Fractal FX8 Mark II

Holy moly, do they spit out new versions every day now?
I mean, mark II so shortly after the waiting list for mark I has gone?
What drop of value for the mark I units is to be expected now?
I'd call this either a really bad design flaw of mark I or bad business policy, or both.

Very short life cycle for a very expensive product... At this rate there could be a new update each year...

Dafuk? Seriously?
So next there will be the Ax8 MarkII??

In europe: "There is no need to contact us if you previously signed up on the waitlist for the original FX8 (discontinued); we'll automatically move your name to the new waitlist for a Mark II."

Unbelievable. Thank god haven't bought it.

So they're releasing a MKII before the waiting list for the MKI is even cleared?

I'm guessing they have no manufacturing savvy, a very small customer base, or both.

"In comparison to the original FX8, the new Mark II has an all-black aircraft aluminum bezel and end panels, improved top-panel silkscreen design, an 18dB instrument input pad option, and an even lower noise floor."

"even lower noise floor" is a nice way of saying that the first batch was pretty noisy.

Or, it was necessary to lower the noise floor to accommodate the 18db pad.

To me it seems that something was wrong in the design of the MkI, definitely.

The Ax8 has the 18db input pad and I have to use it to profile.

Since I don't own one, this doesn't affect me in the slightest.

BUT...

If Kemper put out a new hardware unit with the same frequency, I'd be pretty disgruntled. I would seriously reconsider giving any company any more of my business if they were in the practice of making their previous hardware obsolete at this rate. Do we even get new iPhones this fast? I think not.

I guess the good news for late adopters is the market is going to be flooded with FX8 Mark I's real soon.

If they changed common parts with the AX8 it may also mean an AX8 Mark 2 may arrive soon...

I was considering buying one of these units to make up for what the KPA doesn't have but am glad I held off. I think the AX8 has more FX than the FX8 does, but Deadpan would know better than I. I am surprised in some way that Cliff over at FAS would let something like this get out of his shop.

On the other hand, I am half expecting a KPA II to come out as the unit we all have is living with some older tech/DSP in it and I believe that Christophe will have a difficult time squeezing in any more upgrades/improvements/user wish list type stuff. Considering the DSP power of the AX8 and the Line 6 Helix the KPA is behind the curve now. But that seems to be the Achilles Heel of all digital gear: obsolescence via newer processing power. It is the price for convenience and luxury of having a Swiss Army Knife type unit. And I must confess that if Kemper did issue a new Toaster I would most likely buy it and sell my older one.

It's all First World problems . . .

Quote from stratattack

On the other hand, I am half expecting a KPA II to come out as the unit we all have is living with some older tech/DSP in it and I believe that Christophe will have a difficult time squeezing in any more upgrades/improvements/user wish list type stuff. Considering the DSP power of the AX8 and the Line 6 Helix the KPA is behind the curve now. ...

Well, I'm suprised that this 'thesis' is coming up again and again.
IIRC G String of the Kemper team recently commented on this, but there are obviously people who won't believe that the Profiler won't be obsolete for many years to come.

Not obsolete but I believe an alternate version will be showing up in the next year or so.

Thanks to Heavens I choose Kemper over Axe back in 2012 .....

Quote from deadpan

Not obsolete but I believe an alternate version will be showing up in the next year or so.

I can't see this at all. Kemper have repeatedly said that there's still much headroom until the present hardware is fully exploited.

Quote from Ingolf

Well, I'm suprised that this 'thesis' is coming up again and again.
IIRC G String of the Kemper team recently commented on this, but there are obviously people who won't believe that the Profiler won't be obsolete for many years to come.

This is popping up a lot lately. I think one reason for it is because of how the Kemper has slowed down with V4.

But I think it's fallacious to equate ability solely on the basis of the chips being used. The Kemper underlines that, I don't think you can get better tones out of any other digital box. You would have thought you need some space age chip, but nope.

As for the FX8, the thing is so stripped down, I'm sure there weren't many takers for it. Especially after the AX8 came out. What I find really sad about those units is that you can just send one PC per stomp and you can't even send CC. Absolutely worthless as a floor controller as a result. And if it's not on the floor in front of you, what was the point of that form factor in the first place?

Retarded, they must be looking for suckers who believe that the "improvements" make the tone 110% more real. What balls.

Quote from stratattack

I was considering buying one of these units to make up for what the KPA doesn't have but am glad I held off. I think the AX8 has more FX than the FX8 does, but Deadpan would know better than I. I am surprised in some way that Cliff over at FAS would let something like this get out of his shop.

On the other hand, I am half expecting a KPA II to come out as the unit we all have is living with some older tech/DSP in it and I believe that Christophe will have a difficult time squeezing in any more upgrades/improvements/user wish list type stuff. Considering the DSP power of the AX8 and the Line 6 Helix the KPA is behind the curve now. But that seems to be the Achilles Heel of all digital gear: obsolescence via newer processing power. It is the price for convenience and luxury of having a Swiss Army Knife type unit. And I must confess that if Kemper did issue a new Toaster I would most likely buy it and sell my older one.

It's all First World problems . . .

Having super strong intellectual property over trying to push things forward via brute computing force is massive advantage in any business. If anything ran out of power, it is the algorithms and I am not talking about Kemper.