Community: Message List - Ok, we know about the HD500, why not talk about it?

Re: Ok, we know about the HD500, why not talk about it?

support@line6.com — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 22:32:41 GMT

Recently got the pod hd400...big dissappointment..im my opinion..The Pod X3 Pro is the best unit line 6 have made...that is all!!!

Re: Ok, we know about the HD500, why not talk about it?

support@line6.com — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 11:49:31 GMT

johneek,

i disagree to Karl_Houseknecht: I have a PodXT and bought a HD500 lately. I spent 30 hours in tweaking acoustic sound of HD500 and gave up now. It never comes close to the ACO2 amp model in the PodXT. There are lots of acoustic patches in the HD500 but none of them comes close to the PodXT. The patches rely on some EQ which you can not manipulate through the knobs on the HD500. I tried to do a gig with the HD500 and it was a desaster as I could not dive into the submenues on stage.
I think the HD500 is not for acoustic guitar players. Line6 has had two years now to add the acoustic amp model and nothing happened ...

Re: Ok, we know about the HD500, why not talk about it?

support@line6.com — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 10:58:26 GMT

After using the HD500 for a few months now I can honestly say I am extremely happy with the upgrade (from the XT Live). In smaller venues I run it through a Tech21 Power Engine 2x12 and for the larger gigs with pro front of house I go DI. In both scenarios have received nothing but compliments on my sound. It really kicks butt going through a big PA. At the moment I am doing a lot of mainstream covers and bluesy stuff. I use a Les Paul with Seymour Duncan P-Rails for maximum versatility and the HD500 reacts beautifully to this. Its great to have a piece of kit that excites me again.

The trick for me is too start building your tone with clean slate. Choose the amp you want based on the tone you try to achieve,,, add a bit of ‘room’ and dial the amp in. Then go from there. Ultimately I would love dual atomic reactors or maybe even a second PE60 2x12 to start exploring dual tones J….. one day… (soon I hope)

Re: Ok, we know about the HD500, why not talk about it?

support@line6.com — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 12:47:20 GMT

"trust me.. I have had Roland, Boss, VOX and Zoom.. the Line 6 HD hands down beats them all for flexibility"

@StokesGA - I notice you didn't mention Digitech. You may have tried Digitech at the store or a friend's house but you really should take an RP1000 or GSP1101(the one I use) home for a try. You would be right in saying that either unit is much less versatile and has fewer options than the HD but that's because the HD came out more recently. If Digitech came out with a unit now it would have more. Really, Digitech is similar to your VOX experience. It just sounds more natural and more organic than the competition at its price. I cannot say it sounds better than the HD because I only tried the HD for a half an hour at the store. There's nothing like taking it home for a long period of time so I can't be fair to the HD with only that amount of time. It will have more volume than the VOX at the PA, too.

Give it a try. We never know what's for us until we try. Try to ignore the posts that will emerge saying Digitech is a piece of crap and that they tried it for a year and couldn't get a good sound. That's probably very true for them but your taste might be different. Only you can make that decision for yourself.

Re: Ok, we know about the HD500, why not talk about it?

support@line6.com — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 12:21:34 GMT

The HD line in a whole, are great processors,, trust me.. I have had Roland, Boss, VOX and Zoom.. the Line 6 HD hands down beats them all for flexibility... You cannot get better than the Vox Tonelab LE for true tube tone.. but that is Vox's little niche in the world.. you get great tube tone.. but your limited to the 1/4 unbalanced output if you run straight to PA and the signal on cleans is very hard for the sound guy to bring up... Each unit on the market has its good points and its bad points.. Line6 just happens to have more good than bad..The on board patches are for the most part crap and they are only really a guide to show you how to produce a certain tone.. There is work you have to do yourself to bring the most out of that tone.. That is true for all processors on the market...If your happy with the X3 ,, Why bother upgrading to the HD? I have learn a few lessons over the years ,, and one is if it ain't broke don't fix it... If you have a ton of work in the X3 and have your tone where you want it and are truly happy.. why not stick with it?..just my 2 cents..

What sets line 6 apart also is the development team is constantly updating and supporting their software.. you will not get that with another unit on the market.. VOX could have owned the market if they had chose to support the Tonelab LE like Line 6 supports their products.. I can tell you through an amplifier on clean chanel VOX tone ,, you just don't get any closer to true tube tone than that...without running tubes..Line6 can run through and Amplifier also.. but it really shines on direct link to PA..

Re: Ok, we know about the HD500, why not talk about it?

support@line6.com — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 03:44:17 GMT

I am really enjoying the hd500. I am late to the party but have plenty of toys that have kept me busy. I have had the gt10 since it came out. But boss and there inability to do any kind of updates really bothers me. There are some parts of the gt-10 I really liked, but I always thought there amp sims could have been better. I had a fractal axe ultra, excellent product but so damn expensive. To me I am having just as much fun using the hd500. I sure wish it were able to be used with pod farms, and had the ability to tweak after recording. But I will take what I can get when I can get it and I really like this product. I had the m13 and it just wasn't as useful to me as the hd500. If line6 keeps updating it and allows the use of pod farm hd. I think it would be an A++ product. Way to go line 6 you hit a home run on this product and if there is a possiblity of future updates for recording purposes. One other thing, I sure wish it were easier to use with my redwirez IR's. Words couldn't describe how much I would enjoy my hd500.

Re: Ok, we know about the HD500, why not talk about it?

support@line6.com — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 15:19:20 GMT

I just tested the pod hd in a store, and i really was NOT impressed @ all, it still sounds like a regular pod to me, it sounds a bit more pushed and clear, but still has that fizz on the high end... Further on i don't like the amp list on this one. There are no tight sounding amps on it like a mesa mark or the jcm 2000 wich i like in the X3 and use. I hope there will be more amps in the future.

Re: Ok, we know about the HD500, why not talk about it?

support@line6.com — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 09:26:37 GMT

That's the thing, these guys @ line 6 try so hard to make the soft and hardware so good, still they manage to let the factory presets sounds like ...., I spend hours on tweaking my X3 and i'm almost happy with it. Because i can get the high notes to sound thick and well balanced, but when i play the thicker strings it's just a tiny bit muddy. But still acceptabel... Anyway i'll check it out more soon

Re: Ok, we know about the HD500, why not talk about it?

support@line6.com — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 02:31:00 GMT

It's not something you can just play in the store and instantly get tight tones. The presets are crap for the most part. The fizzyness goes away for me when I tweak the master level on the volume and in deep editing. It resumes tightness and clarity. Have you ever turned a tube amp on low volume and cranked the gain?... Same kind of fizzyness (especially in the rectifier series). In this case the high gain models are emulating the actual amps... Cranking that master and turning up the volume (as well as a good PA / AMP / Stereo / or set of headphones) makes all the difference.

Re: Ok, we know about the HD500, why not talk about it?

support@line6.com — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 15:42:31 GMT

right now it only runs on the hardware... they may eventually have the option for the UX2 if they come up with a plugin version...

but i'd expect it to be a pricey addon/upgrade

just my guess though....