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Aguilar DB 750 Fans: could they be a problem?

T

Tekken

Oct 11, 2008
136
72
44
Turin - Italy
www.alteregovibe.com
#1
Hello folks!

I need an opinion from DB 750 owners. ;)

I actually own an Aguilar AG500sc; for some reasons, I could pass to an Aguilar DB750 head.

My only doubt is: could the fans noise be a problem, since I will use the DB750 a lot also for home studying, so at low volume (with Gain at clip limit and Master less than 1/4)?

Thanmk you very much!
 
#3
JimiLL,
thank you for your answer.

I put the gain till clipping limit because on the manual (at least on the AG500sc's one) is written that to get the best sound is better to put the gain at clipping limit (I think that is the same on the DB750), not to get tubes saturation.

Anyway, some people told me that the fan speed is not regulated by a thermostat (as in the Eden heads) but has the same maximum spin speed whether the volume (gain/master controls) is high or not.

So I need to know if the noise generated could be tiresome in a quite silent environment (like home studying or studio session).
 
#6
Tekken said:
I put the gain till clipping limit because on the manual (at least on the AG500sc's one) is written that to get the best sound is better to put the gain at clipping limit (I think that is the same on the DB750), not to get tubes saturation.
Click to expand...

Are you letting a manual determine what "best sound" is? I prefer to use my own ears. Personally, I prefer to keep the gain on my DB750 fairly low.

Tekken said:
Anyway, some people told me that the fan speed is not regulated by a thermostat (as in the Eden heads) but has the same maximum spin speed whether the volume (gain/master controls) is high or not.
Click to expand...

I have noticed a definite increase in fan noise when the Master is turned past about 3-o'clock, but the fans are definitely running all the time.

Tekken said:
So I need to know if the noise generated could be tiresome in a quite silent environment (like home studying or studio session).
Click to expand...

If you really need silent, the DB750 might not be for you. It's not staggeringly loud, but it's certainly not silent. In the environments I usually play in, I never notice anything but its sweet round tone.
 
#8
Tekken said:
Hello folks!

I need an opinion from DB 750 owners. ;)

I actually own an Aguilar AG500sc; for some reasons, I could pass to an Aguilar DB750 head.

My only doubt is: could the fans noise be a problem, since I will use the DB750 a lot also for home studying, so at low volume (with Gain at clip limit and Master less than 1/4)?

Thanmk you very much!
Click to expand...

Seems like the DB750 is an awful lot of amp for "low volume home studying". Of course its going to sound great, but the big + of the DB750 is its ability to effortlessly put out its full wattage and keep it together at full volume.
The fan is loud-er compared to other amps, but certainly not obnoxious IMO.
 
#10
Sufenta, silky smoove,

so, since I'd use the DB750 90% time for home studying & studio session (so at very low volume) and 10% of time for lives, do you advise me against passing from AG500sc to DB750? :confused:


I'd pass to DB750 above all for tone quality (AG500sc is very great, but I've tried the DB750 and it's superb) but, before paying 2250 Euros, I need to "quantify" the fans noise amount of volume and if is it a noise or a hiss/whistle (I can't return to the shop to verify that cause it is 190 miles far away form my home :rollno: )...
 
#11
Tekken said:
Sufenta, silky smoove,

so, since I'd use the DB750 90% time for home studying & studio session (so at very low volume) and 10% of time for lives, do you advise me against passing from AG500sc to DB750? :confused:


I'd pass to DB750 above all for tone quality (AG500sc is very great, but I've tried the DB750 and it's superb) but, before paying 2250 Euros, I need to "quantify" the fans noise amount of volume and if is it a noise or a hiss/whistle (I can't return to the shop to verify that cause it is 190 miles far away form my home :rollno: )...
Click to expand...

So you've tried the DB750 and deemed it superb. Why are you asking others about the fan noise? What kind of fan noise did you hear when you tried it?:confused:
 
#12
Well, here is the way I see it. DB750 = Very Loud amp. If you are playing a DB750 in a quiet enough environment that you can hear the fan, you may have the wrong amp for that situation.

I know most of us can't afford 2 amps (1 for live playing, 1 for practice/home/studio) so if you buy an amp for 1 of those uses, you will have to deal with the cons of using it for the other. i.e. If you buy a big loud amp for gigs, you may have to deal with some fan noise and heavy weight. If you buy a little practice amp, yo will miss the big stage volume when playing out.
 
#13
I ditched my AG500 for a DB750 and couldn't be happier. The fan noise (IMO) is nowhere near as bad as most folks make it out to be. I've used mine in several studios (close mic'd without having to isolate head from cab), coffeeshops (with UN-mic'd acoustic guitars), quiet 3 piece (recorded live off the floor), a couple of small clinics (where the drummer used brushes), and in almost every club/theater/whatever I've done in the past two years.

You'll hear the fans when you power the amp up, and if you're listening for them, but I forget they exist unless I'm right near the amp, or if I'm in a small room and everyone is dead quiet. It's never been an issue in any situation I've been in.

I'm like most people here.. I never come close to using the amp's volume potential (12 o'clock is downright frightening!), but the DB750 does what nothing else can, and that's why I own one. It was a tone thing for me, and it just happens to be the loudest 3 rack spaces known to man :D
 
#17
Typically, I'm playing through a mixer in my now defunct studio at home, but there are times when I'm actually using my DB750 with a cab. I find the fan noise noticeable in that room, because it still has the acoustic treatments on the walls, and my PC case is specifically designed for low noise. That said, once I get into listening to that big creamy sound, I don't hear the fan noise so much anymore!

If you prefer the sound of the DB750 to the AG500, then go for it. It'll probably be all the live amp you'll ever need.
 

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