they say themselves that their comparison is pointless in the real world - unless you sit with your head 1 inch away from your PC. Measuring at 1 meter makes more sense because this is a more realistic distance your head might be from it, and I beleive certain sound frequencies travel better than others. If there is two fans of equal dB, where one is designed so that little of it's sound is actually picked up by the user, and another is not, this article would rate them both the same - even though to the user the effect could well be markedly different. Further, by placing 1 inch away, any tiny variation of fan position etc is FAR more significant than it would be at 1 meter. I'd assume that at 1 inch even the tightness of the clamp would be significant.
clearly also totally goes against their own point - "(4) Most manufacturers list "absolute noise" level measured in a sound-prove lab. Such data are not realistic and difficult to use in real life".
"This study is however independent from any manufacturers"
- there is a directron product at #2, although I presume really this is just some OEM. Independent from any manufacturers maybe, but blatantly not from any retailers. Retailers have different markups on different products, they would definately have an interest in being biased (not to say there's any evidence that that actually are).
Interesting article, but I dont give it the slightest bit more usefulness or accuracy than many of the other articles out there. Considering noise is such a subjective topic anyway, its one thing I would place heavy value on the judgement of people on boards like this, and I'm pretty sure there's been a lot of opinions given that run contrary to the order of quietness given there.
