I remember trying to find similar info back when I bought my Ultra. The Axe II came out literally 4-5 months after haha. The Ultra was still awesome and I kept it for a year getting familiar with it then sold and upgraded to the Axe II. no regrets
Similar story here. I waited to buy an AxeFX (Standard/Ultra) until I heard sound samples that, to my ears, were indistinguishable from a mic'd amp recorded (as I intended to use it for recording). For me that was firmware version 11.0 for the Standard/Ultra units. Thirty days after I received my Ultra the AxeFX II was officially announced and order fulfillment followed soon thereafter.
How did this affect me? Well, to be perfectly honest I was a bit put off. This lasted as long as it took me to plug back into my AxeFX Ultra and start playing again. My big, fat grin returned and I got back to the business of making and playing music.
I was satisfied enough to sell my tube amp's and not look back. That was about 6 years ago and I've never looked back.
As I had with the AxeFX Standard and (later) Ultra models I watched / listened to progress with the AxeFX II with interest but waited a while to upgrade (about 1 year or so). Just as I had with the Ultra I waited to upgrade until I heard recorded audio that showed significant improvement over the Ultra. Significant improvement is a matter of perspective of course. For the AxeFX II I can't remember what it is exactly that caught my ear. When it did I prepared to sell the Ultra and ordered a II. After receiving the II and taking it for a spin I felt confident that I made the right choice. However, even with the 'new and improved' AxeFX II in hand I still felt the Ultra would be a very useful tool to keep on hand.
The Ultra had this properly processed, album ready vibe to its sound that made it a joy to use for recording. At that time the AxeFX II was, by contrast, a bit more like working with a mic'd raw amp and cab leaving the process of making a polished, album-ready sound up to the user. Unfortunately my budget wouldn't allow for me to keep both and so I sold my Ultra.
It's worth noting that I took less than a $300 hit selling my outdated, EOL AxeFX Ultra and bought my AxeFX II during a sale making the upgrade an easy decision. It's also worth mentioning that my AxeFX II is a Mk I unit. The AxeFX II Mk I & Mk II units are nearly out of boot ROM space and will reach a point (likely soon) where firmware updates will no longer fit. I suppose in a perfect world with more disposable income that I would happily buy an AxeFX II XL+ and sell my II Mk I. Currently, though, I'm so pleased with the state of the modeling, IR processing, and effects that I can see no reason to give this lateral change any serious thought. Some 'killer app' (from my perspective) feature, effect upgrade, or major modeling overhaul would need to happen before I'd have a reason to look beyond the AxeFX II that I currently own.
My approach to the next gen AxeFX (III?) will follow the same path I took in considering upgrading from the AxeFX Ultra to the AxeFX II - it'll happen when I hear a significant improvement over the AxeFX II. If history is any indication I'll not likely take a big financial hit selling my AxeFX II if/when this happens.
Since Cliff looks to be A significant at least a couple years out from releasing a next gen AxeFX this is an excellent time to consider purchasing a new AxeFX II XL+ (or a used AxeFX II). Looking forward toward a potential future product in lieu of enjoying a fantastic existing product may not be such a wise choice. So long as the AxeFX II XL & XL+ and the AX-8 units are still capable of hosting further developed amp modeling (and whatever else may follow) and Tiger SHARC processor stock holds out we're not likely to see an AxeFX III.
If your truly interested in getting an AxeFX I'd say you could not pick a better time than now (following what was most likely the most significant jump forward in realistic modeling of so many great tube guitar amps.
Enjoy!!!
