Yes ... I bought my Ultra two months ago to the day... still stoked with it... but if you look at the very last sentence printed on the very last back page; that would be page 104... it clearly says...
(Specifications subject to change without notice)
Which FAS have just done. Which part of that is hard to understand?
Dude, we get it, you're rich and don't view $2k as any big deal. You're surely not alone here in that regard, many other folks have multiple $3k amps and two Ultras and etc etc.
It's strange for me to see the way people are choosing to defend the AxeFx by saying, roughly, yeah it's not gonna last forever, if you expect that then get out of the modeler market.
For me, I bought a Digitech RP7 back in the mid 90's, immediately ran into its severe limitations, and traded it to a friend (who still uses it!) for an old Rat and a Distortion+. I still have both of those and they both still work. I bought a Digitech RP20 and loved it, in terms of parameter control it's actually on par with the AxeFx if not better. But sonically it leaves a bit to be desired to say the least, and I found myself sticking with tube amps. I still use tube amps, and have NOT sold off my amps with some notion that the AxeFx replaces them. Why? Because I know that 10 years from now the AxeFx may well be non-functional, Fractal Audio may or may not even exist, and it's a certainty that there will be boxes that crush all current gear of this nature. And my 70's JMP will still be exactly what it's been for the past 30+ years, a great tube amp that's easy for me to fix and maintain. It will probably be awesome, and still hold its value, after I'm dead and gone.
So the defenders of the AxeFx in this thread are pushing that point? That all digital gear is short-lived, will always be outdone, will never have the longevity of tube amps? That's so weird to hear, though I suppose it's honest if nothing else.
I feel bad for anyone who sold their amps off to buy an AxeFx. Amps (especially classic, proven ones) retain their value, computer gear does not. Fact of life.
This whole line of thinking is right on when you're talking about a 5 or 10 or 25 year timespan. But for those of us who bought an AxeFx in the past couple months, this news is not exciting. If my Ultra still works 10 years from now, that's $200 a year that I'm paying for its utility. That's not too bad. But to learn, after two months, that it's gone from flagship model to "it's history", that's a big deal. If you can't see that, then there's really nothing left to say to you is there? I'm gonna assume you're just crazy rich and $2k doesn't mean anything to you. If Fractal has enough people of that nature waiting to buy their products, which I assume is indeed the case, then they'll be fine.
I really feel bad for people who sold off amps to buy an Ultra recently. Yes the functionality of the Ultra remains, there's nothing stopping it right now. But to put $2k into a box that people were selling for $2500 on eBay a week ago, only to find that today it's probably worth hundreds less... maybe a 25% drop in resale value in one day? It's not irrelevant like some folks are trying to make it out to be.
Lucky for me I knew what I was getting into buying a box like this. I feel bad for people who didn't, and who (like me) are seeing the newer better box come out so shortly after buying a very awesome but very expensive Ultra.
I'm also trying to do more than just whine about it, I'm already working out possible ways to move forward that include keeping my Ultra and buying a second, or keeping the Ultra and selling off some other gear I have that I don't use much but have held onto because it retains its value extremely well, and using that money to buy an AxeFx 2, or selling my Ultra and selling less other gear to just buy the AxeFx 2 and not have the Ultra anymore. I'm not working on any potential path forward that involves selling the Ultra and having no Fractal product, which tells me that I really love what the Ultra has been doing for me. It's definitely a testimony to the awesomeness of the AxeFx.
Selling serial number 001 of a handmade bass from the late 70's to buy an AxeFx2... What are the odds that 20 years from now I'll be kicking myself over that one... Hard to predict these things sometimes.
One thing for sure, I have to get to my practice space and play loud through my Ultra tonight. No question. I need to remind myself how even if this all ends with me buying and selling nothing, I *do* have the awesome piece of gear that I paid for. All this Internet discussion is pushing me to lose sight of that, which I don't want.