Pro vs Air REAL sound test with Pitch

[droneworx]

So those of you who have been following my little comparisons tests since I got my Air on Saturday, I have been repeating that I believe the Air was louder than the Pro. Despite all the Youtube reviews saying that it was not. I have been saying that it was the Pitch of the Air that made it stand out. Using a really, really overpriced SENN mic, I have been able to capture what I think makes the Air louder, see for yourself and make your own decisions..

 

[Ian in London]

So those of you who have been following my little comparisons tests since I got my Air on Saturday, I have been repeating that I believe the Air was louder than the Pro. Despite all the Youtube reviews saying that it was not. I have been saying that it was the Pitch of the Air that made it stand out. Using a really, really overpriced SENN mic, I have been able to capture what I think makes the Air louder, see for yourself and make your own decisions..

I wonder how many of those YT reviews are made my people supplied with promo Mavic Airs? I paid for mine, and my YT vids have no one to keep happy. And I have to say, we're definately back in the loud buzzy area of sound again with the Air.
The big thing about the Pro Standard props and the Platinum Props was the pitch, as the actual sound was only 1-2 dB lower. In my opinion, the pitch of the Air is similar to the standard Pro, or possibly even a little higher, which takes us back into the "annoying buzz" region ...

Ian

 

[Anthony Viscomi]

I thank you for your sound test(s), though I never quite understood the reason for them. I've be a drone/DJI owner for years and never once have I made a drone purchase decision based on how loud (or quiet) the device is. Strange I don't see many of the comparisons over on the Phantom forum

 

[droneworx]

I thank you for your sound test(s), though I never quite understood the reason for them. I've be a drone/DJI owner for years and never once have I made a drone purchase decision based on how loud (or quiet) the device is. Strange I don't see many of the comparisons over on the Phantom forum

Because one would assume that the smaller you go the more quiet it is. The phantom is a beast, there’s nothing to hide, the mavic being so small, people expect it to be quiet. Plus,.. why does anyone test against anything? Lol for fun!

 

[Splats]

Actually, I'd expect the smaller you go the louder it would get. It sounds very similar to my Spark and that's all I've every know. In an ideal world it would be quieter but it's probably 20th+ on my list of things I'm concerned with when buying a drone.

 

[MichiganMavic]

The quietest in my fleet imo, would go Inspire, Q5004K+, P4,P3P, P3A, Mavic ( with quiet props), Mavic (stock props), and Spark. To me it’s as expected because of the size of the motors/pitch/wings. I would expect the Air to be louder than the MP. The speakers on my phone started vibrating when you started up the MA[emoji15]. Very buzzy. Interesting test. Good stuff[emoji106]

 

[synaesthesia]

I like the use of science to answer questions (your video) - so they're actually a similar loudness (around 85dB) but make a completely different tone of which the Air's is perceived to be far louder (due to the way hearing works). I had mine up in the back garden earlier and it did seem "loud" but tbh after watching through a lot of drone related YouTube videos recently I had already had my expectations set that it was going to be louder than it actually was so I'm not all that bothered. It does make me re-think how loud all of the other drones I've heard in videos actually would be...

Because one would assume that the smaller you go the more quiet it is. The phantom is a beast, there’s nothing to hide, the mavic being so small, people expect it to be quiet. Plus,.. why does anyone test against anything? Lol for fun!

No, I would expect that the smaller you go the faster you've got to go in order to generate the same air flow - thinking like fans here. Bigger blades move more air at lower RPM, lower RPM generates less sound (both in terms of the noise the blades make through the air and the motors spinning). Bigger blades generate a different pitch as they go through the air, etc. There are other mitigating factors like the design of the Mavic Pro fold-able propellers will inherently generate a bit more noise in comparison to the fixed propellers from the Mavic Pro Platinum (which is why taking the propellers off the platinum and putting them on the pro reduces the sound of the pro).

 

[flyby]

Thank you for this. I want a small compact drone with a quiet sound. And I want a high quality sensor/camera package. basically I want the quiet of the Platinum with the camera of the P4P and the size/weight of the Air. I don't want people mad at me for getting my shots. And yes "normal people" hate buzzing "toys" interrupting their park views or their quiet walk on the beach. If I'm all alone then I don't care but if I'm on some scenic vista full of other tourists I don't want to be "that guy" who destroys other's enjoyment.

So I eagerly await the possibilities of the MP2 because so far the Air is pretty good except I don't want that much noise.

 

[Anthony Viscomi]

why does anyone test against anything? Lol for fun!

Well stated...

 

[JimmyHillsChin]

Thank you for this. I want a small compact drone with a quiet sound. And I want a high quality sensor/camera package. basically I want the quiet of the Platinum with the camera of the P4P and the size/weight of the Air. I don't want people mad at me for getting my shots. And yes "normal people" hate buzzing "toys" interrupting their park views or their quiet walk on the beach. If I'm all alone then I don't care but if I'm on some scenic vista full of other tourists I don't want to be "that guy" who destroys other's enjoyment.

So I eagerly await the possibilities of the MP2 because so far the Air is pretty good except I don't want that much noise.

I'm wanting the same too and the noise factor is a big consideration for me.

I was looking at a noise comparison video on YouTube and someone in the comments put:

"So you get a smaller drone hoping it is more discrete but attracts more attention by being loudest."

They have a great point!

With the negative attention drones are getting lately with how people percieve them to be intrusive and annoying, it's clear DJI jumped on this first with the Spark and now the Air in getting them so small and non threatening that people shouldn't notice they are about.

It does, then, call into question why they didn't look into getting this quieter than (at the very least) the Spark.

I guess I'm being cynical here but I guess it's so they can bring out the Air Pro Titanium next year with quieter props.