Vantec Piano 101 Notebook Cooler Review

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by A.W.

The Vantec Piano is a brand new model of Vantec's popular notebook cooler peripherals, but it is something out of the ordinary, it's not just a notebook cooler. Their original Lapcool notebook cooler line has already spawned five different series, each with a different flare, and with different purposes. But this ground breaking series is something new, something unique, and something that will raise eyebrows.

The Vantec Piano's handy packaging (view large image)

 

Caption: PPA – Professional Personal Amplifier (view large image)

Combining a 2.1 sound system into the cooler, the Piano is a fully capable notebook cooling system, with an added burst to replace the usually 'tinny' sound of notebook speakers. In doing so, the cooler does not skimp on other features, as 3 extra USB ports are also included, as well as a sound equalizer, and not to mention that it's, again, all packaged together in a sleek and compact design, Vantec style – glossy, refined, and with every detail possible. It also comes in a variety of colors.

The Vantec Piano (view large image)

The spec sheet for the Piano

Key features:

• 3 port USB 2.0 Hub
• Adjustable fanspeed
• 2.1 Surround system
• Sound Equalizer
• Suitable 12'' ~ 17'' notebooks

Specification

• Total RMS power ( RMS ):15watts
• Satellites:5W x 2
• Subwoofer:5W x1
• Frequency response:60Hz - 20kHz
• Signal-to-noise ratio:&gt; 80db

Drivers:

• Satellites:2 x 1.5&quot; Full-range drivers +2 x 1&quot;
• High-range drivers
• Subwoofer: 2&quot; woofer

Speaker dimensions:

• Satellites (H)19.0 x (L) 100 x (W)40 ( mm )
• Subwoofer (H)26.0 x (L)120 x (W) 60 ( mm )

Package contents

• Vantec Piano 101(Black)
• USB wire cable
• Audio wire cable
• Power Bar
• Manual

It comes in, of course, a very nice looking shiny box, typical of Vantec. Who doesn't like shiny things?

The Piano and the accessories, including the USB cable, the Audio Cable and the Power Bar (view large image)

Design

The overall design is very sleek and slim looking, though the weight surprised me at first, it was quite heavy, but the build quality was nothing short of a brick wall. It is made out of plastic, which I can easily say that it is quite thick, as the cooler is solid. The bottom is more solid, due to the fact that it is a  sheet of metal, which reinforces the unit together. With aluminum accents placed on the side edges, the unit is very professional looking, yet practical and fits well together. However, as for anything shiny, fingerprints are always magnets, as for the LapCool 4 that I reviewed months back, it's black glossy body was a fingerprint magnet, and the Piano is nothing different. Not much of a problem in my opinion though.

The thickness of the Piano compared to an AA battery (view large image)

The top of the Piano consists of various main parts, mainly the fan and the speakers. The fan is a fully adjustable fan that takes air from the bottom of the cooler, lifts and blows it up towards the notebook. A functionality test will follow in the review. The speakers is definitely a cool part of the cooler, as, almost 'Transformer-like', it opens up, and stretches out to reveal the speaker system. There are also two rubber pads located near the far edge of the cooler, to have your notebook slip free, however, It would be been even better if more were added, as the pads are not spread out.

The top of the Piano (view large image)

The Piano in transformation. (view large image)

The left and right sides of the cooler do not have anything on it, as the speakers are tucked away there – but the creative aluminum casings make up for the ports. On the back, there are 3 ports, for USB, Audio and for the power, all of which are provided with the Piano.

The back side (view large image)

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The sides where the speakers 'hide'

In the front, this is where all the action takes place. Three USB 2.0 ports lay at the front left, as well as a speed adjusting dial for the fan. A five option Sound Equalizer LED display is next, as a Green LED displays which sound setting it is currently on. The 3D sound and Bass On/Off LED display is also located at the front, with 3 aluminum buttons beside it, all of which functions along with the LEDs, one for the Sound Equalizer, one for the 3D sound and one for Bass On/Off. A Bass and a Volume dial is next, as they are the control for the use of the cooler's sound system. The last port is a simple but quite useful port, as it utilizes the cooler's sound system into headphones.

The USB hub and fan dial (view large image)

The Equalizer and its respective buttons (view large image)

 

The Bass and Speaker volume dial and a microphone jack (view large image)

On the bottom of the Piano, there is not much to explain, as the vents are for the fan, the sides for where the speakers lay when not in use, 4 extra thick pads to prevent fan movement as well as levitate the cooler to increase airflow, but the 15 watt subwoofer is also located at the bottom.

The bottom of the Piano (view large image)

 

Functionality

Before anything else I'll say that the USB hub works perfectly, no complaints, an extra 3 ports is always useful.

The side of  a risen Piano (view large image)

The risen piano with a 15” notebook on it (view large image)

And its front view.(view large image)

First, I will review the fan aspect of the cooler. With an 80mm fan, it is at best, a mediocre cooling system, as it is centrally placed, so for various notebooks, their vents and cooling system at the bottom are usually placed differently, so there are no coolers that can effectively cool every type of notebook brand and series due to the difference in vent placement. And because this is a fact, most single fan notebook coolers, usually where the fan is placed spot down in the middle, are only limited in usefulness.

The 'gap' that exists because of the size difference of Piano base and a notebook (view large image)

Another point is the fact that only certain sized notebooks will fully fit onto the Piano due to the size of the cooler with the speakers protruding from the back. Because of this, the Asus V6va I own barely fit correctly, and the fan was not fully placed near any vents, but instead, near the back of the bottom of the notebook, where the battery is. It was not until later that I found out that the speakers could be pulled horizontally, which lets larger notebooks fit. But even then it's a tight fit because of the small size of the base, and the lack of rubber pads to help keep it in place.. Notebooks that are 14” and smaller fit a lot better, while a 13.3” fits the base like a glove. Good thing that Milestone PC's showroom store was close by, I hopped by and took some pictures of the Piano in action, they are at the end of this review.

Cloesup of the fan (view large image)

After some testing it seems that the Piano is mediocre for cooling down the notebook, due to the fact that a single central fan is not the most effective way of cooling. I tested using the cooler for 2 hours for each variable, measured using Speedfan in Degrees Celsius.

Gaming

With Piano: CPU=62, HD=43

Without Piano: CPU=64, HD=44

Surfing on web/Word Processing

With Piano: CPU=47, HD=38

Without Piano: CPU=48, HD=38

Given the placement and size of the fan, the notebook cooler is most effective for smaller sized notebooks (12&quot; screen - 15&quot but can fit up to 17&quot; notebooks, though cooling and ease of use with a larger 17&quot; notebooks is not as easy as it is with smaller. I still applaud Vantec for implementing the best part of the cooler, the speakers into this notebook cooler, which will be reviewed next.

Speakers

The speakers are, in my opinion, very very good, especially compared to the notebook speakers (which the V6's speakers are pretty good compared to generic ones) and a generic 2.1 speaker system. Sure, I am not an audiophile, and I don't know every single high, low and mild tones in songs, music, etc. But hey, I'm just another consumer. The Vantec Piano is listed with a frequency response of 60Hz to 20Hz and a signal to noise ratio of 80db.

Close up of the Speaker (view large image)

The speakers are 5 watts each, which is quite high compared to cheap generic speakers which are 2 watts each, and compared to low-mid end speakers, such as the Logitech x-530's and others which range from 5 watts to 8 watts each, and of course the high end speakers which are 50 watts+. The subwoofer is an added plus, but at 5 watts it's fairly underpowered. With most bass low-mid end speakers starting at 20 watts, and generic woofers at 5 watts, I didn't expect much bass at all.

Using 3 genres, classical, mid 90's rock and orchestral rock (not really a genre, but I couldn't really describe it well enough) I played them for 5 minutes each, while I sat down in a quiet room and observed. The speakers used were the Piano, Generic 2.1 sound system speakers (non-branded) and the built-in speakers on my ASUS V6va.

In terms of maximum tolerable volume (where it does not have static and fuzzes), the Piano did very well as it was noticeably the loudest of the 3 speakers used, with the V6va being second. For sound quality, it was quite hard for me to determine, but the most accurate was the V6va, as the high sounds are accurate though the low sounds are a lot less accurate due to the lack of bass. But the treble for all 3 speaker units are there and distinguishable. The Piano speakers trailed not far behind, and both highs and lows were distinguishable, a lot more well rounded. The Generic speakers also faired well, though the highs were fuzzy and the lows did not match the bass very well, with quite a bit of fuzziness at certain notes.

The bass from the Piano was lacking in power, but it was a pleasant surprise to have, it clearly exists when needed and worked well with the subwoofer and regular speakers.

Using the sound equalizer on the Piano is quite effective in changing how the end music sounds on the speakers, as all 5 options were quite different, and in doing so, effective in what it does. Flat was the regular sound for most music or general audio, rock was loud with heavy bass, Pop was loud with medium bass, classical had very accurate and clear highs and lows, and Jazz was clear highs and lows and lots of bass. I'm not the most familiar with each setting, but for a normal consumer like me, I felt the equalizer did its job as much as it described.

The Piano with different sized notebooks:

A 14” notebook on the Piano (view large image)

The ASUS W3j on the Piano opened up (view large image)

An 12.1” on the Piano (view large image)

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The ASUS W5f with its camera on, opened up on the Piano.

13.3” W7j notebook on the Piano, which fits just right. (view large image)

The ASUS R2h on the Piano (view large image)

Pros:

• Sleek and Stylish
• Great Speakers for its size
• Subwoofer distinguishable
• Loud speakers
• USB Hub

Cons:

• Heavy
• Fingerprints easily
• Subwoofer lacking
• Lack of rubber pads for minimum notebook movement

Conclusion

The Vantec Piano is quite an innovative notebook cooler system, as it is very well rounded for what it does. The cooler does its job (depending on the size of notebook) as it knocks off a couple of degrees of heat in the CPU temperature. The speakers are above average compared to generic speakers. Because of this, it's quite a well rounded cooler and is portable so instead of moving around speakers, a USB hub and a cooling fan with your notebook you can do it all in one with this.

The Vantec Piano has not been released into the North American market as of yet, but has been out in Asia for about $80-$100 for a few months.

 

 

Nice review Cori, seems that it's not all that when it comes to cooling, but looks cool and makes life easier by combining a few devices into one. Here's the YouTube related content that didn't make it into the main review (I felt the poor microphone made it hard to call it a true reflection of the Vantec 101 speaker abilities, but interesting nonetheless):

Audio samples:

Granted, its not the best, I'm using a low quality mic, but it easily distinguishes the existence of the bass. The longer Piano clip is of the Piano having its sound equalizer being changed every few seconds after a while/

<object height='350' width='425'><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/IBT6CHVLpOM" /><embed height='350' src="http://www.youtube.com/v/IBT6CHVLpOM" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width='600' /></object>

<object height='350' width='425'><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/2wxNzyLUPvs" /><embed height='350' src="http://www.youtube.com/v/2wxNzyLUPvs" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width='600' /></object>

 

Nice review!

 

Great review. Nice to see that cooling/USB hub/speaker combo in one unit, even though the cooling doesn't help too much.

But I have a question, do those speakers pull out any more (away from the center piece)? It looks like they might...

 

They actually do, and when pulled out, notebooks 15" and larger do fit on it, but it still shadows the whole unit, the buttons and dials aren't as reachable as it should be.

But once pulled out, a 14" fits very well.

 

Hrmmm, I am quite content someone actually did a review on this cooler, since I am quite interested in it rather than buying separate speaker and cooler, the unit has both. But, compared with a cooler with two fans the unit doesn't as adequate as just a normal cooler.

OT: just heard those clips, and I know I heard those songs before, but can't seem to remember them. Anyone know them?

 

really cool, just a little expensive.
I got my Antec cooler for $10 after rebate.
I also got the Logitech V60 (usb speakers) for around $35 from Dell after rebate.

 

Why does this remind me of the Transformer Soundwave?

 

Nice review! Are all of those notebooks yours?

 

Nay, I wish.

The sound clip is Black Water by Nobuo Eematsu.

 

Now, I remember. Advent Children OST, Thanks.

The unit does look pretty cool, but hefty and pricey.

 

Looks like a cool system but does not actually cool very well. I like the added USB ports and speakers though. If it would cool well I think it would be worth getting.

 

An excellent choice! Guess which soundtrack I happen to be listening to?

I wonder when that cooler will be available in Australia. Granted, it might not be that efficient, but I'd still like to see it.