HALP! V-Amp monitor vs. recorded sound

[aberration]

I'm having a huge problem with my freakin' V-Amp Pro right now. Before I go on, let me say that I'm not replacing it and I'm not going to mic a cab (as much as I might love to do both).
Ok. V-Amp Pro > ART graphic EQ > Emu 0404 into Sonar 6.
When I'm playing and listening, either through the headphone jack on the V-Amp or my monitors, I hear exactly what I want to hear. The tone is perfect to my ears. As soon as I hit record, I am apparently also hitting the "turn sound to turd" button because what gets laid down sounds completely different - muddy, bassy, distant, awful. When I try to compensate with EQ, even minor changes go way too far and what I get is tinny and distant.
Has anybody run into anything similar and if so, how'd you fix it?!?!?

 

[Metaltastic]

I assume your monitors are plugged into your interface, and therefore are playing back the sound of the V-amp through the eq? Cuz if not, I'd say maybe the EQ is to blame (cuz using the headphone out on your V-amp means you're not hearing it through the EQ, of course). Otherwise, though, I dunno...

 

[aberration]

Yes, the monitors are plugged directly into the interface. I've got the EQ basically in the effects loop (sinful?), so even when I'm listening through phones the signal is going through there. Headphones on the V-Amp defaults to mode S1, so I'm trying to make everything apples to apples by using the same mode to run into the interface.