Axe-Fx II Fan Noise: Still an issue?

GreatGreen

GreatGreen

Power User
When the Axe-Fx II was released, a few people complained about the fan noise the unit put out. However, it was advised that users not repeat the common practice of replacing the internal fan with one from Silenex or other quieter, slightly less powerful fan like they did with the Axe-Fx Standard/Ultra because unlike the 1st gen units, the Axe-fx II really did need all the cooling the stock fan provided.

So here's my question. Are the fans included now with the Axe-Fx IIs the same make and model fans that were included at the Axe-Fx II's release? If not, are the new fans quieter than the original fans? And finally, are there currently any fans around now to buy that are decently quieter than the currently included fan, and that also put out enough power to adequately cool the Axe-Fx II?
 
When the axe-fx II was released the fans were quite noisy but I think part of that was because of the G2 modeling. The amps are so real now the fans were having a hard time keeping it down. Then all the famous artists started using them and again the fans became almost to a point of crazy. The fans started shouting stuff like "oh my god I can't believe Petrucci and Vai are using this thing, it's awesome!!!"

Sometimes it's just hard to be a fan without making noise, generally because of excitement.

No but seriously, I love my fan and I don't notice it at all. Sometimes the speed changes but so does the weather. I don't mind, it's not noticable.

in short: not an issue! :razz
 
I have a friend locally that bought his Axe II the same day that I did. We compared units and my fan was WAY louder than his. I could hear mine across the room, and I couldn't hear his unless I got my ear close to the unit. I contacted Fractal who sent me a new fan which I installed. Mine is quiet now too. My advice: Contact Fractal.
 
Fan IS an issue, though less so than with my Ultra. If you use your axe in the control room, the fan will bug the hell out of you. I've got a focusrite ISA828 that's got massive heat syncs and no fan. I've got a Matrix gt-1000fx 2U that has a lot of venting and a quiet fan. Both of these approaches could have worked on the II IMHO - or perhaps a hybrid. I only know that I NEVER hear my matrix fan. Passive cooling or that + slow, slow fan speed - we can only hope for the III or the II mark 3...
 
The fan on my Axe 2 is much louder than the G66 modded Standard I had. I think they just need to use a larger, higher quality fan and bigger heat sinks.
 
It is a bit of an issue for me, as it is considerably louder than any other modeler I own. Can I isolate it? Yes. Can I usually work around it? Yes. Should I have to? I wish I didn't. There are times when I would like to quickly lay down vocal or acoustic stuff in my control room (using headphones for monitoring) and the fan noise makes it unusable. If there is an existing reliable solution, I would love to incorporate it into my units...
 
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I have an early Axe II & keep it in a closed-back rack in my studio. The fan noise in minimal - I sometimes forget to turn it off
when recording vocals & it's hardly noticable.
 
I just got an AF2 Mark II. There is some fan noise but on stage it would never even be noticed.
Maybe in a studio, it would be noticed when sitting in dead silence and editing presets.
But you still play a lot when editing presets and you would not hear the fan any way.
So i dont see the problem here.

I am very pleased that the AF2 is equipped with at big fan, since heat over time shortens life of components.
 
AT first it was noisy enough to be annoying if left on when I wasn't playing. G66 sent a different type of fan free of charge. Now I can barely tell it's on.
 
dsl said:
I have an early Axe II & keep it in a closed-back rack in my studio. The fan noise in minimal - I sometimes forget to turn it off
when recording vocals & it's hardly noticable.
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I wonder if that closed back will affect it's lifespan. I for one would be hesitant to do that.
 
To clarify my position: the noise never bothers me on stage. In the control room, the thing is almost unusable. And guess who has a tiny 15'X15' studio with only one room for tracking and mixing and all the rest? :eek:

It is true that I'm not a design engineer, but when I look at hw much heat the components in my Focusrite 8-Preamp 2U unit generate (based on their specs), and I see the elegant solution (massive heat sinks), or the solution (venting, lo speed fan) that works so well with the Matrix 2U amp, I am skeptical that a better design could not have been achieved for the II (what would adding Matrix-like venting alone have done, for example?), given all the noise we made about noise back in the day with the std and Ultra. I think they never thought of this as a 'mixdown' device, though from re-amping to outboard fx, it most certainly is. At least they didn't think about what effect that noise would have in the studio.

I am currently putting together a fan-less, solid state drives PC for my DAW for the same reason - I cannot tolerate the noise. It will have NO moving parts. If it can be done with a high-speed CPU and all the rest a PC has, it CAN be done with the Axe-FX.

I SINCERELY hope that the fan issue is addressed with their next product. It seems to me that Fractal is SUPER responsive on software features and tone development, but a lot of the complaints about the Ultra hardware seemed to have no effect at all on the hardware design of the II, which is unfortunate. The fan is quieter than my Ultra - but it is still way too loud for control room. And at least one aspect of the hardware seems to have gotten worse with the II: I find the II's encoder on the main knob to be inferior to the Ultra's. I actually sent my II back and they replaced it, and it made no appreciable difference. it still drives me crazy - often going backwards when I roll forwards (even sloooowwwllyy), or skipping presets/values etc.

Fractal is a small company, and under intense pressure (some self-inflicted, I think) to constantly develop the sound/features (especially from the vocal Hi-Gain obsessed majority), but Matrix did their amp right -I never hear it - even if it's been on all day - and they're a small outfit too. I think it's a matter of focus, and I think that Fractal's heart is in software, not hardware. And in that realm, they are simply without peer.
 
funny_polymath said:
I am currently putting together a fan-less, solid state drives PC for my DAW for the same reason - I cannot tolerate the noise. It will have NO moving parts. If it can be done with a high-speed CPU and all the rest a PC has, it CAN be done with the Axe-FX.
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Care to give a link to what kind of fanless solution you're thinking? Modern PCs put out plenty of heat especially for high performance parts. I've been running mine with water cooling for years and that is nearly inaudible. There are still fans but they can be turned very low. Regular hard drives can be made quiet with the right case or suspending them so that they make no contact with the case.

That said, I do agree that the Axe II hardware could've used more thought behind it. Right now I'm working on a concept on what the Axe II front panel could've been with a better layout and I'll post it in a few days possibly with some ideas what the III front panel could be, we'll see what you folks think about it.
 
I also had an issue with fan noise. It was more like a vibration from the top. I didn't have the unit in a rack case yet.

FAS sent me a new fan which helped, but the biggest difference was mounting the AXE in a rack case (SKB Roto 4U).

I suppose there is some variation in fans, etc. but its clear FAS has addressed that by the way the fan mount is constructed. Nice.

Edit: I felt kinda silly even bringing this issue up with FAS, but Matt and Danielle totally took care of me (via support), and that just warmed my heart. :)
 
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laxu said:
Care to give a link to what kind of fanless solution you're thinking? Modern PCs put out plenty of heat especially for high performance parts. I've been running mine with water cooling for years and that is nearly inaudible. There are still fans but they can be turned very low. Regular hard drives can be made quiet with the right case or suspending them so that they make no contact with the case.

That said, I do agree that the Axe II hardware could've used more thought behind it. Right now I'm working on a concept on what the Axe II front panel could've been with a better layout and I'll post it in a few days possibly with some ideas what the III front panel could be, we'll see what you folks think about it.
Click to expand...

1) I am still researching the PCs - I could post links, but I think I'd better wait until I know - just google 'fanless pc' 'fanless server' etc.
2) I see no reason to have moving hard disks. Sure, you can damp the vibration, but my approach is this: use 2 large solid state drives, one for software, the other for recording. Then back up to cheap USB drives (which are quiet enough to actually have plugged in all the time, but not fast enough for 16 track simul recording). I don't leave 'em plugged in, though - I just use 'em for backup. SS disks ARE expensive but they last longer, draw less power, and, of course, have no moving parts.

I've seen PCs set up like this, and they are dead quiet. That, plus my dead quiet preamps and dead quiet Matrix leaves only one offender. Maybe at some point I'll void the warrenty by designing a different enclosure for my II - but it'll have to be road worthy AND cool AND silent...

I'd LOVE to see what you come up with vi a visa front-panel ergonomics. I am an applications programmer by trade, and I love designing user interfaces. I don't find the UI too bad on the front panel. I hated Axe-Edit's UI - too eaay to get confused on just what you were editing, saving etc. That said, it was still a very powerful program, and packed a lot of functionality into a small 'space' - as does the II's front panel.
 
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