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Fanless...

Lowtonejoe

Lowtonejoe

Supporting Member
Jul 3, 2004
2,849
90
Pasco, WA
www.lowtones.com
#1
Hi everyone,

I am looking for an amp for my studio. I have several preamps that I like and use. They all have DI's and I do run them into the mixer. However, I have started miking again and am running into a problem. I live in an apartment and can't really turn up loud enough to feel that I am comfortably covering the fan noise (relative to playing volume versus quiet spots) without causing a problem with the neighbors.

Who makes a fanless head or power amp that is transparent and is reasonably priced? This can be a relatively low wattage amp. 10 or 20 watts would be sufficient for my purposes but I can always turn down if it's 300w (or whatever).

I have several nice cabs that I use so a head is really preferred over a combo.

Your input that actually answers my question is welcome.

Joe.
 
#5
Lowtonejoe said:
Hi everyone,

I am looking for an amp for my studio. I have several preamps that I like and use. They all have DI's and I do run them into the mixer. However, I have started miking again and am running into a problem. I live in an apartment and can't really turn up loud enough to feel that I am comfortably covering the fan noise (relative to playing volume versus quiet spots) without causing a problem with the neighbors.

Who makes a fanless head or power amp that is transparent and is reasonably priced? This can be a relatively low wattage amp. 10 or 20 watts would be sufficient for my purposes but I can always turn down if it's 300w (or whatever).

I have several nice cabs that I use so a head is really preferred over a combo.

Your input that actually answers my question is welcome.

Joe.
Click to expand...

Hello Joe. Fanless and transparent? Acoustic Image. Try their latest Clarus SL, which happens to be tiny, too.

I recommend buying from Gollihur Music, whose happy customer I am, but with whom I have no other affiliation.

Good luck!

Snaxster
 
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#7
image.jpeg

Get an old high quality tube pre/power amp and a powersoak speaker sim and mix that with your speakers.
Or just get hold of a decent all tube slave amp like an old Hiwatt or Orange Matamp and powersoak that for ribbon microphone safe EV 12 speaker level.
image.jpeg

I like a dynamic mic on an alloy voice coil cap, either Altec 417 for dirt or JBL D120 for cleaner tones.
The drum in the foreground is a homemade Subkick with an old 12" Kenwood Hi Fi driver in. it's to provide a very large diameter low frequency mic capsule.
Any missing real sub can be filtered out of the powersoak speaker sim, or come direct from the bass guitar preferably via a little labs phase tool. It's phase relationships that make all the difference mixing multiple sources.:)X
 
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#9
Lowtonejoe said:
I live in an apartment and can't really turn up loud enough to feel that I am comfortably covering the fan noise (relative to playing volume versus quiet spots) without causing a problem with the neighbors.
Who makes a fanless head or power amp that is transparent and is reasonably priced? This can be a relatively low wattage amp. 10 or 20 watts would be sufficient for my purposes but I can always turn down if it's 300w (or whatever).
Click to expand...

Get a long speaker cable. Put the head far enough away that the mic doesn't pick up the fan noise.
 
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#14
Passinwind said:
Old Hafler power amps are great for the studio and most if not all are fanless.
Click to expand...

I still use two DH-200s that I built from kits about 35 years ago. Usually for hi-fi or studio monitoring purposes, but I did play synth thru them in a band context years back and they could be used on bass with a preamp.

They are very accurate and conservatively rated at 100 W per channel at 8 ohms with very little output noise and no fan.

You can pick one up used for about $100, but not from me. :)

Otto
 
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#15
The Thunderfunk TFB-420 has a switch on the fan. Pretty transparent, great eq and DI. Coasting at your power levels, no fan needed. AMP products were typically fan free, as were the Gallien Krueger RB 400 and 800.

There's also other approaches. Such as - move the head farther away from the mic, and throw up a moving blanket to iso the head. Or, run a DI, mic the cab and low pass the mic'd channel enough to bury the noise. Trial and error is the friend of those recording.
 
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#19
Dave W said:
Stuart Audio World 1.2 was an older option. Looks like they've been discontinued but you'd probably be able to find one used.
Click to expand...
I have one that was my backup for BG, but is now being used for monitors on stage.
The advise I read here on TB was to allow for air movement (open rack space above) on the top. It has always run cool, so never a problem with it overheating.
 

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