I have just recently purchased a second hand Axe FX 2 locally in New Zealand in the interim while I find the best option for purchasing a new Axe FX 3 from a dealer here. (it seems no one here is sure about getting one to me)
In setting this up I have found the output of the headphones to be very distorted at anything over about 9:00, which is incredibly quiet to listen to. I have checked on gain staging through the unit and also made sure that the output Red LED clip indicator is not on full time (which it isn’t) and I’ve also connected this unit to an amp/speaker through the XLR port output 1 on the rear – the signal coming out of that is not clipping or distorted at all.
I’ve checked on the utility screen that the output has headroom and it seems to peak at around 75% to 80%, so I am sure it’s not an internal digital type of clipping, or an overdriven amp block type of clipping… it even happens on clean, low drive/gain amp models, with the volume levels turned down as you turn the output knob up past about 9:00… to my ears it seems to be a very nasty, not musical, distortion that is isolated to the headphones out jack on the front of the unit only. I understand that this output is directly linked to the output 1 options on the rear of the unit and so when I turn it up on the knob on the front face I do hear an increase in volume from the rear outputs to the amp/speaker without the distortion I get as it turns up in the headphones. Also, if I let it happen at higher levels the jack output will cut out completely for a short period of maybe a second and then return – as though there is an overload protection on the headphone output circuitry somehow.
Can you please let me know if there is any way this front jack point could be overloading even though the rear outputs are not?
Also, can you let me know if they can be controlled independently (I don’t believe that they can be??) and if so what effect that might have…
I hear this distortion to be not like a high gain drive of an amp, but more like the output to the headphones has something wrong. It’s not a musical or overdriven tone, or a traditional tone of an amp being pushed too hard… more like a scratchy/fuzzy damaged component sound. And remember that it’s not happening on the clip lights, or with the rear outputs, but only the headphones jack.
Is this something that could have gone wrong inside the unit? Are there parts that could be damaged that can be swapped?
Thanks so much in advance for helping out… if things go well I will buy into the latest Axe FX 3 very soon, so I really want to have a good experience with the Axe FX 2 for the short while I need to use it, plus it will make a good backup/second unit for larger band tracking.
Best Regards
- My question is related to the Axe FX 2 (mk1) that I have just picked up. I have bought this as an interim unit, to get myself familiar with the systems and to get rolling with this equipment. I have a query that I hope you can help with to keep me moving forwards.
In setting this up I have found the output of the headphones to be very distorted at anything over about 9:00, which is incredibly quiet to listen to. I have checked on gain staging through the unit and also made sure that the output Red LED clip indicator is not on full time (which it isn’t) and I’ve also connected this unit to an amp/speaker through the XLR port output 1 on the rear – the signal coming out of that is not clipping or distorted at all.
I’ve checked on the utility screen that the output has headroom and it seems to peak at around 75% to 80%, so I am sure it’s not an internal digital type of clipping, or an overdriven amp block type of clipping… it even happens on clean, low drive/gain amp models, with the volume levels turned down as you turn the output knob up past about 9:00… to my ears it seems to be a very nasty, not musical, distortion that is isolated to the headphones out jack on the front of the unit only. I understand that this output is directly linked to the output 1 options on the rear of the unit and so when I turn it up on the knob on the front face I do hear an increase in volume from the rear outputs to the amp/speaker without the distortion I get as it turns up in the headphones. Also, if I let it happen at higher levels the jack output will cut out completely for a short period of maybe a second and then return – as though there is an overload protection on the headphone output circuitry somehow.
Can you please let me know if there is any way this front jack point could be overloading even though the rear outputs are not?
Also, can you let me know if they can be controlled independently (I don’t believe that they can be??) and if so what effect that might have…
I hear this distortion to be not like a high gain drive of an amp, but more like the output to the headphones has something wrong. It’s not a musical or overdriven tone, or a traditional tone of an amp being pushed too hard… more like a scratchy/fuzzy damaged component sound. And remember that it’s not happening on the clip lights, or with the rear outputs, but only the headphones jack.
Is this something that could have gone wrong inside the unit? Are there parts that could be damaged that can be swapped?
Thanks so much in advance for helping out… if things go well I will buy into the latest Axe FX 3 very soon, so I really want to have a good experience with the Axe FX 2 for the short while I need to use it, plus it will make a good backup/second unit for larger band tracking.
Best Regards
