The largest Deep Silence chassis that has ever been released is here. Check out what Nanoxia delivers in the DS6. Let's see what Chad thinks of it now.

Introduction, Specifications, and Pricing

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Having had the opportunity to see three previous solutions in chassis design from Nanoxia, we have a pretty good handle on what these chassis are built for. First of all, the main point behind any of their cases is right in the naming: Deep Silence. In this quest to limit noise as much as possible, they have used ideas that we have seen many others offer, including solid doors on the front to redirect sound away from the user, sound absorbing materials applied to door panels as well as the doors, and use of a PSU gasket, but they have also taken an idea and ran with it since it first arrived, and that would be their Active Air Chimney. This feature allows users to close the top of the chassis for near silence when not in use or when they aren't needing the most out of the cooling system. When it is needed, there are panels that rise with the slide of a switch and allow these cases to vent freely through the top, increasing the cooling performance.

We saw the original, and we saw the second version, but we somehow missed out on the third version and were next given the DS4. We have seen this chassis evolve over the years, and again, we skip a generation as we look at their latest creation. As the title suggested, this is the largest Deep Silence chassis ever to be offered, and it includes room for anything from Mini-ITX on up to dual-socket HPTX boards like the EVGA series. On top of that, full provisions were made in this design to be sure to maximize the ability to water cool a system inside of this chassis. Considering the amount of hardware that can go into an SR-2 or SR-X build, having room in the front and in the top is a must, and Nanoxia delivers their own unique way of getting this done.

While the largest of all Nanoxia designs, this Deep Silence 6 we are about to see is also one of the heaviest cases we have ever received, and that includes the Cosmos 2. For a bit of perspective, think along the lines of a Sherman Tank of cases. With a chassis design that is along the realm of the 900D in size, it has much thicker steel used in the chassis construction. Nanoxia then added thick plastic panels to the front and back, and while they were at it, they added in some very dense noise absorbing materials to deliver a chassis that is just over 45 pounds empty. So, keep all that in mind as we look at this new beast of a chassis from Nanoxia.

In the chart provided by Nanoxia, we see the Deep Silence 6 comes to market in three colors: white, anthracite, and the black version we were given to test. This is the first chassis to be qualified as a "Big-Tower," so we will be calling it a super-tower from this point forward. The DS6 has two front doors that are clad in a brushed metal with plastic trim around the edges, but it offers a very squared off and blocky presence. The left side of the chassis offers optional fan placements, but the DS6 comes shipped with a sound proof plate out of the box. The back of the chassis offers us everything from water cooling holes with grommets to ten expansion slots, a fan, and a whole lot of perforated metal for passive ventilation. We already covered what the top offers in ventilation, but it is also where you find the front I/O panel that is hidden away under a cover. As for the right side of the chassis, it is flat and isn't much more than a panel of black paint applied with the same textured finish the rest of the chassis receives inside and out.

Inside of this chassis, there is compatibility for HPTX, E-ATX, XL-ATX, ATX, Micro-ATX, and Mini-ITX motherboards. The DS6 also offers four 5.25-inch bays, one of which is convertible to 3.5-inch via a supplied tray, and there is room for thirteen storage drives. To cool this monster, they have supplied the DS6 with five 140mm fans, but there are plenty more options to consider. The front of the chassis has a pair of 140mm fans and filters in the lower section of the bezel. On the other side of the HDD rack from those fans, there is a bracket. On this bracket, you can install fans and radiators for 120mm, 140mm, 240mm, or 280mm, including thick ones.

The top of the chassis has another two 140mm fans in it out of the box, but here you can also hang a radiator. Anything in the range of a single 120/140mm on through 280mm and 360mm radiators can go here. There is also a 140mm fan in the rear of the chassis, and the last optional location is in the floor and can only be used by removing the HDD rack that currently sits over it.

For so much material, so much size, and the features and styling offered in the DS6, we do find the pricing to be steep, but that was expected. Looking around the Internet to find the best deal available, we found that the availability of this chassis is somewhat limited in the US, but everywhere we looked, we found at least two of the three versions in stock and ready to ship. Since we display the actual pricing below at the time of posting, we will classify this in the over $200 USD category, and we don't see the price dropping that drastically anytime soon.

For this price, buyers expect everything and the kitchen sink, and by the time we are done looking at, building inside of, and testing out the Deep Silence 6, we will have a much better grasp on its value and if this behemoth is going to be the next chassis in your "must have" wish list.

PRICING: You can find the Nanoxia Deep Silence 6 for sale below. The prices listed are valid at the time of writing but can change at any time. Click the link to see the very latest pricing for the best deal.

United States: The Nanoxia Deep Silence 6 retails for $229.99 at Amazon.

Canada: The Nanoxia Deep Silence 6 retails for CDN$302.33 at Amazon Canada.

Packaging

The packaging is typical of Nanoxia and is white in the back, has thick black trim at the top and bottom, and is highlighted in gold. On top of engineering renderings and tools, we see two versions of the DS6, one without a window to the left and one with a window to the right. Along with being designed in Germany, we also see eight features in gold boxes above that.

The background wraps right around to the side as we now have specifications charts offered at the top. Moving lower on this panel shows both versions of the chassis and which color option is inside, and plainly marked is the standard version in black.

The back gets right into the finer details of the DS6. This is where everything is detailed, including the PSU gasket, layout, installations, room, options, and hidden secrets. They even show the built-in fan controller, limitations inside of the chassis, and the extensive wire management offerings.

The last panel is a direct copy of the other slim side of the box. This time we will mention the QR Code at the bottom used to instantly gain more information, or you can more traditionally visit the address provided at the bottom of the box.

Getting the DS6 out of the box and on a table is challenging to say the least. This huge, 45-pound case is tough to maneuver. There are Styrofoam caps at both ends, and the entire chassis is covered in plastic as well. Thing is that the packaging looks fine inside and out, but the sheer mass inside of it allowed our DS6 to come slightly damaged; we can get by with it for the purposes of this review, but it definitely needs addressing.

Nanoxia Deep Silence 6 HPTX Chassis

The front of the chassis is blunt and flat. There are two sections of doors plastic trim that open from the left, and there are brushed panels inserted to add some style and class to the front of the chassis.

Both doors are backed with foam to deaden sound, but the front of the chassis offers a few things worth noting as well. There are two fan controller switches at the top with a reset button above the four bay covers that will remove with the bezel still on the chassis. The lower section has separate grills and dust covers for the pair of 140mm fans there.

Dead center of the top of the front bezel is the power button and LED ring. As we move just slightly back across the top of the chassis, we find a pop-up panel housing the front I/O panel. This offers four USB 3.0 and two USB 2.0 ports, along with 3.5mm jacks for audio.

Locking the I/O panel back down, we now move to the back of the top panel. Here we have raised the covers via the slider on the left side. This allows the Active Air Chimney to let the fans inside flow up rather than out the back, increasing efficiency. Moving the slider back allows these to also lay flat against the rest of the top panel.

The left side of the chassis shows us the venting in the side of the front bezel that is the intake for the front fans, and we can also see an insert in the side panel. You can remove this and install fans to allow direct airflow to video cards, but doing so will raise sound levels.

Out back, the DS6 has a lot to offer. There is a hand hold to remove the top panel followed by four holes for water cooling. Then we see the 140mm fan next to the rear I/O. We then have a mix of ten expansion slots and open venting before we get to the bottom mounted PSU.

On the right side of the chassis, all we see is the venting in the front bezel and a large expanse of steel panel. Also we do find the DS6 to not be very friendly with fingerprints, and we seem to be leaving them every time we touch this thing.

Under the chassis, we find it is supported with large diameter plastic feet that have a chromed coating applied for visual appeal and have rubber applied to ensure it some grip. There is a long dust filter that slides out the back to filter the PSU and optional fan location, and the filter also covers screws we need to access here in a bit.

Inside the Deep Silence 6

The insides of both panels are covered with a dense material used to sound proof this chassis. The left panel has a cover currently screwed into place, but once removed there is the option for 120mm or 140mm fans to go here. Also--and this is no joke--each door weighs right around ten pounds, so be prepared.

Our first view inside shows the wiring being run through the grommet in the tray to keep it all-in-one place. Under the bottom tray in the HDD rack, there is a box of hardware to allow the build to continue.

There are four 5.25-inch bays offered in this design, and both sides of these bays use these bulky-but-secure tool-free locks. We also found a bay adapter tied up to the bottom of the bays that allows one bay to convert to a 3.5-inch bay.

Right behind the front fans, there are two racks stacked that offer five slide-out trays in each. Each tray will allow for either a 3.5-inch or 2.5-inch drive to be installed. If ten bays are still not enough, we also have another three bay rack that is movable to the left to allow water cooling to go onto the bracket on the main HDD rack, or it can be removed completely.

The top of the chassis has a pair of 140mm fan pre-installed, but they can easily be removed for more ambitious cooling like a 360mm or 280mm radiator. There is also a good offset to the motherboard, easily allowing for a radiator and fan not to block off the motherboard.

The motherboard tray covers quite the list of compatible motherboards and also has two cooler access holes for dual-socket motherboards. With twelve holes and grommets to tend to the wiring and roughly ten places to tie wiring to, having a clean looking build should be fairly easy to accomplish.

Inside the Deep Silence 6 Continued

The floor of the chassis is mainly ventilated aside from the four rubber feet for the PSU to sit on. Looking at the back wall of the chassis, we can see the gasket used to help eliminate vibrations. There is also half of the optional fan location exposed to the right because the three-bay rack is still installed.

In the back of the chassis, we see the ten expansion slots, but we can also see that thumbscrews are used to secure them. We also see the last of the pre-installed 140mm fans and the 3-pin connection. Keep in mind, we do have the ability to plug in eleven fans into this chassis.

Behind the motherboard tray, there is plenty of room for the wiring here as well as what is to come with the rest of the build. At the top near the optical bays, there is also a fan hub that will allow you to plug three fans in at full speed.

The wiring covers the front switches and LEDs, the two groups of four fan connections with the Molex plug to power them, and the hub. Then we see two native USB 3.0 connections, the HD Audio/AC'97, and USB 2.0 connection.

If for some reason you would need to remove the front bezel, keep in mind it is wired into the chassis. With the bay covers and the way these fans open with the bezel on, there is no real reason to need to remove this other than to remove the top of the DS6.

Removing the top allows full access to all of the holes provided to cover the many options of fans and radiators this will support. Along with fine cracks at the top of the front bezel, and a long crack to the left of the front I/O panel, we also found that two of the support legs for the top had also broken from the top and are all a result of a big impact in transit that the packaging was not able to withstand.

Accessories and Documentation

The hardware that Nanoxia supplies comes in clearly labeled bags to make life easier on the beginners. They offer motherboard screws, PSU screws, standoffs, and even radiator screws. They also supply us with six tie straps and a full bag of 3.5-inch drive screws. Along the bottom, we are offered fan screws, ODD screws, a full bag of 2.5-inch drive screws, and FDD screws to use in the adapter.

There is a 5.25-inch to 3.5-inch bay adapter plate offered in the kit to clean things up behind the door. There is also an 8-pin extension cable provided and even solid plugs for the back if you have no need for external water cooling.

This is the adapter plate that will allow for the use of a 3.5-inch card reader or fan controller. The device screws into the inner brackets and the holes at the outer edges work with the tool-free clips to keep this tray secure.

Just like they do for the 8-pin power lead, Nanoxia also supplied us with a 24-pin to 20+4-pin extension as well. This way there is no doubt of connectivity, even if the leads are just a bit short to manage correctly on their own.

Then, of course, there is the manual. Inside, you will find various sections to cover different languages, but each language offers a parts list, great imagery, and fairly good explanations of what to do for each step or components you want to install. From the parts to the manual, Nanoxia sets you up for success with the DS6 chassis.

Build and Final Product

The optical drive was easy enough to install and lock into place with the clips. With everything now wired up, we also made sure to break up the fans into zones. The back fan was attached to the hub for 12V constant power, while the top and front fans were separated on the fan controllers.

This is the kind of chassis that takes an ATX motherboard, a fairly good sized cooler, and an averagely long VGA and just makes it look tiny. While we in no way came close to needing this much room for our build, once a couple of radiators, a pump, and maybe a couple of reservoirs are in here, or you choose an HPTX system, the room will come to very good use.

Nothing out of the ordinary out back either. The rear I/O cover snapped right in, the card went in nice and easy, and the PSU tightens up nicely against the gasket at the bottom.

We did find that there is sort of a choke point for the wiring, but with 30mm of depth behind the motherboard tray, stacking wires does not conflict with the panel. We also made good use of the extensions not just for looks, but rather because they allow for the wiring not to be stretched getting there.

As we close up shop for testing, this is yet another one of these designs that what you see out of the box is what you end up with when finished, and we really like that. Of course, we could have the top popped up and the side plate removed, but it is still as clean and sleek as it was when we started.

When the chassis is powered, the ring around the power button illuminated with green LED light. There is an occasional red flicker of LED lighting--which we were unable to catch--in this ring as well to denote the HDD activity of the system.

With the chassis now running and the testing started, we find the amount of airflow, even with everything closed and the controllers set low, is enough to keep everything cool. Once the controllers are allowed to run full speed and we open the Active Air Chimney, we are at 40 dB of noise, but our system is nice and chilly.

Final Thoughts

Of course, there are the obvious considerations to take in when looking at the DS6. Things like the fact that once we had our gear in the chassis we were nearing the sixty pound mark. Think about that a minute, as we did not add one bit of water cooling to the build, and that is another ten to fifteen pounds pretty easy, if not more. This chassis is also very tall and deep front to back, and once this chassis is full, you may very well want the assistance of someone to help you get this chassis to something that needs to be very sturdy to hold this chassis.

We like what the DS6 offers, and while pricey to some buyers, for those who want to use an HTPX motherboard, run four video cards, have room for water cooling, and still get the full assortment of bay drives, there are few choices and most are expensive. This chassis may be a bit late to the game as Xigmatek, CaseLabs, and a few others have already offerred solutions of this magnitude, but none of them did it with the low sound levels that the Deep Silence 6 brought forth.

We did have some damage caused by shipping, and this is not the first chassis from Nanoxia that I have had issues with in this manner. I also donated a chassis that only went across the state, and that front panel got caved in. The issue is that Nanoxia Deep Silence cases are just too heavy for the packaging they are inside of. With Styrofoam being used, I would venture to guess that maybe a switch to high density foam is needed here. The minor cracks and broken pieces were not enough to make the chassis dysfunctional or make it rattle, but had we been paying customers, we would not be very happy.

Of course, Nanoxia would step up and do what they can to replace the broken parts, but as anyone would, we just want it to arrive in great shape the first time. Outside of that issue, though, Nanoxia really does pay great attention to detail, offering some modularity; extra cabling to be sure you are good to go; and all the hardware to get the lowest power Mini-ITX build installed or the higher-end system that this enormous chassis just screams to have installed into it.

While this chassis may be the biggest or heaviest chassis you have ever pondered filling with components, for the near $200 price point that Nanoxia and their retailers are getting for the Deep Silence 6, it isn't just size and weight you are buying into. Fully loaded with features, a good level of sound dampening, the ability to have a near silent chassis, and the ability to flick a switch and get high performance cooling are also what you are buying in to.

Of course, personal choice in fans or water cooling options may change the acoustic levels, but one thing is for sure, the Deep Silence 6 HPTX will leave you wanting for nothing as they have thought ahead and did what it takes to deliver what may be a slightly niche chassis, but it is one serious solution to those in this market and should not be glossed over when looking for your next chassis.

PRICING: You can find the Nanoxia Deep Silence 6 for sale below. The prices listed are valid at the time of writing but can change at any time. Click the link to see the very latest pricing for the best deal.

United States: The Nanoxia Deep Silence 6 retails for $229.99 at Amazon.

Canada: The Nanoxia Deep Silence 6 retails for CDN$302.33 at Amazon Canada.