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446 Views 17 Replies Latest reply: Jan 27, 2012 4:41 PM by MerlinFL RSS
hamza4best Just Startin' 58 posts since
May 21, 2011
Currently Being Moderated

Jan 16, 2012 5:58 AM

pod hd500 help

i'm buying pod hd500 and i have a few questions regarding it

 

1.Can i use normal computer headphones with the pod because the studio monitor type are really expensive for me so will i be able to get good sound through computer headphones(I'm not asking about earphones)

 

2.I've a spider 4 15w amp and i know it doesn't work well with multi fx pedals because its an amp modeller itself and i tested my friends vamp3 with my amp and didn't sound good.I tried putting the amp in neutral state by pressing the tap button as i power on the amp though it worked but still i didn't get good sound through the amp with that vamp pedal and also tried the amp in clean channel and didn't sound good too(should i put everything to 0 on my amp or should i put the treble mid and bass at centre?)

 

3.how can i use my amp just as a speaker so it doesn't colour the sound of the pedal?

 

4.How can i connect the pod through the cd/mp3 in of my amp.Should i use 1/4 to 1/8 adaptor? how does that work? and what is a dummy jack plug? i read some where that if i use this method i should also use a dummy jack plug.

  • Nick_Mattocks Best of the Best 9,065 posts since
    Mar 26, 2007
    Currently Being Moderated
    Jan 16, 2012 6:24 AM (in response to hamza4best)
    Re: pod hd500 help

    Hi

     

    1. If using headphones with a POD HD500 they really need to be relatively decent to sound any good.  Cheap computer type headphones are likely to give you a poor result.  Your choice of headphones need not necessarily be expensive but getting yourself something a little better quality than computer headphones would be a good move.   Higher impedance headphones are recommended.
    2. The Spider IV 15w amp is unlikely to sound great with the POD HD500 if you send the output of the HD500 into the front input of the amp.  You may find starting the amp in TEST mode which bypasses the DSP section will produce a better sound if you set the output mode of the HD500 to Combo Pwr Amp.  I believe the Spider IV 15's TEST mode can be accessed in the same way as the bigger Spider IV amps which is to press TAP as you turn the amp on.  NOTE: the Spider's Master Volume will not work so the POD HD's Master control will need to be used to set maximum volume.
    3. The least amount of coloration will be added by using the amp in test mode or by using the CD/MP3 input on your amp
    4. To use the CD/MP3 input on your amp, you will need a stereo 1/4" to 1/8" TRS jack adapter cable.  You must plug a 'dummy' jack plug into the amp's normal 1/4" guitar input socket to activate the CD/MP3 input socket.  A 1//4" dummy jack plug is just a jack plug with no cable attached.

     

    Nick

  • jimsreynolds Power User 2,227 posts since
    Jun 27, 43450
    Currently Being Moderated
    Jan 16, 2012 6:34 AM (in response to hamza4best)
    Re: pod hd500 help

    1.Can i use normal computer headphones with the pod because the studio monitor type are really expensive for me so will i be able to get good sound through computer headphones(I'm not asking about earphones)

     

    Yep, but be realistic.  The more you invest in decent headphones - i.e. ones that faithfully reproduce the tone you have dialed up rather -  the better your tones will be when you try them through a PA or similar.  Anything is better than earbuds.  If you just want it to sound good and arent too worried about using building tones that are 'portable' then any headphones will work.  You do get what you pay for though, with headphones.

     

    2.I've a spider 4 15w amp and i know it doesn't work well with multi fx pedals because its an amp modeller itself and i tested my friends vamp3 with my amp and didn't sound good.I tried putting the amp in neutral state by pressing the tap button as i power on the amp though it worked but still i didn't get good sound through the amp with that vamp pedal and also tried the amp in clean channel and didn't sound good too(should i put everything to 0 on my amp or should i put the treble mid and bass at centre?)

     

    The spider 15 is a cheap and cheerful practice amp.  That is fine but it is limited by the small speaker and construction and it is not going to sound 'huge'.  With the amp in a neutral state you would select 'Combo Power Amp' or 'Stack Power Amp' normally on an HD.  The amp's tone controls would not work at this point so all editing would be done from the Pod.

     

    There are many reasons why the Behringer may have sounded poor ranging from patch settings to output mode to whatever.  I would not use that as an indicator as to how good a Pod may or may not sound.

     

    3.how can i use my amp just as a speaker so it doesn't colour the sound of the pedal?

     

    By doing what you did ... i.e. to bypass the pre-amp using the tap switch/power trick.  You are not bypassing the 'amp' ... you are bypassing the 'pre-amp'.  You will still use the 'power amp' section of your Spider 15 ... you need this to amplify your guitar signal up to levels where you can hear it through the speaker.

     

    If that doesn't sound good then you could try powering up the amp as usual, selecting a clean channel and centrering all tone controls.  There are tweaks in the POD setup for running 'Combo Front' also.

     

    4.How can i connect the pod through the cd/mp3 in of my amp.Should i use 1/4 to 1/8 adaptor? how does that work? and what is a dummy jack plug? i read some where that if i use this method i should also use a dummy jack plug.

     

    If your amp has an mp3/cd in then you are effectively running it the same way as you do by starting up with the tap switch held down ... i.e. bypassing the pre-amp.   If you still want to try this:  you could either run from the headphones jack on the HD into the MP3 jack on the Spider (using a 1/8" stereo TRS into 1/4" Stereo TRS connector).  EDIT:  the dummy plug is required in the Spider input socket, as per Nick who posted up while I was drafting

     

    ----

     

    In my honest opinon though, I don't think that adding a POD HD to your Spider is going to revolutionise the sounds that you get.  They should be better than the spider alone, yes, but the Spider itself has many limitations even when used with the POD.   You may find that you get a very small improvement for your money.  If you are looking for good practice sounds then a POD and headphones may be better and invest in a bigger, more capable amp later.

      • silverhead Expert Line 6 User 9,592 posts since
        Apr 1, 2009
        Currently Being Moderated
        Jan 16, 2012 7:08 AM (in response to hamza4best)
        Re: pod hd500 help

        hamza4best wrote:

         

        as for the headphones.I obviously know the more i'll invest the better sound i'll get but i'm just asking that like with normal computer headphones or even earphones will i get decent sounds out of the pod?..

        That's highly subjective, based on what you would call 'decent'.  Only you can answer that for yourself. Try your current headphones. If you don't get a 'decent' sound then upgrade yopur headphones.

      • jimsreynolds Power User 2,227 posts since
        Jun 27, 43450
        Currently Being Moderated
        Jan 17, 2012 6:14 AM (in response to hamza4best)
        Re: pod hd500 help

        and why didn't setting the amp in neutral state the tap switch/power trick give me good results with the behringer how should i put the output in behringer?

        You might want to try and find a Behringer forum for that .  Someone here may know but by definition most people here use Line 6 ....

            • mxblake Just Startin' 20 posts since
              Jan 9, 2012
              Currently Being Moderated
              Jan 19, 2012 9:28 PM (in response to hamza4best)
              Re: pod hd500 help

              they should sound fine

                • jimsreynolds Power User 2,227 posts since
                  Jun 27, 43450
                  Currently Being Moderated
                  Jan 20, 2012 3:31 AM (in response to hamza4best)
                  Re: pod hd500 help

                  A lot of people on that the thread that you highlighted seemed to have problems find in the right headphones for them.  However, if you search this forum there are relatively few people on the forum, moaning that they have problems with headphones.  There are plenty people asking for advice on the best ones but many with people having issues.  Generally people are more worried about translating the sound that they hear in their headphones to a PA or amplifier setup ... that is more tricky and neutral headphones will help with that.

                   

                  If no-one has answered your queries about specific headphone models then it is probable that nobody reading this post has any direct experience of the models that you are discussing.

                    • mxblake Just Startin' 20 posts since
                      Jan 9, 2012
                      Currently Being Moderated
                      Jan 20, 2012 2:15 PM (in response to hamza4best)
                      Re: pod hd500 help

                      He Means you will need to make your own sounds through the pod hd500 and thats the hardest part, the headphones should not matter. Its getting the sounds you like through the 500 that is more important, so if you have a bad sound through the 500 it will sound bad through the earphones but if you have a good sound through the 500 it should sound good through the earphones.

                       

                      Hope this helps

                    • ricksox UberGuru 11,600 posts since
                      Mar 28, 2006
                      Currently Being Moderated
                      Jan 27, 2012 4:08 PM (in response to hamza4best)
                      Re: pod hd500 help

                      hamza4best wrote:

                       

                      so what you're saying is whatever type of studio minitior headphones i'll buy it will sound good with the pod? or will i have to tweak the pod to make it sound good through the pod? now i'm thinking between behringer hps5000,akg k44 and k77

                      OK so this is a subjective question you are asking. Anytime anyone asks "what sounds best" through a POD it's subjective. Tone is in the ears of the beholder. What I think sounds good you might think sounds like utter crap! That being said, I have a pair of Behringer headphones (can't remember the model) and I really don't like the way they sound through the POD. They lean on the higher end frequncies so the POD sounds a little thin and brittle through them.

                       

                      I also have a pair of Sony MDR headphones and I love them. Nice full POD tone. So there you have it! That's just my PERSONAL experience though! Anyway, I hope this helps a little.

                       

                      Rick

                      • Iknowathingortwo 1,667 posts since
                        Jul 17, 2007
                        Currently Being Moderated
                        Jan 27, 2012 4:40 PM (in response to ricksox)
                        Re: pod hd500 help

                        Hi Rick - have you seen my request on the LinkedIn website?  I've no other way of trying to reach you - so I'm writing it here.  I'm sure you want it that way , but I'd appreciate it if you gave a yes or no.  I've known you as someone to ask questions about many Line 6 products back when I first started in 2003 and you helped me a couple times with repair issues.

                         

                        Thanks,

                        Neal

  • Iknowathingortwo 1,667 posts since
    Jul 17, 2007
    Currently Being Moderated
    Jan 27, 2012 4:41 PM (in response to hamza4best)
    Re: pod hd500 help

    hamza4best wrote:

     

    i'm buying pod hd500 and i have a few questions regarding it

     

    1.Can i use normal computer headphones with the pod because the studio monitor type are really expensive for me so will i be able to get good sound through computer headphones(I'm not asking about earphones)

     

    2.I've a spider 4 15w amp and i know it doesn't work well with multi fx pedals because its an amp modeller itself and i tested my friends vamp3 with my amp and didn't sound good.I tried putting the amp in neutral state by pressing the tap button as i power on the amp though it worked but still i didn't get good sound through the amp with that vamp pedal and also tried the amp in clean channel and didn't sound good too(should i put everything to 0 on my amp or should i put the treble mid and bass at centre?)

     

    3.how can i use my amp just as a speaker so it doesn't colour the sound of the pedal?

     

    4.How can i connect the pod through the cd/mp3 in of my amp.Should i use 1/4 to 1/8 adaptor? how does that work? and what is a dummy jack plug? i read some where that if i use this method i should also use a dummy jack plug.

    Just to try to put a end to this - buy a pair of AKG K141 headphones.  Those fit the definition of great headphones as well as other brands in the same price range.

     

    Best of luck,

    Neal

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