Amps without cooling fan?

[ricardol]

Cooling fans can be noisy, if the amp is played at low volume. They can also be unreliable since they have moving parts that wear out and endanger the whole amp. So, I would like to know which are the amps/ combos out there that are not featured with cooling fans and still have enough power to be used in small gigs, like the Ampeg B3158…

 

[Stumbo]

Here's an older thread on the topic that will give you some leads: Amps without fans

 

[Al T.]

Acoustic Image and older EBS combos do without fan cooling.

 

[ricardol]

Acoustic Image and older EBS combos do without fan cooling.

I wonder if these new combos from Link Removed feature cooling fans

I suppose that cooling fans are a relatively recent add-in in the world of amp design so that the older tube amps don't use them… What about solid state amps?

 

[LowG]

GK 400RB

 

[Mushroo]

A big +1 on the Acoustic Image recommendation. Dead quiet, and power to spare. My practice/home-recording rig for many years was a small AI combo.

 

[jsbarber]

Glockenklang Bass Art Classic, 400 watts into 4 Ohms.
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[Watchootognbout]

I don't understand.
The fan is louder than the volume that you're playing at?

 

[Coolhandjjl]

Define small gig. House party? Coffee house? Small bar? How loud the drummer is can also be an important factor.

My Orange TB1000 has a cooling fan, that if I am in my practice area, the room is dead quiet, no one else is home, dog is out for a walk, cats are sleeping, FedEx and UPS have all gone home and the drivers all tucked in for the night, etc., etc., I can maybe barely hear the fan. Perhaps the fans you have heard are poor design or have worn out or dirty/dry bearings.

 

[brianrost]

Sheesh...almost no amps had cooling fans for decades. It's only when mfrs started really shrinking the amps down and needed to improve the heat dissipation. I've owned exactly one amp in 40 years with a fan...TC BH-250. That includes every tube amp I have ever owned...Sunn, Fender, Boogie, Traynor.

 

[five7]

My t.c. electronic BG 250 has never over heated. just used it outdoors at a large gig.

 

[Coolhandjjl]

Sheesh...almost no amps had cooling fans for decades...

The SVT has a fan.

 

[CryingBass]

Thunderfunk amps have a fan kill switch for studio or small club use. Works great for me. More amps should have that feature IMHO but they have to be well built.

 

[agedhorse]

Sheesh...almost no amps had cooling fans for decades. It's only when mfrs started really shrinking the amps down and needed to improve the heat dissipation. I've owned exactly one amp in 4 years with a fan...TC BH-250. That includes every tube amp I have ever owned...Sunn, Fender, Boogie, Traynor.

Fans became necessary when size shrunk AND power levels increased. I have designed many amps without fans, but all below 400 watts/4 ohms.

 

[Border]

My B-15 does not have a fan, just a cage. I have used it for small to medium sized gigs.

 

[lowplaces]

My B-15 does not have a fan, just a cage. I have used it for small to medium sized gigs.

Best amp design ever imo.

 

[big_fundamental]

Carvin BX-250 head, add a cabinet or two.

 

[Ric Vice]

Fans are necessary if the components are tightly spaced within the confines of a small cabinet with no venting. Jule Potter uses an aluminum case with side vents. Walter Woods uses an all aluminum chassis with top vents and rear cooling fins. As micro amps got smaller and more powerful they needed fans.

Ric

 

[hennessybass]

The old AMP BH420 didn't have a fan. The whole amp was kind of a heatsink.

 

[ZenG]

The fans in my GK amp combo are super quiet. I didn't know they had any until I noticed them one day.

On the other hand I've tried Ampeg combos that sounded like a vacuum cleaner.