As far as i could see, the block in question is the one in the picture, called Masterfreezer1- MI, so no central inlet:http://www.com-tra.de/img/p/06547_o.jpg

As for the inlet on the reservoir, you're right, its position is bad, in my opinion it should be higher.

I see another thing for marci or cathar to make a killing on
 

Or Swiftech, etc. A res out of clear or Delrin w/ clear cap as a replacement for teh top of the mcp350/ddc? :drool: I would buy one and I think it would make money... :shrug:

I just read this old thread, and find the above file very useful. Does anyone knows how close the mic was when it record the noise?

Or a better question is, most of us are several feet from the computer, can we still hear it? If so, I guess I can live w/ the noise of the 1048, which seems lowest.

Is there any other WMV files like this for other pump's comparison?

As I remember, the thread that contained this, over at cooling-masters had a pretty full description of how they got the measurement. It was in French - on-line translators are your friends... :)

I haven't heard one, but from reports it is not inaudible, even inside a case and a couple of feet away. I suspect it will at least be louder than your 1048.

I can trasnlate via altavista just fine, but that link only shows a WMF file. There is no link of any original text.

Is there a library with more WMV of the most popular pump for e.g. swiftech?

Here's the review at cooling-masters (auto-translated to English by Google)
IMHO, the enclosing box is a reasonable attempt to exclude external noises - as is simply squeezing the output hose gradually in order to record the sound variation with change in resistance ( for example, Iwakis at no-resistance are, to my ears at least, somewhat loud - but get quieter with more resistance).
I'd hope that whoever did these recordings still has the "box" and is at least thinking about updating with the c-systems mag - in fact they may have: I was semi-fluent in French - but over thirty years ago, so reading cooling-masters stuff goes pretty slowly for me and there may have been additional recordings made that I just missed / didn't get to.

I'm now thinking I should build one of these boxes for myself: I've started a separate thread about building a sound enclosure so as to avoid having two divergent discussions in this one.

Hey, thank you, I really appreciate this.

My DDC is absolutely inaudible through the case, and this is easily demonstrated because it's hooked up to my fan controller. My case is heavily damped, and the ambient is low: replacing a Seasonic Super Silencer's stock fan made the system noticeably quieter. Perhaps I got a golden pump sample.

compares to the WMV file link above, which of those pump matches the quiet level of your pump?

The problem with the WMV file is that if you don't have one of the reference pumps on hand (like a 1046 or 1048) it's hard/impossible to get your PC speakers set so that the the volume you hear matches the volume that was recorded.

What did you replace the Super Silencer's fan with? I thought they used the 1000rpm Yate Loon fans, which was about the quietest you can buy.

I suspect you're thinking of the Super Tornado, which uses a medium-speed YL 120. OTOH, my Silencer came with a 3000rpm SuperRed 80. These fans have somewhat ticky ball bearings. I now have a good L1A, running from the PSU's internal fan controller, which should supply roughly 5V for my load. Lots of info about my system can be found here.