Honest Thoughts On Axe-Fx III, II and AX8?

K

KAM

Member
I've been listening to a lot of Axe FXIII videos and audio clips, and have been particularly interested in what I've heard in comparison videos. Let me just say beforehand that I think the Axe FX III sounds amazing. Having said that, I'm actually liking the Axe FX II better when directly compared. There seems to be a nice brilliance and clarity to the Axe FX III, but it also seems a tiny bit sterile compared to the Axe FX II.

As for the AX8, after owning the Axe FX II XL+, I have to say that the AX8 is slightly not as good. It seems to have a little harder edge, and the presets seem to sound more alike to each other. Maybe it's just me, but I wanted to hear what you guys think because I'm thinking about letting my AX8 go and going with an Axe FX II XL+ or III.
 
I currently own the Axe FX III and AX8. I previously owned the Axe FX II XL+ and Axe FX Ultra.

I owned the Axe FX II XL+ for almost two years and spent a lot of time dialing in tones and tweaking settings, chasing perfection. When I got the Axe FX III, I was at a happy place with the Axe FX II. I was pleased and no longer really searching for better tone. When I initially setup my Axe FX III, my Axe FX II was not in the studio for several days, so I set up the Axe FX III without any settings to compare it to, or copy. When I got the Axe FX II next to it, I found that I dialed in a better tone on my first try with the III.

I then set them up with the same exact settings (basically neutering the cab block and some of the advanced amp settings on the III so I could make a fair a/b test), I couldn't really tell a difference with my preferred sound (scooped hi-gain). So depending on your preferred tones, you may see a marked difference/improvement with the III, or it might be exactly the same. I could make them sound nearly identical, so I don't think a III will sound worse than the II, but who can say? It's subjective. Without having both side by side, I believe just about everyone one would be hard pressed to discern which unit was which, with similar settings. The III has more tonal options, which I think make it a worthwhile upgrade, if TONE is what you are after.

If you are looking at upgrading the AX8 to a II or III, you can't go wrong. Either one will serve you well. Both are a huge upgrade to the AX8, IMO. I am banking on the likelihood that future firmware updates will continue to widen the gap between the II and the III. YMMV.
 
I have all 3 (the XL+, with MFC, are going to my son as a graduation present). I love the XL+ and didn't require anything more or better, but got the III because, frankly, I just want to go wherever Cliff, Matt and co. are leading us. It's incredible. As for the Ax8, I was going to sell it but I like it's portability and it just sounds so good. I think they all sound great, but what do I know?
 
You can't really go wrong by buying a II, mine does everything I want it to (well, except the Ampeg B-15 that's been promised and will get used a lot when it's in there)...but if you're buying one now and you can afford to go for the III, it's really a platform with a ton of potential, it may not outshine the II by a lot now, but give it a couple years of updates and you'll be so glad you stretched for the current flagship as the II will simply be maxed out (it'll still sound great, but you won't be getting new amps and effects, or updates).
 
I sold my AX8 after a day with the III. It is the best sound I've ever had - and I've had some nice stuff. I love the routing options - I'm currently running three signal paths with a total of 24 blocks on one of my patches. One - cab-emulated dry signal. One cab-emulated stereo wet signal. One dry non-cab-emulated signal to power amp/1x12. It is insane how good it sounds. I was happy with it out of the box - then the recent firware update came out .....even better. Get the AIII.



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Scented Meat said:
I have all 3 (the XL+, with MFC, are going to my son as a graduation present). I love the XL+ and didn't require anything more or better, but got the III because, frankly, I just want to go wherever Cliff, Matt and co. are leading us. It's incredible. As for the Ax8, I was going to sell it but I like it's portability and it just sounds so good. I think they all sound great, but what do I know?
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Gotta catch 'em all right?
 
I cannot comment on whether or not one is better than the other, but I can say in the few weeks I have owned my III, I have never been happier with my tone - and I didn't have to tweak for hours to get there. That's just my .02.
 
Define "sterile."

I have an Axe II Mark I, an Axe II XL+, an AX8, and an Axe-Fx III. I love them all. But at the end of the day, my Axe III is the most satisfying to play
 
I kept my XL+ for a while after the III showed up and spent alot of time A/Bing between the two. I notice more of a difference when I was playing and how it responds which to me sounds better. Aside from the sound, the added flexibility and horsepower is a huge plus. It’s only going to continue to get better.
 
Rex said:
Define "sterile."

I have an Axe II Mark I, an Axe II XL+, an AX8, and an Axe-Fx III. I love them all. But at the end of the day, my Axe III is the most satisfying to play
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Keep in mind that I said "a tiny bit sterile." I wasn't knocking the Axe FX III at all. It's just that from what I can tell, and as I clarified that I've only been able to see videos and listen to audio, that it's a little too defined for my taste. It reminds me of the difference between the new Fender Blues Jr IV vs III. There are improvements that are obvious at the outset, but something you're used to hearing that's missing. It could grow on me if I were to get my hands on one. To clarify, that's just the impression I got from researching them. That's why I'm asking these questions.
 
KAM said:
Keep in mind that I said "a tiny bit sterile." I wasn't knocking the Axe FX III at all. It's just that from what I can tell, and as I clarified that I've only been able to see videos and listen to audio, that it's a little too defined for my taste. It reminds me of the difference between the new Fender Blues Jr IV vs III. There are improvements that are obvious at the outset, but something you're used to hearing that's missing. It could grow on me if I were to get my hands on one. To clarify, that's just the impression I got from researching them. That's why I'm asking these questions.
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The new beta firmware 1.09 has some changes to the modeling... so probably needs another side-by-side
 
The AX8 and the II should be identical... well I guess with the latest II firmware they are not, but the AX8 will get there eventually.
 
bishop5150 said:
The III feels the best out of them all. You won’t get them from a You Tube clip. You have to play it yourself to feel the difference.
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Feel is a big factor. One of the things I prefer about Fractal over Line6 besides the tone is the feel. When I go back and forth between my tube amps and my Fractal or Kemper, the feel is similar - not the same, but similar enough not to bother me.
 
The III has an additional layer of dynamics - breath - liveliness - detail, depending on which words you would use to describe it with. In comparison to the II it's definitely not sterile.
Keep in mind there's not many pro level demo's out there yet for the III. Some are waiting for things like the global blocks that just dropped, the FC's etc.. but I'm sure more demo's will be out soon.
 
KAM said:
I've been listening to a lot of Axe FXIII videos and audio clips, and have been particularly interested in what I've heard in comparison videos. Let me just say beforehand that I think the Axe FX III sounds amazing. Having said that, I'm actually liking the Axe FX II better when directly compared. There seems to be a nice brilliance and clarity to the Axe FX III, but it also seems a tiny bit sterile compared to the Axe FX II.
Click to expand...

The Axe FXIIXL+ is great and you can get one right now for a great deal. I am totally happy with mine. I was able to recreate my custom presets from the Axe FXIIXL+ on the Axe FXIII. You don't have to worry about the Axe FXIII sounding sterile compared to the Axe FXIIXL+. They sound basically identical after dialing them in.
The only thing I am unhappy about with the Axe FXIII is the fact that it is missing the Half Speed function of the Looper that is on the Axe FXIIXL+. I hope they will add that in a new firmware update.

The main reasons to me to go with the Axe FXIII is more CPU, the new cab block, and channels. A huge improvement in those areas. The new input noise gate in the Axe FXIII is great. Especially for Stratocaster or single coil users. The reverbs sound better also. The other reason is the fact that you know however great it is now, it will just keep getting better as happened with the Axe FXII. The Axe FXIII sounds real good to me right now. I played through it all night last night.
 
I have my Axe III in the rack just below my Axe II and above my Kemper. The III has a much better dynamic range and is far more realistic to my ears then the II ever was.

The III and the Kemper have surpassed the II by a wide margin. As I work through the III I find improvements, but still have tonal achievements with certain amps that only Kemper reaches. I continue to explore and discover new levels of satisfaction. The Helix went back, as did the Boss GT1000. No comparison, at all.

If there could be only one ..... ?? Not sure, it is that close .........

$0.05, no refunds.
 
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