Silent Thunderbolt Drive Docks

[Steamy Williams]

I've just returned an AKiTiO Thunder2 Duo Pro Thunderbolt 2 dual SATA drive enclosure, because it made an annoying high-pitched noise. AKiTiO advertise it as a noiseless storage solution if used with SSD's and the built-in fan turned off. However, when my dealer contacted AKiTiO about the issue, they confirmed that this noise was inherent to the design, and not due to a fault.

So I've just bought the Thunderbolt version of the OWC Drive Dock - which is fanless - to replace the AKiTiO, but I'm getting a similar high-pitched noise. I've ruled out the SSD's I'm using as the cause, as the OWC unit makes the noise even when the bays are empty. And the SSD's are silent when used in a StarTech USB dock that I have. I've just spoken to OWC tech support, and they seem adamant that the noise is due to a faulty unit, but I'm doubtful of this, given my experience with the AKiTiO.

If the noise from the OWC unit is caused by the similar components to those used in the AKiTiO, I'm wondering if there is going to be any way to avoid this sort of problem with a Thunderbolt drive enclosure/dock. Has anyone encountered a similar noise with other fanless Thunderbolt models, such as the Blackmagic MultiDock?