Just got AxeII... wow, fan noise.

I received my current Axe FX II in mid March (it would've shipped from the US in early March) and it also has the 60mm version of the Top Motor fan pictured above. I'm not sure what fans were in the others but I had 3 Axe FX II's in my possession in February/March, and this one is by far the loudest and most annoying for studio use. I'm sure it is luck of the draw to a certain extent, as the first unit I got was virtually silent.

I'd be interested to know if the larger fans are more consistently quieter in this application.
 
I am psychologically unable to replace the stock fan without express permission to do so, and then only able to do so only with a Fractal approved fan. Once they had a new fan being used, I asked for a replacement, and received the new "Top Motor" fan (pictured in an above post). The new fan is a more solidly built unit (feels like an alloy frame versus cheap molded plastic of the original); it is heavier as well. It is a direct replacement, though, possibly due to construction material difference, it took more effort to slide it into place.

Thanks for that info Nikki. I'll get in touch with Fractal Monday to inquire about a replacement.

BTW I'm with you on the grrr factor. I literally was asked to NOT bring the Axe to creative collaboration in a quiet studio setting because the fan was a distraction. I had to dig out my old POD 2.0!
 
Once in place and closed up, the noise is significantly less. I know I could find an even quieter, equally capable (matched) fan, and will do so when the warranty has lapsed. An improvement, and free under warranty, I thank Fractal for this. At least now I do not grit my teeth when I know I have to power the Axe on.

Nikki - did you replace the 60mm fan with a newer 80mm one? If so, how does the new one attach?
 
dont mean to add logs to the fire:
I can hear the fan. Made piece with it once Jochen assured the noise was normal and not faulty.
I was in a studio last night that has over 50dB reduction. You can imagine how quiet it is inside. once we started rolling on takes, talkback, etc, no one was hearing it anymore.

Not to mention we were monitoring... well... Loud!

My question is: i want to rack this baby. I usually take into account the vents, etc not to obstruct air flow.

HOW THE HECK does this thing has any air flow whatsoever? looks like Cliff built this the same spec as the military stuff he worked with before :D

Now, seriously: How do you take into account heat dispersion etc when racking? Left, right, top, bottom, back, front? which is the hottest and should be un-obstructed?
By logic, the top will always be where the heath converges. Just a bit puzzled why such a big fan and no air flow intake/outlet porting anywhere.
 
Now, seriously: How do you take into account heat dispersion etc when racking? Left, right, top, bottom, back, front? which is the hottest and should be un-obstructed?
By logic, the top will always be where the heath converges. Just a bit puzzled why such a big fan and no air flow intake/outlet porting anywhere.

Maybe Cliff will chime in as to why he chose to not vent the box. It does kept it cleaner inside & less likely to get wet from spills....

Inside the box, the power supply is behind the display. The DSPs and their heatsinks are further back in the box from there. So, all of the heat inside the box is on the left side if you are looking at it from the front. With it being a sealed box, I don't think it matters how you rack it (as long as there isn't a device underneath it pumping a lot of heat up into it).
 
I am one of the people that is a "trouble maker" I suppose. IMO, my fan was obnoxiously loud and had a high-pitched whine. It was one of the original models. I waited for Fractal to switch to a new fan before requesting a replacement.
Nikki - your contributions to the forum have been beneficial all round, so wouldn't view you as being [much of] a trouble maker. :lol

My posts on the fan subject do not [intend to] ignore the fact that *some* folks with *some* stock fans have noise issues in certain environments.. there's been too many reports on it to ignore it.

I too have one of the "original" Axe-II production models. Received it in early May of 2011... doesn't even have a serial number, and the fan is quieter than that of my (long since sold) Ultra! It's one of the original production models and is pretty quiet. I think it's great the Cliff listens to issues that folks have - and corrects them.. I guess it was not generally known that newer 80mm fans were being shipped with newer units. That is good news.... But, I have played my Axe outdoors in [close to] 98 degree heat with any heat issues. The fan noise is not an issue for me for live/studio work, but obviously is for others. However, for someone to base their purchase decision on such a minor variance makes no sense to me.
 
Got my Axe2 the other week (albeit a faulty one from the word go), and that thing was louder than my Ultra was. Very much, disappoint!

Here's hoping the replacement unit doesn't sound like a lawnmower eating a small puppy. :|
 
Nikki - did you replace the 60mm fan with a newer 80mm one? If so, how does the new one attach?
Oh, poo on a shoe..
The "Top Motor" fan Fractal sent me must have been a 60mm one. The old one is (just measured it), and the one they sent slid right onto the existing fan posts (well, it was a little tighter, but only by hairs).
If units are now equipped with an 80mm fan, then.. I would rather not say here ;)

As I said.. my biggest issue was using ONLY a Fractal approved fan while this is under warranty.
 
Inside the box, the power supply is behind the display. The DSPs and their heatsinks are further back in the box from there. So, all of the heat inside the box is on the left side if you are looking at it from the front. With it being a sealed box, I don't think it matters how you rack it (as long as there isn't a device underneath it pumping a lot of heat up into it).

Brilliant, ty.
This way I know how to design my half rack unit(wireless)+custom panel. Jacks on left side, wireless on the right!

Yeah if Cliff would chime in, great. Not interested in raising the argument, I just really really like to learn the why and what behind design choices (I've pestered too many pro audio guys to give me some insight into some details :p
 
The unit does not need vents. The fan is there to simply circulate the air and keep the heat from concentrating around the DSP's. I modded mine with an 80mm fan day one and did so knowing I voided the warranty. I have one of the very first units (CC serial) and my fan was loud. I was able to lessen the noise by changing the tension and putting softer rubber grommets on the mounts but it was still too loud for my particular circumstances. In a live situation it would not have mattered. I am also admittedly anal about fan noise in ALL my equipment. I tested before and after using a laser heat gun and was confident that the 80mm moved enough air (though not as concentrated) to warrant the risk.

So with that said I put in my 80mm. Looking at Phostenixs pics it is obvious FAS has incorporated a 80mm fan now. They have also changed the posts attached to the lid to be able to mount them. You will not be able to mount the 80mm onto existing 60mm posts. If you don’t wish to drill holes and/or cut the existing posts off you can mount four posts caddy corner on the lid with JBWeld and just rotate the lid as I did. I even angled the mount to get better vacuum but looking at the pics again FAS must have felt there was enough flow after testing to not warrant it. (It was a little bit of a pain as well).

The fan issue has been posted about a lot and there are many ways you can address it depending on your needs.

@Nikki… I don’t think anyone considers you a trouble maker. You are a valuable member IMO and just speak your mind. Nothing wrong with that. Most the people I see that are given some flack about their posts are either trolls or simply lack common courtesy in the way they present themselves or their posting style. That’s just my 2 cents.

If anyone is interested in my original post it is here: http://forum.fractalaudio.com/axe-fx-ii-discussion/40905-yet-another-fan-story.html

In addition, in my humble opinion, the fact that FAS is now shipping the units with the 80mm fans indicates that they actually do listen and react to us users. Better than any company I have dealt with, by far.

Please note that the above paragraphs and my linked thread are my personal findings and opinions and not to be taken as anything more than that.
 
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With that said, I have to question what you are saying here, Cliff, that "cooling a heatsink requires linear velocity not volume" - I think you may be expressing your thoughts in the wrong terms. To cool a heatsink, you need surface area. A heatsink, employed as a method for cooling a computer processor, must both quickly absorb the heat from the chip as well as efficiently dissipate that heat. While I rest assured that you fully understand the science behind the why's and how's of cooling, I don't think you are right in saying that a larger fan wouldn't help. If I understand correctly, you are saying the heatsinks used are insufficient for the heat being generated by the DSPs. This is a common problem. Not trying to disrespect.

With case dimensions being the restraining factor, one common workaround for insufficient heatsink dissipation is to affix a cooling fan in direct proximity to the heatsink. I believe that is what you are getting at by the "blowing on your food" reference vs. opening a window. This has long been done with PC CPUs and video cards by attaching a smaller fan to the heatsink itself. Once the heat is dissipated from the small, inefficient heatsink, we can then remove that heat with case fans.
I didn't take Cliff's words to imply that heatsinks are insufficient, I understood him to be saying that they probably could be even more efficient if they were larger. This is no different than a CPU cooler argument--does the one that comes from the manufacturer look like the one you buy aftermarket? No, the aftermarket one is generally much larger, so that it can keep the CPU cool even under overclocking conditions. Cliff wants to make sure that the Axe-Fx won't overheat while playing in gig in the baking sun; you would normally try to avoid this with a PC.

Also, do you have an Axe-Fx II? Because there *is* a cooling fan directly above the heatsinks, except that it's mounted on the case lid rather than the heatsink itself as it is with PC CPUs. It sounds like you're making an argument for nothing but the sake of argument.
 
It is very quiet and stays very cool.

I don't know that I would say that it stays "very cool". If I leave the Axe on for a couple of hours, the entire case gets pretty warm to the touch. I certainly don't think it's anything to worry about, but I wouldn't say that it doesn't heat up.

I just don't want people with the 60mm fan to think that they need to upgrade because the new units don't warm up the way theirs does.
 
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I didn't take Cliff's words to imply that heatsinks are insufficient, I understood him to be saying that they probably could be even more efficient if they were larger. This is no different than a CPU cooler argument--does the one that comes from the manufacturer look like the one you buy aftermarket? No, the aftermarket one is generally much larger, so that it can keep the CPU cool even under overclocking conditions. Cliff wants to make sure that the Axe-Fx won't overheat while playing in gig in the baking sun; you would normally try to avoid this with a PC.

Also, do you have an Axe-Fx II? Because there *is* a cooling fan directly above the heatsinks, except that it's mounted on the case lid rather than the heatsink itself as it is with PC CPUs. It sounds like you're making an argument for nothing but the sake of argument.
No, I don't have an Axe-FX 2, but I am completely stoked about it. As I typically do when making a big ticket item, I read as much as I can find on it, and try to chime in at times for the sake of learning more. I am saving up money and will soon have one. I'm well over halfway on the funds. I didn't post my questioning reply to say that I think Cliff and co should build their devices differently. They are certainly doing a fine job, and their products have been very successful. I just wanted to point out that there are alternative ways of cooling a 2U rack mount case. In researching and reading about the Axe-FX 2, the one recurring complaint I have come across has been fan noise.

In my own experience with 80mm fans, none have been loud enough to consider "too loud" other than a few high-speed heavy-duty types, which were not the typical "PC case fan" variety anyway.

What I take away from this is that I am glad that the individuals directly involved in the development of the Axe-FX units take an active participation in their customer's voices through this forum. Whether it is to nod in agreement and take notes, or to say "the way we do it is already the best way to do it" I do like that it is being done.
 
I don't know that I would say that it stays "very cool". If I leave the Axe on for a couple of hours, the entire case gets pretty warm to the touch. I certainly don't think it's anything to worry about, but I wouldn't say that it doesn't heat up.

I just don't want people with the 60mm fan to think that they need to upgrade because the new units don't warm up the way theirs does.

"Very Cool" may not be an accurate statement, but I had it on for two hours just now and it is much cooler than my laptop. Just letting people know that with the fan that comes from Fractal USA, it seems to be just fine.
 
Just thought I'd update this thread since my fan noise problems went away instantly after installing the G66 replacement:
Revoltec Produkt - Revolution Technology

My II went from an almost unbearable droning noise to being inaudible over my also pretty quiet workstation PC, and I went from having one complaint to absolutely none. So, problem easily solved.
 
My fan seemed pretty noisy, but when my friend brought his over, it became very obvious that my fan was very loud (I could hear it across the room) and his was almost silent. I sent Fractal an e-mail about it and they sent me a new fan. I just installed it and it is almost dead quiet. My daughter (she can still hear :D) and I had to put our ears right up next to it to hear that it was working.
 
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