Fan in Axe-Fx III

Ok, I know it might appear facile but it drove me bloody mad with my Axe-Fx 2, is there a fan and how annoying is it ? . I will probably still succumb after all the hubbub has died down but enquiring minds etc
 
I've noticed it a few times, startup, etc. I thought about it when I first heard it, but not annoying at all. Just a slight hum when I take the headphones off. Nothing when I use my CLR, pretty quiet. Definitely not an issue for me, your mileage might vary.
 
what is the question?

Does the III have a fan & if so, how annoying is it, apparently.
yes, it has a fan, the first one I got it was real annoying, sent it back, got one that was even worse so they sent me a replacement fan that is still audible but bearable.
 
Thanks for the replies and candid they were too, fan noise is just one of those things that bugs me and it shouldn’t really be an issue on modern gear.
 
I am just about the pickiest princess-and-the-pea type of a guy about musical equipment fan noise you'll meet.

The Axe-Fx III's fan is much quieter than the II's. The III's fan noise is an absolute non-issue to me. In a silent room with the AC off and nothing making sound except for a very quiet computer in a sound dampened case, I have to stop and sit still for a second or two and concentrate on what the Axe's fan sounds like to hear it. It is about as silent as it can possibly be while still being something that *technically* produces sound.
 
There were some early units that had noisy fans. I believe the issue was that the screws were over tightened, over-compressing the sound dampening bushings
 
I don't want to come off as critical (as the Axe-III is amazing in many ways)… but the fan noise is slightly annoying to someone working in a quiet studio environment. I replaced the original fan (same as I did with the three Axe-FX II XL+ units I owned)… and it's quieter... but not where I'd ideally like it.

I wish FAS would design a mod for the mounting system that would allow using a low RPM 120mm fan.
They're easy to find, quiet, and move a large amount of air. In fact, you could probably use a speed-controller on the 120mm fan... and still have enough air being moved to cool the Axe-FX III. That would eliminate fan noise.
Could be an optional paid upgrade...

In a live environment, the fan noise is moot.
 
I don't want to come off as critical (as the Axe-III is amazing in many ways)… but the fan noise is slightly annoying to someone working in a quiet studio environment. I replaced the original fan (same as I did with the three Axe-FX II XL+ units I owned)… and it's quieter... but not where I'd ideally like it.

I wish FAS would design a mod for the mounting system that would allow using a low RPM 120mm fan.
They're easy to find, quiet, and move a large amount of air. In fact, you could probably use a speed-controller on the 120mm fan... and still have enough air being moved to cool the Axe-FX III. That would eliminate fan noise.
Could be an optional paid upgrade...

In a live environment, the fan noise is moot.

The issue isn’t moving large volumes of air through the case, it’s passing enough air over the heat sync of the dsp. A larger, low rpm fan doesn’t work as well. I actually experimented with this on my II doing a custom lid I build and heat gun and thermal coupler readings

Smaller fan at moderate RPM provided the best overall cooling. Cliff is a really smart guy and surely considered all this.

That said, you can replace the 80mm fan in the unit with a higher quality 80mm with dual self leveling fluid bearings, better shroud design etc for some improvements. They current fan cost like $5, a Noctua cost like $20 and is a bit better in terms of noise and is rated for about 4 times as long. Unit is built to a price point though and spending 4x as much on each fan would likely affect the bottom line too much. Current fan works well and is better than the II.
 
I don't want to come off as critical (as the Axe-III is amazing in many ways)… but the fan noise is slightly annoying to someone working in a quiet studio environment. I replaced the original fan (same as I did with the three Axe-FX II XL+ units I owned)… and it's quieter... but not where I'd ideally like it.

I wish FAS would design a mod for the mounting system that would allow using a low RPM 120mm fan.
They're easy to find, quiet, and move a large amount of air. In fact, you could probably use a speed-controller on the 120mm fan... and still have enough air being moved to cool the Axe-FX III. That would eliminate fan noise.
Could be an optional paid upgrade...

In a live environment, the fan noise is moot.
In the Axe-Fx III, air velocity is important. It’s not how much air the fan moves, but how much air it moves over the heat sink. Low-RPM fans achieve their low RPMs by making the fan wider, thereby spreading the air movement over a larger area. The air that’s not hitting the heat sink is wasted cooling, and it can actually work against you by raising adjacent air pressure and reducing outflow from the heat sink.
 
Does the III have a fan & if so, how annoying is it, apparently.
yes, it has a fan, the first one I got it was real annoying, sent it back, got one that was even worse so they sent me a replacement fan that is still audible but bearable.
I am actually a little upset because I don't think my AXE FX III came with a fan.
My fan is so quiet that I think they forgot to put one in my unit.
I would tear the whole unit apart to see if I have one and it"s working, but I don't want to void the warranty..
Does that answer your question?:)
 
As Cliff once smartly suggested...if you want to cool off a bowl of hot soup, do you open your windows or turn on your AC and cool the whole house ? No, you just blow on the bowl of soup to cook it down. Same principle applies with regards to cooling a dsp heat sink


Also it’s worth mentioning that people all have different hearing thresholds. I see patients with thresholds of 10 and 5 dB and I see patients who can’t even be aware of sound until it’s 3OdB+. The “loud” fan to someone with great hearing may be a “silent” fan to someone with a little loss.

Also keep in mind a rack case is going to dampen the sound quite a bit, so someone who says it’s silent in their rack might be hearing it differently than someone who has it sitting naked in their desk.
 
I'm not looking to make more of this than it is (slight annoyance).
I'm not questioning Cliff's intelligence/diligence/etc. I have tremendous respect for Cliff and FAS. ;)

I've built custom PC DAWs professionally for nearly 25 years.
I'm aware that the air needs to specifically cool the processor/s (not just circulate air into/out of the case).
Large low-RPM fans are very effectively used with six-core CPUs (like the new 8086k) running at 5GHz.
That's a lot more heat than what you're dealing with in the Axe-FX III.
Of course, a large heatsink is part of this equation. The heat is spread to more surface area... which allows larger fans to be more effective.

Live or during rehearsal, the fan noise is absolutely moot.
If you play using a real cab, the fan noise is absolutely moot.
In a quiet studio environment, it's audible (even when swapping to a "quiet" alternative).
To put in perspective, it's not a deal-breaker.
I just wish it were quieter... :)
 
I am actually a little upset because I don't think my AXE FX III came with a fan.
My fan is so quiet that I think they forgot to put one in my unit.
I would tear the whole unit apart to see if I have one and it"s working, but I don't want to void the warranty..
Does that answer your question?:)

I didn't ask a question. I answered one based on my experience, not yours!
 
Geez, don't get all your panties in a bunch. I just had my Axe III turned on for the first time early this morning, and, honestly, I didn't think there was a fan in there, it's that quiet. But, if your still hearing it there's this:

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod...2vNowDcPThB9mHkCiem7QzXJ2Mq53f5caAo4-EALw_wcB

I wouldn't be surprised if there's one already in there. I am surprised that nobody brought it up though. I mean, 10 years ago when my buddy and I bought the Ultra, he installed one of those fans and it was dead silent, even with the cover off we couldn't hear it. Honestly, I don't know why he bothered. We were working in his studio and I guess he thought a mic was going to pic it up, but the Axe was going direct to Pro Tools, and all he had to do was turn off the Axe while recording vocals.

Point is, silent fans have been around for a while, and there are not expensive at all.

That said, you can replace the 80mm fan in the unit with a higher quality 80mm with dual self leveling fluid bearings, better shroud design etc for some improvements. They current fan cost like $5, a Noctua cost like $20 and is a bit better in terms of noise and is rated for about 4 times as long.

80mm? is it that big? Well I guess its processor is a little bigger than the Ultra's ;);)
 
As Cliff once smartly suggested...if you want to cool off a bowl of hot soup, do you open your windows or turn on your AC and cool the whole house ? No, you just blow on the bowl of soup to cook it down. Same principle applies with regards to cooling a dsp heat sink


Also it’s worth mentioning that people all have different hearing thresholds. I see patients with thresholds of 10 and 5 dB and I see patients who can’t even be aware of sound until it’s 3OdB+. The “loud” fan to someone with great hearing may be a “silent” fan to someone with a little loss.

Also keep in mind a rack case is going to dampen the sound quite a bit, so someone who says it’s silent in their rack might be hearing it differently than someone who has it sitting naked in their desk.
I have perfect hearing, some tell me I have xray hearing, LOL but my Axe is in a rack and that will help.
 
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