White Light of Death
Power User
Same as a kemper as far as tone, just as good
The KPA is a worthy competitor for the AX8, but the AxeFXIII is in a different class entirely.
I know this is a fractal forum and I will likely receive biased answers but im looking for some honest feedback from those of you who own both or have a lot of experience with both. I hear from time to time that the Kemper has a better tube "feel/tone" than even the newest the AXEIII. Maybe I just don't have super tone ears but in my limited experience with a Kemper and an AXe2 I didn't really "feel" or "hear" much of a difference when they were both setup on excellently made presets. The axeIII certainly blows the kemper out of the water on high gain tones and effects but just curious about the other less gainy tube tones and feel? Thanks
Man, I find myself at the age where Mrs. Howell has somehow slipped into the competition.What? Mary Ann, no contest.
Man, I find myself at the age where Mrs. Howell has somehow slipped into the competition.
My guitar hoarder friend has the KPA. I have the Axe-FX II Mark II and a Line 6 Helix. Using all a bit, here are my honest impressions using a Xitone M Britt to monitor all 3 using my friend's great playing and my woefully average playing.
KPA: Unit really shines with dry amp or amp+reverb tones. The M Britt and Top Jimi profiles are worth the price of admission. If you close your eyes and don't touch the settings, you'll think it's a real amp, especially if you like to do guitar volume tricks. If you have cherished amp with no touch settings, you can have that tone cloned in about 10 minutes. However once you start tweaking the knobs, it gets less convincing and more generically sounding like a good vst.
Axe-FX II - The factory presets were the Achilles heel, building your own or using experienced users presets yields amazing tones. Basic tones and advanced signal routing are both possible. Volume roll offs using Ares FW and tweaking are equally convincing. You could also make impossible amps if you are ambitious. Again, eyes closed it can feel and sounds like a real amp, not necessarily your example of the amp model, like trying out several different years of the same amp. The editor is great.
Helix Floor - If the other units didn't exist, it would be very kick ass. The unit UI, foot controller integration, and midi control are the easiest of the 3 to navigate. The models however good sounding they are feel like they are more refined or have training wheels than the other 2 units. Signal routing can be more complex than KPA but less than Fractal. Using 3rd party IR files are a must with that unit IMHO to get it to sound more real.
Hope this helps.
When I finally can afford to get a III, I will do another shootout with all four and let you know my thoughts.I was looking for your comparison on the axe fx iii. Good write up..
I’m at the point where I’d take Mr Howell
(J.k)
what are you doing in my Home Studio?!...seriously, your findings echo mine....curious , which DSP setting you use on the MBritt?My guitar hoarder friend has the KPA. I have the Axe-FX II Mark II and a Line 6 Helix. Using all a bit, here are my honest impressions using a Xitone M Britt to monitor all 3 using my friend's great playing and my woefully average playing.
KPA: Unit really shines with dry amp or amp+reverb tones. The M Britt and Top Jimi profiles are worth the price of admission. If you close your eyes and don't touch the settings, you'll think it's a real amp, especially if you like to do guitar volume tricks. If you have cherished amp with no touch settings, you can have that tone cloned in about 10 minutes. However once you start tweaking the knobs, it gets less convincing and more generically sounding like a good vst.
Axe-FX II - The factory presets were the Achilles heel, building your own or using experienced users presets yields amazing tones. Basic tones and advanced signal routing are both possible. Volume roll offs using Ares FW and tweaking are equally convincing. You could also make impossible amps if you are ambitious. Again, eyes closed it can feel and sounds like a real amp, not necessarily your example of the amp model, like trying out several different years of the same amp. The editor is great.
Helix Floor - If the other units didn't exist, it would be very kick ass. The unit UI, foot controller integration, and midi control are the easiest of the 3 to navigate. The models however good sounding they feel like they are more refined or have training wheels than the other 2 units. Signal routing can be more complex than KPA but less than Fractal. Using 3rd party IR files are a must with that unit IMHO to get it to sound more real.
Hope this helps.
Guys, Tina and Dawn (and Donna Douglas, since we’re on the subject) were both born in the 1930’s. They were in their 20’s when Tweed Deluxes were new. Sadly, time marches on. If you’re really hankering for an older woman, I’d suggest Scarlett Johansson, lol. On the other hand, Betty and Wilma are timeless.That was a good chuckle for me this morning lol