Axe FX Ultra vs Axe FX II vs Eleven Rack 

I am the happy owner of the Eleven rack. I recently bought an Ax Fx II XL +. After studying the instructions and familiarizing myself with the device, I compared both effects. My surprise was huge when the Eleven rack beat the Ax FX II XL +. He buys a second Eleven Rack.

I was expecting the 11r to stink, but I actually much prefered its tones in all 3 instances in this video

I have played with Guitar rig,revalver, th2,amplitude,tse,lepou,Pod Hd pro x with many irs and even eq matched cabs with bands I want to sound like.Spent forever dialing and tweaking.(like two years I'll never get back) Bought the eleven rack a week ago and I am beyond impressed.I have made tones that reach out and punch people in the face with clarity.The best thing I have ever bought.Axe Fx II probably is better but I'm totally fine with my 11 rack.Made two metal tones in two days and they are so effin bad ass in the mix.

Im not hearing anything close to a jcm800 or a mesa recto out of any of them .

Eleven Rack, hands down in this demo.

As someone who has own several rectifiers and just sold all of them to make some money, I have to say that the eleven rack surprised me a lot, so I'll get that one, mainly because of the price.

I have both Axfx2 and 11R, but I prefer the 11R. Why? 11R sounds fuller, organic, easy to use, sounds great on live PA and its way CHEAPER!

The thing is, the 11 rack actually has a pretty steep learning curve when it comes to dialing in a tone. If you really put the time into fiddling with EQ-ing on some of the presets, you can get an absolutely JAW-dropping tone out of them. We commonly have people mistake our dual 11-rack setup for Axe-fx's live, the tone is beautiful, and the cutoffs are super tight. If i had the money, honestly I'd go for a kemper profiler well before i ever spent that money of the Axe-fx.

I owned at one time the axe ultra and now own the 11 rack. Been playin 30 years. For playing straight into a amp and cab I diffinently like the sound & (very important!) the FEEL better on the 11 rack. So yah, I will take not having a shit ton of options snd sounds all day. To each his own.

I tryed the Eleven rack a G center and was amazed at the realistic sound quality

I believe you can reamp without protools using the 11R as well, but you just have to manually change the inputs, and change the option in the 11R unit itself.

The Eleven Rack is its own soundcard and everything. It goes USB into your computer, and that's all you need!

well. considering the price & tone, I'm now convinced an eleven rack is a superior investment. The AXE-FX tone i felt was disappointing: squeaky & less real sounding than the Eleven Rack (i have over 26 amps including the ones emulated). cheers for comparison mate!

after the burial (an awesom band) recorded their entire album In Dreams using an axe FX and it sounds awesome

I'm really surprised that almost every video I see on youtube about the axe fx really does not sound very good. All the audio in the video, the axe fx sound very "buzzy" and thin. Especially the JCM 800. I have one of these amps and I can say with any hesitation that the example in this video sounds nothing even close to a JCM 800 going through a 4x12 cab. To my ears, these type of simulators don't sound even close to a real tube amp. They all lack the debth and bark of a tube amp and 4x12 cab. I would even say that guitar rig 5 sound as good as the axe fx or very close. In this comparison considering the axe fx is well over $2,000 you would be better off with an Eleven Rack which is only $300 with out pro tools or go with something like guitar rig 5 pro. A hell of a lot cheaper and the sounds are extremely close. Just my 2 cents. I love David videos so thanks for sharing.

Were the amp settings the same for all 3 components? If so, then I think the Eleven Rack sounds so much better than either of the Axe FX models. There's no comparison, based on what you've presented. Thanks for your work in putting this together.

The difference its incredible! Thanks for doing this, I actually didnt think there was THAT sound difference

Getting my Axe Fx II in about 10-20 days. cant wait!!

@nomadicexplorers Thanks for the encouragement. I don't know whether I get intimidated with technology the older I get or I just don't want to waste the time I have left learning it. Have fun with the ER.

Wow the Marshall emulation is perfect on the Eleven! It sounds so much more authentic than the Axe Fx's.

I love it when ppl can give a solid review on something like this video. There hard to come by sometimes thank you

I ended up getting a brand new 11R for 389 bucks. Pretty satisfied with this purchase.

Finally a video comparison by a good guitarist that i trust and know he can operate his guitar and gear properly and provide good quality video and audio.

Axe FXII.....Sold! I haven't seen a BETTER comparison of these tools, than right now! BEST Reviews, right here, folks!!! Keep up the great work, David!

I like it Rack Eleven.Much more natural sound.

The clean fender sounded livelier and more realistic on the AxeFX, but the JCM and boogie sounded more real on the eleven rack. When that sound switched to the AXEFX versions, it was like a "fizz" knob got turned up.

Doesn't really sound like a fair comparison just turning on the presets. What about mic model emulation, mic placement, cab size/speaker type, speaker breakup level, input impedance emulation. Every one of these models have that depth of control and honestly the sound difference sound more like an EQ/emulation setting difference, not an actual quality of tone difference. If you want to most versatile modeler ever made, Axe-FX II by far. If you rarely use out of this world effects and just want great tone, get the Eleven rack. I've had the Eleven rack for 3 years, switched to it from a Hughes & Kettner Switchblade and have loved it ever since.

David just as I said in your last video, YOU DELIVERED!! thank you again for a great and honest comparison, addressing the money issue that very few dare to!!

I am always amazed because the distorted sounds are actually not quite as good with the Eleven rack but the whole package sounds a lot more like a real amplifier. Maybe connect a pedal to the Eleven Rack then it's perfect

11 sounds better on each comparison set...axe sound thin and digital. 11 has more low end. I listened without watching. Sorry nerds!!!

just to correct something you said. you can record a dry signal to reamp and a wet signal in the eleven rack with other daw,s not just protools. i use cubase 5 and use this feature a lot you just need to set it up in vst connections. cool vid btw really enjoyed it

Thanks man, one of the best video to compare and have a nice clue I've seen on RU-vid.

Comparing amps without FX...what a novel idea. Good Job!

it was this video that made me buy the axefx2. And looking back i don't have any regrets !!!!!

@Wallimann Now that you have clearly recommended the Axe FX in this video, and that no DAW is included in the purchase I think, you are pretty much beholden to now produce a video showing the different DAWs that are available and the available, features, price VSTs, etc and to make a recommendation on that as well. And seeing as you clearly mentioned reamping perhaps you should do a video on that as well with whatever DAW you are currently using.

You mentioned saving money? I am not familiar with that term?....lol

That face-off was most delectable. Thank you Wallimann :]

EXcellent comparison! thanks for posting

I used to go after this kind of machines, i had an Eleven Rack.. then i discovered the analogo modeling world. IMHO, all the sansamp analog modelers of the famous amps, like Twin, JCM, Plexi, Boogie, AC, do an incredible job, way more organic and overtoned and complex than anything i heard here. Go listen to some demos, and most important, PLAY them. Once you get some of that pedals, the cabinet simulation of them is so good you just need to enter your soundcard, add a reverb plugin, that's all.

I have an Eleven rack and now feel extremely happy after hearing these comparisons. I can't believe how bad both AXE FX sound, the AXE FX II sounds worse than the Ultra to me also. I know it's all subjective, but for me it's confirmed that I will never wonder whether I should have got an AXE FX. Too many unnecessary parameters to tweak on the AXE FX too in my opinion. Thanks for the video, a real eye (and ear) opener!

Thank you for your answer. Yes I am using the POD Farm software. I am really interested in the Axe Fx but i think this is a bit too much for me and ill probably use 1% of its capacity. I will try download amplitube as well as guitar rig. Thanks a lot. cheers

WOW The Eleven Rack sounds really impressive here. Both the AXE FX sounded like poop-a-doop to me in the video. I'm looking at it this way...let's say the Eleven Rack had no effects at all and only one single amp model...Dual Rectifier. You just bought a Dual Rec preamp and a lifetime supply of tubes for $300.00 on Ebay. Sign me up!

My favourites: Fender Deluxe - Axe-FX Ultra Marshall JCM800 - Eleven Rack & Axe-FX II Mesa Dual Rectifier - Eleven Rack & Axe-FX Ultra Now if only I had any money...

@Wallimann the idea of a shootout is to compare similar tones. The only thing we can discern from your shootout is that the amount of drive is different between the three devices in relation to the pot settings. If you had done your best to match tones then we would have a better idea of the sonic quality of each unit.

Very good videos - keep informing us that way ! thanks.

It's old but thx for this video who answere me exaclty the questions I was asked to myself, nice presentation, precision and demonstration I have a preference for the Avid Eleven rack (but it's more for the price whose less than the Axe :p )

Not hating on the expensive stuff, but the 11rack is nicer sounding. Sounds like an amp. Feels like an amp.

That's what I have and the G System has it's own analog FX loop that can be joined with 11R. Plus you have the fantastic G System floor controller.

yes i agree the new firmware 9.02 has greatly improved the Axe Fx ll !!

People can look up (or probably already know) the specs, and you can list the settings in the video info or as subtitles. It's so much better when demos are mostly sounds!

Makes me feel good listening to this video. The Eleven Rack sounds full tight bottom end and the Axe FXs sound thin and fizzy.Just picked up a new Eleven with pro-tools for under 300, I'm stoked! planning on using it mainly for just the FXs as I have a Synergy modular (Syn-2) amp set up that so far has my little 5 Watt Bugera sounding like a fire breathing SLO! No lie I get great feedback so controllable at such low volume , just crazy good tone.

@Wallimann - You will! It does take a bit of time if you want to learn all the little nuances, but even just sticking to the basic settings to start with plus a couple of really important ones (namely the hi-cut and lo-cut parms) will help you get started. Also, here's a neat trick for the crunchier stuff - use the 1x6 Oval cab (no mic) in parallel with your regular cab and sitting about -6dB below the level you have your main cab set to.

As an AxeFx II owner, A LOT of you that viewed the Eleven as the "prevalent" choice for digital amplification because the AxeFx tones displayed in the video is "garbage". To be clear, all three of these choices have LOTS of factory presets, especially the AxeFx. One of the few biggest components the AxeFx carries is the Noisegate, EQ, and being able to create YOUR OWN TONE! Based on this video; I thoroughly enjoyed the sounds coming from three different models; two brands. I feel as though people should research much further about the AxeFx than having to decide based on what is seen here. The AxeFx alone has more than 200 amp simuations as well as 100 cab simulations. The choices and ENDLESS and is well-utilized to the choice of one's preferred sound. If you want a more raw, but with a touch of digital sound, go for a Kemper. They're widely known for duplicating analog tubes into the digital processing amp, whereas the AxeFx cannot, but can only create tones from scratch and give you the choices of 300+ factory presets between clean, twang, blues, distortion tones, and MUCH MORE!

I just got an 11R and when paired with the Line 6 M9 I already had on my board it's more than most could ever need.

Great video,I looked at the ultra for over a year before i bought it ,2 months later the axe2 came out lol. Still love my ultra.Best tone I've ever got, Inspirational !

If the settings on the 3 amp models were truly the exact same, then I would have to say that the Eleven Rack had a fuller, less "metallic" tone. Tone-wise, this would be a no-brainer for me, based on what I heard. I would consider an eleven rack and a TC Electronics G System for roughly(?) the same price as the Axe F/X II.

Elevenrack is really impressive. Thanks for the video David

I like the review and all of your info man :D Just one suggestion. I think you should do like 30 second demos of each sound as opposed to like 10 second demos just so we the viewer get a better idea of it :D

I've had an Eleven Rack for 4+ years, and just got an Axe FX II this year. The Axe FX II's basic amp, speaker, and mic tones, dry without any other effects, as well its 'organic feel' [how well it replicates playing a tube amp in terms of dynamics] are miles beyond the 11R. The author is very experienced with the Axe FX II [I've watched many of his videos], but the tones he dialed in here are kinda shitty. Feel and tone is subjective blah blah, so you should really try both to figure out which you like blah blah blah. But like me, some of us don't have funds / access to try both before determining. Obviously, price is a huge factor here. The 11R does most of the stuff the Axe FX II will do at a fraction of the cost, but: Eleven Rack: - I had stable drivers for the 11R for about a year or so on my Mac before AVID updates broke compatibility with various OS updates. Even though I stayed at a known stable platform, the 11R has always had driver issues on Apple machines. It also cannot be connected to the computer if the Mac sleeps at any point, forcing a restart to use the 11R once that happens. This means you have to set your Mac to never sleep if you want 'always on' functionality to just pick up and put down ideas with the 11R and a Mac. - The 11R worked well on Windows 7 Pro and Windows 10 when I tested it on those platforms. I have two Windows machines, but don't use them for music. - The 11R sounds good for the money, but has fizziness to its high gain tones. The fullness of the amp tone also suffers when completely dry, i.e. just a preamp, cab, and mic sim without reverb, delay, etc. The tone is comparable to a VST amp sim plugin like Guitar Rig, with slightly more responsive feel to the input. - Did get a standalone editor app for non-Pro Tools users eventually, which was a nice update. However, the core drivers and issues for Mac haven't resolved the above issues for years. In terms of I/O, if you can get it working consistently, it does most of what the Axe FX II does. Axe FX II: - Has worked flawlessly with both my Macs and PCs [and it should for the money]. - Sounds nearly identical to the amps I own and compared it with, including a Mesa Rectifier, Marshall Jubilee, Dr Z Maz 18, and Orange Rocker. IMHO, feels way different, clearer, more responsive to player dynamics and volume [and it should be for the money]. - To me, editing presets on the unit and with their multiple applications is easier than the 11R. It is a more visual interface [and it should be for the money]. - Has constant software updates which improve the core sound quality and functionality of the unit, plus the drivers are pretty rock solid [knock on wood -- but they should be ... for the money]. You get what you pay for. I sold most of my amps to afford the Axe FX II, since I tried it and knew it'd be more than an upgrade to the 11R. The 11R felt like a compromise, the Axe FX feels like a solution.

Got the 11Rack several months ago on ebay for 200.00 USD with no pro tools but it did have the expansion pack. I have it hooked up to a berringher FCB1010 with the eurekaprom The two were a total of 100USD so for 300 I have a foot controlled eleven racks that rocks. Yes I wish it wasn't tied to pro tools , I don't care about recording but no way to even save patch xcept to the 11R itself no Backups makes me nervous no way to load other rigs (presets) have to build your own BUT IT ROCKS

finally here it is ! thanks for the review man

I own an Axe FX Std and love it, but agree with those here regarding the sounds in this test (thanks Wallimann for putting this out etc.) .. If i were evaluating all 3 based on this test alone, i'd buy the ELEVEN. I must also say, that the settings of the Axes in this test didn't do justice to what i know the Axe to be capable of with minor tweaking. NO CRITICISM to Wallimann personally at ALL though. That said, thanks Wallimann, I'm now going to re-look at the ELEVEN and possibly get one.

Wow, I also think that the Eleven Rack sounded better than the Axe, but my opinion is based in 3 cuts without mixing. Maybe with some bass and drums it would change... Anyway, incredible toys there!

Great video comparison!! I like Axe Fx Ultra. Because in my ears more natural and more articulate ...

11 's Mesa preset Blow the axeFX away^^

I own an 11R and think all 3 sound good. All different. My experience is none of them sound as earthy as my analog pedals and amps: Fender Deluxe Reverb, AC30cc2, or Blues Deluxe mic'd in stereo with sm57. I don't have a JMC800 or dual rectifier and gotta admit it's a huge hassle with the bass traps and mic placements. A lot of the subtleties get lost in the mix -- I notice them but probably no one else does. From this demo I was most envious of the Axe Ultra.

@Wallimann thanks thatd be AWESOME. i may get it for the sheer fact that it has that and the 5150.

Awesome! Thanks a lot for this video!

Very nice demos, well done, thank you very much!

Thank you for all your videos, you are a great great guitarrist, regards from cancun mexico

Love this video. Great comparison! If you haven't sold the ultra yet and would like to, I'm in the market for one!

Eleven rack wins. I noticed it especially when Marshall JCM 800 was played and the comparisson. Both Ultra and the fx2 were thinner and less alive than 11. On the same patch: to my big surprise it was a bigger difference than expected between the ultra and the fx2 when they should be more the same. They have added more gain on the fx2. However, it seems that Eleven rack is not going to be getting many more patches. And it has not as many effects and amp models to start with. But 11 rack is cheaper, and it is very good, it might have exactly what you need, so.... Difficult. Or should I just come to the conclusion of what amp I need and get that one and be satisfied with that? Enough to drive you crazy!

Im sure it has been brought up but the reamping of Eleven Rack is available in any DAW you just have to configure the in/outs manually.. definitely MUCH easier in PT. :(

David you lucky dude! One day I'LL be doing reviews for the Axe FX 45 Super Improved! haha. Great comparison, thanks a lot.

I have the Eleven Rack and works great !

You are a saint. Thank you for posting this awesome comparison!

Wow Axe Fx II sounds awesome! A lot more clarity in the high end and those distorted tones are super crunchy. I didn't know about the reamp feature in the axe fx II thats awesome! Must buy :O

Wow, I like the 11 Rack better. Wasn't expecting that.

David, I love your objective reviews, you should get a kemper and compare it side by side to the Axe II.

Thanks dude. I was in limbo, axe fx or 11r? Your feedback is great. In all vids I saw axe fx cleans sounded a little awkward. Clean tube sound is the most important base.

see a lot of comments bashing the Axe-fx, complaining about low end? come on, the guitar isnt supposed to have much low end, thats where the kick and bass are in a mix(basic sound enginering guys), as for top end, yes here the Axe sounds a bit harsh, but that can easily be dialed in. On the other hand you cant conjure a crisp high end where there is none. If you want to play at home, sure get the eleven rack, but that guitartone there is not going to sit well in a mix iff you're planing on playing with a band.

Good review. I had both the ultra and the 11r. I used the 11r as the pro tools interface and DI'd the ultra into that to get recording. Seemed rather convoluted, but it worked an absolute demon. Got rid of the 11r and moved to the digi 003. The ultra was always the main component. I would stick with that. With the tone match feature on the axe II, I might upgrade, but I'm happy with my ultra and the cheeky pod xt pro I picked up recently.

I have the Axe FX II and I'm not sure how he recorded these, but mine doesn't sound anything like that. It sounds all trebly and trashy on here. I have a POD HD, Guitar Rig 5 and the Axe FX and have found the Axe to be the most natural sounding. The other thing that came out with the Axe was a much increased sensitivity to my pickup selections (I use a PRS Custom from 1987). I had forgotten how deep the tonal variations were on my guitar until plugging into it. I would strongly recommend the Axe FX II.

As we have a bunch of Axe-Fx cultists everywhere saying the Axe is better than anything else, I can only trust my ears. And as widebllacksky has mentioned, it is hard to tell which unit sounds better by this viideo.

It may well be the method of how you recorded this clip but on hearing all three. the Eleven Rack (11R) seems to have more body to it. The Fender clean sounds didn't seem to vary that much however, the distorted sounds on both Axe models sounded somewhat scratchy in comparison to the 11R. Thanks for doing the comparison.

I guess that John Cuniberti did the mic positioning for the Eleven Rack didn't hurt ;) I also think it sounded better actually. The AxeFX sounds very close mic'd.

thanks that was so informative. the only thing i would do is show a few more different amp models, and that the video was longer. It was interesting seeing how loud some of rack modules are louder crisper and deeper than the other rack units are. Are there more high gain amps like diezel, bogner, mesa,vht, engl in the new axe fx 2 than the older axe fx ultra? Will they still allow you to download other guy's setups and sounds on the new axe fx 2? great demo, please do more, even practicing.tnx

I had the Eleven Rack and an Axe Fx and sold the Eleven Rack after about 4 months. While recording an album we (the engineer and I) were trying to get a really great high gain sound and it just fell short every time. It did low to medium gain and clean very well but high gain was just very unimpressive. The Axe Fx was able to be dialed in to an awesome high gain sound in about 20 minutes and was easier to use. The feel and dynamics were also better. I still use real tube amps live though.

It's interesting that the majority of commenters prefer the Eleven Rack due to its low end. I preferred the Fractal units because they didn't have so much low end. They will make you sit far better in a mix or live environment. The Eleven Rack's low end will just have to be EQd out.

Thanks for this great video, it's so important to hear these 3 side by side. I'll check around your videos to see if you have a video of the Kemper profiling amp and the AxeFx 2. thanks for posting, i like the AxeFx 2 the best, but the Eleven is only roughly $1,000.

This is of course subjective, but to my ears, the 11 rack had the best sound on each of these which really surprises me!

I thought the Eleven Rack and the Ultra sounded way better than the Axe FX 2. But even between the 11R and the Ultra, it's not a $2000 difference. In some cases the 11R even sounded best of the 3 units to me.

In general, I'd say the FX II is fairly obviously the best sounding - shame about the 48k limit though, they gotta do something about that.

I can't say I've tried the axe fx but one thing I noticed and its not a big deal but out of the processers the eleven rack has a killer gui, not a big deal but if I'm gonna spend that much on something I would hope all avenues would be explored.

It's kinda weird but i really liked 11r way more than neither axes. :O

To my ear the Eleven rack sounded much more natural that the Axe units. On the distortion models the Axe sounds thin and brittle compared the the eleven rack. I would assume from the sound quality alone that the eleven unit would me more expensive than the Axe units. The axe units remind me of the old line 6 pod's and digital amps, which isn't a compliment.

I trusted you as soon as I saw the Egnater

I had an Eleven Rack and sold it last May and bought an Axe FX ultra because the 11r was so lacking in effects. well, I'm SERIOUSLY thinking about going back to the 11R because I find myself in tweaker Hell with AFX.. Seems like I did more playing and less tweaking with the 11R and for the fender cleans I think it sounds warmer and more "tubey" to me.

on this demo, 11 rack won the clean, axe fx ii won the marshall, and ultra won the mesa boogie. but theres a billion more tones and options on axe fx ii so id go with that

Awesome video! You've helped make my decision pretty obvious.