Fractal Audio Axe-Fx II XL - This got snuck out quietly

johnnyurq · February 2014

Apologies if this has already been discussed but I couldn't find anything on it here.

Never got wind of this at all and unsure what the benefits outside new connectivity options are.

http://www.guitarsite.com/news/pedals/fractal-audio-axe-fx-ii-xl/

Any thoughts?

Van_Hayden · February 2014

Little bit on this thread. It's not that exciting if you've already got one!

http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/8843/the-fretboards-very-own-axe-fx-ii-versus-kemper-thread#latest

johnnyurq · February 2014

Ah must have missed that.

But you are right it seems mostly pointless.

Van_Hayden · February 2014

Well I think if you're into looping and masses of impulse responses it's worry it. If I was buying one I'd hang on and wait for an XL but it's not an AxeFX3 yet!

johnnyurq · February 2014

True and awaiting the Axe FX III seems the best plan if in the market.

Roland · February 2014

No, the best plan is to get on and play what's currently available, especially if you can buy second hand. You can spend your life waiting for the next best thing, and an Axe 3 is not expected anytime soon.

Van_Hayden · February 2014

You see I went the other way, liked the original AxeFX but waited 4/5 years and got the II when it came out!

Roland · February 2014

My remaining years are to precious to be spent waiting. I guess that I've got about gigging 10 years left

Van_Hayden · February 2014

Fair enough!

sunshinewelly · February 2014

dont wait for the axe fx 3 as you will have a long wait. The purpose of the axe fx 2 xl was to allow connections over XLR leads mainly together with a memory bump.

AndyJP · March 2014

Hey all, I'm thinking of getting an axefx and can't decide which one.

The thing that confuses me is the upgraded memory on the xl. Here's the blurb from their website

128 Mb of non-volatile Super-FLASH memory allows for storage of up to 512 presets and 512 user cabinets with copious reserves for future expansion

How many slots does the non xl model currently have for user cabs? Does not seem much of a bigee to me...

Roland · March 2014

The XL is a circuit board update which allows a number of improvements, such as the optical control wheel which has longer life expectancy than the mechanical wheel. If you are able to buy new then it is worth going for the XL. However the SHARC processors do not change, and the same software will continue to work on both the XL and the II. So if you are buying second hand then there is no disadvantage in buying the II. It is not going to become outdated for several years, and second hand prices will hold up, just as they have done for the Ultra

AndyJP · March 2014

Yeah, same CPU so the xl is not going to sound better.

It's the memory upgrade I'd like to know more about if anyone has any info?

Van_Hayden · March 2014

User cabs were 100 in Old AxefxII, 512 in the XL I think.

The optical encoder could well be worth the price of entry alone!

http://wiki.fractalaudio.com/axefx2/index.php?title=Axe-Fx_II_XL

AndyJP · March 2014

Just had a sniff around the fractal site for axefx ii. It says 100 user IRs.

AndyJP · March 2014

Just want to make this comment, and I don't mean to cheese anyone off... I'm a newbie to the axefx and this is just an observation.

Something that doesn't get mentioned too often is the age of the axefx ii. It came out in 2011 I think.

The XL is adding a few bells and whistles to a core system that is 3 years old. I completely understand the fact that the spec is great and the software is updated regularly.

The fact that an axe iii could come out at some point soon me off buying an XL. Personally I'd feel more comfortable getting a used mark ii.

Van_Hayden · March 2014

There's probably a good 18-24 months before the III. The original lasted about 5 years iirc.

Having said that if you don't need what the XL has buy a used II. Even a used Ultra holds it's value well so you'll be safe for a while!

Roland · March 2014

As I heard it there won't be a III until someone builds faster SHARC processors

digitalkettle · March 2014

Roland said:

As I heard it there won't be a III until someone builds faster SHARC processors

Yep, with frickin' laser beams attached!

Howdy, Stranger!

Categories

In this Discussion

Become a Subscriber!

Fractal Audio Axe-Fx II XL - This got snuck out quietly

Comments