Korg Forums

davidnaggar

I think the Kronos is the best sounding keyboard on the market. Yet the fan is audible in a quiet environment. This has prevented me from buying the Kronos.

On the KRONOS Fan Fix topic, many people have found relief from fan noise by using the Noiseblocker fan (Francois added a gasket to further reduce noise).

My technical question for Korg is this: Do you know if the stock Kronos fan cools better than the quieter Noiseblocker fan?

If both fans are effective, I will happily pay an extra $500 to swap the fan (w/gasket) at the factory—so that my warranty is not voided. If Korg cannot swap the fan at the factory, yet both fans are effective, I will swap the fan myself and forego the warranty. Just let me know.

Help me buy your product.

Melodialworks Music · Platinum Member Joined: 23 Feb 2003 Posts: 522

Huh? $500 for a fan? Must be made out of gold!

danatkorg

davidnaggar · Posted: Sun Aug 12, 2012 12:31 am Post subject:

Thanks Dan, hope all is well with you too, and thanks for your reply. Time and again I appreciate the extra effort you make on behalf of Korg.

I have already spoken directly with Korg USA, and as undoubtedly you’ve guessed, I have had no success in getting an answer. That is why I have posted the question here.

David

danatkorg · Posted: Sun Aug 12, 2012 2:19 am Post subject:

davidnaggar · Posted: Sun Aug 12, 2012 5:10 pm Post subject:

Dan, I did not get an answer. They said that they've only had two or three complaints about the fan and that there was no inherent problem with the fan. One could infer that they were not recommending fan replacement.

By the way, I did ask if it was possible for me to contact someone on the hardware design side but they said no.

My question remains unanswered, so I have posted it here.

danatkorg · Posted: Sun Aug 12, 2012 6:46 pm Post subject:

It sounds to me like your question has been answered, but you don't like that answer. I'm sorry about that, but it's normal for companies to discourage internal modifications; if I asked Apple to comment on third-party fans for my Mac Pro, for instance, I'm quite certain that I would be told something similar.

There's a thread on this forum about fan replacements; perhaps you might find some of the comments there to be helpful. Note that such modifications are not supported by Korg and may void your warranty.
_________________
Dan Phillips
Manager of Product Development, Korg R&D
Personal website: www.danphillips.com
For technical support, please contact your Korg Distributor: http://www.korg.co.jp/English/Distributors/
Regretfully, I cannot offer technical support directly.
If you need to contact me for purposes other than technical support, please do not send PMs; instead, send email to dan@korgrd.com

BobTheDog · Platinum Member Joined: 21 May 2007 Posts: 1535

2 or 3 complaints about the fan, that sounds a little optimistic!

davidnaggar · Posted: Sun Aug 12, 2012 10:10 pm Post subject:

Dan,

Choosing not to answer a question is not an answer. Please don’t Catch-22 me.

I value your work. In your role at Korg, I accept that you are personally constrained from saying anything other than the things you’ve said.

It is my hope that someone—perhaps from the Korg hardware design/manufacturing end of things—can obtain permission from the higher ups to shed some light for me.

I’d like to get on with my purchase of the Kronos X. I’d like to know if there is a technical reason, rather than a cost reason, that the Noiseblocker/gasket solution is not effective.

Is this really too much to ask?

danatkorg · Posted: Sun Aug 12, 2012 10:59 pm Post subject:

Seems like you're getting a pretty clear answer, honestly. Korg does not generally support replacement of such parts. Advising you on replacement would, in my non-binding and unofficial opinion, constitute support. I'm sorry, I know that isn't the answer you're hoping for.
_________________
Dan Phillips
Manager of Product Development, Korg R&D
Personal website: www.danphillips.com
For technical support, please contact your Korg Distributor: http://www.korg.co.jp/English/Distributors/
Regretfully, I cannot offer technical support directly.
If you need to contact me for purposes other than technical support, please do not send PMs; instead, send email to dan@korgrd.com

GregC · Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2012 12:17 am Post subject:

hammondcuni · Platinum Member Joined: 10 Dec 2008 Posts: 546

Dont let fan noise hold you up. Its not that bad. Plus you will own the best workstation on the planet..

NJkeysman888 · Junior Member Joined: 29 Jun 2012 Posts: 55

The fan noise is not that bad. There are times when it's a bit more noticeable but overall it is not a show stopper by any means. My concern was that if it was a defect, maybe the fan would fail sooner. But it is the fan Korg has chosen and with a 2 year warranty, I have no burning desire to open it up, void my warranty and replace it.

If I were recording ambient sound in a quiet studio and doing it with sensitive microphones, it may be noticeable, but otherwise I've come to think of it as a reassuring hum that the fan is working. Now I'd be worried if it stopped!!

In the meantime, i have a keyboard that meets ALL my needs and gives me versatility and inspiration like I've not had before.

jimknopf · Platinum Member Joined: 17 Jan 2011 Posts: 3374

The fan shouldn't stop anyone from buying something as good as the Kronos! But I found the noise of mine hard to tolerate in calm situations (home studio), just like half a dozen of a dozen Kronos users I know. From that and from German forum contacts I heavily doubt that the fan nosie disturbs only a small minority. At the same time it is well known that a silent high quality fan can heavily reduce the noise without reducing the airflow.

It would be wise IMHO if Korg accepted replacement by more silent fans of higher quality (with comparable specs) at least in context with authorized repair, without voiding the guarantee. This would mean tolerating a solution without acknowleding an issue (which I understand can't be expected from Korg).

I myself would anytime again go a step further and rather void my garuantee than tolerate constantly disturbing fan noise from an otherwise excellent instrument. And I would only keep the inbuild fan, if it did not disturb me (which seems to be the case for many users).
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Kronos 73 - Moog Voyager RME - Moog LP TE - Behringer Model D - Prophet 6 - Roland Jupiter Xm - Rhodes Stage 73 Mk I - Elektron Analog Rytm MkII - Roland TR-6s - Cubase 12 Pro + Groove Agent 5

mathieumaes · Senior Member Joined: 10 Dec 2011 Posts: 430

Can there be a random factor here ?

I can hardly notice there is a fan in my Kronos... Or maybe I should get my ears checked ? Embarassed

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Old gig setup: Yamaha S90, Roland Fantom XR, Hammond XM-1, M-Audio Axiom 61
2011 gig setup: Korg Kronos 88