Quote Originally Posted by grampi
What's wrong with Mackie amps? If an amp didn't need a fan for the home environment, why would these companies put them on their amps? Obviously, they think they're necessary. The reason I'm looking at the XLS series amps is because I can't afford paying $500-$1000 for an amp. If I could, I wouldn't be looking at the lower end amps.

Couple reasons.

1) They are more likely to be run near their maximum output.

2) In order to save weight and make them more mechanically robust, finned heatsinks were reduced in size, or eliminated in favor of forced air cooling.

Don't know about Mackie, but if you look into a crown(PB or PT series specifically) you'll see the output devices mounted on a flat plate near the air exhaust outlet.

-Bruce