How loud should the fan be?

A fan can be within “spec” and still louder than some people would prefer. Depends on placement, recording vs loud live gigs etc.

Plenty of factory build computers work at spec sound levels too, but they still annoy me, so I’ve always build silent pc’s.

I wouldn’t expect FAS to cater to the less than 1% of users like myself who are ocd about noise levels. For folks like myself there are options at least.
 
No, they can't... That is what is illegal. Telling you your warranty is void if you break the seal is tantamount to telling you that you must only allow them to fix it.
Again I'll quote from from page 180 of the AxeIII manual.

"Service and repairs of Fractal Audio Systems products are to be performed only at the Fractal Audio Systems factory or a Fractal Audio Systems authorized service center. Fractal Audio Systems may require advanced authorization of repairs to authorized service
centers. Unauthorized service, repair or modification will void this warranty"

Pretty self explanatory me thinks.
 
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Again I'll quote from from page 180 of the AxeIII manual.

"Service and repairs of Fractal Audio Systems products are to be performed only at the Fractal Audio Systems factory or a Fractal Audio Systems authorized service center. Fractal Audio Systems may require advanced authorization of repairs to authorized service
centers. Unauthorized service, repair or modification will void this warranty"

Pretty self explanatory me thinks.

It has been brought up several times including what you're responding to, in the USA this statement may not be honored in a court as it may go against the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act. The American Federal Trade Commission recently clarified that manufacturers cannot require consumers to go only through them for warranty work, and that "void if opened" stickers are also invalid.

"Provisions that tie warranty coverage to the use of particular products or services harm both consumers who pay more for them as well as the small businesses who offer competing products and services," said the FTC's Thomas Pahl.
 
It has been brought up several times including what you're responding to, in the USA this statement may not be honored in a court as it may go against the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act. The American Federal Trade Commission recently clarified that manufacturers cannot require consumers to go only through them for warranty work, and that "void if opened" stickers are also invalid.

"Provisions that tie warranty coverage to the use of particular products or services harm both consumers who pay more for them as well as the small businesses who offer competing products and services," said the FTC's Thomas Pahl.
That's the problem with the internet, different countries spanning a minefield of different legal systems. Looks like they need to change the warranty clause in their manual.
 
Is the fan speed always constant? I'm going to run my III as a sound card for my PC so it will be on while it's mostly quiet and I'm sitting 2 feet away from it. If the fan would go to a very low RPM mode when the CPU usage is low that would be great, I'd just use an empty preset when I'm not actually playing.
 
Is the fan speed always constant? I'm going to run my III as a sound card for my PC so it will be on while it's mostly quiet and I'm sitting 2 feet away from it. If the fan would go to a very low RPM mode when the CPU usage is low that would be great, I'd just use an empty preset when I'm not actually playing.

The fan runs at a constant speed.

Danny W.
 
I see there was a production check for the fan noise issue but I got mine after that post. Would units shipping now have been checked because the fan in mine is terribly loud.
 
I see there was a production check for the fan noise issue but I got mine after that post. Would units shipping now have been checked because the fan in mine is terribly loud.

I got mine on 7/13 and the fan is very quiet, definitely quieter than my PC. From other threads it seems like there can be issues if the screws holding the fan down are too tight, or if there's some sort of torque applied to the case. I'd get in touch with support
 
I got mine on 7/13 and the fan is very quiet, definitely quieter than my PC. From other threads it seems like there can be issues if the screws holding the fan down are too tight, or if there's some sort of torque applied to the case. I'd get in touch with support
Unfortunatley for me I hear it over my PC which has 5 fans running albeit probably af a slower RPM.

I got mine this week and thought I read the screen issue was being checked now before sending.

Don’t really want to go through the process to send back if there is a fix I could do myself.
 
I have my III and XL in a home studio. I sit very close to my Fractals. I always found the fan of my Axe-Fx II a tiny bit too loud, especially when I record acoustic guitars with microphone. Now I got the Axe-Fx III - the best amp modeller and multieffects processor ever! It´s such an incredible piece of gear. It sounds killer in every configuration (studio monitors/ FRFR/ PA system/ Tube amp/4cm). But the fan in my Axe-Fx III is way too loud. It´s way louder than in my Axe-Fx II. Noise is very relative - the fan of my Axe-Fx III isn´t really loud, but it´s too loud in a silent studio while recording acoustic guitars. What´s the solution then?
 
The fan in my III is much louder than the one in my II XL+. It makes a really annoying low-pitched drone which is currently the loudest thing in my studio. I can actually hear it over the fan in my GT1000FX, albeit only slightly.:(
same with mine
 
I have my III and XL in a home studio. I sit very close to my Fractals. I always found the fan of my Axe-Fx II a tiny bit too loud, especially when I record acoustic guitars with microphone. Now I got the Axe-Fx III - the best amp modeller and multieffects processor ever! It´s such an incredible piece of gear. It sounds killer in every configuration (studio monitors/ FRFR/ PA system/ Tube amp/4cm). But the fan in my Axe-Fx III is way too loud. It´s way louder than in my Axe-Fx II. Noise is very relative - the fan of my Axe-Fx III isn´t really loud, but it´s too loud in a silent studio while recording acoustic guitars. What´s the solution then?


Solution is to swap the fan for a lower rpm Noctua at about 1600rpm where it’s only like sub 20dB noise levels, vs near 30 for stock
 
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I have my III and XL in a home studio. I sit very close to my Fractals. I always found the fan of my Axe-Fx II a tiny bit too loud, especially when I record acoustic guitars with microphone. Now I got the Axe-Fx III - the best amp modeller and multieffects processor ever! It´s such an incredible piece of gear. It sounds killer in every configuration (studio monitors/ FRFR/ PA system/ Tube amp/4cm). But the fan in my Axe-Fx III is way too loud. It´s way louder than in my Axe-Fx II. Noise is very relative - the fan of my Axe-Fx III isn´t really loud, but it´s too loud in a silent studio while recording acoustic guitars. What´s the solution then?

Aside from the fan replacement suggestion, I wonder if putting it in a rack case might help muffle the sound of the fan? Also it probably goes without saying, but how about placing the mic for the acoustic guitar as far as possible from the Axe-Fx? If your guitar is close enough to the mic and the mic is far enough away from the Axe-Fx, you shouldn't have a problem.
 
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Isn't the issue fixed in the newest units?

The tension of the mounting bolts has been resolved, so less possible vibration, but still fan noise from the speed/air flow. Not problematic for most people, except those who are picky about noise and/or who sit very close to the Axe
 
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