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Orange Terror Bass: Fan replacement experiences?

Sascha Erni

Sascha Erni

Making things go whoomp, whoomp since 1994
Nov 7, 2019
541
1,720
Toggenburg, Switzerland
screamtherapy.band
#1
Good evening y’all,

has anybody tried replacing the original fan inside the Terror Bass head (newer 500 W version) with a higher-end PC case fan? I don’t mind the original fan’s noise too much in our heavy/rock setup, where ears are ringing between songs anyways, but for lower-volume acoustic stuff I imagine the fan noise might become an issue, depending on where the singer is sitting / her microphone is pointing at. I’m currently not playing in such a formation, hence I can’t test it out for myself right now.

Thoughts? Real-life experiments going well? Going badly? Really not an issue even in low-key environments? Huge issue that made you sell your Terror Bass?

Your feedback is much appreciated.

All the best for 2020, and rock on,
-Sascha
 
#5
Thanks for your feedback!

Wicked G said:
I've never even heard my Terror Bass fan come on, ever.
Click to expand...

Weird. May I ask, it’s the newer version (starting around 2018 I think) of the Terror Bass, or the older one (~2009-18)? I distinctly remember people talking about fan noise with the Terror Bass, but I'm not sure whether it’s the original version or the newer one (with the Clean switch) they were talking about. You and Ryan not noticing the fan at all, while in my case it’s quite distinct (if not really loud), makes me wonder whether I need a replacement. I figured it was “normal” noise in my case.
 
#6
agedhorse said:
Whenever replacing a fan, it's very important for the various parameters to match the original design.

Things like voltage, current (and power) as well as CFM versus static pressure.
Click to expand...
Thanks, too, for your input, much appreciated. I was thinking about electrical properties, but forgot about the rest. This is something I need to consider should I go down this road. I’ll have to check whether my preferred PC fan maker (CoolerMaster) provides that info. Thanks, a lot, never considered it!
 
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#10
I have an older TB500...my fan runs all the time....I made some effort to find a replacement...verify the connector as well as I don't think I was able to find what I needed to match.

..also if you are taking it out, note or draw on the frame in pencil an arrow showing airflow...my rookie brain pondered that for a while to get back it the correct way :rollno:

a tip I have (may not apply if yours is very new) is to open the case and vacuum out the fan area and clean the blades well....drops the noise by 10-20% I'd guess...has been awhile, I'll probably do it this week...thanks for the reminder, I try to do it 2-3 times a years if I remember
 
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#11
Again, thanks for your feedback everyone! Much appreciated.

I’ve contacted both Orange (UK) and my dealer (CH/DE) about the issue, providing an audio sample / video clip. Let’s see what they have to say about it. I’ll keep you posted.

Edit: Let’s see whether I can add the video clip here, so you get an idea what I’m talking about. For reference, I turn the amp off at the end. 17s, OneDrive link:

IMG_2872.mov
 
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#12
Mine is the new version. I’ve got it here at home this week.

Just to confirm, I hooked it up and left it on/played through it for a couple hours last night. My fan barely makes a whisper when on, that can’t be heard from more than a couple feet away. And even that close, I really have to listen closely to hear it at all. So it’s about as silent as a fan can be.

For reference, it’s quieter than the fans in my Super Bassman and Bergantino B|Amp were.
 
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#13
Sascha Erni said:
Again, thanks for your feedback everyone! Much appreciated.

I’ve contacted both Orange (UK) and my dealer (CH/DE) about the issue, providing an audio sample / video clip. Let’s see what they have to say about it. I’ll keep you posted.

Edit: Let’s see whether I can add the video clip here, so you get an idea what I’m talking about. For reference, I turn the amp off at the end. 17s, OneDrive link:

IMG_2872.mov
Click to expand...
that does not sound right for sure
 
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#14
That was quick – Orange UK just answered. The fan apparently sounds, quote, “noisier than usual. This should not be causing a problem with its operation, though.” end quote. They offered to supply me with a spare fan, though. Great customer service, I'm really quite impressed.

Feedback from my retailer was on similar lines. Translated and lightly paraphrased: “The device uses a temperature-regulated fan. This looks like normal behavior and is not suspicious.” They’ll forward the video to their contractor who fixes their Orange amps to get a second (or in my case, third) opinion.

Best from Switzerland,
-Sascha
 
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#15
Not an Orange but i had a big Peavey amp with a noisy fan that ran any time the amp was switched on. Live it was not so noticeable but was extremely distracting at practice volume in a quiet room. The dealer i got it from replaced the amp for me after he heard it, but the replacement was just as bad so i sold it pretty quick after getting the second one.
 
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#16
Resurrecting an old thread to add a potentially relevant anecdote.

The fan on my recently acquired Terror Bass (newer version) has been squeaking when engaged. I reached out to Orange to ask about a fix or info on finding a replacement, and they recommended cleaning out the fan, then applying graphite lube.

I hope that helps anyone who might have a similar issue down the road!
 
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#17
wellshuxley said:
Resurrecting an old thread to add a potentially relevant anecdote.

The fan on my recently acquired Terror Bass (newer version) has been squeaking when engaged. I reached out to Orange to ask about a fix or info on finding a replacement, and they recommended cleaning out the fan, then applying graphite lube.

I hope that helps anyone who might have a similar issue down the road!
Click to expand...

Did cleaning and applying graphite lube fix your noisy fan issue?
 
#18
FACTION95 said:
Did cleaning and applying graphite lube fix your noisy fan issue?
Click to expand...

I'm glad you asked- I meant to follow up here! Unfortunately, it did not. I removed, disassembled, cleaned, and lubricated the fan. I was very proud of myself for about 5 minutes, until the fan began screeching and/or failing to start again... the issue persists.

I'm currently thinking I need to replace the fan. Orange recommended replacing it with the exact same model and they were not able to provide me with parameters, i.e. max current or min airflow, for a replacement from a different manufacturer.

I'm tempted to try a different fan that has a much lower noise rating and only a slightly higher current requirement...
 
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#19
wellshuxley said:
I'm glad you asked- I meant to follow up here! Unfortunately, it did not. I removed, disassembled, cleaned, and lubricated the fan, but the issue persists. I was very proud of myself for about 5 minutes,

I'm currently thinking I need to replace the fan. Orange recommended replacing it with the exact same model and they were not able to provide me with parameters, i.e. max current or min airflow, for a replacement from a different manufacturer.

I'm tempted to try a different fan that has a much lower noise rating and only a slightly higher current requirement...
Click to expand...
Thanks for responding with your results. Sorry it didn't work out. Is the fan easily removable like with a 2 or 3 pin plug or is it soldered to the PCB? If Orange won't send you a replacement fan, I guess you could always experiment with aftermarket PC fans. Noctua makes some incredibly high-quality quiet PC fans.
 
#20
wellshuxley said:
I'm currently thinking I need to replace the fan. Orange recommended replacing it with the exact same model and they were not able to provide me with parameters, i.e. max current or min airflow, for a replacement from a different manufacturer.

I'm tempted to try a different fan that has a much lower noise rating and only a slightly higher current requirement...
Click to expand...
I was tempted to do the same thing, but Orange in the end wanted to send me a replacement, as said in this thread.

Fun thing is – I never actually replaced it. After a couple of months, the noise went away for me. So there’s two takeaways:

1. Orange will offer replacement which will provide the necessary airflow, and discourages replacing the fan with something special-quiet e.g. from the PC builders market
2. After a while, things might "break in" so to say, even if they ideally shouldn't need to, but, well, tolerances
 
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