Volume flow vs. sound pressure level
Of course, every customer has different premises and you get here a very appealing performance in the case with a sufficient speed band. And now we come to the announced surprise, because I had already spoiled something twice. With the same throughput (volumetric airflow), both Light Wings are in any case significantly quieter than the reference! The High Speed even acts a bit more confident, but even with about 15 cfm more throughput, it’s still almost 5 dBA below the reference when cranked up to full. That’s not a total humiliation of the reference yet, but at least it’s close. Let’s just call it significantly better and in almost all respects.
Whoever installs the fan should pay attention to the structure-borne noise and vibrations despite the decoupling, especially at high speed and speeds above 2000 rpm.
Volume flow and speeds
We can see that the volume flow (in reverse to the graph above) requires lower speeds for both Light Wings, which of course also has a positive effect on the operating noise. And the curve of each fan is also a real feast for the eyes on the graphics. Resonances, humming and various anomalies could not be measured or recorded. Predicate valuable, that’s how you could sum it up.
Conclusion
Both Light Wings, whether in the normal speed range or as High Speed, are able to clearly beat the reference as a case fan and at least match it when operating on a radiator. You either get the same performance with less operating noise or more performance with the same noise. Nevertheless, even though they are perfectly suited for this purpose, we see the two 120 mm Light Wings as almost ideal case fans for a wide variety of scenarios, which can also flash funny colorful lights when needed. The normal 5V ARGB control makes it compatible with all current motherboards or fan controllers with a matching connector. For this, both models have earned today’s buy tip in teamwork.
The fact that the 3-pack includes the hub as a free bonus naturally tempts the user to buy it more than once, which is certainly intended. A fan alone usually makes no sense anyway. The approx. 23 Euro RRP for the single fan is actually more than fair, because there are many fans that are up to 10 Euro (and above) more expensive and can even do less. From this point of view, price and performance fit together perfectly.
Update from 23.11.2021 12:10
We measured the reference fan again for reasons of plausibility and our readers’ comments and then compared it with another, identical model. The new fan overshoots by a lot of 100 rpm, but again reaches the values from the single test of the reference fan at that time. We have therefore updated the two graphics on this page (and only those were affected) and adjusted them to the values of the newly tested reference fan. However, the actual statement does not change, because the Light Wings are still quieter with the same performance and the High Speed even performs significantly better with still significantly lower noise emissions.
However, since the picture is becoming clearer that the reference fan we used once again has bearing damage (and therefore misleading values kept appearing during retesting), we will replace this fan as a reference and replace it with another brand in the next tests. We will of course get in touch with Noctua and report on the problems that have arisen. In any case, such a quality fluctuation is nothing for reference measurements.
The fans were developed by be quiet! provided in advance free of charge under NDA. The only condition was the earliest possible publication date, there was no obligation to publish and there was no possible influence on the tests or the results.
be quiet! Light Wings PWM, 120mm (BL072)
 | Lagernd, Lieferung 1-2 WerktageStand: 18.01.25 01:40 | 22,34 €*Stand: 18.01.25 01:41 |
 | Auf Lager, sofort versandfertig Lieferzeit 1-2 Werktage | 22,35 €*Stand: 17.01.25 22:52 |
 | Auf Lager, sofort versandfertig Lieferzeit 1-2 Werktage | 22,36 €*Stand: 18.01.25 00:15 |
be quiet! Light Wings PWM High-Speed, 120mm (BL073)
| Bestellt, wird in 1 Werktagen erwartetStand: 18.01.25 01:40 | 22,88 €*Stand: 18.01.25 01:41 |
 | Sofort lieferbar, Lieferzeit 1-3 Werktage | 22,89 €*Stand: 18.01.25 00:33 |
 | Lagernd | 22,90 €*Stand: 18.01.25 00:47 |
be quiet! Light Wings PWM, LED-Steuerung, 120mm, 3er-Pack (BL076)
| Lagernd, Lieferung 1-2 WerktageStand: 18.01.25 01:40 | 59,87 €*Stand: 18.01.25 01:41 |
 | Alsdorf: bei Vorbestellung in ca. 24h - 48h lagerndVersandlager: lagerndStand: 17.01.25 23:45 | 59,90 €*Stand: 17.01.25 23:47 |
 | lagernd, begrenzte Stückzahl | 60,90 €*Stand: 18.01.25 01:26 |
be quiet! Light Wings PWM High-Speed, LED-Steuerung, 120mm, 3er-Pack (BL077)
| Lagernd, Lieferung 1-2 WerktageStand: 18.01.25 01:40 | 59,87 €*Stand: 18.01.25 01:41 |
| Alsdorf: bei Vorbestellung in ca. 24h - 48h lagerndVersandlager: lagerndStand: 17.01.25 23:45 | 59,90 €*Stand: 17.01.25 23:47 |
| ab Lager | 59,95 €*Stand: 18.01.25 01:26 |
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