My Fuchs arrived today

[Don Box]

TL;DR: The FBS sounds great and yes, is very close to a Walter Woods.

I got both a FBS and FBT.

I spent a couple of hours A/B/C-ing both of them with my Woods with both my upright and a P bass.

After only a couple of hours of playing in my living room, here are my initial impressions...

1. The FBS definitely sounds Woods-like and would be a fine alternative. The Woods sounds a bit glassier (e.g., clean high end), but the FBS was more than fine. I was super happy playing through it.

2. The FBT sounds more like a B15 than an SVT to my ears. It had significantly less low and high end than the FBS. It's been ages since I've played through tubes, so I'll reserve judgement. I'll assume it's me and not the amp.

3. I was able to dial in a more than usable tone for my finicky upright with the FBS. Slightly different than the Woods, but again, it sounded good and was more than usable.

4. When I plugged my upright into the FBT, it definitely had B15 vibes, which isn't my thing.

5. The fan noise is real on both Fuchs amps. On a gig, I doubt that it would matter, but after decades with a WW, it was pretty different.

I plan to use the FBT all week, as it's the most foreign to what I'm used to.

I also did a few preamp captures of both Fuchs just for reference.

 

[bherman]

Interesting that you’re trying both, Il be curious to see what your observations are after a few weeks. I have the solid state, and I’ve never noticed the fan noise, but I only use it on gigs so I can confirm that it’s really not a factor when playing live.

 

[Sid the Kid]

My dad has an FBS that sounds amazing to me and I was considering the FBT for myself but the comment about significantly less low end gives me pause. The low end of the FBS is tremendous. I will keep my eyes on this thread to see if it is you or the amp, but it’s probably the amp.

And yes the fan is loud as heck. I’ve never felt it get remotely warm though, so it works well!

 

[Tritone]

+100 for the FBS. It totally captures the WW vibe. The XLR DI is very good too (WW just had a 1/4 line out).

 

[57pbass]

I have the FBT700 and I did not experience any problems with the low end..there was plenty.
I did not A/B the two models so there might be a real difference there ??

 

[SJan3]

I have the FBT700 and I did not experience any problems with the low end..there was plenty.
I did not A/B the two models so there might be a real difference there ??View attachment 6999719

Beautiful rig!

 

[Jannosch]

Thank you for your interesting test!

Because I'm looking for a new DB amp and I'm very sensitive concerning fan noise when playing DB in a drumless context, how loud would you describe the fan?

 

[Don Box]

Thank you for your interesting test!

Because I'm looking for a new DB amp and I'm very sensitive concerning fan noise when playing DB in a drumless context, how loud would you describe the fan?

I did my first rehearsal last night.

We could definitely hear it when we were being silent - which of that group happens more than most.

Obviously once we were playing at any kind of volume it was inaudible.

 

[Jannosch]

Thank you for your reply!

Well, so I have to look at a fanless amp but they are not so many.

 

[agedhorse]

Thank you for your reply!

Well, so I have to look at a fanless amp but they are not so many.

Depends on the power level you are looking for.

 

[Jannosch]

Hi Andy, thank you for chiming in...

It looks as if I'd need two different amps. One will definitely be a Mesa D-350 for the more silent Jazzbands and another more powerful for the Free and Rock department

 

[Rip Van Dan]

Thank you for your reply!

Well, so I have to look at a fanless amp but they are not so many.

My DNA-800 class D amp is dead quiet because it has no fan and it's 800-watts into either 4Ω or 2Ω. Problem is DNA closed its doors in 2023 and they are hard to find. My little Eden Class D amp, TN-226, also has no fan and is dead quiet with 250-watts into 4Ω but its big brother with 500-watts uses a constant low rpm fan for cooling and I can't tell you how quiet that is. Odds are it's like @agedhorse said, it will depend on the power level. Passive cooling is much more practical in lower powered amps because they don't generate as much heat as high powered amps do.

 

[57pbass]

L

Thank you for your interesting test!

Because I'm looking for a new DB amp and I'm very sensitive concerning fan noise when playing DB in a drumless context, how loud would you describe the fan?

Thank you for your reply!

Well, so I have to look at a fanless amp but they are not so many.

Try a Bag End powered cabinet. No fan and zero noise…with plenty of power..plus you can add whatever preamp you choose.

 

[Tritone]

My FBS-700 is dead quiet

 

[6thplanet]

With everything going super small and compact, passive cooling is a problem. You need room for heatsinks, hence the need for fans in higher power amps.

With that said, it's a wonder the whole noise thing isn't always addressed. Everyone complains about it (when it's an issue) With tech where it's at these days, surely a better fan can be made. ....and the proper speed control to go with it.

 

[57pbass]

With everything going super small and compact, passive cooling is a problem. You need room for heatsinks, hence the need for fans in higher power amps.

With that said, it's a wonder the whole noise thing isn't always addressed. Everyone complains about it (when it's an issue) With tech where it's at these days, surely a better fan can be made. ....and the proper speed control to go with it.

Mica at Arkham uses the frame as a heat sink and was able to eliminate the fan. There’s certainly more to this but that is an example of a hi powered head ( THE BEAST ) without a cooling fan.

 

[agedhorse]

Part of managing heat in class D is the efficiency of the design of the power supply and amplifier sections themselves.

There are higher efficiency topologies in lower powered amps that do not scale to higher powered amps. This is why most higher powered amps, especially those that can drive 2 ohms reliably, have fans.

 

[eniac]

Part of managing heat in class D is the efficiency of the design of the power supply and amplifier sections themselves.

There are higher efficiency topologies in lower powered amps that do not scale to higher powered amps. This is why most higher powered amps, especially those that can drive 2 ohms reliably, have fans.

To wit, I have two FX Audio stereo amps rated at 50 WPC at 4 ohms (if someone's praying, probably). Anyway, they're sealed up tight, no vents whatsoever. I can run them pretty loud all day into inefficient Advents built back when I had hair, and the amps' cases get no hotter than warm, even in an 80 degree room with no fans running.

 

[gtirard]

I have a 700 W amp with a variable speed fan, it seems to be the ideal solution - at low volume you don't hear it at all, and at high volume it's unnoticeable. I only hear it at the end of a song when playing loud, during a few seconds before it become silent again.

Why isn't it standard on all amps? It's so good, it would be hard for me to get back.

Edit: I also hear it during 1 second when I switch on the amp, it's part of the booting process, it prooves it's still working in case you have a doubt because it's too silent

 

[Deleted member 394181]

Oh, for Fuchs sake. ...someone had to...