ahpook Posted May 16, 2008 Share Posted May 16, 2008 i'm tired of hearing cooling fans !! my soundtech power amp has noisy fans, i admit it...but they're not noticeable when you're playing live, but at home they drive me mad after about 30 mins. so at the moment i'm running my pre-amp into the effects return of my trace elliot head, as it's quieter... [b]but it's still driving me mad[/b] i'm actually thinking of getting a cheap low-wattage power amp that uses passive cooling at home just for some peace and quiet. anyone else feel like this ? sorry for ranting ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bass_ferret Posted May 16, 2008 Share Posted May 16, 2008 Yes. Dont notice when gigging but it is quite noisy at home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowhand_mike Posted May 16, 2008 Share Posted May 16, 2008 +1 yeah i though something was wrong with my amp when i first turned it on (having never had a fan cooled amp before) very annoying at low volumes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dubs Posted May 16, 2008 Share Posted May 16, 2008 yeah i started a thread about my SVT-CL fan...I've not got round to replacing it yet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahpook Posted May 16, 2008 Author Share Posted May 16, 2008 [quote name='benwhiteuk' post='200696' date='May 16 2008, 08:19 PM']yeah i started a thread about my SVT-CL fan...I've not got round to replacing it yet[/quote] i should replace the ones in the soundtech i guess...but thsat would mean pulling it out of the rack, taking it apart.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6stringbassist Posted May 18, 2008 Share Posted May 18, 2008 Nothing worse than noisy fans, try a class D power amp, they don't have them, they're also a lot lighter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahpook Posted May 18, 2008 Author Share Posted May 18, 2008 [quote name='6stringbassist' post='201426' date='May 18 2008, 11:15 AM']Nothing worse than noisy fans, try a class D power amp, they don't have them, they're also a lot lighter.[/quote] lighter than my soundtech ? it only wieghs 16lbs !!! i reckon i'll just keep my eyes open for a cheap, low-power, convection-cooled amp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6stringbassist Posted May 18, 2008 Share Posted May 18, 2008 Powersoft. this weighs just over 7kg, what's that in pounds ?. [url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/powersoft_ld_1404.htm"]http://www.thomann.de/gb/powersoft_ld_1404.htm[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reniwren Posted May 21, 2008 Share Posted May 21, 2008 Get a Thunderfunk it has an on/off switch for the fan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dubs Posted May 22, 2008 Share Posted May 22, 2008 [quote name='reniwren' post='203951' date='May 21 2008, 10:49 PM']Get a Thunderfunk it has an on/off switch for the fan[/quote] so you can let it melt? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheddatom Posted May 22, 2008 Share Posted May 22, 2008 [quote name='ahpook' post='200657' date='May 16 2008, 07:13 PM']i'm tired of hearing cooling fans !! my soundtech power amp has noisy fans, i admit it...but they're not noticeable when you're playing live, but at home they drive me mad after about 30 mins. so at the moment i'm running my pre-amp into the effects return of my trace elliot head, as it's quieter... [b]but it's still driving me mad[/b] i'm actually thinking of getting a cheap low-wattage power amp that uses passive cooling at home just for some peace and quiet. anyone else feel like this ? sorry for ranting ![/quote] You should be able to put a switch in to turn off the fan for home practice. I doubt this would do much damage, but i'm no expert! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reniwren Posted May 26, 2008 Share Posted May 26, 2008 [quote name='benwhiteuk' post='204142' date='May 22 2008, 11:18 AM']so you can let it melt? [/quote] Thunderfunk amps are solidstate that are designed to run normally without the fan on, great for studio and radio work but if the venue is abnormally hot there's always the fan Talk to Robbie of Rim custom basses [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showuser=437"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showuser=437[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buzz Posted May 26, 2008 Share Posted May 26, 2008 If you can find out the voltage for the fans and if it's no more than 12v you should be able to replace them with "silent" (low noise) PC fans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dubs Posted May 26, 2008 Share Posted May 26, 2008 [quote name='Buzz' post='206725' date='May 26 2008, 06:51 PM']If you can find out the voltage for the fans and if it's no more than 12v you should be able to replace them with "silent" (low noise) PC fans.[/quote] yeah this is what i was planning on doing with my Ampeg. I've been advised to look at airflow and stuff though - make sure it's a suitable replacement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Exile252 Posted May 26, 2008 Share Posted May 26, 2008 I didn't notice there way a fan noise on my amp till right now. But the Trace I have is extremely quiet, which next to my PC or 360 is barely noticeable as the other two are very very loud. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahpook Posted May 26, 2008 Author Share Posted May 26, 2008 [quote name='Exile252' post='206732' date='May 26 2008, 07:11 PM']I didn't notice there way a fan noise on my amp till right now. But the Trace I have is extremely quiet, which next to my PC or 360 is barely noticeable as the other two are very very loud.[/quote] hmm....my trace's fan is very loud...much louder than my pc.. i might pull the sountech out tonight and see what the rating of the fans is...then check out the alternatives. and i'm sure you're right cheddatom, the fan's don't need to be on for home volumes... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dubs Posted May 26, 2008 Share Posted May 26, 2008 [quote name='ahpook' post='206737' date='May 26 2008, 07:17 PM']hmm....my trace's fan is very loud...much louder than my pc..[/quote] ...he's got a quality Trace combo bought from a great BassChatter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peted Posted May 26, 2008 Share Posted May 26, 2008 The fan in my Hartke 3500 is VERY loud. I would go mad if I used it at low volumes at home. I've got my little Line6 Studio for home practice. Leave the big amp for gigging where the fan makes no difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahpook Posted May 26, 2008 Author Share Posted May 26, 2008 well i had a look inside the soundtech - they're unbranded fans with no spec on them except the supply voltage and current. but they do use plug-in cinnectors on the circuit board, so i i do decide to replace them it should be easy to swap them over. just need to guesstimate a fan rating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Exile252 Posted May 26, 2008 Share Posted May 26, 2008 I dunno why but I actually like the sound of my fan in the amp, it sounds really subtle, crazy huh? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karlbbb Posted May 26, 2008 Share Posted May 26, 2008 Just get a fan that has a nice balance of noise/CFM? I.e. the biggest CFM you can get for the lowest dB. I imagine they're 80mm fans, the one in my old Behringer head seemed to be around that size. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahpook Posted May 26, 2008 Author Share Posted May 26, 2008 (edited) i think the soundtech has 40mm fans..it's only 1U high. checking around it looks lke there's plenty of choice...i just need to check the exact dimensions of te fans Edited May 26, 2008 by ahpook Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrhectic Posted May 27, 2008 Share Posted May 27, 2008 ive just bought an ashdown head which has fans. I thought it was pretty cool lol. It hasnt started bothering me yet, and with a full band, you cant hear it at all anyways. But when we get round to recording, the fan noise maybe an issue?... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReeV0 Posted May 27, 2008 Share Posted May 27, 2008 the GK artist heads have variable speed fans, so they probably wont be on if your playing quietly at home Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dubs Posted May 27, 2008 Share Posted May 27, 2008 [quote name='mrhectic' post='207371' date='May 27 2008, 04:54 PM']But when we get round to recording, the fan noise maybe an issue?...[/quote] Nah it should be fine – you’re not going to be micing the fan If you close mic one of the drivers of the cab you’re using for recording then you won’t hear the head at all – you could even put the head in a different room if you felt like it and had a long enough lead, and if you’re just using the DI then there is obviously no way you’re going to hear the fan. My issue with the fan in my Ampeg head is that it’s mega noisy when I’m using it for ‘quiet’ playing in the house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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