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Reports of Loud Coil Whine on PS5

Jedi2016

Jedi2016

Member
Oct 27, 2017
15,957
I was able to isolate it in Audition, and it's definitely coil whine, at least in the video that Psychotron posted up above. But I had to amplify the volume like 100-fold and isolate the exact frequencies on the spectrogram to remove everything else like fan noise and general background noise (of which there is plenty when you crank the volume that high). So either phones are horrendously bad at picking it up, or I just can't hear it for shit.
 
//DEVIL//

//DEVIL//

Banned
Aug 13, 2018
363
Drewton said:
The noise immediately stops when I eject the disk so I'm not sure it's the fans even though that's what it sounds like? Really don't know what the exact fan type is in the PS5 if that's what you mean. I started installing the game over seven hours ago and I had to wait for it to 100% install to load my mid-game Xbox save. I think I'll have to record a video if this keeps up. It's just as loud if I switch to a different app like YouTube with the disc still in the drive.

The PQ is definitely better on PS5 but I'm starting to regret exchanging my Xbox version lol. Was totally silent on the SX after the disk drive quieted down after a few minutes.

edit: maybe jumped the gun on this, I just got a notification that the game installed (7 hours after installation started) while there's much more buzzing than I would like - it immediately gets louder when I go into Valhalla from the menu - the noise has gone down to relatively normal levels.
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Thats good then. you are normal like the most of us lol
 
brobban

brobban

Member
Oct 28, 2017
133
//DEVIL// said:
sadly videos cant really do this justice to know how badly the sound is.

yours have a fan and a coil wine. eh wtf. the coil wine is fine its not that bad since you had to go all the way to the back to hear it. its the fan that is kinda annoying since you can hear it from that far. unless that noise was a fridge or different fan at your home
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Actually, the fan is barely audible, but the coil buzz is easy to hear from a distance. It's probably the phone mic that's unable to pick it up until closer.
 
OP
OP
Psychotron

Psychotron

Member
Oct 26, 2017
5,685
henhowc said:
What realistically do you want them to do at this point? The console has been out a week. If it's defective you can rma it for a full year under warranty.

Perhaps in that time frame we see if this is actually a rrod situation or just within spec for usual % of hardware defects that is being made to seem larger than it is due to social media.
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I expect them to acknowledge the issue and offer a resolution. Even to say, "we'll apply a fix to those consoles that are sent in for coil whine noise complaints." Or even, "we've identified the cause and further revisions will not have the issue to this degree." Now is the best time to do it because we're all buying them at the same time. Loudest voice is heard.
 
dodo667418

dodo667418

Knights of Favonius World Tour '21
Member
Oct 28, 2017
1,699
Huh, didn't realize this was such a widespread problem. I seemingly got very lucky with mine, it's very quiet.

I had an ABSURDLY loud disc drive at first but noticed it was the top face plate doing the noise from disc drive vibration during installation. Once I took off the plate and put it back on properly, the absurd noise disappeared. It was apparently a tiny bit loose from transit and that was the problem. Now I only get regular drive noise whenever I install games and occasionally when the hourly verification happens or whatever it is.

My console has some ever slight coil whine I can hear when I mute my TV, but as long as I'm playing at regular volumes either through TV or headphones, I can't hear a single bit of the console. And I sit only ~1.5m away from my TV. The fan is barely noticeable, I have to hold my ear right next to the console to hear it. Such a great experience coming from a turbo jet engine PS4 Pro. I really hope my console stays this quiet and I hope people who have loud consoles somehow will be able to get a replacement or whatever fix Sony comes up with.
 
raketenrolf

raketenrolf

Member
Oct 28, 2017
5,263
Germany
Nordic4tKnight said:


German reviewer got a bunch and they all have different levels of noise.
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He makes it seem like all PS5s have coil whine. Are there PS5s without coil whine or is this indeed something you can't avoid at the moment?

I don't have mine now but should get it in December and I honestly would be disappointed and probably send it back until they fixed it.

I sold my original Xbox One for the very same reason. Coil whine wasn't loud but it was driving me nuts.
 
Loud Wrong

Loud Wrong

Member
Feb 24, 2020
14,688
Misato's Melons said:
Seems weird that Sony made a point of improving the cooling because PS4 Pro was too loud but somehow managed to overlook this issue.

I haven't had a product with noticeable coil whine since my R9 280X and thats an old ass gpu.
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Yep, not properly designing the console to restrict coil whine is decidedly amateur hour behavior by the hardware designers.
 
NoWayOut

NoWayOut

Member
Oct 27, 2017
2,077
JaseC64 said:
Some cant tell 60fps vs 30fps. I bet those saying "its dead silent" is really not.

If so they should record a video with device near the system for us to make that judgment. Watch everyone call the coil whine immediately 🤣.
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I believe this as well. Given how many reports I see, I'm starting to think that while the noise level can vary from unit to unit, I think all PS5 have it to some degree. I would love for those here saying that their unit is whisper quiet to post a video.
 
cowbanana

cowbanana

Member
Feb 2, 2018
14,023
a Socialist Utopia
What a clusterfuck. Much can be said about the jet engine PS4 (I hated mine!). But none of my Playstations have ever had coil whine, nor do I know anyone with buzzing PS4 consoles. These new beta consoles are cursed - or just produced too cheaply. I can't imagine the thought process of such careful, intricate engineering only to ruin it with a garbage tier 5 cent PSU.
 
ValeYard

ValeYard

Member
Oct 25, 2017
445
BTW my death stranding PS4 pro had loud cool whine too. So I'm used to it haha.

That German Youtuber opened his console in the video released today. No sticker. I'm kinda glad. If that sticker comes loose easily, many of us would have to deal with it. What's the consensus? One off?
 
Johnny Blaze

Johnny Blaze

Avenger
Oct 29, 2017
4,257
DE
My digital edition has coil whine when in a game but only noticeable if I mute the sound.

Other than that, after hours in Miles Morales, it still stays extremely quiet.

So both the fan and coil whine I can only notice when I mute the sound.
 
Nordic4tKnight

Nordic4tKnight

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,478
Dirt McGirt said:
My digital edition has coil whine when in a game but only noticeable if I mute the sound.

Other than that, after hours in Miles Morales, it still stays extremely quiet.

So both the fan and coil whine I can only notice when I mute the sound.
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Same, the sound from my 5.1 system drowns out the whirl my PS5 makes, glad mine isn't as loud as some of the examples in this thread.
 
Stuggernaut

Stuggernaut

Member
Oct 28, 2017
2,969
Seattle, WA, USA
NoWayOut said:
I believe this as well. Given how many reports I see, I'm starting to think that while the noise level can vary from unit to unit, I think all PS5 have it to some degree. I would love for those here saying that their unit is whisper quiet to post a video.
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This reminds me of PS4 days of people saying their system was quiet and nobody believed them...heh. I was one of those people (And I even DID post a video of just how quiet it was) and I could not make people believe.

I suspect that in THIS case, it may be similar but that some people are just really susceptible to the type of noise this is and others are not.
 
ghostcrew

ghostcrew

The Shrouded Ghost
Administrator
Oct 27, 2017
30,441
ValeYard said:
Now I'm totally paranoid that the sticker will eventually be sucked into the fan :/
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Hey, if you have 'the sticker problem' (that seems to have only happened to one person to be fair) at least it's a simple fix. Just remove the sticker.

Those with coil whine and just plain noisy fans can't do anything about it. Just gotta deal with it.
 
xianren

xianren

Member
Oct 27, 2017
351
Switzerland
Gonna add my 2 cents as well... Got the console, started playing some games. Started with Astrobot and finished it without any noise issues. Then I started playing Demon's Souls and bam, coil whine.....Not loud at all and I am not bothered by it, but it is there. Comparing it to my F18 Fighter Jet Engine PS4 pro, It is literally like a night and day difference.

Xbox Series X is much quieter for sure but keep in mind that the console still uses regular thermal paste and over time that stuff is gonna dry out and become brittle and you will hear the fan ramp up in the coming months for sure while the PS5 should not have this problem thanks to liquid cooling. Gonna be a fun thread come November 2021 so we can compare the new noise levels. Either "Jet Engine: The Revenge of Ps4 Pro" or "Coil Whine: Coil Harder"
 
Ferrs

Ferrs

Avenger
Oct 26, 2017
18,830
xianren said:
Gonna add my 2 cents as well... Got the console, started playing some games. Started with Astrobot and finished it without any noise issues. Then I started playing Demon's Souls and bam, coil whine.....Not loud at all and I am not bothered by it, but it is there. Comparing it to my F18 Fighter Jet Engine PS4 pro, It is literally like a night and day difference.

Xbox Series X is much quieter for sure but keep in mind that the console still uses regular thermal paste and over time that stuff is gonna dry out and become brittle and you will hear the fan ramp up in the coming months for sure while the PS5 should not have this problem thanks to liquid cooling. Gonna be a fun thread come November 2021 so we can compare the new noise levels. Either "Jet Engine: The Revenge of Ps4 Pro" or "Coil Whine: Coil Harder"
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Aren't One X holding fine in terms of sound nowadays? I think the problems of the Pro are beyond the paste.
 
Jimbobsmells

Jimbobsmells

Member
Nov 17, 2017
2,185
I've noticed my PS5 is louder in game if it's charging the controller vs not charging the controller (via rear USB ports).
 
Xiofire

Xiofire

Prophet of Regret
Member
Oct 27, 2017
4,168
Mine when it first boots makes a constant "ticking" noise, but it stops if I start a game.

Weird, but I guess this is the "limited testing" problems Sony warned about.
 
Toumari

Toumari

Member
Oct 27, 2017
8,331
England
So I thought I had fallen lucky with this until I launched AC: Valhalla.

I've gotten the platinum in both Miles and Astro's Playroom, and completed 2 worlds in Sackboy without noticing any coil whine so had my fair use of the system so far. Well just now I launched ACV and began to notice a slight buzzing noise. It's only really noticeable during quiet parts like the pause menu (which has a quiet ambient noise), but it's noticeable. You can faintly hear the fan as well, but compared to the PS4 Pro it's nothing. Closing the game or going back onto the PS5 home screen makes the sound goes away.

I can live with the slight fan noise (especially after the PS4 Pro lol), but the coil whine we'll see I guess.
 
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DENSO_PANASONIC

Member
Dec 24, 2018
40
My Digital Edition has very little buzzing noise. Increases when playing games. I'm %100 sure it's not the fan, because i started the console without the fan connected and it still made the buzzing noise, and the noise still increased when playing a game.

Doesn't bother me much but it's there, yeah.
 
Nordic4tKnight

Nordic4tKnight

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,478
I got rid of the high pitch whirl on mine by just taking the faceplates off and putting them back on. Must have not been tightly on 100%. Still have coil whine, but it is very minor.
 
Ferrs

Ferrs

Avenger
Oct 26, 2017
18,830
Nordic4tKnight said:
I got rid of the high pitch whirl on mine by just taking the faceplates off and putting them back on. Must have not been tightly on 100%. Still have coil whine, but it is very minor.
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Gonna have to try this, mine has a high pitch noise but I'm not sure where it comes, but I suppose it's the fan, because when I get close to my console i can hear both the high pitch noise and the coil whine noise (which gets hidden with the high pitch noise sitting at a distance).
 
Team_Feisar

Team_Feisar

Member
Jan 16, 2018
5,356
Toumari said:
So I thought I had fallen lucky with this until I launched AC: Valhalla.

I've gotten the platinum in both Miles and Astro's Playroom, and completed 2 worlds in Sackboy without noticing any coil whine so had my fair use of the system so far. Well just now I launched ACV and began to notice a slight buzzing noise. It's only really noticeable during quiet parts like the pause menu (which has a quiet ambient noise), but it's noticeable. You can faintly hear the fan as well, but compared to the PS4 Pro it's nothing. Closing the game or going back onto the PS5 home screen makes the sound goes away.

I can live with the slight fan noise (especially after the PS4 Pro lol), but the coil whine we'll see I guess.
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It's really weird as I also only had audible coil whine once in AC:V yesterday but today it was quiet again, even after playing for longer than yesterday.
Zero audible coil sounds in Demons Souls, Astrobot or Spider-Man.
 
Sutton Dagger

Sutton Dagger

Member
Oct 27, 2017
741
I mean I guess I'm grateful it's nothing like my jet engine PS4 Pro, but the PS5 is definitely louder than I was hoping it would be. It's definitely not as quiet as my One X. Getting the Series X at Christmas so I hope that's better.
 

Skulldead

Member
Oct 27, 2017
4,479
Ferrs said:
4.04/4:30/5.10min one is my PS5 lol it's that high pitched noise.
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Glad you post these timestamp to compare to mine, i can't believe they will say this is normal, i just bought Miles Morale to someone on Craiglist, and i ask him about that and told me he hear nothing from the PSU( can't verify in real person for obvious reason).... can't wait to see Sony repair center result, make me a little nervous...
 
Doc Cottle

Doc Cottle

Member
Jan 28, 2020
245
darkNemisiScloud said:
The fan i can hear when I mute but the buzzing does kind of get louder, especially in the menus in spiderman
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The worst for me is when I'm in one of Harry's remote science labs, just looking at the mission briefing screen produces a high pitched tone.
Why do menus or static screens like this seem to stress systems? And wasn't the variable frequency supposed to address stuff like this?
 
Cugel

Cugel

▲ Legend ▲
Member
Nov 7, 2017
4,420
I appear to have some noise but can't tell if it's the fan running or coil. How do you tell the difference?
 
Toumari

Toumari

Member
Oct 27, 2017
8,331
England
It seems my coil whine is just there now regardless on what game I play. Only seems to have started today. It wasn't a thing back when I got the console on Thursday.
 
Shifty360

Shifty360

Alt-Account
Banned
Sep 3, 2020
818
Dphex said:
So much for "i can´t hear mine at all, it is whisper quiet!"

i am sure that they all have this coil whine whirring in different volume levels, some people just don´t/can´t hear it, simple as that.
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A statement of "fact" based on nothing, also calling other people liars.

You need to cut down on the salt.
 
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