which dji drone is the quietest

[John Gowland]

From memory and a recent check I found the Mavic Mini 2 to be the quietest DJI drone. I had a MM2 but lost it in the dark, my fault. So I did not even try to get it replaced by DJI Care. When I got the MM2 I gave the MM1 to a mate.
I am going to Thailand soon and will definitely take 2 Avatas. I have 5 batteries (2MM2 and 3MM1) and they charge from their containers.
We know the Avata is noisy, very but if I could only have one drone that would be it, by a long way. So there will be lots of occasions when I can not fly the Avata. I have a MA2S but it is big, chunky and needs lots of add ons like charges.
Please, I am not trying to upset anyone. But has anyone found a quieter drone than the MM2. It costs about $648 AU, but I am prepared to pay that. A local well known store will match the price of a cheaper one online if it is free delivery.
Peace
John

 

[Bob in Savannah]

I'm assuming you ask with the requirements of using stock props, right?

I would say the M3 or the mini 2 but I have no idea since Ive only owned 3 different DJI drones; the mp, the mini 2, and the m3.

 

[dirkclod]

From all I’ve had is the mini3pro.

 

[John Gowland]

Thanks to both of you. I am assuming the MM3 can use the olde MM2 and therefore the MM1 batteries? I know the MM3 battery is way superior. But If I got the 3 I would have a total of 6 batteries. 5+1 MM3 batteries.

Edit
And of course the 3 is a lot more powerful than the 1 or 2. My city, Perth and Patong and Thailand in general can be windy.

 

[John Gowland]

I'm assuming you ask with the requirements of using stock props, right?

I would say the M3 or the mini 2 but I have no idea since Ive only owned 3 different DJI drones; the mp, the mini 2, and the m3.

What do you mean stock props? I can get my hands on some popular alternatives before I go to Thailand.

 

[Chrislaf]

No the Mini 3 Pro cannot use the Mini 2 or mini 1 batteries.

Chris

 

[John Gowland]

Thanks Chris. Just about settles it. I will probably go for the MM2.

 

[globetrotterdrone]

Mini 3 Pro for my ears by a mile.
I've been using the Mavic 2 Pro and lately a friend let me use his Mavic 3 ... a very fine bird indeed.

However, I was frightened of how loud the Mavic 2 Pro is compared to the Mini 3 Pro and as well as the Mavic 3 is softer, it is nowhere near the stealthy Mini 3 Pro.

The Mini 2 had some very high, aggressive pitch, the Mini 3 Pro is outstanding.

Sound foot print

In quiet environment

Side note: as said, it's not only about the loudness but also the pitch and how the sound is generally built (with periodic waves, etc.) and of course to a huge factor of the weather and the surrounding. I had days with very quiet to no sound to anybody's attention in already 30 - 40 m (as in the video) and days with downfall wind, where you could hear it also from 120 m high and 100 m away. But generally, if the drone itself has a good sound foot print, these factors will lead to less perception of other people.

 

[old man mavic]

@John Gowland irrespective of how many batteries you have right now ,if you really want an extremely quiet drone ,then i can honestly say ,that the Mini 3 pro ,is by far the quietest drone in the DJI stable
the first time i flew it,i was amazed at how difficult it was to hear it ,even in the hover ,the new rubber tipped props have transformed the pitch sound they make

 

[scro]

I've had a Tello, Mini 1 and an Mini3pro. The mini3 is the quietest/least audible - a bit surprising considering the tello is only a tiny 80g "toy". I was very pleasantly surprised just how quiet the Mini3P is. Sound pitch is just as important as sound pressure when it comes to how "noisy" a drone is. The mini3pro is slightly quieter from a sound pressure perspective (ie dB) but also has a lower frequency pitch that is very easily masked by environmental noise (waves on a beach, traffic, stream bubbling, wind rustling leaves etc).

 

[Dan AISCF]

Of the DJI-branded drones, I've owned the P4P+, Mavic Air, Air 2S, and Mini 3 Pro. The Mini 3 Pro is hands down the quietest drone I've ever owned (out of all manufacturers). 50-100ft out and it draws no attention. I think it is in part because of the pitch. I always use the Air2S for client jobs, however, when I need to be really unanimous (due to certain neighborhoods), I'll put up the Mini 3 Pro.

 

[DSRT_VLTR]

I pilot a Mini 2 exclusively in the Sonoran Desert in AZ. I usually fly at 20-30m altitude & people almost always look-up when I fly nearby, most likely because there is very little ambient sound in the desert to mask the rotor noise.

 

[DARKSeifer]

I'm presuming you want to fly under the radar.

The Mini 2 or the Mini 3, with new props and flying in cine mode or normal mode, taking off at more than 300m from the nearest person.

1. They are silent.
2. They are small and hard to see, even at night, without the need of using electric tape.
3. Being small means you can takeoff/land from the hand easily and pass really unnoticed.
4. The sound they make reassemble an insect.
5. Once located, they are hard to track past a few hundred meters.
6. Props get louder the more you use them, new props are quieter.
7. Flying low means the obstructions will block the sound, flying high means the drone may be heard from longer distances. Flying on noisy areas helps to remain unnoticed.
8. All >250g drones like the Air2, 2S, and Mavic 3 are loud and the sound they make at a distance resemble a 2 stroke motorbike, not an insect. Easy to see, easy to follow and at night are like a flying christmas three unless you put some electric tape on the LEDs.
9. And as every DJI drone, beware of Aeroscope, never fly a battery from the same location, and if possible, just walk to another location while flying. Keep the GPS of the smartphone turned off, so only the takeoff location is transmitted to the Aeroscope (or RID) <250g drones come really handy when walking&droning.
10. Remember that you can always sacrifice the drone on purpose instead of luring the police to you, when you are 100% sure they are coming for you because they are searching around your takeoff point, just move the home point location over a mass of water, and it will lure the police towards there while you walk away in the opposite direction (GPS on the device always off). Depending on where you are flying, it's better to lose the drone (specially an inexpensive one, like the Mini series) than to pay the fine or go to jail, on those countries you never know, there have been drone hobbyst/photographers in jail in countries like Cuba or Iran just for taking pictures of the landscape.

Thad being said, I'd never risk flying on countries where drones are forbidden or nearly forbidden, I can pay a fine, I'd never risk jail.

 

[John Gowland]

Excellent testing and of course you are right the MM3 is the quietest.
I had a choice to replace the MM2 aircraft with 5 existing batteries or start over with the with charges, batteries and bags and stuff. A big outlay.
All I wanted was an option to the extremely loud Avata. You are right the MM2 is loud but in comparison it’s like a mouse.

Thank you.

 

[John Gowland]

I'm presuming you want to fly under the radar.

The Mini 2 or the Mini 3, with new props and flying in cine mode or normal mode, taking off at more than 300m from the nearest person.

1. They are silent.
2. They are small and hard to see, even at night, without the need of using electric tape.
3. Being small means you can takeoff/land from the hand easily and pass really unnoticed.
4. The sound they make reassemble an insect.
5. Once located, they are hard to track past a few hundred meters.
6. Props get louder the more you use them, new props are quieter.
7. Flying low means the obstructions will block the sound, flying high means the drone may be heard from longer distances. Flying on noisy areas helps to remain unnoticed.
8. All >250g drones like the Air2, 2S, and Mavic 3 are loud and the sound they make at a distance resemble a 2 stroke motorbike, not an insect. Easy to see, easy to follow and at night are like a flying christmas three unless you put some electric tape on the LEDs.
9. And as every DJI drone, beware of Aeroscope, never fly a battery from the same location, and if possible, just walk to another location while flying. Keep the GPS of the smartphone turned off, so only the takeoff location is transmitted to the Aeroscope (or RID) <250g drones come really handy when walking&droning.
10. Remember that you can always sacrifice the drone on purpose instead of luring the police to you, when you are 100% sure they are coming for you because they are searching around your takeoff point, just move the home point location over a mass of water, and it will lure the police towards there while you walk away in the opposite direction (GPS on the device always off). Depending on where you are flying, it's better to lose the drone (specially an inexpensive one, like the Mini series) than to pay the fine or go to jail, on those countries you never know, there have been drone hobbyst/photographers in jail in countries like Cuba or Iran just for taking pictures of the landscape.

Thad being said, I'd never risk flying on countries where drones are forbidden or nearly forbidden, I can pay a fine, I'd never risk jail.

Very apt name that reflects your knowledge. Thailand is a bit strict in cities, airports, and stuff. But I never fly there anyway. In the country few of the people or police know it’s illegal without a licence. I do have one, but it’s outdated. But I don’t need the attention, if there is a problem it's easy to solve with a little sweet oil.
Thanks so much though, fascinating stuff that we all need to know.

 

[scro]

6. Props get louder the more you use them, new props are quieter.

That's an interesting point you make. Just wondering what led you to that conclusion?

 

[old man mavic]

@scro with regards to the question of loudness proposed by @DARKSeifer ,i would imagine that stems from a subtle change to the aerodynamics of the props profile ,during prolonged use and storage compared to a new pristine set of props,and also from the amount of lift that a prop can generate ,due to those changes ,its mostly recognisable because the motors have to run at a higher speed ,to maintain that lift ,and i think that when you first fit a new set of props ,they do appear to be quieter in pitch sound ,because the motors are running slightly slower
i am not just saying this ,i have put a new set of props on all of my drones apart from my Mini 3 pro, at some point during their flying lives and i can confirm, that initially the drone does appear to be quieter when they are first used

 

[John Gowland]

I have noticed this with all the drones I have flown. New props always lessen the noise. Makes perfect scientific sense. If you could manufacture titanium alloy props with knife sharp edges and tested till you got maximum lift it would be a marked difference. They would be very expensive and could remove a finger or two. Mmmm, shame I do not have any enemies to test it out on.

 

[scro]

I've only ever replaced props once on a drone (mavic mini, after 2+ yrs of flying it) so have very little experience in back to back old/new prop comparisons on which to draw any conclusions. I didn't notice any reduced noise when I changed the props on the MM1, but also wasn't specifically checking for lower noise, so may have missed any subtle difference.

Some reasonable scientific arguments have been put forward for new props being quieter than old.

 

[John Gowland]

Some people fly way too much, have way too many crashes, damage props by the dozen. Not saying who but I hear it happens.

Edit
Some people exaggerate, but then why let the truth get in the way of a good story.
A timely reminder though. I looked at my Avata props and they were a mess, it now has new ones.