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PWM is a nice idea that I really used to like, but fans just don't like it that much, it seems. It would be much nicer if the microcontroller in the fan would adjust the speed, because it could just reduce the pulse of current to the magnets at the correct time. Powering the fan motor microcontroller up and down repeatedly and getting it in/out of synch is probably what makes the problem happen on so many fans. Just guessing.
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I'll happily stick my neck out here and recommend the Sunbeam 5.25" Rheobus... best one I've ever used, and still do to this day. Complete 0v > 11.9v variation - so how low you can run the fan is entirely down to the fan not the controller in this case. Also happily runs cathodes, D5 etc... 20w per channel... I'd be willing to call it the king of fanbuses imo. Not a PWM based controller if memory serves correctly.
I do like the mCubed T-Balancer, but I've had so many issues with them - dropping connectivity with analogue sensor hub... bizarre failures resulting in alarms that can't be gotten rid of... these are all things I happily put up with for the joy of being able to drag a slider on screen to set fanspeeds on the fly, as well as link fanspeed to any temp sensor (either connected to the T-Balancer directly or mapped in from MBM5)... but if you like stuff you buy to work perfectly until past the date of warranty expiration, I'd expect you to be pi$$ed with the T-Balancer gear after a few months. That and they insist on releasing aluminium water temp probes... idjits. Admittedly they do do brass probes, but why release em in Al to start with...?
You can also use a Swissflow on the mCubed gear too - their own flowmeter is just too restrictive... last time I hooked one in I saw a 50% hit in flowrates (timed-bucket-fill method) just for the convenience of being able to monitor flow. Binned that idea.
MatrixOrbital MX series onboard fan controller "does the job" but I don't feel offers suitable flexibility in comparison to the mCubed products, altho to do the mCubed products justice you really want an LCD display to show off the figures... *shrug*
Personally, I run Sunbeam Rheostat, and MatrixOrbital. MatrixOrbital handles lighting on it's fan channels. Rheostat at the moment handles... er... 5x Panaflo 80mm, 2x GlobalWin things - 60mm, 2x Sunbeam Cathode Fans, 1x Panaflo 92mm, 1x Microcool Northpole, 2x whatever 80mm fans are in me PSU, and the 120mm Panaflo running on my Thermalright.
And it's what I'd call silent. HDD noise is my problem. If I just hook my barracuda IV, I can't hear the rig from a foot away in a silent triple glazed room. With all my drives in and running it's a nightmare (4x Ultra320 Cheetahs, 4x Maxtor 80Gb SATA, 2x Barracuda IV 40Gb, 2x Maxtor 160Gb SATA, 1x WesternDig 7200rpm 120Gb)
Anyways... wandered offtopic and waffling. Jus' need someone to silence me now (must stop posting after a smoke... sorry!)