Be Quiet! Silent Wings 2 (Dark Wings DW1) Series Fan Review

Without being able to give to give you accurate figures, we can only inform you that the airflow levels of Be Quiet!’s Silent Wings 2/Dark Wings fans were fairly good. The airflow levels didn’t seem quite as high as those of Noctua’s or Phanteks’ options, but they should still be fine for directing air into or out of a chassis where multiple fans are used. When the lower voltage settings of 7V and 5V were applied, the difference in airflow was clear just by putting your hand near the fan. The compromise of lower airflow for lower noise levels is a compromise which Be Quiet! leave the user decide.

Acoustic performance of the Silent Wings 2/Dark Wings fans was excellent. At full speed both sizes were significantly quieter than Noctua’s NF-S12B and Phanteks’ PH-F140TS, fans which operate at a 20% lower speed than the 120mm, 1,500 RPM Be Quiet! variant. The 5V tests saw delta noise levels which were barely audible over the background noise, a feat which every single fan manufacturer would love to acheive. The supplied voltage adapter made the balance between airflow or silent operation a simple, user-definable switch. Tool-less and noise-reducing installation methods ensures that excess vibrations aren’t going to be created the second you use the Silent Wings 2/Dark Wings fans in a chassis environment.

A healthy bundle consisting of multiple adapters which are always of great convenience, a product guide and 2 modular fan installation methods, one of which is tool-less, is nothing less than what is expected of a fan in this price range. Quality is evident throughout with the use of a black braided fan cable and sturdy packaging which is home to plenty of information.

Utilizing Be Quiet!’s technologies such as Silent Wings and a FDB (Fluid Dynamic Bearing), the Silent Wings 2/Dark Wings fan operate at very low acoustic levels, move a good amount of air and, best of all, feature a user-definable balance of airflow and silence. Retail pricing is around £18/€19,90 for both the 120mm and 140mm versions but availability is limited in the UK and US. A 3-year warranty is offered showing that Be Quiet! have faith in the quality of their fans. If Be Quiet! improve the availability of the Silent Wings 2/Dark Wings fans, they will definitely be worthy of consideration when looking to purchase a case fan which offers good airflow performance and extremely quiet operation. We feel that Be Quiet!’s Shadow Wings 2/Dark Wings series of fans deserve our eTeknix “Extreme Performance” award for their extremely low-noise performance and good level of airflow.