Is it really that loud?
- Thread starter g90
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Exactly. If you live in the country you probably don't care. For those of us who live in suburbs there are self appointed middle aged "mayors" of the community who live to impose their opinions on you. They are not elected, just Mrs. Lady with the bubble cut haircut out walking her dogs who will change direction wand walk thousands of feet directly to you. She will tell you we don't want these things here, etc. And she'll say we'll see about this. And it's a PITA. For that reason alone I want the lowest rotor noise possible even when I fly. Even when I'm in the right in responsible areas. Look online at the nuts that come fuming up to drone plots who think you needed their permission, blah blah blah. I have an Air just delivered and without opening it I am strongly considering sending it back tomorrow. It's not that much louder, but that higher pitch seems like it is louder. (Again, if you don't live where we live you do not understand how important it is not stir things up. Yes, even flying where you should be ok.)
I want a silent drone with a 10 mile range and a cloaking device but, to be honest, I'd probably mis-use it 
Yes it's a loud little bugger, especially compared to my MPP. I also sense the sound from the MA isn't uniform/consistent like it is with the other drones. It seems to be working the motors more independently. This is just a strange observation really. the MPP will hover and sound pretty uniform, while the MA makes different sounds, hard to explain.
Colorado_scott
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"Why do we care how loud it is?" - you are kidding of course. Well said NKZY - "Because, drones by their nature provoke thoughts exactly like the people commenting above (spying, invasion of privacy etc.). When you're flying out in nature, or in a park, over peoples houses, or anywhere really, those of us that care about being a bother to other people would prefer the drone to be as quiet as possible"
I posted up the spectrum analysis of the air and phantom 3 pro. It’s the only two drones I have but you can see a significant change in frequency
mfc
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Posted where? I'm very sensitive to high frequencies -- they hurt -- so very interested!
Mavic Air vs P3P noise - Spectrum Analysis - The Truth!
It didn't seem like anyone was interested.
My take is it's not higher pitched. Your missing a significant amount of lower end frequencies that are found on the P3P. If you compare each image side by side you realize the Spark has overall less noise at all frequencies.
I think the MPP was able to somehow move the noise into the lower end of the frequency scale and the tips removed the top end so thats why they say "perceived" in their wordings.
A simple SPL meter doesn't tell you much other than overall. Again our ears hear loudness different based on frequency.
As soon as her little s**t machine barked or got off the leash I would give her the same treatment but replace drone with dog in her exact words. I have much bigger issues with barking dogs and pooping than drones. Just be thankful our drones don’t drop poop!
droneworx
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the Air and Pro are similar in dB loudness, but the Pro tends to vibrate at around 4-800hz @ 87db from 15 feet and the Air vibrates at 3Khz @ 85db from 15 feet. So the Air has a much higher pitch and frequency which makes it stand out, since as you go higher in the frequency it becomes more "annoying" for the human ear, whereas low pitches are more "normal" sounding.
Took my Air for its maiden voyage yesterday and was surprised at how people reacted to it. Had a couple walk their dog past me as I was doing some checks while hovering just infront of myself and they didn't realise it was even there till they were about 5m from me. Then commented on how cool it was.
I myself find it to be pretty quiet in comparison to other natural noises around where I was flying. Now to have a play with the settings and test out the comet feature.
I myself find it to be pretty quiet in comparison to other natural noises around where I was flying. Now to have a play with the settings and test out the comet feature.
OldBlueHeron
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What are you even talking about. Have you not looked at my post? Both have the same characteristics from 2khz on up, the air being quieter.
I have actual frequencies. Well... from a phantom 3 pro vs the air. I'll be doing some more testing tonight with a 0° mic setup and outdoor at a longer distance.
philh24
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I didn’t think it was that loud either, I was presently surprised when I flew it for the first time. I thought it was slightly quieter than the Mavic Pro but the tests I’ve looked at on here say different.
I don’t seem to attract so much attention either and it’s bright red.
I don’t seem to attract so much attention either and it’s bright red.
droneworx
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I saw your post and before you continue on your rant, I suggest searching for a sound test I did I used a frequency response meter, I didn’t just pull those numbers out of my azz. The air is quite a bit louder than a pro. Sound is very subjective as to what’s “loud” or “soft” but from a raw sound perspective the air is louder...
Now I tested against the pro not my p3, because the concern on these was the comparisons to the pro because of the size. I could also compare it against a 747 if people want....
frogbmth
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Go fly a nitro heli and suddenly all these machines sound whisper quiet 
But I agree, the meters give a good benchmark but our perception is very personal. And your average anti drone troll will hear you unfolding your drone’s legs at 500 metres before you even fire it up!
But I agree, the meters give a good benchmark but our perception is very personal. And your average anti drone troll will hear you unfolding your drone’s legs at 500 metres before you even fire it up!
mfc
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Many thanks for that -- yes I missed that thread somehow. Look forward to seeing the spectrum for the Mavic Pro when you get your hands on one!
synaesthesia
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Not had anybody complaining to me personally yet but so many videos on YouTube... Was quite surprised the golf course didn't complain to be fair to them.
Anthony Viscomi
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I would agree that noise is definitely a concern of mine, and one of the reasons I'm thinking of switching form the Air to the MPP (aswell as range in CE area). In saying that, I can completely understand why people who fly in remote environments do not care about noise, and there are probably many other aspects of the drone they'd rather see improved before the noise levels, it all depends on your environment really, however I'm definitely aware of drone noise pollution when flying. I presume DJI are aware noise levels are a big factor for a non pro consumer, otherwise they wouldn't have brought out a whole new refresh product in the MPP, where the flagship feature was lower noise levels (and extra flight time).
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