Line 6 Helix - pod replacement

JeffTD said:
It's totally comparable as far as a user is concerned. If I can get better results with software then I'm not going to use hardware - I'm not going to give them a pass just because they have limitations the others don't. I don't award handicap points when shooting out gear.
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I completely agree with you, there is no point in using hardware if it costs more and sounds worse than the software one, plus quality over quantity for me, I'll rather take a few really good sounding amp sims that twenty that sound mediocre.
 
JeffTD said:
It's totally comparable as far as a user is concerned. If I can get better results with software then I'm not going to use hardware - I'm not going to give them a pass just because they have limitations the others don't. I don't award handicap points when shooting out gear.
Click to expand...

You might get better amp modeling results with one model - say the TSE X50 v2 vs the Helix "Panama" model.

Are you going to get better results if you want to use a Klon Centaur or fuzz pedal? Nope.

Are you going to get better results if you want a Shimmer/Particle Verb for an ambient section on a track? Nope.

Are you going to get better results having a compact rig that's footswitchable? Nope.

Are you going to have better results re-configuring your signal chain? Nope.

Are you going to have better results getting a Fender clean sound with tremolo?

Or a Vox sound for a chimey edge-of-breakup part?

Or a JC120 for crystalline clean sounds?

Or any of a buttload of other use cases? Nope.

If you only need a specialized tool, you should always get that. If you need more, a quality convergence device is almost always a better value.

That's why people rarely buy aftermarket GPS systems, MP3 players, camcorders or consumer-grade digital cameras. Your phone can do that all now.
 
Clockwork said:
The $1500 obviously delivers more than just an engl amp sim so I'm not suprised you didn't hear it in that short clip. :Spin: I mean it's a soundcloud demo made by line 6 of an engl sim, I'm taking it with a grain of salt but it certainly has potential and sounds better than the HD.
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I will be curious what people will do with their own IRs. However, the Amplifire left me very unimpressed with its clips and everyone said "loadable IRs will fix it!" but I've still yet to hear anything high-gain from that unit that appealed to me at all.

The Helix does look nice for live shows though with its great looking interface/design. Whether it's something more than that is yet to be determined.

And while I'm thinking about it...why is there no new Pod Farm?
 
Clockwork said:
The $1500 obviously delivers more than just an engl amp sim so I'm not suprised you didn't hear it in that short clip. :Spin: I mean it's a soundcloud demo made by line 6 of an engl sim, I'm taking it with a grain of salt but it certainly has potential and sounds better than the HD.
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Does it sound three times better?
 
Wow, what a load of meh. It certainly looks cool. Does a lot of nice things with switching/routing. The rest looks like standard LSux fare, more parameters on offer in a $100 Zoom MultiStomp for crying out loud. I've sworn off anything this company makes thanks to their customer service. See no reason to change that. I might consider it, when it's $300 on the used market like all their previous attempts.
 
Clockwork said:
Tell me, how does one even gauge such a thing numerically?

Personally, I don't think it needs to. There is more to justify the price than just the "sound" of an amp, I guess I take into account things like features and interface? I'm mostly interested in 4cm myself though.
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Because it seems like *feature-wise* compared to the HDX the only differences are the touch screen, more processing power, and a new sound engine.

If you're using it in a studio, it's probably easier to edit with a mouse on a computer. If you're using it live, you probably don't want to edit it. The touch screen might seem neat, but it's not a necessity. Most people will see it as an unnecessary expense/upgrade.

More CPU power is great, obviously, but the HDX series seems to have enough to run two signal chains. I think most people would be happy running one amp with a few effects and the ability to load IRs (where Line 6 seems weakest. I get good sounds out of earlier POD units with cabinets turned off and loading IRs on the computer.) With advances in technology, this doesn't seem like it should add *that* much to the cost of the unit.

So what we have left is the new sound engine, and the ability to load IRs. I think most people will be judging this unit on how it sounds, and then look at the price and compare it to other Line 6 units, and wonder why it's 3 times more expensive.
 
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