Quiet 2 TB Firewire drive?

[yyoo]

I'm looking for a quiet 2 TB Firewire drive or RAID (must be at least 2x2). I've looked at and have all but eliminated the following for the reasons given below:

 

Iomega Minimax - does not spin down when hooked up with Firewire

Lacie d2 Quadra - 2 TB version apparently has a loud fan

My Book World Edition II (2x2) - numerous complaints of slowness

 

So, how is the G-Tech G-DRIVE or G-RAID? Anything else I should consider?

 

The drive would connect to a Mac Mini and hold a media library just over 1 TB (600 MB of music) and growing. The Mac Mini is connected to my preamp/DAC via USB and a Halide Design Bridge. All of these sit in the listening area.

 

Thanks in advance!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[yyoo]

Let's make the question narrower...

 

Anyone have experience with the WD My Book Studio II or LX? Are they quiet? Any downsides?

 

P.S. I meant "GB" not "MB" in the thread starter.

 

[Mezmo]

Yes, please. Running a 2tb minimax under a mini, and have to agree -- it's way too damn loud. Would love to hear about better options.

 

[Richard Dale]

 

yyoo: "Lacie d2 Quadra - 2 TB version apparently has a loud fan"

 

I have a couple of 2 TB Lacie d2 Quadras, and as far as I know they don't have fans. They are not as quiet as a portable USB drive, and you can hear the disk seeking if you are right next to them. But I don't have any problems with noise in my system from my sitting position.

 

 

[yyoo]

Thanks, that's good to know. That puts the Lacie back in the running.

 

 

[RankStranger]

to me in response to another query. http://oyendigital.com/hard-drives/store/RS-S2TJ-2TB.html I have no personal experience with it but Damn! it's a bit of sexy tech and I just plain want one.

 

RS

 

[fever]

the looks are a little cheesy, but the shock protection is also a good sound proofing. the rugged hard disk only comes with a 1 tb hdd (samsung), but you can replace it with a 2 or 3 tb hdd. it's probably the least noisy eternal hd you can get.

 

[TS0711]

I use the Iomega minimax with firewire 800 (2TB) sitting on a set of Vibrapods, and unless you put your ear right up to it it's very quiet. Not sure what the spin down issues is... sorry I'm not technical at all.

 

[doug2507]

Got the Studio II. Super quiet, fast and no issues at all. In fact i'm selling it on along with my mini as i now use far bigger storage. Highly recommend it. Uses WD Caviar Green drives which means super low power consumption on operation and standby. Automatic sleep when the computer does. Looks quite nice as well. 2xFW800, eSATA, USB2.

 

[django]

I am just setting up a system and chose a Caldigit VR 4TB RAID. Beautiful, solid machine but too noisy for my listening room - the drive noise really interferes with quieter patches of music. So can anyone recommend an extremely quiet 4TB RAID drive? Would the Studio II (I'm assuming that's the Western Digital My Book Studio II) be as quiet in the RAID version?

 

The other possibility is to attach a super-long Firewire 800 cord (maybe 30 feet) and put the Caldigit in the basement, running the cord through the floor at the back of my audio unit to my MacBook Pro. Would such a length affect the sound?

 

Thanks for dealing with newbie questions.

 

[doug2507]

The Studio II's are very quiet and have low power consumption. And they are either RAID 0 or RAID 1.

 

[autoformer]

I just went through the same exercise. I'd purchased a pair of 2TB G-Drives, which are great drives, but they're noisy. Too noisy, it turns out, to be in the same room while listening to music.

 

I ended up using a Seagate 1.5TB portable drive, which comes with a USB 3.0 interface. I also purchased the Firewire 800 GoFlex upgrade cable. I put the G-Drive in another room, connected to an Airport Extreme, then back up the Seagate to it using Time Machine. Works great and totally automatic.

 

http://www.seagate.com/www/en-us/products/external/external-hard-drive/portable-hard-drive

 

http://www.seagate.com/www/en-us/products/accessories

 

 

[wgscott]

I have two of these in my listening room (USB2). One is for my non-music computer for backups, and the other is plugged into my airport extreme, for different backups and as a do-it-yourself wireless disk that serves music to (eg) my macbook air, which I sometimes use in my bedroom.

 

For music, they are great. They are pretty nearly dead silent (unlike my powered OyenDigital Firewire hard drive that has to be buried in a cabinet). They are not good enough (USB2) to serve video reliably (hence the need for the OyenDigital drive).

 

One annoyance (which I hope they got rid of) is their virtual CD backup software thingie that you can't dismount. They have a firmware update that hides it, but I really had a tantrum when the second one I bought had this lovely 'feature.' Fortunately, you can update the software and turn it off, but it is a PITA.

 

[django]

I took Doug's advice and bought a Studio II 2TB Raid drive. No problems at all - dead quiet, works quickly with my MacBook Pro with Firewire 800 (DAC is Cosecant v. 2). It doesn't appear to have the build quality of the Caldigit (which became the main backup for my desktop), but the Caldigit is so noisy that it interferes with the music.

 

So thanks for all the advice I've gleaned from this forum. Really made my transition into computer audio a breeze.

 

[aswillman]

I've got one plugged into my Cambridge Audio NP30 with 2 x 1TB 2.5 inch disks and am very happy with it. I just synchronise it from time to time with my iTunes library using FolderSync.

 

It is fanless, quiet & is well built.

 

The G-Tech Mini is also good (I have a 500GB version) - again fanless & probably a slightly more exotic design.

 

[agentsmith]

I am using WD Mybook Studio 2TB, connected to a Mac Mini. Fanless design and very quiet. So far so good after almost 1 year, no problems at all. Used both Firewire and USB connection depending on DAC used.

 

[autoformer]

I ruled these out early on due to failures. I'm not sure whether the drives or the enclosures failed in mine, but I bought 3 of them from Costco (1TB models) and 2 of them have died so far.

 

[yyoo]

I ultimately went the MyBook Studio II route and am completely happy with it. I have the peace of mind that a RAID solution gives me and the peace and quiet of the drive. It is as others have said here, very quiet. Perfect for use in my listening room.

 

 

[autoformer]

They are very quiet for sure. An ideal solution for music servers if the reliability can be addressed.

 

A friend of mine just brought over his music library on a 2TB My Book last week. "Is it backed up?", I asked. "Nope. This is the only copy.", he says. I cringed, knowing that he might hold me responsible for losing his data. Then, just this afternoon, the firewire interface failed. Fortunately, I was able to copy his data to another drive through the USB interface, which is still working.

 

Just remember to back up your My Book drive, as they are prone to failure. I wonder if the "Studio" version is any better? Mine are the standard black plastic ones you get at Costco.

 

I assume you're backing it up to your RAID array elsewhere on your network?

 

To be honest, I'm not sure how well the little Seagate 1.5 GoFlex will fare either. Time will tell how reliable it is when powered up full time.

 

Good luck!