Comparing the Axe-Fx II, AX8 and FX8

General

• Axe-Fx II XL+:
  • The flagship Fractal Audio product. It provides effects in a 4x12 grid, including amp/cab modeling, and extensive routing options in a 19" rack device. It features multiple outputs, an effects loop and various digital I/O. The MFC-101 foot controller is connected through FASLINK. All Fractal Audio effect algorithms. The Axe-Fx II also support Tone Matching and IR Capture.
• AX8:
  • The AX8 is an all-in-one floor version of the Axe-Fx II, designed for the gigging musician. It provides Quantum amp modeling and UltraRes Speaker Cab sims, plus hundreds of effects and the familiar 4x12 grid, with the same quality as the Axe-Fx II. It differs from the Axe-Fx in that it offers only one instance per preset of amp, cab, and some effects blocks (e.g. Reverb, Flanger, etc.) Also, certain esoteric effects found on the Axe-Fx are not included in the AX8 (Vocoder, Megatap, etc.) It has multiple outputs offering Humbuster technology, S/PDIF out, and an effects loop.
• Read the section in the AX8 manual about comparing the two devices.

Hardware

• Housing:
  • Axe-Fx II: 19" rack device.
  • AX8: floor device.
• Circuitry:
  • The AX8 has the same converters and op-amps as the Axe-Fx II.

Foot control

• Axe-Fx II: for remote switching you need a separate controller such as the MFC-101.
• AX8: comes with 8 numbered assignable switches and 3 assignable F-switches. More information.

Amp model controls

• Axe-Fx II: amp settings are adjusted through menus.
• AX8: provides physical controls with LEDs.

Effects and parameters

• The Axe-Fx II offers the full set of all effect algorithms. Many of the effects are available in more than one instance (two Amp blocks etc.). Compared to the AX8 (and FX8) there are a few differences in X/Y switching.
• The AX8 offers a selection of the effect algorithms (listed here). Compared to the AX8 (and FX8) there are a few differences in blocks supporting X/Y switching. There is one instance available of each effect, for example single Compressor block, Amp, Cab, Pitch etc, wth some exceptions. All "types" within a specific effect (all amp models, all compressor types etc.) are included.
• The AX8 has an impressive amount of CPU power but not as much as the Axe-Fx II. It'll disable blocks automatically when CPU usage (preset size) gets too high.
• The AX8 has more Looper time.
• Compared to the AX8, the Axe-Fx II offers additional functionality, such as:
  • Global Blocks.
  • Adjustable Input Impedance.
  • Tremolo in the Amp block.
  • Room ambience, De-Phase, mic modeling and channel strip modeling in the Cab block.
  • Tone Matching.
  • IR Capture.

User interface

• Axe-Fx II:
  • Boots to the RECALL screen.
  • Press LAYOUT to see the grid.
  • There are four NAV buttons and PAGE buttons to navigate and a dedicated VALUE knob.
  • Dedicated X and Y buttons.
• AX8:
  • Boots to the Footswitch Page.
  • Instead of a LAYOUT button, the grid is accessed as the second page of the main menu. When on the grid, press EXIT to return to the Footswitch page.
  • Instead of NAV buttons, you will primarily use the E/NAV knob to get around menu pages. Instead of a VALUE knob you’ll use A,B,C,D, and E knobs.
  • Instead of dedicated X and Y buttons, you’ll press and hold a footswitch to toggle X/Y for an effect, or if no footswitch is assigned, select or edit the effect and double-tap EDIT.
• Editing shortcuts are different because of the hardware design.

Grid, presets and scenes

• The AX8 supports scene switching. It lets you specify the default scene which is loaded after switching presets. It has the same 4x12 grid as the Axe-Fx II, and supports the same kind of routing.
• The Axe-Fx II and AX8 cannot share presets. You can transfer individual block settings from one product to another using the software editors. It's also possible to convert presets with FracTool 3rd party software.
• The AX8 doesn't provide the Mixer block and Feedback Send/Return blocks.
• When using the FXL block to create an AUX output, the FXL block must be placed in parallel rather than series. (Unlike the Axe-Fx II, the AX8 does not detect when a plug has been inserted into INPUT 2.)

I/O

• Analog:
  • The AX8 has no rear Input 1 jacks.
• Digital I/O:
  • Axe-Fx II: USB Audio, AES, S/PDIF.
  • AX8: S/PDIF Out.
• Expression pedals and external switches:
  • Axe-Fx II XL+: two PEDAL jacks.
  • AX8: four PEDAL jacks.
• More information about AX8 I/O.

Fractal Audio quotes

• "When I designed the AX8 I designed a product based on my 25 years playing as a pro and what I used 99% of the time during a gig. Even with the Axe-Fx II 99% of the time I dial up an amp, a cab and a few effects. What I care about most is a great tone. The Axe-Fx amp modeling algorithms are the best in the world. I wanted to design something portable and affordable enough to get those algorithms into the hands of a lot more players." source
• "They are very cool. They're not an Axe-Fx but they're close. Same amp and cab modeling. Stripped down effects section. Two 450 MHz DSPs; one for amp modeling the other for effects/housekeeping. Uses the same silent switch technology as the MFC-101 Mark III and FX8. Switches are assignable per patch via our new "Switch Assign Matrix" feature." source
• "It's pretty much "Axe-Fx Lite". There are send/return blocks so you can make series routings that are longer. All the advanced parameters are available in the amp block, you access them via the traditional edit menu. The dedicated Bass, Mid, etc. knobs can be accessed at any time. And it sounds like an Axe-Fx, so there's that." source
• "I'll just say a few things: source
  • It is not an Axe-Fx. It won't be able to do two amps or two cabs. It won't have things like the Vocoder and other esoteric blocks. It's a stripped down floor version at an aggressive price.
  • It will have G3 modeling and user IR slots. It has two dual-core DSPs, one for amp modeling the other for effects. These DSPs are slower than the ones in the Axe-Fx so it won't be able to do two instance of amps.
  • There will be block compatibility between the Axe-Fx and the AX8 meaning you can copy blocks from your Axe-Fx presets into the AX8.
• "There will be no pay-to-play stuff. All amp models from the Axe-Fx II will be included as well as all the Drives, etc." source
• "The DSPs used in the Axe-Fx are far too costly and require exotic cooling that is not suitable for a floor application. The AX8 covers the needs of 99% of performing guitar players." source
• "The Axe-Fx II can run multiple instances of amps, cabs and most effects. The AX8 cannot. The processors used in the AX8 are not nearly as powerful as the processors used in the Axe-Fx II. They are also significantly less expensive." source
• "AX8 and Axe-Fx II share the same code base so any updates to the Axe-Fx II apply to the AX8." http://forum.fractalaudio.com/axe-fx-ii-discussion/103735-axe-fx-ii-quantum-rev-1-00-public-beta-13.html#post1241527 source]
• "Same grid as Axe-Fx II. 512 user cab slots, 512 preset slots. Same factory amps and cabs as Axe-Fx II. Same high-quality, low-noise design as Axe-Fx II XL+. True differential I/O to the converters, not the single-ended stuff used in consumer-grade gear. Silent Switch technology from the MFC-101 Mark III. Humbuster I/Os. Most importantly it has Quantum and the "Fractal Sound". source
• "Layout grid which is just like the Axe-Fx II." source
• "The AX8 was built to a price point with quality of sound the primary consideration. It's primary use is as a live performance product. A color LCD and USB audio were not deemed pertinent for the intended application. Had those been included the price would be much higher than $1399." source
• "The AX8 uses the same converters as the Axe-Fx II. We put the money where people can't see it but where they can hear it." source
• "The AX8 and FX8 uses the same converters (CS4272-CZZ) and op-amps. The circuit design in the FX8 is necessarily much more complex to support true-bypass switching (without pops and clicks) and to optimize the outputs for use in 4CM. The AX8 removes the dedicated true bypass switching circuitry and simplifies the output design to save money. The cost savings is used towards an extra DSP." source
• (Can the Ax8 run a stereo UR cab and the AxII HD reverb?) "Yes, with ease." source
• "It does not have the vocoder and several of the other more esoteric effects. It does have the looper, synth and all the bread-and-butter effects. And it has the beautiful high-quality reverb from the Axe-Fx and FX8 (because I'm a reverb junkie). Most importantly, though, it sounds like an Axe-Fx." source
• "The AX-8 is not an Axe-Fx II on the floor. If it was it would cost a heck of a lot more than it does. It uses the exact same modeling code as the Axe-Fx II. The models in the AX-8 at release were not completely sync'd with the Axe-Fx II but the underlying algorithms are identical. IOW the AX-8 was roughly equivalent to Quantum 1.00. The upcoming firmware release syncs them exactly. The overwhelming majority of people love the AX-8 and understand it's place in the Fractal Audio model line-up. Putting an Axe-Fx II on the floor wasn't feasible due to the DSPs used in the Axe-Fx II requiring active cooling and being very expensive. The AX-8 was designed as a lower cost, simpler product that would address the needs of 99% of users. Power users will want an Axe-Fx II which is still the best modeler in the world." source