Hey everyone!
I've had my Axe Fx II XL+ since 2017, and recently I've been considering an upgrade to an Axe Fx III.
I was very curios about the amp block improvements that have been accumulated over those 7 years, but I couldn't find any source online that compared the sound of Quantum 8 to Cygnus X-3.
So I borrowed my friend's FM3 and created a comparison myself!
My Axe Fx is on FW Quantum 8.02, the FM3 is on FW 8.00.
(Yes I know my Axe Fx II can be updated to Ares, but I never updated it, and I think it's even more interesting to compare Quantum since it's older!)
For this test I kept it very simple, only using a filter block before the amp, an amp block, and a cab block with an IR I made myself.
The amp was a 1987X Treble Channel, with everything on 10, except the input trim which was set to 0.1 for rhythm and 0.5 for lead.
On the Axe Fx II, I left all of the advanced settings stock.
On the FM3, I've disabled cabinet resonance, speaker drive, speaker compression, speaker thump, and set speaker compliance to 50%.
I've also set the speaker impedance curve manually to match the Axe Fx II, since the 1987X default was slightly different on the FM3.
I've made these changes because to me it sounded like they were affecting the cab more than the amp, skewing the comparison.
I've also had to decrease the FM3 gain (before the amp) by 2 dB because it was slightly hotter.
For the recording process, I first recorded the Axe Fx II, with both a DI signal and an amped signal via USB.
Then I sent the exact same DI to the FM3 and recorded it via USB.
So we're hearing the exact same performance, without any extra conversions.
I've then further matched the volumes of both recordings as best as I could.
I've kept the tones completely dry to not mask any potential difference in sound.
Now for the fun part, I'm not going to label the recordings yet!
I'd love to hear which clip sounds better to you, which one you think is the new/old unit, how substantial is the difference to you (if there is any!), and your thoughts in general.
I have the FM3 for the whole weekend, so I might post more comparisons over the next couple of days.
If you have any suggestions or feedback I'd love to hear it!
After I return the FM3 I'll reveal the which clip is which.
*If you don’t want to influence the audience with your preferences/guesses, feel free to PM me!
Here are the clips:
Rhythm A
Rhythm B
Lead A
Lead B
UPDATE: Round 2!
Some people (including myself) wanted to hear some more tones, so here they are!
This time it's a Strat on the neck and middle pickup, going through the JTM45 treble channel, through my own IR.
Both units had all the "Tone" page controls set the same, and the speaker impedance matched as well.
This time I used all the extra speaker features that the FM3 has, and on the Axe Fx 2 I used the closest equivalent which is the Motor Drive.
Again I did my best to match the gain levels and volume levels, exact the DI performance and digital recording method.
Would love to hear your thoughts again!![Smile :) :)](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)
Strat A
Strat B
I've had my Axe Fx II XL+ since 2017, and recently I've been considering an upgrade to an Axe Fx III.
I was very curios about the amp block improvements that have been accumulated over those 7 years, but I couldn't find any source online that compared the sound of Quantum 8 to Cygnus X-3.
So I borrowed my friend's FM3 and created a comparison myself!
My Axe Fx is on FW Quantum 8.02, the FM3 is on FW 8.00.
(Yes I know my Axe Fx II can be updated to Ares, but I never updated it, and I think it's even more interesting to compare Quantum since it's older!)
For this test I kept it very simple, only using a filter block before the amp, an amp block, and a cab block with an IR I made myself.
The amp was a 1987X Treble Channel, with everything on 10, except the input trim which was set to 0.1 for rhythm and 0.5 for lead.
On the Axe Fx II, I left all of the advanced settings stock.
On the FM3, I've disabled cabinet resonance, speaker drive, speaker compression, speaker thump, and set speaker compliance to 50%.
I've also set the speaker impedance curve manually to match the Axe Fx II, since the 1987X default was slightly different on the FM3.
I've made these changes because to me it sounded like they were affecting the cab more than the amp, skewing the comparison.
I've also had to decrease the FM3 gain (before the amp) by 2 dB because it was slightly hotter.
For the recording process, I first recorded the Axe Fx II, with both a DI signal and an amped signal via USB.
Then I sent the exact same DI to the FM3 and recorded it via USB.
So we're hearing the exact same performance, without any extra conversions.
I've then further matched the volumes of both recordings as best as I could.
I've kept the tones completely dry to not mask any potential difference in sound.
Now for the fun part, I'm not going to label the recordings yet!
I'd love to hear which clip sounds better to you, which one you think is the new/old unit, how substantial is the difference to you (if there is any!), and your thoughts in general.
I have the FM3 for the whole weekend, so I might post more comparisons over the next couple of days.
If you have any suggestions or feedback I'd love to hear it!
After I return the FM3 I'll reveal the which clip is which.
*If you don’t want to influence the audience with your preferences/guesses, feel free to PM me!
Here are the clips:
Rhythm A
Rhythm B
Lead A
Lead B
UPDATE: Round 2!
Some people (including myself) wanted to hear some more tones, so here they are!
This time it's a Strat on the neck and middle pickup, going through the JTM45 treble channel, through my own IR.
Both units had all the "Tone" page controls set the same, and the speaker impedance matched as well.
This time I used all the extra speaker features that the FM3 has, and on the Axe Fx 2 I used the closest equivalent which is the Motor Drive.
Again I did my best to match the gain levels and volume levels, exact the DI performance and digital recording method.
Would love to hear your thoughts again!
Strat A
Strat B
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