What's with the fan noise?

The one I got (a few days ago) is quite loud also -though constantly loud (non oscillating). As it was said here, it may be a problem only in certain situations. Otherwise, the unit would be perfect!
 
Mine does the oscillating whine thing too. Kind of a high-pitched hum over and above the "traditional" fan sound my Ultra used to make. The only reason it would bother me is if it means the fan isn't doing it's job. I'm in a very non-critical listening situation, so I really don't care about it, but I could see how someone with more on the line than low-volume wankery would be driven absolutely nuts by it.
 
from the guy who did the infamous review, he got his from g66 and it had a swapped quiet fan... so they must be allowed to swap it and found one that is sufficient.
 
i still chuckle at the ear sensitivity some of you have. I must have spent too much time rocking in my 20's to hear the axe fan!! ( or it just gets blocked out by the poweramp fan once i turn it on)

edit: I chuckle in a "i'm so glad i don't have uber-sensitive ears so I can just enjoy my axe and not be frustrated by fan noise", not as a chuckle at you being frustrated.
 
from the guy who did the infamous review, he got his from g66 and it had a swapped quiet fan... so they must be allowed to swap it and found one that is sufficient.

nah, I don't think so. He had a usual fan.
He assumed that it was replaced as G66 made some kind of announcement before.

G66 stated that they will be sending fans to their customers in the next weeks (probably next year then).

My fan is also loud but for me it's not a big deal as I can't hear it when I play, even at lower volumes.
No oscillation going on there though.
 
nah, I don't think so. He had a usual fan.
He assumed that it was replaced as G66 made some kind of announcement before.

G66 stated that they will be sending fans to their customers in the next weeks (probably next year then).

My fan is also loud but for me it's not a big deal as I can't hear it when I play, even at lower volumes.
No oscillation going on there though.

no it was different, had blue fins on it and was 2x's as thick... i re-wound and looked multiple times.
 
no it was different, had blue fins on it and was 2x's as thick... i re-wound and looked multiple times.

Ok, then you must be right!

Though I don't know how my fan looks (which wasn't replaced).

The Axe 2 that the review-guy got must have gotten a special treatment at G66 then.
Well, it seems they chose the right guy! ;)
 
i still chuckle at the ear sensitivity some of you have. I must have spent too much time rocking in my 20's to hear the axe fan!! ( or it just gets blocked out by the poweramp fan once i turn it on)

edit: I chuckle in a "i'm so glad i don't have uber-sensitive ears so I can just enjoy my axe and not be frustrated by fan noise", not as a chuckle at you being frustrated.
As someone with Sensory Processing Disorder, thank you for that last sentence. I can handle fan noise, but mine is horrid, similar to the post I quoted below. I simply would like 2 things: permission to change the fan, and the specs I need to match so I can select a replacement. If the stock fan should not be.. like this, then I would be willing to simply swap in a replacement.

This is what I hear, recorded through an iMac's built-in mic (There's a clock right next to the Mac, and the AxeFx is across the room). It builds to a nice hum at about the 20 second mark. Not too obtrusive, but can be heard over low volume playing.

SoundClick artist: Darden - page with MP3 music downloads
This is very close to what mine is like. The higher pitched sound is the worst part, but mine has begun to "moan and warble" as well. I am guessing I may just have a bad fan. No big deal, but would like to resolve soon :)
 
Received a replacement fan from Fractal. Not much change. The original fan was worse but the new one is not much better. My unit now sounds like the sound clip "from above post". I just don't think a unit costing this much should have $1.50 bulk fans in them. For $2400 I think the Axe should be dead quiet. Or at least 70db lower than it is.
 
I simply would like 2 things: permission to change the fan, and the specs I need to match so I can select a replacement. If the stock fan should not be.. like this, then I would be willing to simply swap in a replacement.

I'm in total agreement with these 2 requests.

I think we can all agree that everyone is affected differently by the fan noise, and the unit will be used in a variety of situations, some where the fan noise will be masked by other sound, and some in more critical listening situations.

Given that, it would be nice to be able to either swap out the fan for a quiet fan that meets or exceeds factory specs or have a factory "silent fan" option.
 
I don't think we are looking for freebee here, It would be unreasonable to ask to get our fans replaced by FAS for nothing that would be alot of $$$. But I would like the option to replace the fan or have fractal replace the fan on My dime with a quiet unit keeping my warranty intact. I was doing some laye night recording last night and It sounded like someone was using a Vacuum cleaner in the next room and that with headphones on.
 
Not good to know :(
I'll be needing a real quiet unit, and I'm almost on the verge of ordering one :(:(
I'm mostly going to have late nights to use it, and just dont like the idea of a humming unit, and me and my folks getting disturbed with this fan noise......
Between then and now, have they changed it on the new units?
 
Not good to know :(
I'll be needing a real quiet unit, and I'm almost on the verge of ordering one :(:(
I'm mostly going to have late nights to use it, and just dont like the idea of a humming unit, and me and my folks getting disturbed with this fan noise......
Between then and now, have they changed it on the new units?
Slash07 - Get real please... unless your parents are sleeping with it stacked on their bed-side table or you have it piped into their room, they are NOT going to notice the fan noise AT ALL !!!

Like all things mechanical, noise is a relative term. Sure, some fans are noisier than others, and FAS puts the SAME make/model on EVERY Axe-II.. My "quiet" computer fans are noisier than the Axe under load. I can't even hear my fan - it's in a solid rack case - unless I put my ear right up against it.

Plus, this subject has been beat to death ad nauseum on the forum. Unless you get one, you will not know if YOUR Axe fan is noisy or not. Mine isn't and given that I mostly use it live, noise is not a factor. Even in a studio environment, mine in no more noisy than that of my old Ultra. Most of this discussion centers around sensitivity to certain frequencies... if it's too loud when you get it, replace the fan. Lots of info here on how to do that too !

And... If you are basing a purchase decision on a *minor* variable like this.. you might want to re-evaluate your criteria as you wold be missing out. Fan noise is not a show stopper.

YMMV.
 
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Slash07 - Get real please... unless your parents are sleeping with it stacked on their bed-side table or you have it piped into their room, they are NOT going to notice the fan noise. AT ALL !!!

Like all things mechanical, noise is a relative term. Sure, some fans are noisier than others, and FAS puts the SAME make/model on EVERY Axe-II..

Plus, this subject has been beat to death ad nauseum on the forum. Unless you get one, you will not know if the fan is noisy or not. Mine isn't and given that I mostly use it live, fan noise is not a factor. Even in a studio environment, mine in no more noisy than that in my Ultra. Most of this discussion centers around one sensitivity to certain frequencies... if it's too loud when you get it, replace the fan. Lots of info here on how to do that too !
YMMV.

Well, at the risk of beating yet another fart out of a dead horse, the REASON it's been talked about ad nauseum is that the original unit (Ultra/Standard) had a really egregious fan noise that anyone with any experience working in a studio enviroment would find extremely onerous. I was pretty much dumbfounded when my II arrived and ALL of my beefs with the Ultra (lame looper, lame handling of delay spillover and fan noise) were intact in the new generation. True, my II is quieter than my Ultra, but not quiet enough. Matrix got their 2U 1000fx amp to be quite quiet with venting, heat syncs, and a large, lo-rev fan. I have no idea why Fractal did not do this. Personally, it seems to me that Fractal listens to straight-up bugs (crashes corruption etc.), any and all complaints/requests having to do with tone - i.e. issues that reflect (positively or negatively) on their pre-eminent position in guitar amp/cab modeling. All other complaints (and for those of us who often record in the control room, Fan Noise is a MAJOR complaint) seem to be largely shrugged off. It is really kind of an absurd, dadaist touch that the II is still plagued with some of the most-often cited weaknesses of the Ultra. I for one feel that they SHOULD step up and give us a better cooling solution. I'd pay for it, even, though grudgingly. This thing was released too soon, without enough listening to the user base on any other than: 'more amps!' 'better amps!' 'more realism!' and, of course, the king of ad nauseum: 'better high gain sounds' - now that is some stuff I've also heard ad infinitum.
 
All the new units ship with an 80mm fan. The original fan is 60mm. This has quieted the fan noise down considerably. So they do listen.
 
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