Does it sound better than the Axe Fx 2 XL+?

And it already feels as good as the II, all these updates that have improved the II, well the III is starting there.

Am I going to sell my II? Why? It still sounds great and will work very well with the III, sure the III will ultimately surpass it, as the IV will eventually surpass the III, but it won't make my II sound any worse.

I was hoping to see at least 3 amps available in parallel, but the extra signal paths should do nicely with bass for sure, guessing it may get a 3rd amp (or maybe even 4) through updates.

Will the III see more bass specific amps and effects? It certainly seems well suited towards being very bass friendly.

The other thing I was hoping for, may be in there, does anyone know if you can bypass the preamp sections and use the power amp only with an external preamp and/or mix and match preamps and power amps?

Geez, with 6 signal paths you guys at Fractal can finally model the ADA STD-1 (I do have one if you really want to, write me and promise it'll come back working, now reliability ain't their strong suit, so a promise will be a "we''ll do our best to figure it out and keep it running, hopefully").
 
Robboman said:
It will be interesting. It is hard to imagine how much better it could get. If there is a virtual finish line in the race to perfect accuracy for amp modelling, it seems like we must be right on top of it with Quantum 9.04. Diminishing returns.

But who knows, maybe I'll look back on this comment in a few years and laugh :)
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I think one way forward is maybe more "fractal original" tones. Tones that don't necessarily have an analog equivalent. And more amps... I would never complain about more amps, although Cliff has given us more than enough already and I barely use anything except variations on the Fender clean sound.
 
LucasLeCompte said:
Yeah the axe fx iii is cool and all but what we all really need to know is does it Djent?
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Well, if you do not set up your guitar correctly first, it will never happen!;)

39956971362_e9cc69d0f4_z.jpg
 
greiswig said:
I’ve owned a Mk2 for a long time now. With pretty much every firmware release, I have heard the choir singing the “it can’t get any better” chorus, while those of us who tried to say “something seems a little off” were shouted down. Then, sure enough, a later firmware release addressed something that improved on what some of us heard as “off.”

I think 9.04 is the best sounding and feeling firmware to date, but I don’t really think nirvana has been achieved for every available amp. I suspect Cliff and crew have some room to grow yet in terms of quality of the algorithms.
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I have had all of the FAS units since the Ultra.I have been around modeling since the late 90's and tried them all.

I often thought the Ultra was pretty good but not great, and I still used Line 6 stuff, and some software apps for some applications.
The Fenders were really not that good. The 50 included Marshall type amps sounded pretty good, but a lot alike.

The AXE FX II was a major improvement over the Ultra IMO.
Has been some solid mostly smaller incremental changes since then. Again IMO.
Cleans and midgains are clearly improved, the feel is now very tube amp like overall. Amps have their different signature character more well defined.

It is all good NOW.

I have owned several of the amps that are modeled and the modeling is pretty much indistinguishable, or even better in some ways as you can tweak them more than in real life and the noise floor is better.
Like many of the recent FW updates in last year- 9.04 is different. I don't think you would get a consensus that it is best.
I like it, but I have not not liked any of the Quantum FWs. If you reintroduced Quantum 4.0 as Quantum 10 and said it was new- I think some people would say it is better.

The FAS platform arrived at a world class level a long time ago.
My main point is the modeling is extraordinary NOW. Nobody is complaining about digital fizz, no tube amp feel, not responding to picking, woofy cleans, lousy effects, crummy CABs, etc.

The functionally and power of the new AXE 3 unit is without question a major upgrade. Many many users will love it. I may get it in future if my needs change or expand or my XL dies.
I do not anticipate a major paradigm shift or improvement in sound or feel.
It is already pretty much there.
Just my opinion.
 
Lkdog said:
I have had all of the FAS units since the Ultra.I have been around modeling since the late 90's and tried them all.

I often thought the Ultra was pretty good but not great, and I still used Line 6 stuff, and some software apps for some applications.
The Fenders were really not that good. The 50 included Marshall type amps sounded pretty good, but a lot alike.

The AXE FX II was a major improvement over the Ultra IMO.
Has been some solid mostly smaller incremental changes since then. Again IMO.
Cleans and midgains are clearly improved, the feel is now very tube amp like overall. Amps have their different signature character more well defined.

It is all good NOW.

I have owned several of the amps that are modeled and the modeling is pretty much indistinguishable, or even better in some ways as you can tweak them more than in real life and the noise floor is better.
Like many of the recent FW updates in last year- 9.04 is different. I don't think you would get a consensus that it is best.
I like it, but I have not not liked any of the Quantum FWs. If you reintroduced Quantum 4.0 as Quantum 10 and said it was new- I think some people would say it is better.

The FAS platform arrived at a world class level a long time ago.
My main point is the modeling is extraordinary NOW. Nobody is complaining about digital fizz, no tube amp feel, not responding to picking, woofy cleans, lousy effects, crummy CABs, etc.

The functionally and power of the new AXE 3 unit is without question a major upgrade. Many many users will love it. I may get it in future if my needs change or expand or my XL dies.
I do not anticipate a major paradigm shift or improvement in sound or feel.
It is already pretty much there.
Just my opinion.
Click to expand...
Totally agree. I can't imagine how much better it can get. But I bow to the guru and expect Cliff will constantly suprise us.
 
FractalAudio said:
The III is what the II would be if we could've upgraded the hardware via a firmware update.
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This is my favourite quote from any forum, ever. Shows that Cliff is a down to earth guy (something we “the entitled” all too often forget) who cares, a lot!

“If it could be a firmware upgrade it would have been” is what I take away from that. That says a lot about you, your ethos and your company.

I cannot wait for the Axe FX III!!!
 
slinky005 said:
Totally agree. I can't imagine how much better it can get. But I bow to the guru and expect Cliff will constantly suprise us.
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I looked at specs closer. I think there are a few things that I decided I might like a lot.
Going to upgrade.

My XL/MFC rig for sale cheap.
 
Lkdog said:
Having said that, the used market is now indicating that a used XL or XL+ is around 1300 or 1400 for now (still pretty solid for digital gear), so one would need to feel it is worth $1000 for the extra functions.
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thats a low resale value 1300 or 1400
Not sure I believe that ... I wouldn't sell mine that cheap. I would just keep it..
I'm definitely planning to get the new Axe fx though
 
APOGEE123 said:
thats a low resale value 1300 or 1400
Not sure I believe that ... I wouldn't sell mine that cheap. I would just keep it..
I'm definitely planning to get the new Axe fx though
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A brand new XL+ thru Fractal is $1799 with full warranty.
How much would you pay for a used one without warranty & the knowledge that a brand new flagship much more powerful unit with all the bells & whistles is 1 month away?
 
willowdale said:
A brand new XL+ thru Fractal is $1799 with full warranty.
How much would you pay for a used one without warranty & the knowledge that a brand new flagship much more powerful unit with all the bells & whistles is 1 month away?
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I just did a survey of eBay and Reverb. Over the last two months, the average buyer was willing to pay more than $800 for a used Ultra with the knowledge that a brand new flagship had already been out for six years.
 
willowdale said:
A brand new XL+ thru Fractal is $1799 with full warranty.
How much would you pay for a used one without warranty & the knowledge that a brand new flagship much more powerful unit with all the bells & whistles is 1 month away?
Click to expand...
I've sold over 300k last few years on ebay all Audio gear. I guarantee I can get at the least 1800.00 for my XL+ just because the price point of 2500.00 for an AX3 is going to be unattainable for some. The reputation of the AX2 is all good so..IMHO
 
The way I look at it, I've had the axe fx Ii and xl+ for a few years, and am consistently surprised that the updates just keep on coming, with never a hint of them becoming monetised or less prolific. In other words- fractal are a team that genuinely believe in their methods, and enjoy the work. For that reason, above all others, I'm happy to sling them a few thousand every x years for a new hardware unit. If there were more companies like fractal, I believe I wouldn't be such a bitter old prick!
Thanks
Pauly
 
APOGEE123 said:
I've sold over 300k last few years on ebay all Audio gear. I guarantee I can get at the least 1800.00 for my XL+ just because the price point of 2500.00 for an AX3 is going to be unattainable for some. The reputation of the AX2 is all good so..IMHO
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Since you can buy them new right now for $1799, that would seem to be unlikely...

And with the increase in the number of lower priced units that are going to be flooding into the market with Axe Fx III availability, I think that will become an even bigger challenge.

I'm hoping I can get a buyer for mine at $1500-$1600.
 
unix-guy said:
Since you can buy them new right now for $1799, that would seem to be unlikely...

And with the increase in the number of lower priced units that are going to be flooding into the market with Axe Fx III availability, I think that will become an even bigger challenge.

I'm hoping I can get a buyer for mine at $1500-$1600.
Click to expand...
I'm not selling mine at the moment. Fractal is not going to be selling AXE2 for long then it going to be the best used modeler on the market
 
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