Best poweramp for Axe III (Goal: LOUDDDDD)

Isn't 18db output to have unity gain to use out 3 in 4cm? Aka it's not as loud as you think it's going to be?
 
JiveTurkey said:
Isn't 18db output to have unity gain to use out 3 in 4cm? Aka it's not as loud as you think it's going to be?
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Seems so. The manual states:
"Boost/Pad helps optimize D/A performance without affecting levels, since a boost at the converter’s input is paired with a corresponding cut at its output. Be watchful, however, as boosting makes it easier to clip the converters. Watch the meters and if clipping occurs, reduce levels within your preset or turn this setting down."
 
I have the Matrix GT1000FX 1U and have been considering the Fryette LXII for the reasons you mentioned. Please report back after you've had a chance to gig with it.
 
bstaley said:
Thanks for the quick and honest reply. You're about to cost me a LOT of money! :cool::p
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The LXII is great with fractal products. I love it so much I bought a second one. Only drawback for me really is the weight. Design wise, the pot location for adjusting the depth and presence (if you wanted to use it in a non-neutral manner) is dumb.
 
Midheavy said:
Yeah, it's definitely heavier than I imagined. I got a SKB 1SKB-R2S Roto-Molded Shallow Rack Case 2U case for it. I have a gear cart that fits my 2U case with the Furman 8dx and LXII inside, two guitars and my FM3 or FM9 on a pedalboard. Makes it easy for transport for me.
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Totally. I have a 8 space shock mount rack for my FX-III and LXII, its heavy, and due to being a shock mount rack it is too awkward to lift on my own. I have the other LXII in a four space rack and it is very manageable.
 
JiveTurkey said:
Isn't 18db output to have unity gain to use out 3 in 4cm? Aka it's not as loud as you think it's going to be?
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The Boost/Pad setting for Output 3 and 4 does not change the analog output level. It's for noise floor optimization at the converters. Setting it to 18 dB boosts the signal level going into the converters by 18 dB AND pads (cuts) it 18 dB immediately after the converters. The net change at the analog outputs is zero. If you want the analog output level from Outputs 3 and 4 (unity gain by default) to match that of Outputs 1 and 2 (line level outputs), boost the signal level on the grid by 20 dB for OUT 3 or OUT 4.
 
Midheavy said:
I have gig'ed with it and practiced with it recently and it's freaking amazing. It literally brought all my amps to life. My tone is so good now that it threw my drummer off during practice. He said it sounds so good now he got lost in the tone during a couple of songs lol.

It has the feel I have been trying to get for years and all the amps that I use regularly sound 10 times better than they did with the Matrix. I 100% recommend this to anyone.

The Fractal and the LXII have allowed me to come to a point where I actually have the tone I have been searching for my whole life, which is scary for me right now..
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Not having the depth and presence adjustable when rack mounted is just a silly design. That’s why I went with a PowerStation, plus the reactive load to use with my real amps.
 
bstaley said:
Thanks for the quick and honest reply. You're about to cost me a LOT of money! :cool::p:)
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I've been on a leave from work for the last few days and decided to give the Axe and Fryette another go after a long period of only playing the Axe through my studio monitors. I have my trusty custom-made Hayden 4x12 with older MIE V30s - essentially a Mesa Recto Traditional Straight 4x12.
Honestly, it's GODLY. I mean, WOW, holy shit. Especially with the new beta firmware.
Really the only thing is that obviously if you're playing through a 4x12 with V30s you can't expect a Fender Deluxe to sound "right" when put through it. So it's no surprise I mostly enjoy playing high gain amps and the Marshalls to an extent through this setup.
I got my JP2C back a while ago - now I decided to directly compare it to the Axe+Fryette through the same cab. I mean it's uncanny to the point where I'm literally hysterically laughing.
 
bstaley said:
Thanks for the quick and honest reply. You're about to cost me a LOT of money! :cool::p:)
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I got an LXII recently, and was expecting great things, compared to my Matrix GT1000FX. Although the LXII is superb, what I found was just how good the Matrix really is. There's not a lot between them at all. I will continue to use both, but the Matrix will get the most use overall due to its portability.
 
If you want to be really loud, get a bigger PA. This whole power amp business is honestly a fool’s errand. You’re not gonna get more volume out of 4 speakers that are capped at a certain wattage, all you’re gonna do is blow them. Bring more PA to the venue, that way you can have more headroom to crank everything up, guitars included. Spend a few thousand bucks in quality PA speakers and subs to supplement whatever the venue already has.
 
GuitarGuy316 said:
Not having the depth and presence adjustable when rack mounted is just a silly design. That’s why I went with a PowerStation, plus the reactive load to use with my real amps.
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Totally agree on the design of the depth and presence adjustments. I don't understand what they were thinking. Although, I never have them enabled anyway, so it does not really matter when using the LXII with a modeler for me.

I had a PS-2A, and when I A/B'd it against my SD PS170, it really was not that much better, IMO, at more than double the price. Granted the PS-2A can do all sorts of other cool things, but I do not need those features.

The LXII sounds better than the PS170 to me, but its also more than double the price, and weighs a lot more. I still gig with my PS 170 on my FM9 pedal board when bringing the larger set up just is not feasible. Or I am feeling lazy. LOL.
 
man Im still on the fence on the 2902 vs the LXII. The real test will be micing them up, that to me will be the real giveaway between the 2. There is a clip on YouTube (albeit in Japanese I believe) that showcases the 2150 and 2902 under a microphone and level matched. And to some, it may sound like small differences but its enough to make me wonder just how much better the 2150 really is than the 2902. The 2150 definitely sounded better to me, more hi-fi, scooped etc. I had a 2902 years ago, should have never sold it.

The LXII I'm sure is fantastic and seems like a great power amp, its hard not to pick this thing up. However I gotta be honest, I REALLY hate the location of the depth/presence controls; these are controls I will utilize quite often when I'm recording, and access to them will be a thing for me. But, who knows, the reality is you can't buy these power amps new right now anyways, fryette is so behind usually, not surprising. ( I mean from places like zounds, Sweetwater etc)
 
VESmedic said:
man Im still on the fence on the 2902 vs the LXII. The real test will be micing them up, that to me will be the real giveaway between the 2. There is a clip on YouTube (albeit in Japanese I believe) that showcases the 2150 and 2902 under a microphone and level matched. And to some, it may sound like small differences but its enough to make me wonder just how much better the 2150 really is than the 2902. The 2150 definitely sounded better to me, more hi-fi, scooped etc. I had a 2902 years ago, should have never sold it.

The LXII I'm sure is fantastic and seems like a great power amp, its hard not to pick this thing up. However I gotta be honest, I REALLY hate the location of the depth/presence controls; these are controls I will utilize quite often when I'm recording, and access to them will be a thing for me. But, who knows, the reality is you can't buy these power amps new right now anyways, fryette is so behind usually, not surprising. ( I mean from places like zounds, Sweetwater etc)
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I have no idea who looked at that design and gave it the green light with presence and depth controls where they are. Dumb.
 
VESmedic said:
The LXII I'm sure is fantastic and seems like a great power amp, its hard not to pick this thing up. However I gotta be honest, I REALLY hate the location of the
JiveTurkey said:
I have no idea who looked at that design and gave it the green light with presence and depth controls where they are. Dumb.
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Agreed. I never use them though, as once engaged the amp is no longer "neutral".
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JiveTurkey said:
I have no idea who looked at that design and gave it the green light with presence and depth controls where they are. Dumb.
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Actually I think it makes sense. In modelling + using a hi-headroom power amp with low coloration like LxII or similar, per preset presence / depth would most logically be set in the models used, not on the physical power amp. The physical power amps presence / depth would not
logically be adjusted from one preset to another - set it once and forget it forever - personally, I've steered clear of FR power amps that have any kind of tonal adjustment on the front panel, particularly BMT (ie pedal baby) - those controls are impossible to manage on a preset to preset basis and don't make a whole lot of sense to me when using full power amp modelling.
 
I don't agree with that all personally; whatever sounds good, IS good, however you get there. If I wanna boost the low end from the power amp, I mean how much better does it get than a fryettes power section you know? I think boxing yourself into what should or should not be, is a way of losing creativity. and I know that's little dramatic and an extreme example, but if im micing up my amp (or axe with a power amp for a different flavor) I couldn't care less about what is neutral or not neutral. All I care about is if it sounds super sick or not. Poor design on fryette, but as smart as the guy is, there has GOTTA be a reason they did it based on the design and/or location of the pots, or something........right?
 
VESmedic said:
I don't agree with that all personally; whatever sounds good, IS good, however you get there. If I wanna boost the low end from the power amp, I mean how much better does it get than a fryettes power section you know? I think boxing yourself into what should or should not be, is a way of losing creativity. and I know that's little dramatic and an extreme example, but if im micing up my amp (or axe with a power amp for a different flavor) I couldn't care less about what is neutral or not neutral. All I care about is if it sounds super sick or not. Poor design on fryette, but as smart as the guy is, there has GOTTA be a reason they did it based on the design and/or location of the pots, or something........right?
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agree to disagree, but the word "logically" was key in my post,
Sure, what sounds good is always good, but there's also logic and method in this stuff thats hard to ignore. Presence / Depth is in the p.a. modelling also so who knows what stacking presence / depth internally + externally does to accuracy, + such controls on physical power amps are not automatically adjustable across presets so are, for all practical purposes, static across presets anyway (pretty safe guess that most will not likely run over and adjust those when switching from one preset to another). - so hidden on the back / not on the front makes sense in that context.

The trouble with the "just" part of "just use your ears" is that once a sarisifying sound arrives, one just using ears will likely have little clue how it logically got there or how to reproduce it in any other system.

ears / eyes / brain

Would be interesting to hear Steven Fryette's explanation for the "dumb" decision on where those controls are located.
 
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sprint said:
ears / eyes / brain

Would be interesting to hear Steven Fryette's "dumb" explanation for the decision on where to locate those controls.
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It would be interesting to know. Forget the modeler aspect, just in terms of ease of use for settings it does not not make much sense. Once in a rack there is basically no way to adjust the pots. Seems weird.
 
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