SkyQ mechanical noise

[BabyBoomerang]

  I am not at all happy with the level of 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 SkyQ 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 about it, but 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 point 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 remote should still work file as it is bluetooth I am told, and therefore does not need to point at the box... Has anyone else had to resort to these sorts of measures?

  I would be interested to hear if others are having SkyQ mechanical noise issues?... Or any input anyone might have?

  Cheers.

[TimmyBGood]

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@BabyBoomerang wrote:

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

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That's possible, in which case keep logging a fault and swapping until you get one you are happy with.

[TimmyBGood]

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@BabyBoomerang wrote:

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

  I would be interested to hear if others are having SkyQ mechanical noise issues?... Or any input anyone might have?

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That's been discussed fairly regularly since early 2016 when Q was launched.  Some users have found a rubber or silicone mat under the unit helps, particularly when on a glass shelf or in a metal AV rack.

Given it's not permissible to open the unit up and start messing with fans or hard drive, options are somewhat limited.

[Jones_The_Cat]

@BabyBoomerang 

I had exactly the same experience when switching from Sky+HD to Sky Q. 

The key difference between the boxes is that unlike Sky+HD, Sky Q never fully powers down in standby, the fan remains on at all times. 

The first Q box I had installed had a noisy clicky hard drive as well as the fan, so I got that swapped. The new one had a quiet hard drive (apart from the regular spin-ups for house-keeping) but the fan would still spin quietly away, even when the box was in standby. This was on an open shelf in a cool corner of the room. 

All I can say is that you do get used to it, but it was quite a surprise when we got rid of Q completely (over a year ago now) and switched to Sky Stream, because you then suddenly realise just how quiet your room can be! The Stream pucks have no moving parts (no fan or hard drive) so are totally silent.

Box noise was probably the most irritating thing for me about Sky Q. I have a Manhattan T3-R Freeview HD PVR now too and the hard drive in it is whisper quiet - you barely even hear it spin up and there is no fan noise whatsoever, even though it does essentially the same things that Sky Q does - instant rewind on the channel you're tuned to, recording two things at once whilst watching another etc. 

So it's not like it's impossible to have a quiet PVR. Other Q customers say they have very quiet boxes so hopefully you'll end up with one of those! Shame I never got one... 

[TimmyBGood]

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@Jones_The_Cat wrote:

@BabyBoomerang 

So it's not like it's impossible to have a quiet PVR. Other Q customers say they have very quiet boxes so hopefully you'll end up with one of those! Shame I never got one... 

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As with any mass-produced hardware which has now been around for eight years and has gone through several hardware redesigns, there's a considerable variation in performance.  We suspect there's also been a degree of variation in manufacture with regards to components and how these were assembled: given many millions of boxes have been produced, one factory line not tightening a set of screws optimally between QC checks could result in a significant number of 'noisy' units released to the wild.

[Jones_The_Cat]

@TimmyBGood 

Have Sky actually ever announced if they have ceased manufacture of any new Sky Q boxes? 

There certainly haven't been any updated versions since the v3 box in 2019/20 I think it was? Are all new installs using refurbs now? 

[TimmyBGood]

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@Jones_The_Cat wrote:

Are all new installs using refurbs now? 

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Or warehouse stock: presumably it depends how big the manufacturing batch(es) of the 1TB UHD/HDR (late 2019) have been.  I'd imagine Sky had a predicted adoption curve and produced hardware based on that.

[BabyBoomerang]

  Thanks for all the info/feedback.

  Just to let you know, yesterday evening I tried putting the SkyQ box on the pile of cables behind my TV/hifi equipment. I positioned it front downwards on the cable pile, resting on the wall at about 45 degree with the cables connected to the box going up the wall for a few inches. So that the bulk of the noise (which seems to eminate primarily from the underside of the SkyQ box) is in the triangle gap between floor cable pile, wall and the box itself. None of this is very visible, as it's behind my equipment.

  It seems to work a treat, and silence has been achieved (pretty much).

  I watched recordings last night, and was not bothered at all by any mechanical noise (and remember, I am fussy!).

  With the added bonus that I don't have that ridiculous blue rotating 'Q' light annoying me during playback!... Two birds with one stone 😉

  The remote works fine too.