Re: Behringer EP4000 - Naked Pics - Fan Mod - ETC

Very nice. I haven't gotten around to hacking up my gear, I either build it DIY from scratch or leave it alone

But this sounds like a worthwhile mod. The main knock on pro gear is noisy fans and this solves it.

 

Re: Behringer EP4000 - Naked Pics - Fan Mod - ETC

Very nice. I haven't gotten around to hacking up my gear, I either build it DIY from scratch or leave it alone

But this sounds like a worthwhile mod. The main knock on pro gear is noisy fans and this solves it.

Yah - the funny is thing is as I did this mod down in my basement workshop at home I could literally hear my other EP2500 dual amps running over 15 feet away as my wife was using the main AV system upstairs and the amps were running (I have the EP2500s mounted behind the wall of the main system in the stairway leading down to the basement). When I initially plugged in the EP4000 to test out the new fan it was near silent....I immediately assumed I screwed up installing the new fan as the amp was dead quiet and I figured the new fan was probably incorrectly installed. The difference is enormous to say the least.

 

Re: Behringer EP4000 - Naked Pics - Fan Mod - ETC

Hello,
No doubt that the EP4000 is one of the great values in audio today. And it is truly great that there is a mod out there for what is the usual Achilles Heel of using a Pro Amplifier in HT, fan noise.

Very nice writeup and explanation of the procedure.
Cheers,
JJ

 

Re: Behringer EP4000 - Naked Pics - Fan Mod - ETC

Hello,
No doubt that the EP4000 is one of the great values in audio today. And it is truly great that there is a mod out there for what is the usual Achilles Heel of using a Pro Amplifier in HT, fan noise.

Very nice writeup and explanation of the procedure.
Cheers,
JJ

you say pro-amps are a good value,and im not doubting you.what do you,and others anyone who wants to answer.think about using one for the mains?not just to drive subs.

 

I've been meaning to do this to my QSC RMX 2450, but i was thinking about adding a potentiometer so that i can adjust the fan speed for when i am really giving the thing hell. While i know the QSC is a beefier version of this amplifier, i'm not sure that everything is the same, and i think i could use a hand finding the right parts to do this properly, Im going to look into that digikey P9739-ND, are there any other suggested fans?

 

Very quiet fans are available from this site:
http://www.svc.com/silent-fans.html

I've been using many fans from this site for different purposes. For the EP4000 (just received mine),I put in the one from SilentX (80mm to fit the amp), they have different ones to choose from dependent on the CFM you require. If you notice, the 24CFM model only produces 11db - you have to put your ear right up to the fan to hear it hum. Pretty incredible. I've used a lot of the 120mm models and they are so quiet (for computer use and to cool down parts of my equipment rack). Some of their fans only produce 6db - background noise for most houses are above 30db, so that is virtually non-existent IMO.

 

Well, I should have checked the thread on the EP2000 fan install first. After having installed mine, I realized that it was a 12v and not the 24v required. :duh:Can put a resister in line easily, but then the CFM drops too much. So, had to order a 24v version. Found one from DigiKey (did not use the same one listed in the other thread, wanted a quieter one) that only produced 12db at 19CFM (slightly lower than the 24CFM of the recommended one) which should work fine. It's also 0.5mm less think, not an issue for it's use.

 

Do you guys think one can get away with disconnecting the fan? I'm thinking about using one of these for two bandpass subs.

 

IMO, I don't think that it's a good idea. The design of the transistor heat sink tunnel was made for active air flow for cooling. If it were designed for use without a fan, there would be a lot more 'fins' for heat release. If noise is an issue, doing the fan mod is recommended (you really cannot hear it with a quiet fan).

 

The listed one, P9739-ND, is 21db for 24CFM and has the best price (this is pretty quiet). If you are willing to pay more, you can use 381-2502-ND, which is what I did, but it cost's a bit more than twice the other one. I chose it because it only has 12db, but only 19CFM, so reduced air flow -at a considerable drop in noise level. My amp has not gone beyond slightly warm yet with this fan at reference levels, so works fine for my use.

 

I just installed the P9739-ND. Wow what a difference. I could hear the stock fan at quieter portions of movies with the system turned up. But with th new fan dont hear it at all. Didnt get hot at all either driving my tempest-x @ 1000W.

Super easy to switch fans too i was amazed!

 

I wound up purchasing the Samson SX 2800 for the needed extra power.

It uses the same size fans 80mm x 25mm. I've attached the pics below. Do the Digikey fans 381-2502-ND come with the connector or do I need to splice? I'd rather not splice so I can keep the warranty intact just in case.

Also, the Samson is a dual speed. Does this cause an issue at all?

 

The digi key have wire termination. So yes splicing is required. You can buy a cheap pc fan that has that connection and take it off there so you still have the stock fan.
The dual speed shouldnt matter.

 

Thanks!

I've just ordered the two fans. Off to the computer store to get some connectors.

 

While trying to remove the fan's attachment to the circuit board the whole connector came off of the board, it was glued on. Fortunately there were still two pins sticking up and I soldered the fan directly to them. This wasn't easy as I have a pretty severe tremor but it works.

 

Thats how that connector unplugs one side is just pins sticking out of the board, so dont worry about it, you didnt break it.

 

but your right. I hope that if I need to send it back that the solder doesn't interfeer with the connection. I certainly don't want to ever send it back. I can't believe they use such a fan. It makes more noise than a video card thats maxed out.

 

we are professional manufacturer of cooling fans(brushless dc fan, axial ac fan and dc blower) in China, if you have any problems on cooling fan, maybe I can help you.

 

hey, how good are these ep-4000 cause i have 2 ep-2500 and i love them...im powering 8-12 with 1 and the other is powering 2-18.....they give me no problems and have never gotten hot...i just whant to get me a pair of ep4000..thanks

 

Hi! I think they are pretty close to the same under the hood from what I understand (someone can correct me on that). If you love your ep-2500, the ep4000 should give you the same pleasure...

 

if these ever go bad on me ill be picking up a pair of EP-4000... I RUN MINES AT 3/4 ALMOST FULL BLAST ALL NIGHT LONG WITHOUT CLIPPING......THESE AMPS ARE THE BEST BANG FOR THE BUCK....

 

I agree, lots of power for the price!

 

Hey OP here - sorry I haven't replied for awhile - I have not been receiving updates to posts that have been made to this thread - ANYWAY - the EP4000 and EP2500 seem to be exactly the same to me (I own 2 ep2500 and 2 ep4000) - if your EP2500 dies (which I doubt it will unless you absolutely torture it) you will find the EP4000 is every bit as good although I would not say it is any better/different than the EP2500 I think Behringer simply renamed the EP2500 to the EP4000 and changed the power rating to "max output" ratings which do not mean much. I have noticed the EP4000 seems to have been bumped up in price since I purchased mine from Zzounds.com. I would seriously recommend anyone who wants an EP4000 to call zzounds LIVE and talk to a rep - you would be surprised how much they will come down from website prices over the phone. Zzounds even further reduced my DCX2496 over the phone with hardly any pushback. Worth a call to a live operator.....I am not spamming zzounds in this post - just want others to know how decent they were to deal with for me personally and encourage you guys to pick up the phone and call them before you commit to anything. No matter what I am still thrilled with my Europower amps and even created a line of Behringer power amp tshirts I sell on my own website since I am such a satisfied customer! Have no fear - this is one Behringer product you will be thrilled with.

 

Hi all, just bought a new EPX4000. have not hooked it up yet...but what a horible fan noise they have.
Did also some research, my original fans are from Bi-Sonic, 4000 rpm, 40.9 DB-A (way too loud), air flow 55.53 CFM. the best replacement fan I could find is the P9739-ND from Digi-Key, it has less air outpout but should do the trick at 24 CFM with only 21 DB-A, 1900 rpm and is 24 volt. The ones from SVC.com are for computer and are only 8-14 volts (they have less noise but have the wrong voltage). thanks all for this great site.

 

If you hadn't seen other thread on EXP4000 fan mod go with these from Digikey. I've been running them for a while and they're just right. Good airflow, low noise

NMB Technologies 3110SB-05W-B40-E00
36 CFM
26 db (you can hear them running, but not obtrusive at all)
60 mA

 

thanks RLouis.
i did order the P9739-ND from Digi-Key after all. i took sound level measurements before i changed them, the originals were 69 dbs from 4" away at half speed (13 volts to the fans). the new replacement fans are so noiseless, you have to put your hear right against it to hear them. i could not get a decent level of them due to ambient noise in the house, but let me tell you it's night and day! i recommend this one 100% to anyone who wants a silent fan. at $9.28 plus shipping/taxes, they are worth it.:T

 

thanks for your reply.

 

You're welcome.

One easy, quick, and relatively cheap step toward better sound, is relieving one's AVR output channels for at least two or all three LCR channels. One can buy an inexpensive pro type amp or two and use the remaining onboard channels for the surrounds. It's been quite well documented how an AVR struggles to maintain simultaneous output across all channels. All those amp channels can drain a single power supply in a heartbeat, and any step to alleviate those issues is a worthwhile one.


Thanks

 

I have a couple of questions for the fan modders here. First some info... I have an EP4000 in an open rack with plenty of airflow. I live at in the mountains at an altitude of 8500 feet, so cooling fans do not move as much air as they are rated for. I tried the quiet replacement fan from Digikey but it did not move enough air to keep the amp from getting too hot. Since then I’ve gone back to the OEM fan which does keep the EP4000 cool enough but is way too loud.

Could I go to a larger 24 volt, 120mm low rpm fan and mount it to the outside of the case with a fan adaptor? This would involve removing the OEM fan and fabricating a duct extension to keep the airflow efficient through the heat sinks.

Also, would the added current draw from the larger fan overload the circuit board that supplies the power to the fan?

I did think about the suggestion (from another thread) of stacking two 12 volt quiet fans but I don’t think you’d get more airflow than the fans are individually rated for and you might run into some turbulance issues.

Any thoughts would be appreciated since the EP4000 performs fantastically but way too loud. If I can’t find a solution I’ll need to replace the amp with something quieter and more expensive.

 

The fan listed is out of stock, but Digi Key listed this as a replacement, which has lower db and more CFM. I ordered 2 of these for my EP4000s.
http://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/3110SB-05W-B20-E00/P14751-ND/2615564

 

I was thinking of doing this mod but my subs are setup to run in 2ohm stereo. I rarely listen to music very loud, mostly watching movies at -10. Does the EP4000 have any kind of thermal protection? I'm afraid of burning it up with a lower CFM fan...

I was looking at this fan
http://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/ME80252V2-000U-A99/259-1507-ND/2021135

or this one
http://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/3110SB-05W-B50-E00/P14753-ND/2615566

 

Is there a preference on which one to buy?

 

Hey guys. Sorry to resurrect this thread, but I have a question.

I am planning on doing the fan mod to my EP4000. Difference is, I live in Australia. Are the boards all the same requiring 24v fans, or do I need something else here in Oz? What are the parameters for the required fan?