this may seem contrarian, but i don't mean for it to be.
i personally don't get much value out of comparing things, whether it be Cygnus to Ares, the axe to an helix, etc. it's logical to do so, and it's all the rage in YouTube videos. but for me, i just listen to what i'm presented with and decide if it sounds good or not without needing to compare.
when i first started playing electric guitar, i was fortunate to be given an epi les paul. i could not hear the difference whatsoever between the Bridge and Neck pickups. i often sat there for a while just changing between all the pickup positions and played some riffs and honestly couldn't hear any difference. i was mostly playing along to Metallica and Pantera through a Digitech RP20, cleans and gain. i mean, maybe some very slight difference, but really nothing substantial. i knew there had to be a reason for the 2 different pickups, but couldn't hear it and couldn't understand why it was an option.
so i would play master of puppets and battery on the neck pickup. and it sounded great to me.
then one morning, probably months in, there it was. omg. so obvious that the bridge pickup had more attack, was tighter, and sounded WAY better for this style of playing than the neck pickup. it's like the clouds parted and i could see clearly. i was dumbfounded that i couldn't hear that before when it was so obvious suddenly.
was i "wrong" earlier when i thought there was no difference? factually, yes - there is a difference. but to my own experience, not really. it DID sound good to me on the neck pickup and i truly heard no discernible difference. but one day it was suddenly obvious that it sounds better with the bridge pickup. i still enjoyed playing guitar, enjoyed the sound and result of my pickup selection, and had no worries about anything.
our ears develop over time. i just wasn't ready or experienced enough to hear the difference. i think this is similar to people's experience with various tube amps, as well as modeling changes in firmware updates.
i managed a large local music store and was fortunate to be able to try all sorts of great gear over the years there. when we got a Diezel VH4, i didn't also turn on a Dual Rectifier and compare them. i just played the Diezel and heard how it sounded. when various modeling products arrived, i just played them by themselves and decided if i liked what i heard or not, i didn't setup another modeler and try them back to back. whatever sounded good, sounded good, regardless of what something else sounded like.
maybe these days, there are more gear options available. i think it makes sense to try out different gear if you're making a first time purchase of some category. if i was buying my first tube amp, i would try various amps to see what i preferred since i didn't know what anything sounded like. but i still wouldn't be "comparing" them like A/B. just learning what each one sounded like, and choosing what i thought sounded best for me. same thing for a modeler. i would probably try a helix, a fractal, a kemper, a digitech - whatever - to hear what they sound like before purchasing. but at the music store, i probably wouldn't set up 3 modelers and A/B/C them all at the same time. again maybe this is just me.
based on my experience with all the amps and modelers i've played, when i try something new, i can pretty much make a decision if it sounds good to me or not without having to compare it directly to something else at the same time. when i helped my friend create presets for his Helix, i was able to make it sound good for our gigs, but knew that i preferred the Axe-Fx without directly comparing.
as far as Axe Firmware Updates, i usually update and just play. sometimes i notice a difference, sometimes i don't. i think that's ok. they are free updates, so it's not like i need to "get my money's worth" and really know if i hear it or not.
i think with Cygnus, just like any other update, many will hear and feel a difference, and some will not. i think that's ok. we're all at different levels of experience with guitars and amps, and just like i couldn't hear a difference between a neck and bridge pickup at one point, someone else may not hear or feel a difference in tightness, or low end, or high end, etc. that's ok
i think the act of comparing actually forces confirmation bias, because "something should have changed or be different" and someone might compare until they hear some sort of difference - even if it's not there. we've all seen videos comparing devices or firmware, and the comments range all over the place.
Comment 1: "Clip A has more low end and is clearly the real amp."
Comment 2: "Clip B has more low end and is clearly the real amp."
Video Creator: "Clips A and B were both a modeler"
Commenters: "Oh yeah, i totally knew that. YT compression threw me off. It's clearly a modeler because both clips lacked high end."
when that happens, does a comparison really matter?
i love that the Cygnus clips have just been the amp by itself, no comparisons. it sounds good on its own and i think that's really all that matters.
of course, this is my opinion and approach. i'm not saying i'm more correct or that others are wrong. i think those clips sound great regardless of what the Axe sounded like before, or what other products sound like.
when i loaded Cygnus, i immediately heard and felt a significant difference without any comparisons. i think many people will really, really enjoy this.
i personally don't get much value out of comparing things, whether it be Cygnus to Ares, the axe to an helix, etc. it's logical to do so, and it's all the rage in YouTube videos. but for me, i just listen to what i'm presented with and decide if it sounds good or not without needing to compare.
when i first started playing electric guitar, i was fortunate to be given an epi les paul. i could not hear the difference whatsoever between the Bridge and Neck pickups. i often sat there for a while just changing between all the pickup positions and played some riffs and honestly couldn't hear any difference. i was mostly playing along to Metallica and Pantera through a Digitech RP20, cleans and gain. i mean, maybe some very slight difference, but really nothing substantial. i knew there had to be a reason for the 2 different pickups, but couldn't hear it and couldn't understand why it was an option.
so i would play master of puppets and battery on the neck pickup. and it sounded great to me.
then one morning, probably months in, there it was. omg. so obvious that the bridge pickup had more attack, was tighter, and sounded WAY better for this style of playing than the neck pickup. it's like the clouds parted and i could see clearly. i was dumbfounded that i couldn't hear that before when it was so obvious suddenly.
was i "wrong" earlier when i thought there was no difference? factually, yes - there is a difference. but to my own experience, not really. it DID sound good to me on the neck pickup and i truly heard no discernible difference. but one day it was suddenly obvious that it sounds better with the bridge pickup. i still enjoyed playing guitar, enjoyed the sound and result of my pickup selection, and had no worries about anything.
our ears develop over time. i just wasn't ready or experienced enough to hear the difference. i think this is similar to people's experience with various tube amps, as well as modeling changes in firmware updates.
i managed a large local music store and was fortunate to be able to try all sorts of great gear over the years there. when we got a Diezel VH4, i didn't also turn on a Dual Rectifier and compare them. i just played the Diezel and heard how it sounded. when various modeling products arrived, i just played them by themselves and decided if i liked what i heard or not, i didn't setup another modeler and try them back to back. whatever sounded good, sounded good, regardless of what something else sounded like.
maybe these days, there are more gear options available. i think it makes sense to try out different gear if you're making a first time purchase of some category. if i was buying my first tube amp, i would try various amps to see what i preferred since i didn't know what anything sounded like. but i still wouldn't be "comparing" them like A/B. just learning what each one sounded like, and choosing what i thought sounded best for me. same thing for a modeler. i would probably try a helix, a fractal, a kemper, a digitech - whatever - to hear what they sound like before purchasing. but at the music store, i probably wouldn't set up 3 modelers and A/B/C them all at the same time. again maybe this is just me.
based on my experience with all the amps and modelers i've played, when i try something new, i can pretty much make a decision if it sounds good to me or not without having to compare it directly to something else at the same time. when i helped my friend create presets for his Helix, i was able to make it sound good for our gigs, but knew that i preferred the Axe-Fx without directly comparing.
as far as Axe Firmware Updates, i usually update and just play. sometimes i notice a difference, sometimes i don't. i think that's ok. they are free updates, so it's not like i need to "get my money's worth" and really know if i hear it or not.
i think with Cygnus, just like any other update, many will hear and feel a difference, and some will not. i think that's ok. we're all at different levels of experience with guitars and amps, and just like i couldn't hear a difference between a neck and bridge pickup at one point, someone else may not hear or feel a difference in tightness, or low end, or high end, etc. that's ok
i think the act of comparing actually forces confirmation bias, because "something should have changed or be different" and someone might compare until they hear some sort of difference - even if it's not there. we've all seen videos comparing devices or firmware, and the comments range all over the place.
Comment 1: "Clip A has more low end and is clearly the real amp."
Comment 2: "Clip B has more low end and is clearly the real amp."
Video Creator: "Clips A and B were both a modeler"
Commenters: "Oh yeah, i totally knew that. YT compression threw me off. It's clearly a modeler because both clips lacked high end."
when that happens, does a comparison really matter?
i love that the Cygnus clips have just been the amp by itself, no comparisons. it sounds good on its own and i think that's really all that matters.
of course, this is my opinion and approach. i'm not saying i'm more correct or that others are wrong. i think those clips sound great regardless of what the Axe sounded like before, or what other products sound like.
when i loaded Cygnus, i immediately heard and felt a significant difference without any comparisons. i think many people will really, really enjoy this.
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