# What fans/aircon units do people recommend?



## PeterBaumann (Jun 25, 2018)

Any recommendations for relatively quiet fans/aircon units that don't break the bank? Experiencing a heatwave in the UK this week and, although it does a fairly decent job, the fan I have is pretty loud.


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## Wunderhorn (Jun 25, 2018)

For a fan, I'd recommend a Vornado. Even at the lowest setting it moves a good amount of air and it is surprisingly quiet.


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## Nmargiotta (Jun 25, 2018)

Im looking to add AC this summer in my studio, it looks like a split unit would work best. If anyone has/recommends Id love to hear.


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## juliancisneros (Jun 25, 2018)

I moved into a new studio space last October and I just had a 1.5 ton Samsung Smart Whisper mini split installed two weeks ago. Unit is silent and studio is now freezing cold, just in time for summer here in LA. It was expensive at $4700 total for unit, professional install, and electrical (I mean, think of the synth(s) I could have bought!), but because I often have directors and producers over, I felt the investment was worth it so everyone is always comfortable when they are here, and our meetings are uninterrupted by loud obtrusive swamp coolers. Again, it was painful to pay that much! But I'm very comfortable now, and so is my gear.


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## Nmargiotta (Jun 25, 2018)

juliancisneros said:


> I moved into a new studio space last October and I just had a 1.5 ton Samsung Smart Whisper mini split installed two weeks ago. Unit is silent and studio is now freezing cold, just in time for summer here in LA. It was expensive at $4700 total for unit, professional install, and electrical (I mean, think of the synth(s) I could have bought!), but because I often have directors and producers over, I felt the investment was worth it so everyone is always comfortable when they are here, and our meetings are uninterrupted by loud obtrusive swamp coolers. Again, it was painful to pay that much! But I'm very comfortable now, and so is my gear.




Thank you for sharing! Im in the same boat, last summer was pretty brutal in my studio (San Diego) and I want to jump on an install before it really heats up. I was looking into the samsungs as they seem to be some of the quietest on the market. Im glad to hear its working out well for you. Miscellaneous studio expenses are always a tough pill to swallow for me (new desks, chairs, AC units, displays, etc) but totally necessary and are almost more important then the fun gear purchases.


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## juliancisneros (Jun 25, 2018)

Nmargiotta said:


> Thank you for sharing! Im in the same boat, last summer was pretty brutal in my studio (San Diego) and I want to jump on an install before it really heats up. I was looking into the samsungs as they seem to be some of the quietest on the market. Im glad to hear its working out well for you. Miscellaneous studio expenses are always a tough pill to swallow for me (new desks, chairs, AC units, displays, etc) but totally necessary and are almost more important then the fun gear purchases.



Totally with you there man! Even though it will cost a pretty penny, its something that will keep you going for years to come, especially if you invest in a quality unit. I chose the Whisper because it was so quiet, and now that its in here, I don't even notice it... just the cool, comfortable air fanning through the room. Good luck!


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## chillbot (Aug 14, 2019)

Wunderhorn said:


> For a fan, I'd recommend a Vornado.


I like the vornado but I wouldn't call it quiet. On the lowest setting it's tolerable but anything higher is rather audible. I suppose this is an area where you just can't have it both ways?


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## jcrosby (Aug 14, 2019)

'Split' AC systems are AMAZING. Virtually inaudible, let alone being possibly the best AC system I've found... They'll cool any room down in just a few minutes...

A few grand for hardware and installation... Not necessarily cheap, but cheap compared to the typical HVAC systems you'd find in a commercial facility, and most definitely as effective in terms of AC. (Frankly better IMO.. Like I said they generally cool a room as fast if not faster depending on placement...)

Also this is coming on the heels of already trying to get away with a really nice portable unit in my studio... It was useless.... Noisy, and basically gave off just as much heat as it removed, making it truly pointless....

If your dealing with truly unbearable conditions save up the cash and have a split put in... Like the poster above said, mine has a whisper mode, and despite being damn near inaudible it does a crazy good job cooling the room. When clients come over it really does pay for itself...


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## ThePrioryStudio (Aug 15, 2019)

Nmargiotta said:


> Im looking to add AC this summer in my studio, it looks like a split unit would work best. If anyone has/recommends Id love to hear.




I have a Panasonic HVAC, 2 heads into 1 external unit. A/C, heat and humidifier all in 1 unit. It has a timer so I set it to come on with my machines in the morning, it's super quiet (it has a quiet mode)

Pricey perhaps at about £1k plus fitting but with at least 2 machines on all the time and the recent hot weather, it's been worth every penny


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## MartinH. (Aug 15, 2019)

I just freeze a plastic water bottle, wrap a towel around it and lug it around with me. I find if I cool down my body core temperature that way, I'm not nearly as bothered by the heat in the room. Works wonders for me being able to sleep at night too. Your mileage may vary...


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## PeterBaumann (Aug 15, 2019)

Forgot about this thread! Ended up sticking it out last summer with a rubbish fan but booked in an aircon install in the autumn (earliest they could do - seems to be a growing market in the UK so the few people that do it are incredibly busy!). Ended up going for a split system (Mitsubishi 3.5kW MSZ-AP35VGK) which has been a life-saver, particularly for those random days in Spring where the UK had a sudden heatwave before returning back to its usual single-digit temperatures. It's incredibly efficient, and near enough silent. In winter, it's great for heating up just the studio if needed, rather than the whole property, although my studio gear does a pretty good job of that by itself. Think it came to about £1500 including install on the second floor, and electrical certificates and testing.


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## Gerhard Westphalen (Aug 15, 2019)

jcrosby said:


> Also this is coming on the heels of already trying to get away with a really nice portable unit in my studio... It was useless.... Noisy, and basically gave off just as much heat as it removed, making it truly pointless....


+1 

I had a hole drilled through the concrete walls in my room (it's in a basement without windows) to put one of these in and it was pretty much useless. I got the most powerful one which could supposedly cool a massive area. Eventually gave up on it and took it out of the room. Tried to use it a few years later and it wouldn't cool at all (same temp on fan vs AC mode) despite the compressor running. My solution has just been to get rid of gear and get more efficient gear. Room got pretty hot if I left the door closed but with my latest round of switching out gear, the room stays the same temperature as the rest of the house.


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## reddognoyz (Aug 16, 2019)

MITSUBISHI Mr. Slim style AC's can be super quiet and still deliver great cooling. Also cheaper to run. We have one in our larger vocal booth and we can leave it on when recording vo.


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## LisaAlsop (Jul 16, 2021)

You have to get a sound cooling system to maintain consistent comfort throughout the year. The best would be a system that is both efficient and affordable. Cooling systems are designed to use as little energy as possible while also minimizing noise pollution. For example, after I moved into a new house, there was no A/C. So, I decided to contact the guys from https://www.majorcooling.com/. They made me an exciting offer by installing the latest cooling system. I am happy with how it's working and by their work in general.


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## Fizzlewig (Jul 16, 2021)

PeterBaumann said:


> Forgot about this thread! Ended up sticking it out last summer with a rubbish fan but booked in an aircon install in the autumn (earliest they could do - seems to be a growing market in the UK so the few people that do it are incredibly busy!). Ended up going for a split system (Mitsubishi 3.5kW MSZ-AP35VGK) which has been a life-saver, particularly for those random days in Spring where the UK had a sudden heatwave before returning back to its usual single-digit temperatures. It's incredibly efficient, and near enough silent. In winter, it's great for heating up just the studio if needed, rather than the whole property, although my studio gear does a pretty good job of that by itself. Think it came to about £1500 including install on the second floor, and electrical certificates and testing.


I don’t know anything about air con, but what you had installed sounds perfect for me. So is a split system where the unit is on an outside wall and pipes Cold air into the room?


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## PeterBaumann (Jul 17, 2021)

Fizzlewig said:


> I don’t know anything about air con, but what you had installed sounds perfect for me. So is a split system where the unit is on an outside wall and pipes Cold air into the room?


Yep, it's an ideal setup. Unit sits on the top of my wall (rear right of my desk) and it's dead silent on its lowest setting. It's efficient, and if it's REALLY hot when I come down in the morning, I can blast cool it on max for a couple of mins with the door closed and it's ready in no time. The outside unit is pretty quiet too.

The silly thing is after all that worrying about fan noise, I'm now sat next to my 2018 MBP which has its fan running at full blast 100% of the time  I could probably have the aircon on max and the laptop would still be louder


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## Fizzlewig (Jul 17, 2021)

PeterBaumann said:


> Yep, it's an ideal setup. Unit sits on the top of my wall (rear right of my desk) and it's dead silent on its lowest setting. It's efficient, and if it's REALLY hot when I come down in the morning, I can blast cool it on max for a couple of mins with the door closed and it's ready in no time. The outside unit is pretty quiet too.
> 
> The silly thing is after all that worrying about fan noise, I'm now sat next to my 2018 MBP which has its fan running at full blast 100% of the time  I could probably have the aircon on max and the laptop would still be louder


Thank you, i’ll try and find a company in my area that can supply and fit the same air con unit as yours


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## Trash Panda (Jul 17, 2021)

Growing up in Texas, central air conditioning has been ubiquitous my entire life. I find stories of not having A/C fascinating. Like how?


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## PeterBaumann (Jul 17, 2021)

Fizzlewig said:


> Thank you, i’ll try and find a company in my area that can supply and fit the same air con unit as yours


There may be newer models that have been released since mine came out. The spec sheets are usually pretty detailed and fairly easy to access so worth comparing 🙂


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## PeterBaumann (Jul 17, 2021)

PeterBaumann said:


> There may be newer models that have been released since mine came out. The spec sheets are usually pretty detailed and fairly easy to access so worth comparing 🙂


it’s not standard here in the UK to have AC. If anything, our houses are designed to keep heat in, which is helpful in winter but not so good when we have a heatwave!


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## terrypippa (Sep 26, 2021)

Today there`re hundreds of companies operating in the market of ventilation and air conditioning systems. Nevertheless, have to say that not all companies consider it their duty to help the consumer in a timely way to choose an air conditioner, as well as to provide warranty and service. That`s why you should be careful. Nevertheless, I can advise https://www.airconservicing.org/, where I bought my conditioner. It seems to me that the most important thing is not only to know what conditioner to choose, but also how professionally it`ll be installed and how qualified will be its warranty and service maintenance.


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## martiscore (Dec 17, 2021)

I guess vornado


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