only differences I can see are that the LG goes a little brighter (300cd/m²) and has an extra HDMI port and a funky looking stand. I'd probably get the Iiyama myself and save myself some cash.

I did read in a few places that LED colours are quite poor however :/

Where did you read this? I can't see any reason why an LED backlit monitor will give poor colours...

 

[wuyanxu]

it depends heavily on quality of the monitor.

my Samsung T240 and previous LG 22 inch buzzes a little, audible when in a very quiet room and listen for it.

but my newer Dell U2711 27 inch monitor buzz is not audible at all. can only hear a slight buzz when i stick my ear at top of the monitor.

then, the Dell costs £850 while other two costed around 200.