Is the fan loud on your 6416? - Canadian TV, Computing and Home Theatre Forums

lorenmc · 2007-09-05, 11:44 AM

I just picked up a 6416 Phase III and the fan on the unit seems to be really loud. Even when the unit is off the fan speed will rev up and down such that you can hear it from 12 ft away while carrying on a conversation. Is this normal?

I also have a 6412 from a couple of years ago and it is not nearly as loud. Sure you can hear the hard drive chirping away but there is no fan noise that revs up and down.

Might I have a defective 6416?

Loren

Roweig · 2007-09-05, 12:42 PM

I too sit about 12 feet away from my 6416 STB. You may or may not have a defective unit here. Just tap the top of your STB. This may make the sound go away. I had a similar problem (it happened about 2 times) and I fixed it by tapping the top of the box or by repositioning the STB. If tapping the top of your STB doesn't work then I would suggest getting a service technician out to have a look at the unit. Remember I said tap, not hit.

lorenmc · 2007-09-05, 04:53 PM

Thanks Roweig, I'll give that a try.

Can anyone else comment on how loud their fan is on their 6416? Is it generally pretty quiet or can you normally hear it changing RPM and such even when the unit is off?

Richard Travale · 2007-09-05, 04:55 PM

The fan is pretty quiet on my 6416. Every once in a while I can hear the HDD spinning though. That's very rare though.

lorenmc · 2007-09-05, 04:58 PM

I cannot even hear the hard drive over the noise of the fan!!

hockeymancw · 2007-09-05, 05:00 PM

Mine is quiet, but it does vibrate a bit.

NBALeaguePass · 2007-09-05, 05:09 PM

my fan is not loud. but its does, if you can believe it, pops and squeels. I have no idea why this is so.

DCTGoddess · 2007-09-06, 12:50 PM

Sounds like it's misaligned, or not mounted well. Also, a well ventilated DCT has a more quiet fan, since it doesn't have to work as hard.

couchpotatoe · 2007-09-06, 11:58 PM

Dead quiet fan and HDD here, sitting on couch with TV off reading a magazine. Of course they are working, I can hear them if I get realy close.

Paul Clancy · 2007-09-07, 08:23 AM

I own 2 6416 boxes , identical. One in a rack is dead quiet. One on an open shelf has the fan that revs up and down sometimes, sometimes normal. What I've found is this happens when the unit has one or both tuners on an analog channel. If both are on digital or hd the fan is quiet. Appears more heat is generated from the analogs. I switched the 2 boxes to see if it was about where they were located but the problem followed the box. Also updated firmware and had shaw do a remote reset, problem still there. I think it's a bad box and will have a tech swap it.

djdragan · 2007-09-07, 03:27 PM

I sit about 10ft away and the only thing I can hear is the click when I turn it on or off.

merve04 · 2007-09-07, 09:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paul Clancy

I own 2 6416 boxes , identical. One in a rack is dead quiet. One on an open shelf has the fan that revs up and down sometimes, sometimes normal. What I've found is this happens when the unit has one or both tuners on an analog channel. If both are on digital or hd the fan is quiet. Appears more heat is generated from the analogs. I switched the 2 boxes to see if it was about where they were located but the problem followed the box. Also updated firmware and had shaw do a remote reset, problem still there. I think it's a bad box and will have a tech swap it.

Your on to something, my first 6412 was on the analog map and the fan would kick in and would be pretty loud, my second one, got put on the all digital map and i have yet to hear it.

lorenmc · 2007-09-10, 05:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paul Clancy

I own 2 6416 boxes , identical. One in a rack is dead quiet. One on an open shelf has the fan that revs up and down sometimes, sometimes normal. What I've found is this happens when the unit has one or both tuners on an analog channel. If both are on digital or hd the fan is quiet. Appears more heat is generated from the analogs. I switched the 2 boxes to see if it was about where they were located but the problem followed the box. Also updated firmware and had shaw do a remote reset, problem still there. I think it's a bad box and will have a tech swap it.

Paul,

Your 2nd unit sounds a lot like mine. For a couple of days I thought that it had fixed itself (at least the fan wasn't reving up and down) but then it came back. It very well might be dependent on the channels I had it on when I shut the unit off, I wasn't really paying attention to that. I'll give that a test tonight. Is your quiet unit still quiet even on the analog channels?

I will probably end up exchanging the unit for another one since it sounds like quieter ones definitely do exist out there. In fact, when I called Shaw and spoke to a CSR, that is what they recommended since a tech would just replace it with a refurbished unit whereas I could exchange for a new one since I am still within 30 days of purchase.

Loren

Paul Clancy · 2007-09-11, 08:31 AM

My first 6416 has never had the fan rev problem on any channel-only the second unit. Both were new in box.

lorenmc · 2007-09-12, 12:28 PM

So last night, when I got home from work, the fan noise was pretty bad i.e. constantly revving to a high RPM and then down again. I tuned both tuners to an HD channel and shut the unit off. After about 3.5 hours the fan was still revving up and down.

Late in the evening, when the kid is in bed, I listen to the TV at a relatively low volume, but still loud enough to clearly hear things from 12 ft away. However, I can clearly hear the fan on the 6416 above the level of the TV. It is quite distracting. I'll be exchanging the unit this weekend in the hopes of getting a quieter unit.

Regards,

Loren

2007-09-05, 11:44 AM	#1
lorenmc Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 24	Is the fan loud on your 6416? I just picked up a 6416 Phase III and the fan on the unit seems to be really loud. Even when the unit is off the fan speed will rev up and down such that you can hear it from 12 ft away while carrying on a conversation. Is this normal? I also have a 6412 from a couple of years ago and it is not nearly as loud. Sure you can hear the hard drive chirping away but there is no fan noise that revs up and down. Might I have a defective 6416? Loren

2007-09-06, 12:50 PM	#8
DCTGoddess Join Date: May 2005 Location: Boston, MA (Comcast) Posts: 358	Sounds like it's misaligned, or not mounted well. Also, a well ventilated DCT has a more quiet fan, since it doesn't have to work as hard. __________________ DCT3412 P1:i-Guide:75.59-a25p2-2.s1.r8, F/W:16.53, ST 04.08, Bootcode:05.08 "It's No TARDIS, but, It Gets You There."

2007-09-06, 11:58 PM	#9
couchpotatoe Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Chilliwack, BC. Posts: 289	Dead quiet fan and HDD here, sitting on couch with TV off reading a magazine. Of course they are working, I can hear them if I get realy close. __________________ DCT 2500 & DCT 6416.

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2007-09-05, 12:42 PM	#2
Roweig Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Coquitlam, B.C., ARRIS Gateway, Panny TC-P65VT50, Panny Blu-ray BDT320PC, Denon AVR-1913 Posts: 126	I too sit about 12 feet away from my 6416 STB. You may or may not have a defective unit here. Just tap the top of your STB. This may make the sound go away. I had a similar problem (it happened about 2 times) and I fixed it by tapping the top of the box or by repositioning the STB. If tapping the top of your STB doesn't work then I would suggest getting a service technician out to have a look at the unit. Remember I said tap, not hit.

2007-09-05, 04:53 PM	#3
lorenmc Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 24	Thanks Roweig, I'll give that a try. Can anyone else comment on how loud their fan is on their 6416? Is it generally pretty quiet or can you normally hear it changing RPM and such even when the unit is off?

2007-09-05, 04:55 PM	#4
Richard Travale Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Vancouver Island. Shaw cable.Sony 46V2500,DCT6416(w/TB Xpndr), PS3, Denon AVR2807, Paradigm spkrs. Posts: 777	The fan is pretty quiet on my 6416. Every once in a while I can hear the HDD spinning though. That's very rare though.

2007-09-05, 04:58 PM	#5
lorenmc Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 24	I cannot even hear the hard drive over the noise of the fan!!

2007-09-05, 05:00 PM	#6
hockeymancw Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Calgary Posts: 937	Mine is quiet, but it does vibrate a bit.

2007-09-05, 05:09 PM	#7
NBALeaguePass Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Shaw & BellExpressVu - Shaw 6412III, Bell 9200 Pioneer Plasma TV PDP-4340HD, Magnavox 32MD357 LCD/HD Posts: 69	my fan is not loud. but its does, if you can believe it, pops and squeels. I have no idea why this is so.

2007-09-07, 08:23 AM	#10
Paul Clancy Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 576	I own 2 6416 boxes , identical. One in a rack is dead quiet. One on an open shelf has the fan that revs up and down sometimes, sometimes normal. What I've found is this happens when the unit has one or both tuners on an analog channel. If both are on digital or hd the fan is quiet. Appears more heat is generated from the analogs. I switched the 2 boxes to see if it was about where they were located but the problem followed the box. Also updated firmware and had shaw do a remote reset, problem still there. I think it's a bad box and will have a tech swap it.

2007-09-07, 03:27 PM	#11
djdragan Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Calgary, AB Posts: 58	I sit about 10ft away and the only thing I can hear is the click when I turn it on or off.

2007-09-11, 08:31 AM	#14
Paul Clancy Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 576	My first 6416 has never had the fan rev problem on any channel-only the second unit. Both were new in box.

2007-09-12, 12:28 PM	#15
lorenmc Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 24	So last night, when I got home from work, the fan noise was pretty bad i.e. constantly revving to a high RPM and then down again. I tuned both tuners to an HD channel and shut the unit off. After about 3.5 hours the fan was still revving up and down. Late in the evening, when the kid is in bed, I listen to the TV at a relatively low volume, but still loud enough to clearly hear things from 12 ft away. However, I can clearly hear the fan on the 6416 above the level of the TV. It is quite distracting. I'll be exchanging the unit this weekend in the hopes of getting a quieter unit. Regards, Loren