REF110 Cooling Fans

[mg87]

I finally got back to this and the results are worthy of the effort. The key to the install is equal parts Fan and Fan Mounts (ultra soft silicone "screws"). Elberoth also comments about their contribution. The trouble with the "screws" is the ARC hard rubber grommet depth exceeds the capacity of the first ones I tried. The original silicone screws would not hold and kept popping out prior to finalizing install, never able to use. Found an alternative brand and it was perfect. Picture provided - shorter one has larger "case gap" section and works great for a direct replacement of the OEM metal screw design.

The fans I chose were probably the exact same spec as the OEM, Nexus "Real Silent" 80mm. There are quieter spec fans out there but these were the simplest, color matched, and had a better CFM volume airflow rating than the super-ultra low noise, low RPM fans. It was kind of a compromise on the objective but I knew no solution would completely eliminate fan noise. The REF150 has the optimal solution - check out the fan grill difference on the back of the REF 150 vs REF110. The physical barrier (the case) is more substantial on the REF110, inherently noisier.

Although this was a successful effort, the fans are not a problem in the first place. The REF110 was compared to a set of MX-R's, and the fans drew my attention. The amp is really a special piece and a great match for my system which is the most important pursuit.

[Elberoth]

I was told by Terry Dorn that unless you put the amp into some kind of enclosure or live in a very hot environment, you don't have to worry too much about the CFM. The fans are there to move the air inside the enclosure, rather than cool-blast the tubes directly.