Of course everyone is entitled to their own opinion....but to say we don't have good drives is to me...we'll, a little too abrasive and not really true. I think the drives are really good. However, I will agree they haven't changed much to me either since they were updated. They worked for me in the past, they work good now.
I'd definitely recommend getting rid of the clean amp and get a power amp. Or, go out of your AX8 to return on the effects loop of your amp for best results. Using a drive into a clean amp is almost always a recipe for the sound of ***. I've been doing this stuff for over 30+ years. I can count 3-4 times where an amp on clean sounded good with any type of drive going into it.
If you don't want to use the AX8 like I mentioned above and you're hell bent on using your amp on clean setting..use the GT100 and enjoy your tone.