Norms: Not the Norm?
Almost all large OEMs have been using the quality assurance norm ISO 9001:2008 for years. Internationally, it’s the most common one. It specifies minimum requirements for quality assurance management systems that companies have to implement to meet customer requirements and provide sufficient product and service quality. This most definitely includes a decrease in error rates.
An additional factor is process orientation. This means that all major operational processes are included and checked continuously. This can and should lead to ongoing optimization. We haven’t been able to find any negative experiences by other AVC customers. In fact, what we heard from them was quite the opposite: products like Enermax's Liqtech have very small and quiet pumps, and the Seidon and Nepton pumps are also acceptable. At this point, it looked like Cooler Master might just have chosen the wrong product for its purpose.
But is that really the problem? We heard through the grapevine that there have been discussions about glue problems with the batch in question. We couldn’t figure out if the issue was the amount or consistency of the glue, which means that this information’s just too vague to make a big deal out of it.
This is a plausible explanation though, since it would explain the permanent noise, which would be due to remnants of glue inside the tubing and its connectors that could cause turbulence. It would also explain why the severity of the problem seems to be different in various people’s accounts. This wouldn’t be due to the customer’s varying sensitivity to noise, but simply due to quality fluctuations.
