To anyone else who also just received their Axe-Fx II ... how is your fan noise?

themaidenmaniac said:
Clifford, appreciate this- I actually wrote the post partially with hope to inspire a more official line of comment. It is something you need to be addressing - I dont wish to piss you off in any shape or form but you will have known full well that this gripe was going to crop up. In my post I will admit that it was written with only a studio application in mind and I expect it would get a bit warmer sandwiched in my tour rack. Can you share the dBA of the fan with us please?

As for part I of your reply, better is a subjective term for me. I've never had a fan die on me in all these years dealing with hundreds of machines, and even then would readily buy another super quiet fluid bearing one if it meant keeping the unit as quiet as possible within the correct CFM guideline-
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It's not clear if you're worried about the fan dying or the unit dying. If you don't have proper cooling, the unit might die although the fan might still be happily and silently spinning away.

themaidenmaniac said:
plus as we all know this unit will likely be EOL within 3 years and in the trash in 10.
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Not all digital gear goes into the trash can after 10 years although computers and cellphones do. Just ask The Edge or take a peek into any decent studio. Time will tell of course but right now there are plenty of AxeFx units out there being used that are much older than 3 years.
themaidenmaniac said:
Understand people swapping fans out isnt to the taste of your overall market though and why should it be if you are having to offer warranty and repair units.
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I think you're misunderstanding something here too. Cliff is not opposed to people swapping out fans. In fact to my knowledge he continues to service units whose fans have been replaced.
Even the European distributor G66 offers to do this fan replacement for their customers with warranty.

themaidenmaniac said:
The video that inspired my post was this one btw, so I do look forward to the axe 2's ambient level-

YouTube - ‪Axe-Fx Replacement Fan Installation -- The End Result‬‏

It did strike me as a bit odd that the processors should need fans being the relatively low speed (and presumably voltage) that they are, but thats neither here nor there as I dont know anything about the complete design. Anyhow I'm feeling a bit odd banging on this long about a fan so Im going to get a cup of tea now!

Cheers
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Replacing the fan in my Ultra was a very straight forward operation that took all of two minutes.
There are plenty of old threads on this subject and once you go down to 16db or so, you won't
notice it again.
 
I got mine today and once I put it in the rack case I honestly can't even hear the fan. Maybe I'm that deaf.
 
If Fractal claims that (rather annoying) fan noise is "normal" then why is this the first sound clip I have ever heard the fan noise, is it just because it easily "hides" when you're playing. Is this only noticeable when you're not playing guitar?
 
You guys whining about the fan must be listening for it. It's NOT loud at all.

Just play your guitar and stop worrying about part of your Axe-Fx that keeps it working like it's supposed to...
 
When you replace your fan, make sure you remove the screws in the back last, or you might strip a screw that gets bound up in the chassis when the stress from the rear screws is relieved.
 
bkrumme said:
You guys whining about the fan must be listening for it. It's NOT loud at all.

Just play your guitar and stop worrying about part of your Axe-Fx that keeps it working like it's supposed to...
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Actually, I got mine yesterday and it's noticably louder than my Ultra was. As for the OP, mine fluctuates as well.

As for myself, as someone earlier said, it took me all of 5 mins to replace the Ultras and it will be no problem replacing this one should I decide to do so.

No doubt their are differences within the units themselves. but more than likely, its the differences with us. :)
 
It's no big deal, no different than a computer. After I start playing I don't hear it anymore and am not conscious of it at all.
 
Quiet enough not to bother replacing, but for $12 I might anyway. Lots quieter than my Ultra's fan which I did replace.
 
Scott Peterson said:
I hear it, but don't find it objectionable or 'loud' by any measure.

If it bugs you, then swap it out for a quieter fan and get on with life.
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This is priceless...you should be promoted form being just a Moderator to the head of the Fractal Sales Prevention Department.
 
I'm late to this party, just read through the thread. Lotsa fun! :razz

I plan on waiting to get the AFII until after the demand calms down a bit, but do wonder about the fan.

If I decide that I need a quieter fan, are there fans that are actually quieter and still meet the CFM specs of the original? Can we change out the fan without affecting the warranty?

I wouldn't want a fan that cools any less than the factory one, but don't mind upgrading at my own expense to a unit that is as silent as possible, and am open to recommendations.
 
Can't recall, but are there one, or two fans in the II? May require replacing 2 fans to get the noise level down. If the II is as loud (or louder) than the Standard, I'll be replacing mine. It's all a matter of personal taste, and personal needs. In my situation, the Standard's fan was too noisy. Won't pass judgement on the II until I hear it.
 
dscribellito said:
To anyone else who also just received their Axe-Fx II ... how is your fan noise?
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I don't know yet, I have one showing up tomorrow and a big gig on July 4th (lots of FANS) ....when I spark this bad boy up through the PA I will let all of you know what the FAN NOISE response is....
 
cheopsnet said:
Guys, let's calm down and let's not bash the poor guy who addressed the valid point of the noisy fan.

I did have an Ultra, read a lot about fan noises and, as far as I am concerned, the unit was constantly humming. I did replace the fan, which made a huge difference (became completely noiseless). Maybe the noise varied from one unit to the next, but mine was quite noisy.

I am all for telling whining people to get on the waiting list and shut up, but here the point is valid and thus worth raising, even if the replacement of the fan is easy.
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What replacement did yo choose? Where id you get it, model number, etc.?
 
As I expressed in another thread, I thought there were two fans (because of my familiarity with cooling PC processors), and was simply amazed at how quiet the II is. Now I understand there is only one fan, but it still quieter than my Ultra was. Unless you are not playing and in a quiet environment you won't even hear it. I cannot hear it over the sound of my PC case fan.
 
My fan is definitely louder than my Ultra. Based on the responses, I would suspect that the noise each fan makes is somewhat variable. I've got normal 40 yr old hearing and I can hear mine easily from 25+ feet away. It doesn' t bother me too much, but I" ll probably replace with the 14 CFM Silenx fan. I'm assuming this will be fine given Cliff's previous response about the required fan specs?!
 
Just received my Axe fx II today. I haven't noticed a difference between the Ultra
For me its a non issue. I don't even notice the fan unless I really listen for it in a
completely quiet room.
 
Wow, I heard the fan when I turned it on. Them turned on sla-2, heard its fan, them started playing and heard nothing but my guitar. You guys must have super hearing, or mine sucks. It's a non-issue for me 100%
 
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