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HD500x distorted and ratty sounding.


tmingle
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My 8 month old HD500x has really deteriorated sound quality wise over time.  It is now unusable.  It seems to have gotten a lot worse after the last firmware upgrade.  Has anyone else had these issues?  After submitting my setup and a soundfile of several different amp models with the factory settings, I am getting the runaround with L6 support right now because the 1st one I purchased only lasted 2 weeks.  Are these things JUNK?  I used this thing mostly with the Park 75 with a Screamer and a little reverb.

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I have had my HD500 for a couple of years now - and all is still good.   I don't see why a firmware upgrade would cause sound quality to degrade - I know they warn that things may sound different because of firmware changes but have never heard of any one else having the sound degrade and then get worse.   That sounds like a faulty component more than anything - or maybe a faulty connection or bad soldering on the output connectors.    And to have 2 bad units in a row is very unlucky.   As you are within the 12 month warranty period you should be fine in regards having Line6 resolve the problem for you.

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How does it sound exactly? I had a POD Studio with a broken A/D converter which made it sound horrible. I hope you're not having the same problem, otherwise Line 6 REALLY need to step up their hardware in that part of the circuitry. It's what got me to avoid Line 6 for a few years.

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I am pleased to hear that you have resolved your problem.

 

I really don't understand how a different PC could perform the flash update in a different way and why it would make a difference.  We are in the digital realm here and just transferring 1's and 0's over a USB connection and it should either work or not.  I really don't understand how it can work badly on one PC and cause the HD500X sound to deteriorate but work fine from another PC. 

 

I know from first hand experience that a reflash sometimes can fix problems with Line 6 stuff and I still don't understand why that should be the case - but I really do not understand how a different PC could have such an impact.  Maybe it was simply the reflash that fixed the problem and it was just a coincidence you happened to try it from a different PC?   It would be nice to know for certain what actually fixed it.  Still, it is useful to know to add to the list of trouble shooting tips ..... thanks for sharing the solution.

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...but I really do not understand how a different PC could have such an impact....

it's the OS of the pc plus any programs/drivers installed plus registry settings plus virus...plus...plus....plus....

 

there r many posts abt "problem solved after reinstalling windows"....

 

http://line6.com/support/topic/7558-i-cant-connect-my-pod-hd-to-pc-through-an-usb-cable/page-2

 

One major critical factor that nobody pays any attention at all is the computer’s operating system (OS). Remember that all L6 s/w operates on top of the OS. If the OS is not working flawlessly and virus-free (and believe it or not, a certain OS in many cases  is not), then nothing performs as expected. So, as a rule of thumb, always perform a FW update after a FRESH REBOOT, with no other "..daemons" running on ur PC...

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it's the OS of the pc plus any programs/drivers installed plus registry settings plus virus...plus...plus....plus....

 

there r many posts abt problem solved after reinstalling windows

 

http://line6.com/support/topic/7799-pod-hd500-driver-installs-on-one-pc-but-not-the-other-help/

http://line6.com/support/topic/7558-i-cant-connect-my-pod-hd-to-pc-through-an-usb-cable/page-2

 

One major critical factor that nobody pays any attention at all is the computer’s operating system (OS). Remember that all L6 s/w operates on top of the OS. If the OS is not working flawlessly and virus-free (and believe it or not, a certain OS in many cases it is not), then nothing performs as expected. So, as a rule of thumb, always perform a FW update after a FRESH REBOOT, with no other "..daemons" running on ur PC.

 

Thanks jandrio.

 

I can understand how a specific PC and the combination of software it has running when you perform a flash upgrade can cause a problem - but I would expect the problem to be that the flash update simply fails.  I don't understand how a flash update can be successful on an HD500X but the unit itself to then operate in a substandard way such as having the sound quality deteriorate.  I understand how that can happen if a hardware component fails or starts to fail but I don't understand how software can only partially work as described in this issue.

 

I am glad that the OP has fixed his issue by using a different PC, and I will make a note of it for any future trouble shooting even though I don't understand why it should make a difference, just like I don't understand why a reflash is often beneficial, but it is another thing to try before deciding the gear is broken and needs to go back to Line 6.    :).

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My W7 PC wound up doing some other weird stuff that day.  I connected it to my old XP machine to do the flash update the 2nd time.

I work in the maintenance dept of a large manufacturing plant with all types of PLC based equipment.  Every time the lights flicker we have strange problems with something.  Also, I was shocked at how bad some of the amps sounded before I tweaked them.  With the default settings, The AC15 sounds absolutely horrible to my ears.  I still dont know if I am gonna keep this thing.  The entire purpose for It was to be able to play and practice without cranking a 40 watt Marshall to get a decent sound. It sounds great for clean and crunchy stuff, but it sure doesn't sound very good at higher gain rock stuff.

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My W7 PC wound up doing some other weird stuff that day.  I connected it to my old XP machine to do the flash update the 2nd time.

I work in the maintenance dept of a large manufacturing plant with all types of PLC based equipment.  Every time the lights flicker we have strange problems with something.  Also, I was shocked at how bad some of the amps sounded before I tweaked them.  With the default settings, The AC15 sounds absolutely horrible to my ears.  I still dont know if I am gonna keep this thing.  The entire purpose for It was to be able to play and practice without cranking a 40 watt Marshall to get a decent sound. It sounds great for clean and crunchy stuff, but it sure doesn't sound very good at higher gain rock stuff.

 

I really wish there was some way to verify that the firmware loaded on the HD500 was working correctly.  I read too many posts where a reflash fixes a weird problem and now it seems that you can have an apparent successful flash update BUT the amp models will sound bad or they won't sound as good as they did before the flash update.  If there was some way of doing a verify of the flash update or of the firmware to know it was working 100% correctly then at least we would know whether we had a faulty piece of hardware or just needed to try another reflash possibly from another PC.

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Well, the crappy sound returns!  But this time I fixed it!  Got a great deal on a Blackstar HT-5R and hopefully I wont be disappointed.  I cannot get rid of the POD HD's direct sound digital mush/compression in any way when trying to get any kind of sustain.  It sounds like those FM stations that overuse compression to boost perceived volume levels when surfing channels. At least my Pod XT had a post EQ to help.  I Played a DSL-401 with the infamous GCA(Guitar-Cable-Amp) setup for 11 years before it finally gave up.  I fixed it 8-10 times by resoldering the PCB.  It will get a complete overhaul this winter.  The POD HD does have some great clean/crunch tones though, so I may keep it.

Does anybody have a 500/500x that they use for effects with an HT-5?  I am curious how well it works with the HT-5.

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