32 channels plus network processing in a 1U height enclosure won't work fan-less. You can reduce upheating by making sure the enclosure has free space around it, either by using higher feet, or leaving a bit space to other units within a rack.

BTW, there is a firmware update on our website's download section.

Audio or not does not change the power consumption significantly.

I will ask about manual control.

The M16 has no network processing, half the channels and double the enclosure size - then it works without a fan 

Thank MC and Marc,

@MC you are right of course: choosing an M16 for fan only feels like living in the past, and not so good;)
Maybe a second UFX+ with less IN/Out then, is an option, if the fan noise is annoying too much, just thinking...any other thoughts?

@Marc:
I got that and it totally makes sense.
But it would be great to turn them off for recording, otherwise I think it can be an issue in some studios.

I was thinking about a "fan-off timer" that turns it off for 30 minutes or a specific time range, so you can't forget about that.
Or deactivating the fan with a "critical threshhold value", where the fan necessary has to start again to avoid damage.

Maybe choosing manually fan speeds can be a big advantage, as you watch the temperature and get your workaround with that, if lower RPM-values are doing almost the same in your setup.
For me It feels like the fan is not regulating that much for the action it does, but I can only compare to running with no fan, so its just a non-objective opinion on that point;)

I was always interested about M Pro series with heat and fans but decided to wait out and watch.  I totally get that they are designed for more broadcast scenarios that imply machine rooms etc.  For the time being the Micstasy/ADI8-QS combo is still quite a high spec and silent combo.  What it loses in perceived quality in comparision to M Pro or later Focusrite Rednet I cannot say as I have never compared.  But at least in my situation the only time I ever wrinkled my nose at the RME was the (utilitarian) Madiface XT headphone DAC vs Merging Hapi, when switching from one to the other.  In the true actual pre/adc/dac dept, I am still very happy.

Yes I Think the same. Maybe kind of a "power sheme" is a good point, where the Units run in minimal mode like 16 Channels only, no Network for example. I think right now there is nothing comparable on the market. The sound quality is outstanding in my opinion and switching (back) to an 12 year old device is no proper solution because of ventilation;)

@Matthias, maybe you also can come up with this approach, beside the "manual control"- idea, when you're talking with RME guys;)

Interesting! I hope we will get more information here on the new functions and their impact on noise generation.

Cool, I had the M32 AD pro with the new Firmware run for 90 minutes in a ful lrack without spacing in-between without the fan turned on. It works just fine. Thank you!

Due to it's mechanical design and PCB stackup, thermal mass is quite high. This in turn means temperature is both in- and decreasing rather slowly.
Environmental temperature is also an important factor. The "Cool" preset is primarily meant to be used in air conditioned machine rooms, where the fan ensures proper air exchange in densely packed racks. It's not very effective if environmental temperature is too high (more space between units is the way to go in these circumstances).

In your case, 58 and 72 degrees still leave enough safety margin, so no worries. How high were the temperatures when you've switched presets? What was the environmental temperature and how much space did you leave between units?

Hi Marcus,

I see. With no space at all there is the possibility that the fan could finally start spinning (above 70 degrees analog temperature). Are you using the rack in "no noise"-environments like classical recordings on stage?
Otherwise you could place a slow spinning large fan (>12cm) at the back of the rack, so that it blows between Furman, M-32 and upper BG8. This is immensely effective, as heat is transported away from the chassis (which works as a heat spreader).
If fan noise is a no go, than you could try swapping the lower BG8 and the M-32.

Well, it is "as cool as possible" quite literally. In a packed rack, given high environmental temperature, holding the temperature at 58 degrees (you've written processor, but I guess you meant analog?) is hard enough. The temperature would surely have increased otherwise. But still, lot's of safety margin in your case. No need to worry so far!