why is the cooling fan so LOUD?

[riff19]

Just picked up an RM50 on the forums. Loving the amp, but the **** cooling fan inside whiiiirrrrrrs away x10 louder than my computer fans.

Has anyone replaced the fan with something quieter? Or, just it out altogether? I can't record like this.

 

[Julia]

An SM57 is directional enough so that you shouldn't hear the noise. Well anyway you shouldn't hear the noise above the other stuff going on in a track, and definitely not above the guitar when you're playing. You could try increasing the amp volume and decreasing teh mic gain. If it is bleeding through during parts where you are not playing those noise sections can be edited out by inserting silence and a very short fade before the silence and another very short (I'm talking like one beat) fade in where you start playing again. That will prevent pops.

Hey, that fan can't be noisier than my P90s going through a medium-high gain module. :lol:

 

[scottro123]

Has anyone replaced the fan with a quieter one?

 

[m0jo]

Has anyone replaced the fan with a quieter one?

I have, with a variable speed.

I turned it down a bit, but you have to remember: there are 8 tubes there in an enclosed space!!
It get's **** hot if you turn it off/very low. I don't recommend it.

If you do want to change it, get an 80mm PC fan with a variable resister on it somewhere, that way you can tune it. At your own risk of course!!

 

[Julia]

On a new amp you will void the warranty by doing this. So I'd leave it alone and do what I suggested. Turn up the amp volume and lower the mic gain.

Another thing you can do is get an extension cabinet (112 or 212) and use that instead of the internal speaker when you record. Have the extension cab about 6 feet away and I'll guarantee you won't pick up the sound of the fan.

You can also try putting a noise gate in line between your mic and interface and adjust the noise gate so that it shuts at a level just above that of the noise.

 

[AXCL]

I replaced mine with a variable blue LED PC fan with ball bearings as the original just died. Its still quite loud, but at the volume I play if someone can tell me they hear the fan, then I'll turn the speed down. Until then, I have it full blast! Tube overheating = bad voodoo!

Quick question, since my fan died, I couldn't determine the air flow direction and had already pulled the old one out before I thought of it anyway. Is this fan blowing up or down. I believe it was up to exhaust the hot air so that is how it did it. I don't think it matters much as it is for ambient air flow rather then direct cooling like a heat sync would require, otherwise there would be a fan above each mod, but I'd still like it to match the original design.

Cheers!

 

[Julia]

I think I can tell you why the fan is loud.

* it is connected to the metal top of the chassis with four posts.
* these four small posts focus the vibration.
* the metal acts as a sound board making the fan louder than it is.

I had the same problem with a timer in my bathroom. The timer sounded like a cement mixer and used the sheetrock as a soundboard.

Solution. use a thin rubber washer under the posts where they meet the metal. Tire type material preferred since they can take a bit of heat. This will act as an absorber for the vibration caused by the fan.

 

[Mattfig]

Julia always has a good practical answer...I dig that... 8)

 

[frostysnowman]

Great soloution Julia. Just great. Well done you. Thanks.

 

[m0jo]

Or you could turn up your amp! I fyou can hear the fan it ain't loud enough!! :lol: