Spire SoundPad review

Some people really dislike noise coming from PCs, and do their best to block the noise coming from their PC by adding silent fans, big heatsinks, quiet power supplies, ... Spire has a product that can help these people to further decrease the noise generated by their computer system. The Soundpad.

The Soundpad from Spire came in this box.

Specifications
SP-SOUNDPAD Soundpad:
- Features Reduces fan noise from your PC case
- High-density sound absorbation
- Soft cellular 4mm foam
- Heat resistance
- 4 pcs in one set
- Dimensions: 2 pieces 40 x 35cm and 2 pieces 40 x 18cm

Two small pieces for the top and bottom of your case, and two big mats for your sidepanels.

Installation is very simple. Peel off the adhesive backing, and apply the soundpad to your casepanels.

Here are two pics of the bottom of my case covered with the soundpad. I also covered the top plate of my case, and the front door of my case. I tried to cover as much as possible with this kit, but I can tell you if you have a big case like me then you better buy two kits, because one kit is not enough.

Conclusion
After installing this in my Antec PlusView 1000 AMG I noticed a small noise decrease. My case has a lot of fans (two front 80mm fans, two rear 80mm fans, one PSU 120mm fan, one 3D card fan, 40mm Northbridge fan, and a 70mm CPU fan), so it's obvious that a pair of foam pads can't make this case whisper silent. So I disconnected a few fans, and in this situation, the effect of the Soundpad became more clear. My opinion about this product: It's a product for cases with very few fans (only a northbridge or CPU fan, or possibly a silent rear fan). In this situation, the Soundpad will be able to reduce the noise coming from these fans, and possibly also be able to reduce the noise generated by your harddisk. Just don't expect to make a case with 5 screaming fans silent by adding these pads.

The Good stuff
- Slightly reduces the noise coming from your PC.
- The pads actually look cool in your case. (At least that's my personal opinion)
- Easy installation.

The bad stuff
- There is not enough in one kit to cover a big case.

DV Hardware rates this product with a 7/10

Added: December 21st 2003
Product reviewed: Spire SoundPad
Reviewer: LSDsmurf
Score: 7/10

[ Back to Reviews Index | ]