Be Quiet! Shadow Wings Series Fan Review

With the Silent Wings 2/Dark Wings series of fans occupying Be Quiet!'s £18/€20 top-spot, the need arises for fans which still offer excellent performance but at a lower price point. Cutting costs by using cheaper components and bundling less accessories isn't always a good decision but when price points have to met, costs have to be cut. Be Quiet! are aiming for a similar balance of good performance and low noise operation that their Silent Wings 2/Dark Wings fans offer but at a fraction of the price with their Shadow Wings SW1 series of fans. There are 11 variants of the Shadow Wings series with sizes ranging from 80mm to 140mm. Each 80, 92, 120 and 140mm version features a PWM model as well as a mid-speed model or more. The 120mm version is available in low (800 RPM), mid (1,500 RPM) and high (2,200 RPM) speed versions, all of which we will be testing today. A mid-speed (1,000 RPM) version of the 140mm fan will also undergo our test procedures. A rifle bearing is used by the Shadow Wings giving them a MTBF of 200,000 hours. Be Quiet!'s unique airflow-optimized fin structure ensures a balance of good airflow and low noise operation. Rubberised fan mounts and a screw-less mounting system make the Shadow Wings series of fan easy to work with and quiet. Retailing for around £11/€11,90 for the 120mm versions and £12.49/€13,90 for the 140mm version and backed by a 3 year warranty, Be Quiet! could have a mid range contender in the Shadow Wings series of fans. A picture of the fan along with the series name and specific size is located on the front of the box. The speed category of the specific version is also present. Operational specifications and some key features such as the 200,000 hours MTBF are located on the rear side of the box. A plastic shell which holds the fan secure in its box doubles up as an installation guide. This is an inventive method of cutting costs but not corners. Also included is a 7V adapter and tool-less installation hardware form what is a relatively measly bundle. Be Quiet! have taken the opportunity to cut costs by removing any fancy accessories. 9 black blades are used on the 120mm, 2,200 RPM and 140mm, 1,000 RPM versions whereas the lower speed 120mm variants both use 7 blades. Operational specifications as well as the fan's product code are located on the rear of the motor. Be Quiet! use a rubber damper as part of the installation method. The plastic, tool-less installation hardware feeds through the centre of the rubber mount which then makes contact with the chassis. This reduces noise output via the rubber's vibration-absorption properties. Be Quiet! use their Silent Wings technology on each of the fan blades. The grooves create a changed airflow path which is optimised for low-noise operation with high performance. A black, plastic-covered fan cable carries power from the black 3-pin connector. If you purchase the PWM variants of the Shadow Wings fans, your version will use a 4-pin PWM connector instead. With so many variables involved in testing a fan, we decided to test fans using a simple and reliable method that involves measuring noise levels. When dealing with fans, manufacturer’s specifications should always be taken with a large pinch of salt which is why we want to find out the real world noise levels of the fan compared to some of its closest competitors. Using an accurate sound level meter positioned 30cm away from each fan, we can accurately measure the noise levels while the fan is operational to show you the fan’s acoustic output via delta noise levels. While the Shadow Wings fans may not be quite as quiet as their Silent Wings 2/Dark Wings brothers, they still manage to generally outperform the Noctua and Phanteks competitors with the 2,200 RPM version being the exception. At the 7V setting the Shadow Wings managed to perform at an even lower acoustic output with the 800 RPM version becoming almost inaudible. The airflow performance of Be Quiet!'s Shadow Wings fans seemed fairly impressive. The lower speed variants managed to move a decent amount of air at their 12V setting but this amount rapidly decreased once the voltage was reduced. The 2,200 RPM version offered excellent airflow as is expected of any high speed, 2,200 RPM fan. The airflow levels weren't as impressive as those of the Silent Wings 2/Dark Wings counterparts or Phanteks' and Noctua's competing options. Nevertheless, the airflow levels should be fine when used in a chassis environment, just don't expect ground-breaking temperatures. Acoustic performance for the Shadow Wings is very good. They are generally quieter than Phanteks' and Noctua's options even when the latter operated at lower speeds. Using the 7V adapter will yield overwhelming delta noise of well under 1.0 dbA. As expected, the 800 RPM version was by far the quietest. At full speed it didn't even break the 0.5 dbA delta acoustic output mark, a value which was decreased with a voltage reduction. Rubber and plastic mounting hardware ensures that the Shadow Wings fans operate quietly whatever the environment as noise-producing vibrations are unable to escape the fan's body. Be Quiet! chose to cut costs by including a scarce bundle consisting of a single voltage-reduction adapter and tool-less mounting hardware. Printing the installation technique on a part of the internal packaging is a clever and effective way of cutting costs seeing as it would be preferred to a separate manual but added expense. The black fan cable is another quality aspect which so many fan manufacturers forget. Nobody wants to pay extra for a fan which has an elegant and trendy appearance only for it to be let down by an ugly multi-coloured cable. While they may not be of the same quality as some of today's competitors, the Shadow Wings do have one clear advantage, price. They offer decent levels of airflow, a tool-less installation method and very low-noise operation. With a 3 year warranty and a variety of models priced at around £11/€11,90 for the 120mm versions and £12.49/€13,90 for the 140mm version, Be Quiet!'s Shadow Wings fans are a good choice for anybody wanting low-noise computing without having to concede too much performance.