landofunland

OP here... following up after purchasing a pair of smaller speakers to replace the Yamaha DXR10s that were eating my small (12’ x 12’) living room. I’ve never come within a sniff of what they are capable of. I ended up picking up a pair of Adam Audio T7V studio monitors. Played through them a couple hours and still getting used to the change. My thoughts so far... what I’ve lost in bass I’ve more than made up for in tone and clarity of tone. I didn’t realize how muddy the DXR10’s were bc a) because my ear is not very discerning, b) they were the only live speakers I’d ever heard helix through, and c) in fairness they were a poor match for my small room and I probably couldn’t get far enough away for them to sound as good as they would in a larger space. I know... duh. Live and learn. With the t7v’s I’ll need to tweak some (all) of my presets to my liking, but I am thrilled with the clarity I am hearing. I never knew what I was missing. The tones are clear as a bell and more like those I’ve heard guys getting on YouTube vids, but not able to reproduce myself. Evidently, I will need to get a better understanding of how volume works. I know there is an ongoing post on volume in this forum the last few days which I will read. Regarding volume, I almost packed them up to return as soon as I heard them. I bought the Freman mega pack two months ago and have been using them almost exclusively ever since. I was EXTREMELY concerned when I first plugged in the t7v’s and started playing (using Fremen’s tones). With guitar, helix and speakers all on 10, their maximum volume I would estimate was about 80% of the max loudness I would ever want to play at home, and I do not consider myself a very loud player. In fact, when first setting them up and starting with a flat 0 db (Helix and guitar both on 10) the acoustic sound of the strumming the electric’s strings was competing with the top volume coming through the speakers. When set to max vol, the T7V’s were much louder, but you could still easily have a conversation in the room by raising your voice. Assuming I was going to return them, yesterday I was playing around with a different bank of presets... ones I used prior to buying Fremen’s, all from CustomTones. Most of them immediately seemed louder... completely acceptable volumes... One or two of them barked so loudly I almost jumped. These speakers are PLENTY loud. The problem is clearly PEBGAH (Problem Exists Between Guitarist And Helix) lol. I’ll need to learn more about setting presets volume levels. I haven’t yet looked at why Fremen’s are set at low volume out of the box, but I am sure it is for good reason. Hopefully I’ll be able to boost them without losing or changing tone. I want to note that at one point in this process I was concerned about the sweet spot and directionality of studio monitors, but that was for naught. Yes, there is a sweet spot, but the sound fills the room satisfactorily anywhere I move to. End game: Once I understand more about setting volume levels within presets (and not affect tone), I’m sure I’ll be extremely happy with the t7v’s. They already sound great without much tweaking (albiet at a lower volume at the moment). Also, I’m ecstatic to gain back some of my living space and will now rebuild my left and right media towers (I make things) to house my home theater equipment, including L and R speakers, as well as the two T7V’s. I designed the right tower for the LT to sit on top about rib high. This way I can both see it and work comfortably with it when not on the floor. I could never find a comfortable position to sit, cradle a guitar, tweak knobs, switch back to guitar to test, make further changes, rinse, repeat. Once I decided to stand when working with Helix, the ergonomics got dramatically better. Thanks everyone for your suggestions and comments. Alright, time to put those DXR10’s on CL...

Thanks for all your responses. I’ve been considering all of them. Cruisinon2 and DunedinDragon - you both hit on something very relevant which I wasn’t putting together (novice here) re different designs FRFRs can have. If I’m hearing right, the HS8 projects more directionally, meaning I would need locate myself in their sweet spot and stay there for optimal sound. Whereas the QSC CP8, for example, is designed as a PA speaker (like the DXR10s) and would spread the sound out more in the space. Although this is basic knowledge to most, it was exactly what I needed to hear and why I posted here. Thanks for pointing this out. I’ll start doing my homework on PA-based smaller FRFRs instead of studio monitors, starting with the CP8. I’ve heard only good things about QSC, but in fairness I don’t know much about the other manufacturers.

Hey group. I play my Helix LT exclusively for my dog in my living room through a pair of Yamaha DXR10’s. There is much ear twitching going on, even though I barely tap the volume they are capable of. I never play out, only at home and that’ll never change. When I purchased these speakers a year ago they seemed like a good idea at the time. They sound spectacular, but their size (even vertically oriented) are seriously crowding my small living room, which has just been re-done. When you are pushing 60 years of age, the dorm look is not a good look. I’ve decided to downsize and sell the DXR10’s to fund something smaller yet still auditorily acceptable to my ear (not the most discerning ear). I’m starting to focus in on picking up a pair of Yamaha HS8’s. They get very good reviews and have a footprint I can deal with. How much of a loss of lows will I hear going from a pair of 10” to 8” speakers? My feeling is it will be noticeable at first, but my ear will eventually adjust and I will be happy with the concession. Yes? No? I’m curious as to the sonic cost of losing 2” of speaker size. Prior to Helix, I played through an L6 Spider 4 with a single 12” celestian. Apples to oranges, but to my ear there was no loss of lows going from that 12” to (2) 10” FRFRs. Not trying to start another FRFR vs FRFR discussion, just looking for confirmation that the HS8 specifically would be a good replacement in my situation. Your thoughts and comments are greatly appreciated. Lastly, if there is another 8” model that I absolutely should be looking at because it is significantly better than the HS8, that’s really why I am here. Looking to pull the trigger with in the next week, if not before. Thanks! PS: I really get a lot of value (helix knowledge, tips & ideas) and enjoyment (entertaining topics / posters) reading this forum. Here, YouTube and experimentation is where I learn. It’s been a steep but rewarding learning curve (still very much a novice), as I have only owned four single-speaker, all non-tube amps prior to helix in my 40+ years of playing. Upon first powering it on two years ago, the names of all the amplifiers, effects and everything packed into it could have been assigned randomly for all I knew. I’d only heard of some of them, and that that only their real mfg names. It’s been a struggle, but it’s also been continually rewarding along the way. My 2 cents.

Regarding backing tracks (which for me reside on my iPhone), I bought a cheap ($35, Amazon) Bluetooth audio transmitter and connected its L and R outputs (via RCA), one each to each to my two Yamaha DXR-10 frfr speakers. This has been a great solution for me, as the tracks are easily accessible on my phone and I can simply mix the volume level using the iPhone itself. The only downside is a loud Bluetooth handshake when it powers on.

Hello everyone, The (pinned) Helix Pedal Maintenance Procedure goes out of its way to state it is for original Helix floor unit only, not the LT. Is there a procedure somewhere for addressing a squeaky pedal on LT? Thanks!

Take a look at CustomTones. If memory serves, someone posted a sitar out there. Here - http://line6.com/customtone/search/?submitted=1&family=helix&search_term=Sitar

Not that it sucks, but i'd like the ability to drag and drop downloaded .HLX preset files into the editor instead of having to import, steer to the folder, scroll up and down find the file and click open. That basic functionality was available in L6's SpiderEdit editor.

I've had some good results with your suggestions. Slightly concerned things aren't working as they should on line\line settings, but boy do I ever have volume now. Holy crap. The end game is, the speakers need to be set to Mic. When on Mic they are loud whether the Helix's XLR setting is set on Line or Mic. I'm going to leave the Helix on Line because it sounds slightly better (robust) to my ear than Mic. Also, when the speakers are set to noon volume and on Mic, there is a hum - not overbearing, but I wouldn't be able to tolerate it constantly in my living room. I don't think it's a 60 cycle hum though. In any case, when I back the speakers off to 3 o'clock the hum is less noticeable but still there. With the speakers set at 3, the perfect volume on my Helix is around 11 o'clock. The tone is really good. More crystally highs than my Spider, not sure if it's too much yet. BTW, the living room is small (972 sq ft house) - 14' x 12'. Thanks SO much for your help MusicLaw. I was really struggling with what to purchase speaker-wise and you really gave me great advice. On Saturday I turned on my Spider 4 75 and it went belly up. All the lights on the front just blink on and off and it never completed its POST. I'm thinking a factory reset will fix this, that amp has done weird things in the past. In any case, within 5 minutes of it not coming up I was emailing the DXR guy on craigslist, It not booting up gave me all the rationalization I needed to pull the trigger on the [aor pf DXR10s. I'm not wishing I could hook them up to my Pioneer HDMI receiver, but it only outputs to speaker wire. I may have to go shopping for a different receiver next, lol. Thanks again for your guidance in helping me with this purchase and your support, troubleshooting and helpful suggestions too! Kind regards, -=gu=-

Hi MusicLaw, Reviving this thread from last week… I found a great deal on craigslist on a pair of low mileage DXR10s ($800) and bought them yesterday. I brought my helix and guitar to the person's house to try them out. They were attached to his mixing board and he first demoed them with music, which he was able to crank up very loud and they sounded excellent. He is a sound engineer and knew a lot about them and explain the various features on the back pane to mel. I played my guitar through them and the tones I was hearing were excellent, but I never cranked it up all the way as his family was home and I expected / assumed they could get as loud as the music I had heard. When I got them home and plugged everything in using XLR, I found that even at top volume on both the speakers and the helix, the volume was barely acceptably loud enough. When I went into the individual presets and turned up their individual volumes from 7 to say, 9.5, it did bring up the volume up to an acceptable level. When I say the volume was barely acceptably loud, you would easily be able to talk in a loud voice over it at max volume (without changing volumes on the individual presets). So am I doing something wrong? Should they be screaming plugged into my helix, or is this just how it is? Again, the music was significantly louder than the guitar was. Thoughts? Thanks for your help!

So MusicLaw, what I am hearing is that I am not going to lose any bottom end by not adding a sub to 5 or 8 inch studio monitors. I guess what I've been hung up on is losing tone by going from a 12" amp speaker to 8" or 5". The cost difference between 5 and 8 is negligible – $100, so for peace of mind I think I'll go with 8" LSR308s. Sorry to have beaten this dead horse, chalk it up to OCD lol - many thanks for clarifying and belaying my fears that I do not need to add a sub to keep my cherished bottom end. Cheers!

Thanks to everyone for your responses, sorry it took a number of days to get back here... DunedinDragon - not a car stereo system. The JBL 1000 I was referring to is a consumer based 10" sub woofer. After a bit of research, there'd be no way to incorporate this since it only has terminal and RCA inputs. Jnysen - I do not play out (well rarely) - I'm just trying to get the best sound possible in my living room. Speakers on the floor will help the bass, but my question revolved around the bottom end of a 5 or 8" speaker vs. my 12" amp's (clean) celestian I am used to. MusicLaw - I have not heard 10" studio monitors, even in a demo situation. I imagine they would sound significantly better than the 8" I have heard. My local GC and Sam (Cherry Hill, NJ) only have 8" and 5" models (JBL, Rockit, off brand) and no subs. Thanks for the tip that a sub would not add much to a 10" studio monitor, makes sense since the sub on those are typically also 10". I think 10" monitors is the solution. Finding them to hear is the issue. Great advice, thank you. FlyingsCool - Good advice that the 5's with sub may sound better than the 8s also with.

Hello, I've had my LT for a week and upon recommendations in this forum I am considering a set of monitors. Yesterday I was at my local GC listening to their offerings (music only) and liked the JBL LSR308s best. I found them noticeably clearer than the 2nd runner up, Rockit's 8" offering. Concern: Although the 308s were crisp and clear, my ear is used to the bass roar of the 12" Celestian in my 1 x 12 Spider IV 75 - again, I was listening to music, but there was something missing that my ear is accustomed to in both my home stereo (with attached sub) and Spider IV. I think I will not be happy with the bass response after spending $500 for the pair. Question: Probably not, but is there any way to attach a sub woofer (unused JBL 1000 10" in my basement) with only terminal and RCA inputs to the Helix along with monitors? Am I alone in thinking studio monitors by themselves (even 8") lack something? If I do go the monitor route and want that depth, is the only way to get there by purchasing a sub that comes with 1/4" or XLR inputs? Edit: I do not play out, only in my living room. Thanks for your help!

Hi Guys, Thanks to each of you for your advice and taking the time to respond. I ended up buying an LT yesterday at GC because of their 15% off Memorial Day weekend sale (on items over one fifty), so I paid eight fifty. I will have to save up for studio monitors, I think that's a great idea. In the meantime, I'm running it through the L6 S IV 75 clean and flat. I have to say I have never heard that amp sound better, clearer or crisper. It's a night and day comparing the amps built in patches vs. the tones coming out of the LT. It's much closer to the sound and tones I've been wanting. All I've done so far is go through the factory patches, but I did this until my fingers were practically shredded. Hurts so good. DunedinDragon - after barely breaking the surface of the inner workings of the LT, I see there a pretty huge learning curve - speaking to your point on the more you know, the more you'll get out of it. I was hoping there would be video guides online exclusively for the LT, but most are or the full Helix. After watching a couple of them though, I think the processes are very similar. I'm finding out there's a whole new vernacular I need to learn - not just turn the flanger up a little. One of the things I was used to in my previous setup was, the switch in the pedal always toggled between volume and wah on any sound I was using. I'm so green, not having that there isn't making sense at this time, so as I said I have much to learn. Thanks again for your advice. You'll probably see my name asking questions here when I get stuck. Cheers!

Hello! Interested in the Helix LT, but very much a novice in setting up sounds. Hoping you folks with practical experience and answer a few basic questions. Short background: I am getting tired of my L6 Spider IV 75w and shortboard. Was considering buying a new low watt tube amp and stomp boxes, but stumbled onto Helix LT and now am officially curious. 99.9% of the time I play for my dog in my living room. The typical artists styles I mimic include David Gilmour, Eddie, Carlos, Neal Schon, etc. My main guitar is a PRS core CU24 artist. LT Questions: How many factory preset sounds come with the LT? Do the factory presets cover a wide range of genres including a selection of tones near the artists above? - basically will I be happy with the presets it comes with as I learn to shape sounds for myself? Amp questions: If I do decide to drop a grand on an LT, how good or bad of an idea would it be to simply run it through my L6 Spider IV set at clean and flat? If I went out and bought a low watt Tube amp, would I be throwing away money since the tones are being generated by the LT? If you recommend I do buy a low watt (living room) Tube amp, what would you suggest would be a good fit with the LT? I greatly appreciate your responses, it's a lot of money! Thanks, -=gu=-