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MarkBass combo fan noise

rojo412

rojo412

Sit down, Danny...
Supporting Member
Feb 26, 2000
10,914
15,077
46
Cleveland, OH.
#1
My drummer brought his friend's MarkBass LittleMark 250 Black Line combo to me because it makes a horrendous fan noise as soon as you switch it on.

I took the head unit out of the combo, put it on the bench (horizontally) and no noise.
Turn it vertical (it's natural position in the combo) and it makes noise.

Took the fan out slightly, it spins fine, but the blade unit moves slightly up and down. I don't believe that is what it should do.

IMG_6887.jpg


Is this a common issue with these?
Is it just a matter of replacing the fan?
I'm not much of a MarkBass guy, don't know a ton about their offerings. It seems like an easy repair, but wouldn't mind some additional insight.
 
#2
Based on my Markbass experience, I’ve not noticed them to have loud fan noise. Other brands do have noticeably louder fans. Personally, if I could find an upgraded fan for any Class D amp I’d put it in there as typically they do seem to be on the cheap side.
 
#3
Yeah, I definitely agree on that.
The funny thing though, when horizontal, the fan is actually quite quiet. I have a perfectly functioning GK combo and when the fan kicks on, it's louder than this.
But it doesn't matter how quiet it is when it's NOT where it is designed to be, I guess.
Here's a video:
https://youtube.com/shorts/8IDfz2kB_aY?feature=share

and another:
https://youtube.com/shorts/9IIUG21-h20?si=Gpkkd06uevHWjV7g

I have found a number of "server fans" that would fit the size profile and voltage, but they are 3 or 4 wire.
Is there a way to modify the wiring on one of those ($8-10 at a local computer store), versus buying the same thing on Amazon ($30)?
 
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#6
rojo412 said:
I have found a number of "server fans" that would fit the size profile and voltage, but they are 3 or 4 wire.
Is there a way to modify the wiring on one of those ($8-10 at a local computer store), versus buying the same thing on Amazon ($30)?
Click to expand...

3- and 4-wire 12V fans are 2-wire fans with 1-2 extra wires. one of them controls speed (and it's safe to disconnect), the second indicated the rotating speed (sense/tach, also safe to disconnect, but might give you unexpected interference).

please also note that swapping a cooler might unexpectedly give you more floor noise or might work okay. it depends on the amp and the cooler, sometimes just an exact replacement will work as expected, sometimes any fan will work.
 
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#7
These fans are on whenever you turn on the power button, so they wear out faster. My CMD 102p fan made bearing noise when tilted back, but not in the horizontal position, a Markbass fan replacement fixed it.
 
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#9
My cmd121 combo has a noisy fan. Blowing it out with dust off helps. It's been like that for years, it doesn't come out of the speaker or DI so it doesn't affect functionality
 
#10
The fan is failing, just replace it with exactly the same fan.

Don’t go modifying things without understanding how to match current, CFM and static pressure or you may end up with much more expensive problems.
 
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#11
tshapiro said:
Based on my Markbass experience, I’ve not noticed them to have loud fan noise. Other brands do have noticeably louder fans. Personally, if I could find an upgraded fan for any Class D amp I’d put it in there as typically they do seem to be on the cheap side.
Click to expand...

@agedhorse

SilenX Corporation - Effizio Quiet Fans

Some years ago I replaced the fan of the LM3 head of my 121CMD combo with this fan (IXP-34-16). The stock fan (like the one in the OP pic) was fine but the SilenX is dead quiet and of noticeably much better quality. CFM is close, I checked before swapping.

Kept the combo for a few years more and then sold it to finance my current rig. It worked fine.

EDIT: Stock fan 19.2 CFM - SilenX 18 CFM. Stock fan 28 dBA - SilenX 16 dBA.
 
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#12
Phaidrus said:
@agedhorse

SilenX Corporation - Effizio Quiet Fans

Some years ago I replaced the fan of the LM3 head of my 121CMD combo with this fan (IXP-34-16). The stock fan (like the one in the OP pic) was fine but the SilenX is dead quiet and of noticeably much better quality. CFM is close, I checked before swapping.

Kept the combo for a few years more and then sold it to finance my current rig. It worked fine.

EDIT: Stock fan 19.2 CFM - SilenX 18 CFM. Stock fan 28 dBA - SilenX 16 dBA.
Click to expand...

Ok, maybe so.
 
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#14
Phaidrus said:
Well, I'm no electrical engineer, so people may proceed at their own risk. :whistle:

For those interested, please find attached the data sheet of the stock fan fitted in Markbass heads, as shown in the OP pic.
Click to expand...

Might work fine. There's no static pressure number provided which generally means zero. At the same static pressure as the stock fan, it may not produce the same air flow and in fact could be as low as 50% of what the stock fan produces.

This is why engineers look at all the numbers, not just the marketing numbers, and will test to verify that what is claimed is actually true.
 
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#15
I'm just trying to make it quiet again. If an $8 fan with similar specs will do the trick, with the possibility of it actually lasting longer and being quieter, I'm game to give it a shot.

FWIW, it is very easy to remove and replace this fan, which is another reason I'm good with a slight change here.

Thanks for the info!
 
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#16
agedhorse said:
Might work fine. There's no static pressure number provided which generally means zero. At the same static pressure as the stock fan, it may not produce the same air flow and in fact could be as low as 50% of what the stock fan produces.

This is why engineers look at all the numbers, not just the marketing numbers, and will test to verify that what is claimed is actually true.
Click to expand...

Well, I haven't heard from the guy who bought that modified head/combo of mine. :laugh:

And being honest, I told him about it beforehand.

But seriously, I wouldn't modify anything again.
 
#17
rojo412 said:
I'm just trying to make it quiet again. If an $8 fan with similar specs will do the trick, with the possibility of it actually lasting longer and being quieter, I'm game to give it a shot.

FWIW, it is very easy to remove and replace this fan, which is another reason I'm good with a slight change here.

Thanks for the info!
Click to expand...

You're welcome. Let me note that in the case of the LM3 head it wasn't exactly plug and play easy. I had to remove the entire pcb board from the chassis in order to remove the fan, which meant cutting a number of zip ties that kept a bunch of wires tidy together, and then the fan plugs where not identical given that the replacement SilenX fan has a different plug to accommodate a third wire (don't know what it is for, perhaps @agedhorse could chime in and enlighten us). The stock fan only has two wires, black and red. So some soldering was necessary. So, as noted above, I don't plan to repeat this upgrade with another amp.
 
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#18
Timely thread. I own a MarkBass Little Mark 250 Black Line head. The fan developed loud noise. After removing the fan, I cleaned the dust from the fan blades. It quieted the noise for a few hours (maybe). So I just bought this fan Invalid Link Removed
from DigiKey that supposed to be quiet. I'm actually waiting for Amazon to deliver rubber fan mounting rivets any moment now.
 
#20
BadMonk said:
Timely thread. I own a MarkBass Little Mark 250 Black Line head. The fan developed loud noise. After removing the fan, I cleaned the dust from the fan blades. It quieted the noise for a few hours (maybe). So I just bought this fan Invalid Link Removed
from DigiKey that supposed to be quiet. I'm actually waiting for Amazon to deliver rubber fan mounting rivets any moment now.
Click to expand...

What does make a difference is a rubber gasket placed between the fan and the chassis. Cheap, safe to use and it really cuts down the noise.
 

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