To make a long story short I think you will really like the AXE FX III!
Time for a little background since I had similar reservations about trying “yet another amp modeler”.
I also play through a set of Yamaha HS7 studio monitors and they are a great set of monitors and you can get a great tone with them. I’m curious what your signal chain/setup looks like - are you playing direct into the monitors or are the HS7’s running through an audio interface? How far away are you sitting from the speakers? That sort of thing etc…
I had tried several modelers over the years and was never really happy with the sound quality either - that is until I decided to give the AXE FX III a chance. I’ve owned several amps ranging from Mesa to Peavy. I played them through the TwoNotes Live load box using a set of Ownhammer IR’s into an audio interface routed through my monitors. (more on IR’s in a minute). So, I have some experience with a few different amps.
In fact, the AXE FX III so faithfully represents the sound/tone of the real amps and IR’s I was using that I was just blown away - and I still am on a daily basis! The nice thing about the AXE is that I’m not limited to one amp any longer! I’ve been having a lot of fun dialing in tones and experimenting with the vast collection of default IR’s included with the AXE FX III.
I used to have the same issues as you, just didn’t sound full and open - instead my sound was harsh and thin sounding and no matter what I did I couldn’t seem to get the sound I knew was possible. I’ve finally been able to get a sound that I’m happy with by experimenting with setting up my HS7’s in the following manner.
- Setup your HS7’s on stands or place them on foam blocks if you can.
- Make sure they are a couple of feet from any wall if you are able. If not, you can tweak the base a little on the back of the monitor if it’s just way too boomy.
- Get those monitors spread out a bit! Form a nice big equilateral triangle with them. I position mine roughly 4 to 5 feet apart - this means they should be roughly the same distance to your ears.
- Make sure the tweeter is at ear level.
- Position your listening position to roughly 38% of the room length.
The items listed above really opened up my sound and made it sound full and rich! Much like the “amp in the room” feeling! Another thing, if you are playing through a cheap audio interface… you may want to consider upgrading that as well. Upgrading to a decent quality audio interface took my sound clarity and purity to another level! It felt even more open and full - it’s almost hard to describe until you have a chance to compare between and cheap interface and a high quality one. It added a clarity to the harsh high end frequencies I was used to. I went with the Clarret 4 Pre interface as an example. I’m also running the SPDIF out of the AXE FX into the the audio interface.
I also did a comparison using my peavy 6505+ amp and my TwoNotes Live load box and dialed up the exact same settings in the AXE FX III - THE TONE WAS SPOT ON THE SAME! I was blown away. I also did the bias mod to my amp and was able to experiment with the bias setting in the AXE FX and the adjustments there felt like it was spot on as well! I realize that this description is somewhat subjective - but it really does describe my experience with the whole thing so far. Also, keep in mind it’s best to learn how to dial an amp and go through Yek’s manual on the all the amps in the AXE FX. Amp knowledge is helpful no matter what modeler you are using!
Also, the AXE FX comes with some really nice IR’s - don’t be afraid to experiment with these you will be pleasantly surprised! I also like use the PEQ block at the end of the chain if I need to remove some stubborn harsh frequencies. Also, check out some of the videos that Leon Todd does on YouTube!
Once you get your hands on the AXE FX III, it will be the start of a new journey! You won’t be disappointed!