Does it hiss?

readingwonder · 01-29-2012, 08:49 PM

First, before I ask my question about Kobo, let me give a little background on my experiences with Nook.

I went out and bought a Nook Simple Touch, mostly because it has the buttons on the edge, which I like.

The first Nook I bought had fonts that were extra fuzzy, even after doing the firmware upgrade. I returned it and got another one.

The second one had a warped screen. I returned it and got another one.

The third one was fine for about a week. Now it makes a very audible hissing, whining sound whenever it's booting up, or changing the screen, or otherwise performing any sort of activity. So, I'm going to take this one back and get my money back, and I'm done with Nook. Three Nooks, three different problems.

I was wondering, does the Kobo Touch ever make this hissing whining sound? Are there any other common problems of which I should be aware before I go out, buy one, have some problem, and end up having to return it too?

I will say I have a Kobo Wifi, and it's never given me a moment's problem.

novou · 01-29-2012, 08:56 PM

I've never heard my KT hiss. But I make sure to feed it a few mice every week, so that might have something to do with it. What did you feed your NST?

Some people have had issues with their fingers being nibbled, or some screen unresponsiveness, but I'm generally happy with mine.

Bookpossum · 01-29-2012, 08:58 PM

No, mine is very quiet and well-behaved! And despite problems some members have had with the KT, I have never come across a comment about being hissed at. It doesn't sound very friendly.

touring · 01-29-2012, 09:38 PM

I have hissed at mine a few times, but it hasn't made any noise back

The Terminator · 01-29-2012, 10:31 PM

Most newer readers do make a hissing/humming type noise Sony T1, NST, KT (I had a thread awhile ago about this, other people have this too).

I really don't notice it unless I'm reading in bed and there is almost no background noise. But if you put your ear to the back and change the page you WILL hear a humming noise, try it for yourself possum, touring, novou.

readingwonder · 01-29-2012, 10:41 PM

With my Nook, you don't have to put your ear against it to hear it. It's very audible.

I did try putting my ear right up to my Kobo Wifi, but it doesn't make any sound.

danskmacabre · 01-30-2012, 04:51 AM

No hissing from my KT.

The Terminator · 01-30-2012, 11:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by danskmacabre

No hissing from my KT.

Did you try putting your ear up to it?

readingwonder · 01-30-2012, 01:44 PM

At first I thought the hiss / whine was caused by the battery being under load. I also read someone else speculate it was caused by the CPU being used. So, I did an experiment.

I took my Nook Touch and did a firmware update. That uses both the battery and the CPU during the entire update. The whole time I held my Nook close to my ear.

It turns out it only made the hiss / whine sound when the screen was updating. If the screen wasn't actively updating or drawing, it was silent. So it would appear the hiss / whine sound is caused by the Pearl e-ink screen updating and drawing.

If that is indeed the case, any other e-reader with a Pearl screen would make the same sound while the screen is updating and drawing.

This would also explain why my old Kobo Wifi, which uses a different screen, doesn't make this sound.

danskmacabre · 01-30-2012, 04:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Terminator

Did you try putting your ear up to it?

Well I did a test.
I turned it on and put my ear right up against the back of the KT and no hiss sound.

However after that I did the same and pressed a page turn whilst my ear was pressed against the back of the KT, I heard a faint hiss noise for about a half second as the page turned.
If makes this VERY quiet hiss noise every time I do a page turn, but I have to have my ear right up against the KT to hear it.

Sound · 01-30-2012, 04:13 PM

It is there in a lot of electronics, wether its a capacitor, the cpu or some other electronic compoenent. Wether you can hear it or not has a lot to do with how good/old your ear is due to it being high pitched (no offense to anyone).

readingwonder · 01-30-2012, 04:46 PM

I've decided to go ahead and take my Nook back.

I did another test today. I listened to another Nook. It had the hiss sound when the screen was drawing too, but it was much quieter than my Nook.

With my Nook, I sat on my bed, with people in other rooms, the heater running and other background noise, and I held my Nook in my lap, at a normal reading distance. And every time I turned the page, the hiss / whine noise was very noticeable. And that's holding the Nook at a normal reading distance.

If the Nook had been making that much noise when I first got it I would have noticed it right off, so after about a week of owning it, its hiss / whine noise has increased.

I'm also really hesitant to buy a Kobo Touch at this time because I read through the thread for the most recent firmware and there were just so many problems and so many complaints that still, a month or two later, seem to be unaddressed, I'll be holding off on that.

I say again though, I think it's the screen causing the sound, because it only happens when the screen is actively updating or drawing. If the battery and CPU are being used but the screen isn't updating, it's quiet. It only makes the sound when the screen is updating.

Again, my Kobo Wifi, which has a different screen, doesn't make this sound at all. Not even faintly.

So I guess I'll just be getting my money back and sticking with my Kobo Wifi, and watching the progress of the Kobo Touch updates with interest, and also hoping when they come out with the next generation of e-readers, they won't have these issues.

danskmacabre · 01-30-2012, 06:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sound

It is there in a lot of electronics, wether its a capacitor, the cpu or some other electronic compoenent. Wether you can hear it or not has a lot to do with how good/old your ear is due to it being high pitched (no offense to anyone).

You may well be right, but maybe the KT makes less noise than other ereaders.
Anyway, whether it's because of the quality of my hearing or the intensity of the hiss, I don't hear it so it's no problem for me.

readingwonder · 01-30-2012, 06:42 PM

When I went to the store to return my Nook I checked out the demonstration Kobo Touch they had there. I'm sure that looked great... a grown man standing in the middle of the isle with an e-reader up to his head.

There was some hiss but it was very soft. Whereas with my old Nook, it had a whine and squeal. When I do decide to get another e-reader, I'll be looking at a Kobo.

Bookpossum · 01-30-2012, 07:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by danskmacabre

You may well be right, but maybe the KT makes less noise than other ereaders.
Anyway, whether it's because of the quality of my hearing or the intensity of the hiss, I don't hear it so it's no problem for me.

Same applies to me. I have mine in a cover and I didn't actually take it out, but I couldn't hear anything at all.

01-29-2012, 08:49 PM	#1
readingwonder Enthusiast Posts: 25 Karma: 294 Join Date: Nov 2011 Device: Nook	Does it hiss? First, before I ask my question about Kobo, let me give a little background on my experiences with Nook. I went out and bought a Nook Simple Touch, mostly because it has the buttons on the edge, which I like. The first Nook I bought had fonts that were extra fuzzy, even after doing the firmware upgrade. I returned it and got another one. The second one had a warped screen. I returned it and got another one. The third one was fine for about a week. Now it makes a very audible hissing, whining sound whenever it's booting up, or changing the screen, or otherwise performing any sort of activity. So, I'm going to take this one back and get my money back, and I'm done with Nook. Three Nooks, three different problems. I was wondering, does the Kobo Touch ever make this hissing whining sound? Are there any other common problems of which I should be aware before I go out, buy one, have some problem, and end up having to return it too? I will say I have a Kobo Wifi, and it's never given me a moment's problem.

01-30-2012, 06:42 PM	#14
readingwonder Enthusiast Posts: 25 Karma: 294 Join Date: Nov 2011 Device: Nook	When I went to the store to return my Nook I checked out the demonstration Kobo Touch they had there. I'm sure that looked great... a grown man standing in the middle of the isle with an e-reader up to his head. There was some hiss but it was very soft. Whereas with my old Nook, it had a whine and squeal. When I do decide to get another e-reader, I'll be looking at a Kobo. Last edited by readingwonder; 01-30-2012 at 06:52 PM.

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01-29-2012, 08:56 PM	#2
novou Pointed Pontification. Posts: 64 Karma: 100000 Join Date: Sep 2011 Device: Kobo Touch (Black)	I've never heard my KT hiss. But I make sure to feed it a few mice every week, so that might have something to do with it. What did you feed your NST? Some people have had issues with their fingers being nibbled, or some screen unresponsiveness, but I'm generally happy with mine.

01-29-2012, 08:58 PM	#3
Bookpossum Snoozing in the sun Posts: 10,137 Karma: 115423645 Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Melbourne, Australia Device: iPad Mini, Kobo Touch	No, mine is very quiet and well-behaved! And despite problems some members have had with the KT, I have never come across a comment about being hissed at. It doesn't sound very friendly.

01-29-2012, 09:38 PM	#4
touring Connoisseur Posts: 69 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Australia Device: Kobo Clara	I have hissed at mine a few times, but it hasn't made any noise back

01-29-2012, 10:31 PM	#5
The Terminator Retired Posts: 2,552 Karma: 37638420 Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Vancouver Island Canada Device: Kobo Touch, Optimus One (2.3), Nexus 7 (4.2)	Most newer readers do make a hissing/humming type noise Sony T1, NST, KT (I had a thread awhile ago about this, other people have this too). I really don't notice it unless I'm reading in bed and there is almost no background noise. But if you put your ear to the back and change the page you WILL hear a humming noise, try it for yourself possum, touring, novou.

01-29-2012, 10:41 PM	#6
readingwonder Enthusiast Posts: 25 Karma: 294 Join Date: Nov 2011 Device: Nook	With my Nook, you don't have to put your ear against it to hear it. It's very audible. I did try putting my ear right up to my Kobo Wifi, but it doesn't make any sound.

01-30-2012, 04:51 AM	#7
danskmacabre Guru Posts: 733 Karma: 3593438 Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Australia Device: Kobo Glo. Galaxy Tab S 8.4	No hissing from my KT.

01-30-2012, 01:44 PM	#9
readingwonder Enthusiast Posts: 25 Karma: 294 Join Date: Nov 2011 Device: Nook	At first I thought the hiss / whine was caused by the battery being under load. I also read someone else speculate it was caused by the CPU being used. So, I did an experiment. I took my Nook Touch and did a firmware update. That uses both the battery and the CPU during the entire update. The whole time I held my Nook close to my ear. It turns out it only made the hiss / whine sound when the screen was updating. If the screen wasn't actively updating or drawing, it was silent. So it would appear the hiss / whine sound is caused by the Pearl e-ink screen updating and drawing. If that is indeed the case, any other e-reader with a Pearl screen would make the same sound while the screen is updating and drawing. This would also explain why my old Kobo Wifi, which uses a different screen, doesn't make this sound.

01-30-2012, 04:13 PM	#11
Sound Member Posts: 18 Karma: 15700 Join Date: Sep 2011 Device: Kobo Touch	It is there in a lot of electronics, wether its a capacitor, the cpu or some other electronic compoenent. Wether you can hear it or not has a lot to do with how good/old your ear is due to it being high pitched (no offense to anyone).

01-30-2012, 04:46 PM	#12
readingwonder Enthusiast Posts: 25 Karma: 294 Join Date: Nov 2011 Device: Nook	I've decided to go ahead and take my Nook back. I did another test today. I listened to another Nook. It had the hiss sound when the screen was drawing too, but it was much quieter than my Nook. With my Nook, I sat on my bed, with people in other rooms, the heater running and other background noise, and I held my Nook in my lap, at a normal reading distance. And every time I turned the page, the hiss / whine noise was very noticeable. And that's holding the Nook at a normal reading distance. If the Nook had been making that much noise when I first got it I would have noticed it right off, so after about a week of owning it, its hiss / whine noise has increased. I'm also really hesitant to buy a Kobo Touch at this time because I read through the thread for the most recent firmware and there were just so many problems and so many complaints that still, a month or two later, seem to be unaddressed, I'll be holding off on that. I say again though, I think it's the screen causing the sound, because it only happens when the screen is actively updating or drawing. If the battery and CPU are being used but the screen isn't updating, it's quiet. It only makes the sound when the screen is updating. Again, my Kobo Wifi, which has a different screen, doesn't make this sound at all. Not even faintly. So I guess I'll just be getting my money back and sticking with my Kobo Wifi, and watching the progress of the Kobo Touch updates with interest, and also hoping when they come out with the next generation of e-readers, they won't have these issues.

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