faslink vs ethercon question

ThelmoRego

ThelmoRego

Inspired
hi guys! I have an axe fx 2 mark 2 and will be getting a mfc 101 mark 3 next week. my plan was to connect the 2 using an ethercon cable because as far as i can tell, this will provide power to the mfc as well as tuner and tap tempo and every other function. So i looked into the faslink as well and it seems that it would require an ethernet cable, a $50 connection box, and an xlr cable which to me just. seems like more connections and more potential for something to go wrong. am i missing something? is there some awesome benefit to using faslink that i am not understanding?
thanks in advance fir your help.
 
FASLink uses an XLR cable for the main connection to the MFC which has a number of properties that make it more desireable than EtherCon/CAT-5 setups:

1. XLR cables are abundant -- you can find them, literally, everywhere when you're a gigging musician
2. XLR cables are very durable, that connection standard was well-designed and it's stood the test of time
3. XLR cables are, relative to EtherCon cables, really cheap. You can get by with $10 XLR cable when you're running FASLink

Is all of this worth it to you? Only you can decide this.
 
I have Mk I of both AXE and MFC... bought both FASLINK adapters. So totally worth it in my opinion to don't have to deal with those flimsy ethernet cables.
 
I understand both of your points about xlr being more durable and if I had an xl I would absolutely do it that way, but with a mark 2, no matter what I still need an Ethernet cable at the end and between that and the little adapter box, I feel like that would be where the weak link would be
 
ThelmoRego said:
I understand both of your points about xlr being more durable and if I had an xl I would absolutely do it that way, but with a mark 2, no matter what I still need an Ethernet cable at the end and between that and the little adapter box, I feel like that would be where the weak link would be
Click to expand...

But that connection is static -- you plug it in, you fix the FASLink adaptor in your rack some place, and then you leave it the !@#$ alone. It's a very short length of CAT-5 you need for that connection; a 10s of centimeters at most. Where CAT-5/EtherCon fails is in the constant plugging, unplugging and wrapping up. XLR is far better for the part of the cable you're laying on the floor.
 
I've been using Ethernet cables for years without issue, Fractal was forced to provide a solution to a non-problem because of a few squeaky, but very vocal, Internet soapbox users.

And for the record my iPhone 6+ hasn't bent on me either.
 
luke said:
I've been using Ethernet cables for years without issue, Fractal was forced to provide a solution to a non-problem because of a few squeaky, but very vocal, Internet soapbox users.

And for the record my iPhone 6+ hasn't bent on me either.
Click to expand...

I think that's unfair. Just because you didn't have problems didn't mean that the problem didn't exist.

I ran 5 Axefx IIs (mkIs and MKIIs) and four MFCs and had LOADS of problems with the Ethernet/ethercon.

Sussi at G66 helped me out every time (awesome support btw), but must have started to wonder what we were doing with them.

The funny thing is that once they were installed they rarely moved, but we had loads of issues relating to flaky Ethernet ports, bent pins leading to shorting issues etc.

Ethercon seemed to help quite a bit but I would have rather gone the FASlink route had it been available when we bought the touring units.
 
luke said:
I've been using Ethernet cables for years without issue, Fractal was forced to provide a solution to a non-problem because of a few squeaky, but very vocal, Internet soapbox users.

And for the record my iPhone 6+ hasn't bent on me either.
Click to expand...

Myopic attitude in all it's grandeur. :roll
 
Ethernet cables are primarily made for installation purpose, not repeating in and out connection. The small plastic tab usually breaks after a while and the cables, being made mainly of solid-core wire, break after a while. I modded my MFC Mark one to add Ethercon and also used a RJ45<>Ethercon adapter at the Axe FX end and have had exactly ZERO problems since. I believe I was one of the vocal guys so lovingly referred to by Luke. Be that as it may, this handled the situation.
The FASlink concept is awesome and I hope to move to XL and MkIII to benefit from it and other changes.
As far as the OP is concerned, adding a connection box at the AXE FX end is a piece of cake and if it is well installed will be well worth using XLR cables. Otherwise, a good Ethercon cable will also work well and should last "forever". Mine has performed perfectly for nearly 2 years.
 
Patzag said:
I believe I was one of the vocal guys so lovingly referred to by Luke. Be that as it may, this handled the situation.
Click to expand...

Thank you for being one of the guys who was vocal about the issue originally. I think it helped make the MFC connectivity more reliable for everyone.

And thanks also to FAS for addressing the issue. It's what makes FAS a great company; any hint of a problem and they ultimately find a solution. Absolutely second to none in terms of support.

So thanks to all involved, cliff, his hardware engineers, the guys at g66, the customers who provided the feedback.

Thanks for helping develop the axefx ii into something that's even more awesome than the original. I'm grateful that the issue was addressed, especially since Luke didn't have any problems with the port himself.
 
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