topic Old box was giving connectivity issues so engineer insta... in Sky Q

Sky Q Noise

Sally09 — Wed, 26 Jul 2023 12:29:37 GMT

I have recently received a new Sky Q box (model 32B206) and I have been trying to work out if there is a fault with the box and would appreciate other users opinion.
My issue is the noise box makes, when the box is on and I am watching TV there is a noise coming from the box, I realise that this could be coming from the fan or hard drive inside this unit and has to be on when it’s working, however, the noise is excessive and is clearly audible over the TV sound. The other issue I have is when the TV is off and the box is in standby mode, there is are still an audible sound coming from the unit, this noise is at a lower level than when the unit is on but there is still a constant noise (I am aware that it could be updating the software but these updates should finish after a certain amount of time and that the box should remain silent when in standby). I have tried changing the settings to the different standby modes but still the issue remains, the only way of silencing the unit when it is not in use is by long pressing the standby button on the front of the box until it turns red or by turning the power off at the plug. The Sky Q box has been placed on an open wooden shelf so it is well ventilated and there should be no issue of overheating. I have had Sky boxes before but none of them produced this level of noise.

Re: Sky Q Noise

TimmyBGood — Wed, 26 Jul 2023 14:16:35 GMT

@Sally09

Almost certainly hard drive noise. You can log the issue with Sky and get the box swapped: they are well aware that some are noisier than others.

Noisy Sky Q Box

Sally09 — Tue, 01 Aug 2023 15:35:31 GMT

Just an update on my last post about a noisy Sky Q box.

The sky engineer came out this morning to check my box for a technical fault he said there was no fault - all the boxes make a sound even when they are in standby - there is active components inside the box which are running all the time and therefore there is a fan running all the time to cool the components.

Do other users experienced this issue?

Re: Noisy Sky Q Box

Diddly+DooDa — Tue, 12 Sep 2023 06:22:05 GMT

Yes the humming whirring buzzing whatever we call it it driving me mad it's 24/7 never had any noise from HD box when in standby mode but Sky Q is like a giant bug needing to be swat !

Re: Sky Q Noise

Chodley — Tue, 12 Sep 2023 06:49:04 GMT

I can't hear my box above the TV. It makes a very quiet noise. I can measure it in dB if you like? There's a phone app.

Re: Sky Q Noise

Chodley — Tue, 12 Sep 2023 08:26:55 GMT

Ok I used Sonic Tools on iOS, with the mic gain set to 0 and got just under 40dB with a peak at about 33Hz, with the phone sat 1 inch in front of the box. This was roughly the same whether the box was off, on or playing a recording. In fact, it was so quiet that the ticking of a clock on the wall 6 feet away kept producing slightly louder spikes at 2500Hz just as I was taking this screenshot 😆

Re: Sky Q Noise

Diddly+DooDa — Tue, 12 Sep 2023 18:01:11 GMT

Called Sky this morning for the second time, now an Engineer is being sent this week to check although last week they said would swop box out if noise hadn't settled

Re: Sky Q Noise

ie — Mon, 23 Oct 2023 15:09:41 GMT

Just had latest skyq box and it's an upgrade on previous qbox. Same noise issue as you explain here since installation 2 weeks ago. Previous box was perfect. Phoned sky and promised a call back which never arrived! Just onto them again now. Paid £99 for this upgrade and not happy at all with the box or the service.

Re: Sky Q Noise

Diddly+DooDa — Mon, 23 Oct 2023 18:10:38 GMT

Wow £99 to upgrade seems steep is it your first Sky Q Box

I didn't get charged anything being registered as vip customer for 9 years had old HD Box and went to Sky Q

They came and swopped the Sky Q box engineer suspected faulty hardrive

Re: Sky Q Noise

CT78 — Mon, 30 Oct 2023 23:16:23 GMT

I am having the exact same issues, box is on an open shelf too. Noise above volume of tv, drives us mad! Been changed once but this one is worse than the last and seems to be getting worse.

Old box was giving connectivity issues so engineer insta...

Jimflynn39 — Wed, 01 Nov 2023 20:52:43 GMT

Old box was giving connectivity issues so engineer installed new box on sky bracket behind tv . Updated software also . The noise is excessive 24/7. Surely something wrong 🤷‍♂️ Can this be silenced ?

Re: Sky Q Noise

Diddly+DooDa — Thu, 02 Nov 2023 03:38:57 GMT

Annoyingly no the noise never stops and some boxes seem louder than other mine was swapped yet the one I have now is fractionally less it still hums all the time, it seems it's a poor design as so many of us are saying how noisy they yet Sky are doing nothing to resolve

My son has put his in a closed door cupboard and still hears it, the constant humming is triggering my Migraine since this Q box arrived hopefully Sky will eventually develop a different model or a lot of will be reverting back to old HD Boxes

sound

Re: Sky Q Noise

Chodley — Thu, 02 Nov 2023 06:00:03 GMT

@Diddly+DooDa wrote:
Annoyingly no the noise never stops and some boxes seem louder than other mine was swapped yet the one I have now is fractionally less it still hums all the time, it seems it's a poor design as so many of us are saying how noisy they yet Sky are doing nothing to resolve
My son has put his in a closed door cupboard and still hears it, the constant humming is triggering my Migraine since this Q box arrived hopefully Sky will eventually develop a different model or a lot of will be reverting back to old HD Boxes
sound

I wouldn't stand for that. Mine is near silent.

Re: Sky Q Noise

Daniel0210 — Thu, 02 Nov 2023 06:29:10 GMT

@Diddly+DooDa wrote:

My son has put his in a closed door cupboard and still hears it,

That box may require more ventilation which is why the fan maybe having to work extra hard.

hopefully Sky will eventually develop a different model or a lot of will be reverting back to old HD Boxes

Sky won't be developing new Sky Q boxes. They see Glass/Stream as the way forward. No one can revert back to Sky+HD boxes. Sky no longer provide Sky+ subscriptions or produce/maintain the equipment.

Re: Sky Q Noise

UnrealityTV — Thu, 02 Nov 2023 07:55:43 GMT

Just to add my experience of this... I've been a Sky customer for 18 years, had Sky+, Sky+ HD, Sky Q and Sky Stream. Sky Q was easily the noisiest of the hard drive based recorders.
Both Sky+ & +HD were silent in standby, the hard drive would spin down completely. Sky Q on the other hand would have a quiet whirr constantly, even in standby, as the fan would remain on for no logical reason whatsoever. This was the case on all three Q boxes I owned, all on an open shelf, fully ventilated and not even warm to the touch.
TBH I did grow used to the whirring. You learn to tune it out but I agree, it's very irritating when you first hear it, particularly if you've been used to a silent +HD box. I've since had a couple of different Freeview HD hard drive PVRs and both of those were silent - no fan noise at all, just the odd faint hard drive click. Sky Stream is totally silent (having no hard drive) but has a host of other issues.
I think because Sky Q is so mass produced, there must be variances in build quality, hence the differing experiences of those on this thread.

Re: Sky Q Noise

Diddly+DooDa — Thu, 02 Nov 2023 13:15:07 GMT

6' x 2.5' Alcove cupboard has plenty of ventilation also checked with Sky engineer who suggested it when visiting property, so would say all good,

Thanks for your concern

Re: Noisy Sky Q Box

RightAsReign — Mon, 08 Jan 2024 08:56:54 GMT

Sky q fan is variable speed and relies on temperature. If there's a fault with the temperature probe or fan controller it may be running full speed all the time. Best way to tell is unplug you box from the main power at the back then plug back in. The fan will run full speed for a few seconds then slow down to about a 10th of the speed and be near silent. If the fan doesn't slow down then there's a problem with the fan/speed control system

Re: Sky Q Noise

Chodley — Mon, 08 Jan 2024 09:42:55 GMT

@UnrealityTV wrote:
Just to add my experience of this... I've been a Sky customer for 18 years, had Sky+, Sky+ HD, Sky Q and Sky Stream. Sky Q was easily the noisiest of the hard drive based recorders.
Both Sky+ & +HD were silent in standby, the hard drive would spin down completely. Sky Q on the other hand would have a quiet whirr constantly, even in standby, as the fan would remain on for no logical reason whatsoever. This was the case on all three Q boxes I owned, all on an open shelf, fully ventilated and not even warm to the touch.
TBH I did grow used to the whirring. You learn to tune it out but I agree, it's very irritating when you first hear it, particularly if you've been used to a silent +HD box. I've since had a couple of different Freeview HD hard drive PVRs and both of those were silent - no fan noise at all, just the odd faint hard drive click. Sky Stream is totally silent (having no hard drive) but has a host of other issues.
I think because Sky Q is so mass produced, there must be variances in build quality, hence the differing experiences of those on this thread.

I think they do vary in quality because mine is silent. And hard drives and fans are two very different things. My PC has no hard drive in it but the fans can spin up to a hell of a racket.

Re: Sky Q Noise

BabyBoomerang — Mon, 05 Feb 2024 15:47:54 GMT

I am also not very happy with the mechanical noise coming from my new SkyQ box (Jan 2024).

My previous box was a 10+ year old Sky+ box, which used to make a bit of a disc hum, but nothing too noticeable. However the new box is positively annoying!

The annoying noise is a rapid faint ticking (around 4-6 ticks per second). I have concluded that it is probably the fan and not the disc, as the disc is a far quieter hum that is not present all the time.

I did notice it at the time of the installation, and the engineer said it's normal and that they all made that noise. He added that it will probably quieten with time.

The annoying 'rapid ticking' noise is present all the time, and when the room is quiet (i.e. TV not on) it is very noticeable some 2-3 metres away on the sofa. Even when I am watching TV, I can hear it ticking away!

I was going to call Sky abaout it, but reading other peoples experiences I am concerned that if replaced, I could end up with a unit that makes even more noise.

Admittedly I am rather fussy, and when I pont it out to others in the room, they don't seem too bothered by it. But I am not happy to leave it as it is any longer!

I am wondering if it really will get quieter (as the installation engineer said)?... Does anyone know?

While I figure out what to do, I am probably going to put it on the pile of cables behind the TV (where the sound can be partially blocked, and hopefully not audible elsewhere in the room. I might even cover it with something sound absorbing too, like egg boxes (making sure it has enough ventilation for cooling, of course!). If I do this the romote should still work file as it is bluetooth I am told, and therefore does not need to point at the box.

Has anone else had to resort to these sorts of measures?

Grrrrr!

Re: Sky Q Noise

LaineyC — Fri, 09 Feb 2024 21:57:34 GMT

Having the same issues. Sorry but no hard drive, console, PC or other wise I've ever owned has ever made non stop noise when working or in stand by other than obvious fan noise. I'm wishing I never upgraded to a 2TB Sky Q box. The first one I had would randomly shut down with the blue light flashing, power light going red and increased fan noise, without any updates happening once a week and then would go to the regular standby light (orange) switch back on and it was back to the channel it was previously on rather than the Sky Intro channel.

The second box the hard drive ticks/drips/clicks/taps similar to others say.

Had nothing but hassle trying to get it replaced only for the third box to do exactly the same.

The 1TB Sky Q box I had for a year prior to this I had no issues with at all and like others had to pay for the privilege of these issues since changing to 2TB Sky Q. Having been with them over 15 years none of the boxes I've ever had over all these years has made noise or had any issues straight out the box like this.

Having paid for a 2TB Q box and having nothing but issues since, has been on top of them upping my monthly payments by nearly £10 when I recontracted recently

when usually they are similar or less but nothing as much as this.

There are gel anti vibration pads on ebay that are cheap enough but no 100% rated sellers for them or anti vibration mat material like the german stuff on Amazon if you're willing to risk spending more money to try and solve the issue.

I'm really unhappy however and am more than likely going to request that I am

refunded for the 2TB box and go back to a 1TB box that an engineer brings instead to make sure there's no more issues!

I wish I hadn't sent my issue free 1TB box back so soon after the first 2TB box arrived. It had to be arranged by me to be collected by Royal Mail rather than hand it back there and then.