Does H9000 run hot? Can it be sandwiched between other gear in a rack?

Considering swapping out my DSP-7000 for the H9000, however the only readily accesible spot I have available would be sandwiching it underneath a Drawmer 1969 Compressor in my rack.  Alternatively, I could move some things around and put it under a half rack unit (the OG overstayer compressor) to create a little more airflow above, however those are my only options if I want to have it within reach of my seating position.  Which I do so that it’s easy to program.  How hot does the H9000 run, is it a bad idea to have it underneath another piece of gear?

I’ve found my H9000 to run relatively cool (lots cooler than the H8000’s, as it has a fan), and the unit’s heat vents are on the side, anyway, so it seems to me it would be fine to have stuff on top or on the bottom.

Not silent, but it seems pretty quiet to me.

Thaqt’s how mine is positioned.  Yes you can hear the fan noise, but I haven’t found it to be so loud that it’s distracting from editing/tweaking patches while music is playing.

Of course I have other vintage effects in the rack with louder fans (480L, IM-90), so for me it’s fine, but it will depend on your tolerance and what you are used to in your environment.  If you have a dead quiet space, you might end up putting it down low or somewhere else and mainly using Emote.

Fan is loud enough to be a bit annoying for me too.

Would love to see fan speed addressed in new firmware!

There are Noctua fans in that diameter that are virtually silent.

There is so much empty space in a H9000 that it provides excellent airflow.

If you have a pro rack with active cooling it is more than enough.

Compared to an UAD Apollo or TubeOpto preamp it runs totally cool.

But the sound of the stock fans is comparable to a standard desktop PC…

Its not something you want on the table in front of you

I imagine that the amount of heat generated (and therefore cooling required) will also depend on how many expansion cards are installed in the H9000.  For those of us with stock 9000’s and no expansion cards, a lower fan speed may be fine.  People with fully loaded 9000’s may need the maximum amount of cooling possible.  That’s why I agree with drxcm and hope Eventide can provide fan speed management via the OS.

(FWIW, I have installed quieter Noctua and similar fans in various older effects in the past and it’s been fine, but my use of the gear and how I have it racked may not be the same as you).

I guess the question I’d have is — if possible, can you post the fan’s manufacturer/model number so we can at least look at the current specifications without having to open up a 9000 ourselves?

Thanks.  That’s kind of what I have found out when doing work on old effects units.  The specifications of the fan are only part of the story.  How it’s mounted, the layout of cards and components inside the unit, the overall airflow through the unit, they all contribute to the perceived noise.

I appreciate the spec sheet and I will keep the screwdriver away from my H9000 and wait for the OS update.  🙂

Awesome support from jbamberg!

Thanks so much for the quick
responses, updates and datasheet.

Really looking forward to trying the firmware out when it hits!

So I have a follow up question about the H9000 in a rack.

I currently have my H9000R in a 3u rack, with nothing above (open space), however…the width of the H9000 (It is quite wide) does not allow for much open space on the sides of the unit where the fan is.

I would estimate there is *maybe* 1/16th of an inch between the sides of the H9000 and the sides of the rack case.  I looked at another case I have by a different vendor, and if the H9000 was mounted in that case, the clearance on the sides would be the same.  When I feel the top of the unit on the side where the fan is…it does feel pretty warm to the touch…but not any hotter than the Cisco switch I am using (which does not have a fan).  I do have a Dante card installed in the first expansion slot (the slot closest to the side of the unit).

Is this OK?  I saw where Eventide recommended some clearance on the sides…but I don’t see how to make this happen unless I was to cut a hole in the side of the rack…which sort of negates the protection the rack would provide.

Thanks in advance.

I cut a hole in both sides of the rack to allow cross-ventilation.  The unit is much cooler now.  There just was no way around it if I was going to keep the unit in a commercial, standard, non-custom rack.

However, I am still awaiting an answer from Support on the thermal tolerances of the unit.  Is it actually safe to have it in a rack with effectively zero side clearance for ventilation?  If the answer is ‘no’….what portable racks do they recommend?  I have racks by two different manufacturers here…and both are designed so that there would be very little clearance.  Likewise…the traditional plywood-type road cases would effectively block the air intake / exit holes as well.  If the unit MUST be racked in a padded case that has extra clearance on the sides….this kind of info should be in the manual.  There is no thermal info in the manual I can find…and the only mention of ‘temperature’ I can locate is a disclaimer that the unit will not be covered under warranty if ‘exposed’ to dangerously high temperatures.  If the unit ‘generates’ excessive temperatures due to ventilation, and fails accordingly, is it not covered under warranty?  Sorry to be pedantic with the questions…but it would be helpful to get some real answers.  Thanks!

Hello?  Mic check.  Is this thing on?

Still waiting for an answer from Eventide.

Is there any update on the future ability to throttle the fan?  For my work the H9K is too loud to put in a desktop rack but that is ideally where I would like to put it for easier access.  I spend a fair amount of computer off time during creation so emote + distant rack is not really a solution all of the time.  Thanks for any info!

Throttling would be great. In my ACed studio, the H9000R is always somewhat cool (sic!), unlike all it’s predecessors. Just LOUD. 

This is why I went for the Dante expansion.

The fan noise is too great for me to be able to have it in the machine room.

My H9000 sits in the adjoining room with a pair of ethernet cables to the switch.

I would rather have it in the control room but this is an acceptable compromise.

I can’t rack anything underneath the H9000, because it came with rubber feet installed which prevent the rack holes from lining up.

Seriously? How can I remove these feet?

Mine came with the feet in a bag ready to be stuck on. Did not as I knew I would rack it. Can’t you peel them off?

Thank you for adding fan speed control in the latest firmware!!! this is huge. I feel like I was often not turning it on just because of the chassis noise, especially since moving to a new Mac Pro which makes my control room incredibly quiet now.

studioj wrote:

Thank you for adding fan speed control in the latest firmware!!! this is huge. I feel like I was often not turning it on just because of the chassis noise, especially since moving to a new Mac Pro which makes my control room incredibly quiet now.

I too have a dead quiet Mac Pro and room in general.. how noticeable is the H9k noise now with the new firmware?

basehead617 wrote:

studioj wrote:

Thank you for adding fan speed control in the latest firmware!!! this is huge. I feel like I was often not turning it on just because of the chassis noise, especially since moving to a new Mac Pro which makes my control room incredibly quiet now.

I too have a dead quiet Mac Pro and room in general.. how noticeable is the H9k noise now with the new firmware?

I would say barely noticeable at all and I am sensitive to these things. major improvement. I have moved it to just to the left of me on top of a desk… and if I focus on it, I can just barely make out a sound. I think if I moved it to a rack under the desk I wouldn’t hear it at all but I don’t think that’s necessary. It did use to be under the desk and I could still hear the fan pretty considerably. When I put my ears to both, I would say the sound of the H9K is comparable now to the very quiet noise of the Mac Pro, perhaps the frequency of the H9K is a tad higher.

I hope we get the option so we also can choose a faster fanspeed too – the better cooling the electronics last longer

I did this for my TC M5000, i measure output wind close to 30 celsius now

sorry for my english

The fan keeps being loud. Very loud, not only because of air flow but also because of a small ,yet noticeable amount of rattling and vibrating. I do not see any difference when toggling the fan control in Emote. Booting from cold in a cool environment (~10° Celsius) the fan spins up to its maximum speed and remains there, regardless of what I set in Emote.

Any way to read out the internal temperature? A faulty thermal sensor? I mean, I could just add a resistor to the fan, but I do not want to destroy myH9000R.

tbskoglund wrote:

Can you please email support@eventideaudio.com with a video that demonstrates the noise you are hearing? Can you also toggle the fan speeds during this video? It should be noticeable that the fan speed is changing when you toggle this setting.

Done. Please note that this has absolutely no priority, since I usually have the H9000R in a closed server rack.