since the mavics props are similiar is it unreasonable to assume that maybe sometime we could get redesigned props for the spark making it quieter???

Maybe in the future. I will transfer your idea, please feel free to give more suggestions.

I like that idea a lot!

compared to the mavic pro the spark is a whisper

This wouldn't make sense. #1 The new Mavic Propellers aren't even compatible with the Mavic Pro, means they use a different lock system. #2 These props reduce up to 4dB, which can be compared to a dead silent living room and you wispering in it. Not really noticable, since the spark is already quiet compared to its bigger brothers.

rarevfx4 Posted at 2017-8-31 23:28
This wouldn't make sense. #1 The new Mavic Propellers aren't even compatible with the Mavic Pro, means they use a different lock system. #2 These props reduce up to 4dB, which can be compared to a dead silent living room and you wispering in it. Not really noticable, since the spark is already quiet compared to its bigger brothers.

Yes they are.
"The increased flight time and quieter operation has been achieved by integrating new electronic speed controllers (ESC’s) and freshly designed propellers which are also compatible with the current Mavic Pro."

Also FAQ:
3.    Can I use the Mavic Pro Platinum battery/props/RC in my Mavic Pro?
Yes, you can.

ImHereToCrash Posted at 2017-8-31 23:09
compared to the mavic pro the spark is a whisper

The spark is louder, actually.

rarevfx4 Posted at 2017-8-31 23:28
This wouldn't make sense. #1 The new Mavic Propellers aren't even compatible with the Mavic Pro, means they use a different lock system. #2 These props reduce up to 4dB, which can be compared to a dead silent living room and you wispering in it. Not really noticable, since the spark is already quiet compared to its bigger brothers.

youre totally wrong man, the props are compatible with both mavics with no adjustments i believe, and the spark is really noisy

LRAB Posted at 2017-9-1 03:25
youre totally wrong man, the props are compatible with both mavics with no adjustments i believe, and the spark is really noisy

Yeah, noticed it. I've read the wrong section on the prop page.
But 4dB still isn't much.

vasi Posted at 2017-9-1 02:46
Yes they are.
"The increased flight time and quieter operation has been achieved by integrating new electronic speed controllers (ESC’s) and freshly designed propellers which are also compatible with the current Mavic Pro."

Ah, my mistake. Read the wrong section and mistake it with the mavic cage. Thanks!

Well 4dB is over a 50% reduction in actual sound pressure (3dB is 50%). However I read that there is a difference between actual level  and perceived and the perceived level of reduction is around 20%

DJI Spark 100/130 meters high start feeling the swarm of bees

I do not think it is difficult to redesign them for spark if they do not ....

Somebody else will steal the profit: D

More silence = less curious people.

Man, you guys apparently never heard a 5" race quad. Just got my Spark yesterday, flew it a few times, and imo its a perfectly reasonable noise level for 4.7" props.

Quieter/more efficient would be nice, but its not very high on my list at the moment. Id rather nail down the falls, and then maybe get some POI capability.

if they come out with similar props for our Sparks, with better battery life (even 10%) would be worth it.  Quieter would just be a bonus; not that its loud now.

Sparky_17 Posted at 2017-9-1 05:28
if they come out with similar props for our Sparks, with better battery life (even 10%) would be worth it.  Quieter would just be a bonus; not that its loud now.

That is the point.
Both of it! ;-)

Is the spark really that loud?

Props and battery are interchangeable between the mavic and mavic platinum. Straight from DJI. Spark will loo awesome with those new props if they become available

Lucas775 Posted at 2017-9-1 06:06
Is the spark really that loud?

Spark isn't loud at all...

Charles Adams Posted at 2017-9-1 06:48
I'm less concerned about noise, but I've wondered if the pitch of the blades could be adjusted for altitude.  This is entirely hypothetical, there is no way DJI could support this and make money.  So on to a completely hypothetical conversation...

I know that the pitch of props on a boat matter based on altitude.  My props on my boat are pitched for 3500' altitude (for my favorite lake), and my boat is now currently running at 5000' altitude.  I could gain some efficiency if I were to purchase new props with a slightly different pitch.

this is really interesting actually, i live in johannesburg one of the highest cities in the world. i wonder of it impacts on efficiency

I'm less concerned about noise, but I've wondered if the pitch of the blades could be adjusted for altitude.  This is entirely hypothetical, there is no way DJI could support this and make money.  So on to a completely hypothetical conversation...

I know that the pitch of props on a boat matter based on altitude.  My props on my boat are pitched for 3500' altitude (for my favorite lake), and my boat is now currently running at 5000' altitude.  I could gain some efficiency if I were to purchase new props with a slightly different pitch.

I have wondered if the pitch for props on drones could impact efficiency, similar to boat props.  If there was an improvement, it might be so minor as to hardly be noticeable.  Still, I've wondered.

LRAB Posted at 2017-9-1 06:47
this is really interesting actually, i live in johannesburg one of the highest cities in the world. i wonder of it impacts on efficiency

There really isn't an effective way to test unless someone had a 3d printer and some parts.  Also, there's always a trade off of what is gained and what is lost.  On boats, one is gaining/losing top end speed and similarly losing/gaining out of the hole power.

Jeff7577 Posted at 2017-9-1 03:12
The spark is louder, actually.

LOL what is wrong with your spark for it to be louder?  i can hear my mavic pro from 615 feet AGL and sometimes higher(no air traffic in the area i tested it at).. my sparks either that i owned sound dropped off around 150 feet AGL...

my mavic sounds like an angry hornet's nest from as far away as 1 and half blocks.. i couldn't hear my sparks that far..
maybe differance in pitch is why i couldnt hear my spark that far away, but the mavic i most definatly can, infact i know my mavic is louder, i do passes over a store at 300 feet agl non sport mode(p-gps) and people look up, they never looked up with my spark on same run same speed (22mph, p-gps mode)...  i even sat in my car did a pass from my place over the store to see what it was like and you definatly could ehar what sounds like a massive swarm of hornets/wasps coming at us before you could ever see it..

Charles Adams Posted at 2017-9-1 06:48
I'm less concerned about noise, but I've wondered if the pitch of the blades could be adjusted for altitude.  This is entirely hypothetical, there is no way DJI could support this and make money.  So on to a completely hypothetical conversation...

I know that the pitch of props on a boat matter based on altitude.  My props on my boat are pitched for 3500' altitude (for my favorite lake), and my boat is now currently running at 5000' altitude.  I could gain some efficiency if I were to purchase new props with a slightly different pitch.

this is more due to the difference in power that the engine makes at different altitudes than it has to do with the props.  I don't think you'll see a difference with drone props until you get up over 10k ft elevation and even then it won't be a lot of difference.  I have seen that there are "high altitude" props available for the phantom series if you're regularly operating that high.

TexasAerials Posted at 2017-9-1 10:02
this is like saying "do you really need a bigger d!ck?"

how did you even make that connection?   

TexasAerials Posted at 2017-9-1 10:00
this is more due to the difference in power that the engine makes at different altitudes than it has to do with the props.  I don't think you'll see a difference with drone props until you get up over 10k ft elevation and even then it won't be a lot of difference.  I have seen that there are "high altitude" props available for the phantom series if you're regularly operating that high.

No, highest I've been is 9400' asl.  It will be rare for me to get above that, though I do live in Colorado, so not impossible.

Its not about loudness. I do not care of it.
Winglets on props or wigns are fuel saving, so in straight means a bit longer flying time.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wingtip_device

ImHereToCrash Posted at 2017-9-1 10:10
how did you even make that connection?

its like saying "nah, my car is fast enough/gets good enough mileage/looks good enough, I don't need to do this [nearly free] mod to make it better"

do you really not want XX% longer flight times?  and as a bonus it makes it even quieter?  

I don't think the spark is that noisy compared to other drones.  Could it be quieter? sure.  I'd be more interested in the battery life being extended, even if it was 2-3 minutes ..

TexasAerials Posted at 2017-9-5 06:32
its like saying "nah, my car is fast enough/gets good enough mileage/looks good enough, I don't need to do this [nearly free] mod to make it better"

do you really not want XX% longer flight times?  and as a bonus it makes it even quieter?

first off, i dont disagree about applying the winglets to the spark, i dont think anything wrong with them or that even unneeded they totally should be a thing on all dji's product offerings!. im just saying, the spark is by long and far quieter than the mavic pro. in my mind the mavic pro needed them more then the spark, but i could be wrong..maybe they make a bigger difference to the spark..


secondly, talking about relative scale though..  yes absolutely if their was a $10/$20 mode to do to my car to make it faster/sexier/etc i would do it.. however, one of the cheapest mods i could do to improve power/performance/economy, new intake system still run me up nearly as much as a spark costs.. around $300-$500.  to be honest,  with a modern car may not do anything for me without at least having someone reprogram ECU/Engine management unit for those intake changes to make a difference.. so again what is it worth..   yes i know i can do it cheaper and much more expensive, but i wouldn't go too low down the chain for an intake system and returning of the engine computer.. i like quality..

ImHereToCrash Posted at 2017-9-8 01:17
first off, i dont disagree about applying the winglets to the spark, i dont think anything wrong with them or that even unneeded they totally should be a thing on all dji's product offerings!. im just saying, the spark is by long and far quieter than the mavic pro. in my mind the mavic pro needed them more then the spark, but i could be wrong..maybe they make a bigger difference to the spark..

I think every improvement on the noise is a good thing. These things make a lot of noise (even the Spark).

And I agree the Mavic makes a lot more noise, so the reduction was very welcome.
I don't know how much flight time improvement is caused by the prop's but that is of course welcome also.

To be honest the noise of the Spark is not that loud. But it is my personal opinion. My little quads, that I use for much fun in the garden, are only little bit less noisy. My Lama V4 was still similar to the Spark.
Anyway it is right that any kind of improvement is well accepted...if provided with a good price

rarevfx4 Posted at 2017-8-31 23:28
This wouldn't make sense. #1 The new Mavic Propellers aren't even compatible with the Mavic Pro, means they use a different lock system. #2 These props reduce up to 4dB, which can be compared to a dead silent living room and you wispering in it. Not really noticable, since the spark is already quiet compared to its bigger brothers.

Yes, I agree.  I would rather have quieter Phantom 3 props than Spark.  It's all a question of scale.

TexasAerials Posted at 2017-9-5 06:32
its like saying "nah, my car is fast enough/gets good enough mileage/looks good enough, I don't need to do this [nearly free] mod to make it better"

do you really not want XX% longer flight times?  and as a bonus it makes it even quieter?

To me, that's the biggest issue with the Spark - flight time.  Only getting about 12 minutes out of each battery is a major drawback.  

ImHereToCrash Posted at 2017-9-8 01:17
first off, i dont disagree about applying the winglets to the spark, i dont think anything wrong with them or that even unneeded they totally should be a thing on all dji's product offerings!. im just saying, the spark is by long and far quieter than the mavic pro. in my mind the mavic pro needed them more then the spark, but i could be wrong..maybe they make a bigger difference to the spark..

Winglets don't work on helicopters, etc. One of the best explanations I read is this -  Helicopter rotors do not have a constant AoA; in fact it wobbles constantly about its lateral axis as a wing. As the helicopter blade moves forward, the AoA of the blade decreases, and as it moves back, the AoA increases, so that lift is balanced for the advancing and retreating blade. Even as they do that, the "sweep" changes constantly  so that the rotor turns first faster than the blade advances and then slower than the blades retreats.

Winglets look cool and help a lot at a very certain flight regime and provide little benefit else-wise. They siphon energy off of the vortex and lean it "forward" a bit. It's kind of hard to explain without pictures, but suffice to say that a constantly changing AoA increases and then decreases the benefit of a winglet giving no net change, while probably increasing wetted area, blade momentum, and induced drag.

DronerX Posted at 2017-9-22 15:02
Winglets don't work on helicopters, etc. One of the best explanations I read is this -  Helicopter rotors do not have a constant AoA; in fact it wobbles constantly about its lateral axis as a wing. As the helicopter blade moves forward, the AoA of the blade decreases, and as it moves back, the AoA increases, so that lift is balanced for the advancing and retreating blade. Even as they do that, the "sweep" changes constantly  so that the rotor turns first faster than the blade advances and then slower than the blades retreats.

Winglets look cool and help a lot at a very certain flight regime and provide little benefit else-wise. They siphon energy off of the vortex and lean it "forward" a bit. It's kind of hard to explain without pictures, but suffice to say that a constantly changing AoA increases and then decreases the benefit of a winglet giving no net change, while probably increasing wetted area, blade momentum, and induced drag.

interesting, i can sort of visualize what you are saying.  i imagine it will help with flight time in constant conditions, like flying forwards at X speed with X constant speed wind..

HereForTheBeer Posted at 2017-9-22 15:09
interesting, i can sort of visualize what you are saying.  i imagine it will help with flight time in constant conditions, like flying forwards at X speed with X constant speed wind..

I think the difference is that the wing on a rotorcraft always sees a changing geometry relative to the direction of flight.  A winglet on a plane has the very specific purpose of stopping the induced drag that occurs over the end of the wing, causing a increase in drag.

DronerX Posted at 2017-9-22 15:22
I think the difference is that the wing on a rotorcraft always sees a changing geometry relative to the direction of flight.  A winglet on a plane has the very specific purpose of stopping the induced drag that occurs over the end of the wing, causing a increase in drag.

ya i know that about planes, but curious thing to see on quadcopter/prop blade maybe something else to it.. given the way blade's end so abruptly on the standard props, not even smooth/rounded.. maybe dji found it reduces turbulence or drag, but then i would also suspect rounded props without winglets would as well..

Don't we want to hear the drones , might help to locate them if they are out of VLOS e.g behind a house or clump of trees etc.

I guess my preference would be to have mine as quiet as possible.  

Really? You guys think the Spark is quiet? I just got one, and I’ve had the Mavic since launch. Really, to tell you the truth my biggest disappointment with the Spark is how noisy it is. I expected it to be much quieter being half the Mavic’s size.  With the new quieter propellers, noise levels of both are even closer to one another... -----------

Well, I've now had the opportunity of flying it more outdoors, and yes, it's noticeably less noisy than the Mavic, albeit with a higher pitched sound as some have said.

But in any case I love both drones, and in this earlier post I just sounded like a spoiled brat. Don't get me wrong, I'm quite happy with both drones, and even after buying two drones (which I could easily consider overkill) I don't have any kind of buyer's remorse, and have uses for both that are different.

I would however also get the same quieter propellers for the Spark if they became available. For my uses of both, the quieter and least disruptive they can be for people around them, the better.