Noisy fan on CQ-18T

[LyleParticipant]

I purchased the CQ-18T a few days ago and really like this mixer so far, but have noticed that the fan located on the bottom of the chassis is quite noisy. It makes a continuous whirring sound that bothers me quite a bit in a quiet room. I suspect in many real world setups, this would not even be noticeable or a concern, but since I do a lot of acoustic instrument and vocal recording in a quiet room, I have noticed so far that the fan noise is leaking into my recordings and increasing the noise floor, even though the mic pres are incredibly quiet. I found that I can drastically reduce the noise by placing my hand over the outlet of the fan, but blocking the fan outlet to reduce noise is obviously not a good long-term solution and would likely result in overheating and premature failure.

Has anyone else noticed this type of noise on their CQ mixer or if not, could there potentially be something wrong with my particular unit? I love everything else about this mixer, but not sure yet if I will keep it due to the amount of noise the fan makes.

[Nicola A&HKeymaster]

Hi Lyle,

The speed of the fan is regulated by temperature but at 20deg C ambient we measured acoustic noise to be 20dBA at 1m and compliant with NR20 which is the recommended rating for recording studios, theatres and concert halls. If you think your unit is generating significantly more noise, it could be that the fan is out of spec or something is touching the blades, or the temperature sensor is faulty, but I would say that a quiet whirr is normal. For acoustic recordings, you could try relocating the mixer away from the microphones and controlling it remotely with an iPad or similar.

[davidParticipant]

Hi I just got my Allen and heath cq18-t I was very excited about the new product but when I plugged it in and I plugged in the headphones I heard weird noises like ground noise and other noises anyone please help

[robbocurryParticipant]

Could be a few things but:
Does it still make the sound when all inputs are cleared, faders down and nothing except the headphones are plugged in?
Try a different set of headphones in case they’re susceptible to RF interference?
Does it make the same sound out of any of the other outputs – LR or Auxes or is it just in the headphones?
Did you try a different location away from other electrical equipment?
If none of the above help then it might be the CQ!!

[davidParticipant]

I did try other outputs and the same noise I did a test recording on my usb and the same ground noise in the recording

[Z O L T NParticipant]

FWIW – my CQ-18T fan is now quite loud. It hisses like white noise and has become annoying when building ambient tracks. Is it not possible to provide a firmware update or setting to adjust the speed?

[KeithJ A&HModerator]

As Nicola says – a quiet whirring (up to 20dBA at 1m) is normal.
If you are experiencing anything that could not be described as normal or if the noise has changed (as you suggest by ‘fan is now quite loud’ ZOLTN) then please contact us directly through support.allen-heath.com or get in touch with your distributor (https://www.allen-heath.com/community/distributors/).

Thanks,
Keith.

[beatpeteParticipant]

Just received my CQ-20B and the fan is very loud.

[beatpeteParticipant]

Can the fan in the CQ 20B be easily replaced?

[KeithJ A&HModerator]

@beatpete

As you’ve only just received your unit and it will definitely be under warranty, please contact your local distributor (https://www.allen-heath.com/community/distributors/) who will be able to assist.

Thanks,
Keith.

[beatpeteParticipant]

Yes, I did contact my distributer here in Canada, haven’t heard back yet.

[vanParticipant]

we noted after updated firmware to latest version 1.1.3 fan noise on CQ-20B is louder than it was under previous version. however interface and loading are great, keep on doing the good work A&H, looking forward to further improvements on future firmware release, and perhaps a fix by firmware on fan’s rate to reduce noise ??

[KeithJ A&HModerator]

@van

There should be no difference in fan speed/noise with the latest firmware – please contact us through support.allen-heath.com or by emailing support@allen-heath.com so we can investigate further with you.

Thanks,
Keith.

[JfhydeParticipant]

Just received my Cq-20b and have to add to this list, fan noise, while not loud, is rather annoying. It’s winter here in Boston and my studio is cool, shouldn’t even need a fan.

[SPSParticipant]

CQ-18T just arrived. Fan very noisy, running fixed at 4000rpm with processor at 53°C and no processing duty (still no connected to anything). Updated OS from 1.1.0 to 1.1.1 but no solution: fan still working @4000rpm… much-much louder than my old AW4416…seems a little hoover…

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