Just got AxeII... wow, fan noise.

I think the biggest problem it not the noise as much as the inconsistency in the fan speed. Some units don't have this issue while others do. My fan sounds like it's speeding up and slowing down which makes it more noticeable.
If it had an even speed it wouldn't bother me.
 
after having my ii for a couple days and playing it with studio monitors and working on axe-edit without playing simultaneously, i have to say i did notice the changes in the fan speed, let alone notice that it was audible. did it bug me? mmm not really, but it was noticeable. more importanly though, i cringe at the thought of reducing the airflow on this unit as it runs pretty warm after only about half an hour. i can, however, sympathize with the guys getting fatigued who spend all day trying to work in a quiet environment like a studio without playing the thing itself.

so, my plan: perhaps the fan speed is based on fluctuating ac power. i had been running it straight out of the wall as i haven't installed it in the rack yet (it's sitting on the dining table; my wife is not happy :p i told her to help me find a kitchen cart to put it on). in the next couple days i'll get the rack out of the pile of crap in the garage and plug it into my furman p-1800 ar (overkill, i know) and see if the fan calms down. i'll try to report results.

i would i'd be willing to consider another fan if there was a quieter one that also improved the airflow, but that is a tall order for a $10 piece of plastic these days. i'd like to see if there's someone who's taken actual measurements with an anemometer for rock solid proof of the superiority of the papst fan vs. the stock one.
 
Raca said:
Is yours mounted in a rack?
Mine is not. Maybe it has something to do with that?
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Yep, in a rack. My old Ultra paid a visit last weekend. Out of the rack the Ultra was WAY louder than the II in the rack. If I remember correctly they were about the same when both were unracked.
 
I just got my II and yes the fan noise is noticeable, but only when you aren't playing. As soon as I start playing I can't hear it at all. I got my Dad in the room to give a second opinion and he couldn't hear it either.
I can understand it bothering people when they aren't playing, but in that case why not just switch it off?
 
DefaultM said:
I just got my II and yes the fan noise is noticeable, but only when you aren't playing. As soon as I start playing I can't hear it at all. I got my Dad in the room to give a second opinion and he couldn't hear it either.
I can understand it bothering people when they aren't playing, but in that case why not just switch it off?
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Why not just turn it off?

I mix a lot in a DAW in a quiet setting.
I can't turn off the axe because I use it as an effects processor during the mixing process.
I can't turn it off b/c sometimes I use the AxeFXII exclusively as my audio device (b/c aggregate device loses sync),
In other words turning it off is a bad workaround for me but I'm glad you are ok with the fan.

I don't expect Fractal to address it. They have chosen what is believed to be a more reliable design at the expense of fan noise and I think that is a wise decision. I changed my fan and it is so much quieter. It has greatly improved my tolerance in mixing sessions.
 
I had the cover off of mine last weekend and did some experimenting. I tried using rubber grommets in place of the plastic spacers, not much difference. I tried wrapping the mounting posts with a single wrap of electrical tape to reduce vibration transfer from the fan, no much difference. I even tried leaving the locking nuts off, using tight fitting rubber grommets on the ends of the mounting posts to hold the fan in place, not much difference. One thing I did notice, is that with the fan removed from the case, it is very quiet when powered up (just did this for a second). So, I think the main cause of the noise is not the fan itself, but the interaction between the fan and the surrounding sheet metal. You can just hold your hand next to the fan and increase the noise level. Not sure yet what the solution is (short of changing the fan), but I'm not finished experimenting.
 
DaveP said:
I purchased an Acousti AcoustiFan: DustPROOF 60mm fan, I haven't received it yet but should be here any day. The specs are close to the existing fan but quieter and hopefully more consistent.
Quiet PC USA - Ultra-Quiet 60mm Fans
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DaveP, according to that page, the AcoustiFan specs are 2700 RPM and 13.7 CFM. The specs for the stock fan are reported in the Yet another fan story thread as 3800 RPM and 18.21 CFM. Do you see different specs for the stock fan?
 
sean.e said:
DaveP, according to that page, the AcoustiFan specs are 2700 RPM and 13.7 CFM. The specs for the stock fan are reported in the Yet another fan story thread as 3800 RPM and 18.21 CFM. Do you see different specs for the stock fan?
Click to expand...

My theory is if it's close it should be good enough. A quality fan that produces the CFM advertised should be OK. The SilenX fans didn't push much air. It produced about as much as a mouse fart. No where near the claimed CFM.
I will verify the output once it arrives. I am looking for dog fart not mouse fart pressure. :)
 
DaveP said:
My theory is if it's close it should be good enough. A quality fan that produces the CFM advertised should be OK. The SilenX fans didn't push much air. It produced about as much as a mouse fart. No where near the claimed CFM.
I will verify the output once it arrives. I am looking for dog fart not mouse fart pressure. :)
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I hate to state the obvious, but you will need both mouse fart and dog fart baseline measurements for your comparison (the mouse might be difficult).
 
axel said:
I hate to state the obvious, but you will need both mouse fart and dog fart baseline measurements for your comparison (the mouse might be difficult).
Click to expand...

That would be too scientific, I think he's just going to do a sniff test :shock
 
DaveP said:
My theory is if it's close it should be good enough. A quality fan that produces the CFM advertised should be OK. The SilenX fans didn't push much air. It produced about as much as a mouse fart. No where near the claimed CFM.
I will verify the output once it arrives. I am looking for dog fart not mouse fart pressure. :)
Click to expand...

Unless you have sophisticated instruments for fan CFM- you are just guessing. They really do vary and the stated CFM is not always accurate.

You could do temperature readings to assure that the CPU's are being kept in same range as with the stock cooling fan. The whole idea is keep them from over heating.
Get a laser temp reader and do readings on the heat sinks with stock fan in your environment (everybody has a slightly different environment) after normal operation with lid closed.

Then if you switch fans- do the same with the new fan. Should be the same.
 
Just received my unit...the fan is not silent and it does fluctuates but honestly i am fine with it...

I was planning to just get back from work, open the box, play 5 minutes using the headphones just to make sure everything is ok and call it a day...well, after 2 hours of playing (i guess my plan didn't work!!!) with it (and i mean just playing, one preset, i only set amp's EQ, master, drive and switching off the noise gate) all i can say is i don't care about the fan at all...

Still, i know what the other guys are talking about...
 
The noise on mine wasn't bad, it was the fluctuation that drove me nuts. I just finished replacing mine with the AcouticFan. I don't have the equipment to measure the temps and CFM's of the fans but it felt like it was
producing the same output as the stock fan. It was a little quieter overall but the main thing is it doesn't fluctuate any longer. Some of the stock units I have heard don't fluctuate at all while others do.
If that's the weakest link in the Axe II I'm OK with that. Easy fix.
 
I just received my unit. The noise is unbearable for me in my studio. It is in a rack space on my studio desk about 2 feet from my ears.
It revs up and down also. Measured 54-57dbs :(

I think Cliff should post in the forum some replacement for the Fan even if its an expensive Fan that satisfies him.
This level of sound is completely impossible to have in a control room!

I would like to hear success stories in replacing this Fan, with safe models from other users too.
 
Well … its quite scary to read all this info about noisy fan inside this processor.
It would be interesting to know why did Fractal Audio decided to use fan in their equipment??
Why not to use passive cooling? Why not to use big aluminum radiator inside? It’s such obvious solution in studio units. It would surely be a bit more costly then fan, but from other side it’s not cheap toy processor.
I don’t get it…
OK, if the intention was that the processor would be used just on stage then of course the noise is not an issue.
 
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