New Aphex Xciter and Punch pedals?

gscroggin · #1 03-02-2011, 12:23 AM

If you head to the Aphex site, they have what looks like (to me) two brand new versions of the Xciter and Punch. The Xciter seems to combine the 3 previous pedals in to one. None of the major retailers seem to have them, and I can't find and info, here on TB or anywhere else. The "Specs" section says Coming Soon. From the pics it almost looks like they've used all metal jacks on the new units!!!

Anyone "in the know" about these new guys?

gscroggin · #2 03-02-2011, 12:33 AM

Addition; I guess they got unveiled at NAMM:

http://www.aphex.com/news/aphex-peda...wards-at-namm/

I'm thinking SOMEONE here must have screwed around with them...?!!?!

I've also found that you can pre-order from Sweetwater, they're saying @ 3/27...hmmm. I'm not typically one to jump on the bandwagon early for gear, but I loved my old rack Xciter and I never got the pedal because the one I tried out seemed really flimsy.

diechris · #3 03-02-2011, 12:50 AM

I must have missed those...

The punch factory was the most expensive snake oil i have bought to date..

Happynoj · #4 03-02-2011, 04:40 AM

Those are hideous.

RNV · #5 03-02-2011, 04:42 AM

I have found their pedals to be a bit.......... useless.

sonic assassin · #6 03-02-2011, 05:07 AM

ive used a rack exciter in a guitar rig before. really brought a cheap tube amp to life. on a bass, i cant see liking it.

Bassmike62 · #7 03-02-2011, 05:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Happynoj

Those are hideous.

+ 1

That, they are. I sorta liked the cartoonish looks they used to have and really liked the sound. I ended up buying a BBE sonic max for my practice amp because of its better quality. I guess the folks at Aphex got tired of hearing about the perceived flimsiness of their products and decided to take the Boss approach a step further and really build a tank for pedalboards. Looking forward to sound clips though !

Steveaux · #8 03-02-2011, 05:51 PM

Ugh .... pure fugly.

bongomania · #9 03-02-2011, 08:09 PM

Ugly, yes, but if they are as rugged "in reality" as they look in that pic, then I would rather have that than pretty and flimsy.

This line made me chuckle: "The Punch Factory delivers the studio quality optical compression that has made Aphex a standard among audio and broadcast professionals for more than three decades." Actually it was their VCA designs that made them a standard among audio and broadcast professionals... their optical designs were an afterthought, and marketed to entry-level consumers.

This also caught my eye: "...the debut of the new Aphex, with new staff, new management..." I'd love to hear more about that! Aphex used to be one of the greatest brands around, and I really feel like they have been dog-paddling in mediocrity for several years now... so if they had a major overhaul and reboot then I'm very interested to see what happens!

Chasarms · #10 03-03-2011, 10:17 AM

I would not agree that the Xciters are useless. The "effect" is subtle, but it is legit. It fills out the low end in a very different way than simply boosting the EQ. It also helps put that hint of sparkle back on the hi-end after running through other effects.

I have the blue bass Xciter. It at the tail end of my board, and I use it when I play DIed using its XLR out. It works pretty well. When I am playing through the amp, I may or may not use it.

I have not had any issues with the performance or durability. It works fine. My only beef is that the switch can produce some noise when switched in and out.

I notice the new ones don't seem to have XLR outs on them. That alone would be an issue for me.

crijan · #11 05-17-2011, 10:10 AM

The images of the new pedals online show there is a 1/4" in on the right side, a 1/4" out on the left side, and a XLR out and 9V input on the back side.

FilterFunk · #12 05-17-2011, 10:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chasarms

I would not agree that the Xciters are useless. The "effect" is subtle, but it is legit. It fills out the low end in a very different way than simply boosting the EQ. It also helps put that hint of sparkle back on the hi-end after running through other effects.

I concur. I found that the Xciter expanded and shaped the low end in a spatial kind of way, as opposed to simply boosting it. And it does put "sparkle" on the high end as opposed to just adding more treble. Hard to explain, and maybe not everyone hears it the same way, but after A/B'ing the Xciter with a graphic and a parametric EQ, I can say that the Xciter does the job differently.

gscroggin · #13 09-02-2011, 01:45 PM

I realize this thread is a bit old now, but...I started it!

Has anyone actually tried out either new model yet?

Funkinthetrunk · #14 09-02-2011, 09:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FilterFunk

I concur. I found that the Xciter expanded and shaped the low end in a spatial kind of way, as opposed to simply boosting it. And it does put "sparkle" on the high end as opposed to just adding more treble. Hard to explain, and maybe not everyone hears it the same way, but after A/B'ing the Xciter with a graphic and a parametric EQ, I can say that the Xciter does the job differently.

+1
My Bass Xciter stays on all the time. It's the only pedal on my board that's not expendable.

gjbassist · #15 09-02-2011, 09:55 PM

Considering that the new version of the Punch Factory is $199 you would think it would be a big improvement over the old version. There are many other compressors with better reputations that can be had for less money.