Axe Fx III vs. Neural Quad vs. HX.Stomp vs. Kemper

I think they all sound effin great!
Yes absolutely - what i noticed was a certain harshness in the HX and the Neural Quad, that the Axe Fx and the Kemper didn´t have. The break up also felt way more natural with Axe Fx and the Kemper.
Let´s put it that way: the Neural ist not (yet) the praised prodigy or "Axe/Kemper-Killer" that was predicted...the marketing machinerie was great though:) Anyway - we didn´t check the profiling or the effects in that comparison.

Anyway...2021 is a great time to be a guitar player (gearwise, not corona-wise:)
 
After listening to this, I’m pretty sure that that the III used in this had not yet been Cygnified™ ( would like to know for certain) and the contrast between it and the others would be more apparent if it had, but that said, they were all certainly viable in the mix, and the Stomp easily the weakest of them ( I own a KPA and OG Helix as well, so I am somewhat familiar with them)
 
After listening to this, I’m pretty sure that that the III used in this had not yet been Cygnified™ ( would like to know for certain) and the contrast between it and the others would be more apparent if it had, but that said, they were all certainly viable in the mix, and the Stomp easily the weakest of three ( I own a KPA and OG Helix as well, so I am somewhat familiar with them)
They were all on the latest FW on 4/29 (Cygnus 16.00 - Helix was on 3.11)
 
They were all on the latest FW on 4/29 (Cygnus 16.00 - Helix was on 3.11)
Thanks for letting us know, @Heinzi , didn’t realize it was you who did this! Very nice..(BTW gotta admit , L6 has been pretty good recently at offering up some very interesting new FX in their HX FW updates , ive been using it as a post-FX unit for my synths..)..
:)
 
That was real interesting thanks for posting, I listened to it through my studio speakers for best quality

The Quad sounded good on the gainier stuff especially theJCM800 but it's such a cheap looking unit to me, the Kemper sounded boomier but pretty consistent and the Line6 Fender clean sounded especially good but sounded less and less open and more digital as the gain went up

Thought the Fractal sounded the most natural but I'm sure they're all capable of getting closer with some time on them. Coincidentally I just picked up a Stomp as I'd be hearing how good the new firmware is. I had one when they came out to compare to my old AX8 and it never did much for me. The new Stomp firmware is certainly an improvement but I still think the Fractals are the most natural and authentic sounding and there's still a significant gap between them.

If I didn't own any of these units and was using this video to help guide a purchase it'd be between the Kemper and the III. And considering the III's effects, and routing and amp options amongst other things I'd be headed toward the Fractal
 
Can you share what cabs were used in the Axe FX presets ?
I don´t recall exactly but it was a Blue Bulldog for the Vox, a Vibrolux 1x10" for the Fender and a 4x12" Pre Rola Greenback for the rest - same in all 4 devices
 
Cool video, thanks for sharing. I still think the Fractal is the best option even at its price point but it's not for everyone.
 
I think I'm biased because the Axe FX III to me sounds more real to me. If I close my eyes I can "see" the AxeFX player whence for the others I see a studio room, a record player and my old Zoom G9.2TT. Weird.
 
Just wanna leave this here - might be interesting:


Excellent video, beautifully put together, and really well edited. Well done!

And I think they ALL sound excellent. Personally, my ears couldn't really pick between them, and I think all those quotes about minute subjective differences in sound are just piffle. There's more variation between two models of the same REAL amp than there is between these modelers, IMHO. Those who claim to hear differences would be the same ones who can "hear" differences in a FW update on the Axe, only then to have Cliff post that the amp model in question hasn't actually changed at all.

As a studio player for decades (many of 'em) as well as a live player, I'd be more than happy with any of these.

For the record, I actually have an AxeFx3, a Helix Rack, and an HX Stomp myself (also an Ampero which is surprisingly good in certain situations). Oh, and numerous real amps too, and a bazillion pedals of all types which I no longer use.

Excellent job, Heinzi :)
 
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I've given up making decisions based on sound comparisons ... life's too short. I've instead chosen my manufacturers for digital-ware (Fractal and Kemper) I'll trust and buy their products and the rest can bugger off and stop annoying me :)
 
Nice. I really appreciate a non-talking video like this.

Obviously I prefer the III or I wouldn't be here. It's got a lot to do with how I use it too, which is at home, where I can have a bunch of things connected to it and I leave it there. If I was hauling around gear, it looks like I'd have no problem getting a secondary stomp box to play on.
 
I listened to them very closely with AKG K712 and read tons of comments/opinions. All I can say is that there are a lot of people with confirmation bias...
 
I listened to them very closely with AKG K712 and read tons of comments/opinions. All I can say is that there are a lot of people with confirmation bias...
Not everyone who posts comments are who they pretend to be...

We don't employ these tactics and I'm not saying that any of the comments are not legitimate but it is an established fact that some companies employ fake internet users whose sole job is to influence potential customers by posting on forums, Facebook, YouTube, etc.

I'm obviously biased but the Axe-Fx was consistently the best sounding.
 
I posted this in a similar thread last week. After having spent time with our other guitarist’s QC it’s very obvious that out of the box fractals effects and tones are still top of the heap. I have to give credit to the QC on the capturing as it was for real dead on. After capturing my favorite axeIII slo100 tone, I even did the “roll off the volume” test and it passed. Lots of reasons to choose fractal but the QC can hang with the big kids (they do need some serious UI and effects work IMO, especially drives)
 
I posted this in a similar thread last week. After having spent time with our other guitarist’s QC it’s very obvious that out of the box fractals effects and tones are still top of the heap. I have to give credit to the QC on the capturing as it was for real dead on. After capturing my favorite axeIII slo100 tone, I even did the “roll off the volume” test and it passed. Lots of reasons to choose fractal but the QC can hang with the big kids (they do need some serious UI and effects work IMO, especially drives)
One thing that is for sure: in audio equipment the last two percents are probably the hardest and also the most expensive.

When i recorded the video to me it also "felt" way more natural playing Axe Fx and Kemper - but if i had to play QC or HX in a festival/backline situation, i would without any worries.
I was also confirmed in my decision to stick to the Axe Fx - not just for the sounds but also for the great FX, the connectivity, sturdyness, the support, and to me in combination with an X-Load, the Axe FX also substitutes any OX because of its great Cab Block and room parameters- thnigs that didn´t run into our comparison.
When it comes to the price, which is a clear argument for many users, you´d have to compare the big Helix (cheapest of the 4 devices) to the FM3+FC6 - which is honestly not a such a big difference.
To me the decision is clear, but i´m also biased.
 
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