Upgrading from fx ii to xl

[Tones2]

Its not important at all other than my winning a debate against my main man FRAC. Its also a good place to start for proving the XL is slightly faster (but by no means worth bragging about or upgrading for). To each their own in regards to cabs and presets amounts desired. I personally am a patch/cab junkie so upgrading for that alone was worth it.

Yes there is too little playing going on here! Back to rock!

I am multitasking.

 

[FractalAudio]

The XL boots slightly faster but they're both so fast as to be immaterial. The front panel interface firmware was improved for the XL as well so the knobs might feel a bit "snappier".

I don't hear any tonal difference between the two aside from the lower noise floor. I never even use the gate on the XL because the noise is so low.

 

[Glennski]

So basically you're telling us that by lowering the noise floor, your tone is not going to change ONE BIT??? I disagree. When you LOWER the noise floor, you are 'removing' noise from the equation. When that happens, there is sure to be more clarity than there was before, correct? Add a TINY bit of noise (distortion) to your amp and tell me it does not sonically change the tone of the signal. Better yet, put an O-Scope to the output of a II and an XL...I guarantee things are going to look different.

Also, because of the fact that there is lower noise, and MOST PROBABLY (I may be wrong here), the same threshold level is still in the XL as the II, it is going to be LOUDER...like I said before, not much, but it will be.

Now, take into consideration different hardware...The XL apparently has different hardware, so why should it NOT be faster than the II? Everyone is going off of preconceived notions that they know everything about these devices... Call your bullshit, I'll use my 20+ years of real world experience to stay informed...

Since you have access to both why not put your money where your mouth is? Reamp the same signal into both units and post the results. Even go one step further and null test both outputs, I can bet the difference is so small that no one could possibly tell the difference. Do a blind poll.

So yes, perhaps your tone would change ONE BIT - in the same way that if you were at a loud gig and someone standing 100 feet away from you whispered something to the person standing next to them your ears would hear something different. Would it be at all perceptible though?

Sure, the XL is obviously the superior choice for the first time Axefx buyer. But is it a worthwhile upgrade for a current owner, including the depreciation that you have to eat when you sell it? Unless you needed the dedicated midi out and thru ports or extra pedal jack, or really needed those extra 128 presets then maybe this is a case of post purchase rationalisation. To me the secret sauce III input is just some value adding on behalf of FAS, not something that makes any real world difference.

 

[rodzimguitar68]

I just read this entire thread.

That is 10 minutes of my life that just got sucked out of me.

I'll never get that back. Unless I get an XL and use it for 600 boot ups.

 

[BBN]

If someone is buying something off my opinion then that's their stupidity.

.....then maybe you shouldn't reply to a thread where someone is asking for an opinion.

 

[steadystate]

So basically you're telling us that by lowering the noise floor, your tone is not going to change ONE BIT??

It will be slightly less noisy. That's it. No tonal change. And the lower noise will only be audible with the highest gain amps (perhaps not even then). And only if the noise gate is not used at all. The front input of all Fractals, even the Standard and Ultra, have been shown to be ultra flat with extremely low noise. I use the noise gate both in the Ultra and the II, not because of the input noise, but because of the noise induced in my pickups by external sources. Although I would always prefer a lower noise floor, it is not a practical consideration for me once it reaches a certain point.

Add a TINY bit of noise (distortion) to your amp and tell me it does not sonically change the tone of the signal. Better yet, put an O-Scope to the output of a II and an XL...I guarantee things are going to look different.

Noise and distortion are two entirely different things. Totally. Adding distortion will change the tone. Adding noise will not, but will make it.....noisier. The difference in noise we are talking about is tiny. It cannot affect the tone in the way you describe. The algorithms are identical in the II and XL. Cliff hears no tonal differences. The XL is superior due to enhanced features, not superior tone. I'm buying the XL, but not because I think it will give me "nuance" that the II will not. The greater number of presets, user cabs, and X/Y blocks are my reasons for upgrading.

Also, because of the fact that there is lower noise, and MOST PROBABLY (I may be wrong here), the same threshold level is still in the XL as the II, it is going to be LOUDER...like I said before, not much, but it will be.

I can't comment to this, because I have no idea what you are trying to express. Threshold? Perhaps "bullshit" was too inflammatory a term. I'll revise it to "unsubstantiated perception". My apologies.

 

[Martyntb]

I think the XL is well worth it. I've used all my user cab slots in my 2. It's good to have IR's close miked and the same one with some room or a different mic as well. It's easy if you like more than a couple of amps to fill all the user cab slots. So when you want to load up some new ones you can upset your other presets if you overwrite one. Can't have enough space I reckon!!

 

[Lkdog]

I just asked my Fiance what my first thoughts were a few weeks ago...she said the first thing I said was that it (XL) seemed to boot up faster than the old one (II). Keep in mind my II was at 12.xx, and the XL was at 14.xx...so I really have no 'proof', other than what I witnessed.

What did she say was finally booting up faster?????????