Replace 501 receiver with which model? -- 512 too noisy!

AVMe

SatelliteGuys Family
Original poster
Mar 12, 2009
75
0
Texas
My old 501 dvr receiver is obsolete so I took Dish's offer to replace it at no charge with a 512 dvr receiver. Got the 512 activated yesterday but its fan is way too noisy for use in the bedroom. (My old 501 dvr was completely quiet. I have a 722 in the living room that operates two TVs and it work great but I don't need another 722.) Is there any good current model that is quieter than the 512?

Interesting story: When I complained to Dish yesterday about the unacceptable noise level of the 512 and asked for a solution, the customer service guy said the 512 is known to be loud and he offered to replace it (free of charge and without a 24-month agreement) with a 612 hd dvr which he said is much quieter. He said he would mail me a return sticker for the 512. Great, I thought to myself...what excellent service for this 14-year customer. However, when I called Dish this morning with another question and asked to confirm when to expect shipment of the 612 I was told there is no record of a 612 being ordered for me and it would be impossible for them to send me one without a new 24-month agreement. In other words, the first service rep yesterday did not place an order to send me a 612 even though he said he would. I was told today that if I don't want a 24-month agreement I would have to purchase a new receiver. Huh? What a strange turn of events.

My research on the 612 finds that it is also extremely noisy so I don't want that one in my bedroom either.

What to do?
 
Just a note to self. When dealing with any CSR make sure to get their name and service number so you can hold them accountable. I like to use the online chat because you can actually save the entire conversation. One step better than the online chat would be talking to a DIRT member on here.
 
My research on the 612 finds that it is also extremely noisy so I don't want that one in my bedroom either.

Both of my 612s are in bedrooms, so I can speak to that issue. The 612 in normal operation is extremely quiet; we can just barely hear the disk. I replaced a 501 with one, and I have to say my 501 was much noisier! Now, it is true that the 612 used to make an obnoxious racket for 30 secs or more when it rebooted every morning at 3AM. The firmware when it boots used to turn the fan on high. This is no longer the case. The firmware still turns the fan on (medium?), but it goes back to near total silence in about 3 or 4 secs.

So, the bottom line is that the 612 is not a big noise maker any longer, even if it's in your bedroom.
 
I have a 612 in my bedroom and it is quiet the fan on my furnace makes more noise. Each unit will probably be different a replacement 512 may be as quiet as your 722.
 
That's good to know. Thanks for your responses. Several reviewers online (Amazon, etc.) complained about the constant excessive noise so I was concerned about that.

I still don't like the idea of having to get a 24-month agreement to get a 612, especially after first being told that I would not have to.
 
I've sent an alert to them to check out this thread
I only see one online now but a couple more come online soon
Thanks.

BTW, I am not looking to get the first customer service rep in trouble...he seemed like a really nice guy.
 
Speaking of noisy 512's, the 625 is basically the same receiver, and I remember back when I had a 625, I believe sometime back in 2007, there was a firmware update released that seemed to make the fan run constantly, whereas before it never ran except during reboots. I wonder why that is?
 
AVEme, please send me a PM with your phone or account number I'll be more than happy to go over some options with you. Thanks!
It appears I am unable to send you a PM...have tried 3 times. I can send myself a test PM but nothing goes to you. Is there another way I can contact you?
 

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