jar1zx

Sometimes a nice tube amp just really hits the spot. Other times when I'm pressed for time I don't even plug in. (Works been crazy lately) I'm not saying the helix is bad.........it's pretty good........I just don't know how in g0ds name line 6 overlooked putting a Mesa mark on this. I was just checking for an update today as its been awhile.......(I didn't update last time as I don't use pc interface) I got to stop reading threads lol. I tend to run across a few poor souls wanting new amps and the rest of the world coming down on the ones who do want more. Tends to sour the helix experience. Makes me wish I didn't buy it. Other than that I really like my helix and think it's great.

I think you are correct on the 200 amps part. At 1 amp added each year so far I don't think I'll live that long. Been really great if line 6 would have told us this before I bought mine..........I got one of the 1st ones. A Mesa mark 2c+ would have been killer on the helix. But I have already giving up hope. Could have at least finished the dual rec or even 1 full channel........but again I give up hope. Haven't even turned the helix on in over a month as I just play my mark 5.

Your problem seems off to me. Maybe contact line 6. The looper is a great part of the helix for me and mine works great. I do play in stereo 99% of the time but I have tried the looper in mono with success. Sorry I couldn't be of more help.

I use the looper a lot....and for me I have to play the looped track at a lower level (I use volume on guitar) so recorded part doesn't over power lead parts I play over. My 2nd trick is record with front single coil pickup then play over that with the stupid hot bridge pickup. I have not yet updated to newest firmware as in my understanding it only gives us option to use editor. I haven't had to to play with that part yet. My looper in my helix on every firmware but the newest one.........has played back the loop just as loud as I recorded it. I did have looper bugs on older firm wares but they are gone and fixed now.

But if your asking will the helix last you 5 years? Yes it should as lots of people are running the hd500 and earlier line 6 products and are very happy with them. I still kinda like the vetta.

I'm beginning to think people post stuff like this just to lollipop off the line 6 fans. Op the helix has been out 6 months with more units catching up demand in the last few months. So it's still new, relax. If you want an investment that will yield you money.... Go out and buy a nice low numbers tube amp and keep it in pristine shape for 20 years. In 20 years this helix or any of its competitors products will be worth pennies on the dollar.

The waiting game is not that bad. And it's not like my helix is going to grow legs and walk out due to lack of updates. (Make sure to keep an eye on your dishwasher tho) I kinda think line 6 will do more with the helix. It's the 1st platform line 6 has done that has the potential to go head to head with the big names. So far the helix has the big name brands beat in how easy it is to use. (Matchless amp sounds killer) play with it some till we get new ones. Only thing I see that could hinder the growth of the helix is line 6 reading the forum and seeing all the post of people who don't want extra's and are happy with what they have to the point trolling people who do ask for new things. Gibson is a great company that tries new things too, but the Gibson fanboys shoot down any Lp that doesn't look like a 58, 59, or 1960 lespaul. I see that and the Apple fanboy mentality here in this forum. Apple (line 6) has given us the helix they want us to have and we should be on our knees praying to it every night and we are lucky just to have it. Heck with that. And all the narrow minded fanboys can go straight to purgatory. I Want to see how great the helix can become!!!

Line 6 fan boys are the strangest group I have ever seen. Bashing people that ask for new amps and fx? Making people feel outright stupid for asking for the amp or fx that they want? Guess with all the people in here that don't want anything and bash/ insult people that do, my dream of having a Mesa mark 2c on my helix is looking pretty dismal right now. I like my helix but thank god I'm not defending its lack of amp/ cab's/ fx by trolling people that do want more. And W......T.......F? Old boy has a washer and is expecting it to fly out of his house? I'm not even going to ask what he is smoking.

I was thinking long term for helix. If they get up a big selection of amps and fx's, I can only see that helping them sale more units for this and the next gen board. I just checked out the fractal webpage for the 1st time and it does seem updates are free but fractal charges for extra cab ir's but amps and fx's seem to be free. Ax8 is $100 cheaper than the helix. But does not have a expression pedal on it. So let's call it even on price. I'm not saying line 6 should update the helix forever, only keep it going while hardware is still up to par. Or would everyone want the next gen to run new ir's so we can play the waiting game on the favorite amps we want? I for one don't want that. All of you that think line 6 needs to be paid for updates......just start donating money right now to them so you can feel better. I'm looking at this from a different point of view on that fractal has answered the helix on price point, now helix should match them or at least try on amp/ fx's ir's. But this is a lot of bs as line 6 hasn't told us either way what the plans are.

For $1500 I disagree. If this was a $500-600 board paid updates would be ok. I think this is the best unit line 6 has put out. I can see them using the same tones for awhile and just upgrading the hardware when it's needed. If paid updates come I'll just get an AX8 as I don't think fractal charges for updates and has a huge selection of everything. Don't get me wrong, I really like my helix and hope that it grows into something amazing.

Op might have had buyers remorse. $1500 is a lot of money and not everyone can come up with it. If he didn't like the sound, $1500 is to much to part with if you don't like it. I think op did the right thing for him. But will be hard to get a group of people like me to justify that the helix sounds bad.

This thread is pretty simple. A guy buys helix and he doesn't like it. This is a forum to talk about the helix. So he might as well talk about his bad experience. I like mine and I can get some good tones so his thread does not change my mind about what I hear come out of my helix. I personally think we should talk about the good and the bad of helix. Anyone on the fence about buying a helix probably will not take this thread as a deal breaker. If we all liked the same thing this would be a boring world.

i read that wrong. Fixed my reply. Sorry if it was visible for a minute.

DI. You always give us gold on your comments/ retorts! Ok I'll bite just this once. Di: think you can do better? My reply: o my gosh that's some big boots to fill, I don't think I would be up to the grueling task of putting out 1 good update every 5 months. (2 if we count that update that had an fx or 2) I know your going to say way more bug fixes (I mean updates) were put out. Those don't count should have terminX spray the helix line before release date....... :)

Op the helix will sound great with that set up. I've tried mosfet powered speakers and monitors kinda blah but my engl 2x50 sounds amazing. When played into a tube power amp the Helix really responds and sounds like a real tube amp, rotflmfao. No seriously it will sound good.

The way I'm running my helix it does sound and respond like a tube amp. It's really close to my dual rec on the Mesa setting on the helix. I'm not going to say it will beat a tube amp, but it does a nice job. It does do stereo and my dual rec doesn't so that's a big plus. I really enjoy playing in stereo now a days.

Ease of use is the biggest part of the helix, I owned the hd500 and the one before it. I couldn't get past the interface so I sold and got a boss gt10 then a gt100 not sure if the gt10 was better than the hd500 as I soon got the gt100 after I got the gt10. I know a lot of people like the hd500 and I'm not saying it was bad, just wasn't for me. Gt100 was far easier for me to tweak sounds on. Most settings on the gt100 sounded like crap also. I seen that line 6 sales artist patches for hd500/x and that wouldn't bother me on the helix. Just don't sale amps an fx's If this is updated like it should be and fractal doesn't put in a touch screen with a operating system easy as the helix. I may be a line 6 fan from here out. Could see myself buying the helix 2 or 3. I don't really like how line 6 operates, they can only tell us hints and give us hope that more is to came without saying anything 100% I've seen the times DI said its line 6 way of doing things so that just sucks for us. So it is nice to know that the ax8 is good. If line6 kicks this to the curb we have something else like the helix that we can swap over too. Thx op, great write up.

Helix doesn't have any of the Mesa Mark amps. It does have one channel of the dual recitifer and its close in sound to my real dual rec minus two channels. Don't worrie tho, if you like gain the helix does that pretty well and has a few high gain amps. I love the cleans on the newest amp line 6 just gave us in the update. 2nd channel is nice to.

The AX8 cost $1500 also? I did get to hear an axe fx (older one) and it was ok.............but not magic. Was 3 maybe 4 years back so I just have a memory of it in the back of my mind. my helix sounds better to me than it did. I'll stay on board this helix train until the day line 6 charges us for Amp packs. I've tried a lot of multi fx boards and this one is my favorite so far. Stupid easy to use. The Mesa dual rec sounds and acts like my real amp. My only want now is a few more of my favorite amps. I got my helix 10/14/15 and in that time other than bug fixes I've had two real updates? Two pedals in 1st then more pedals and one amp in 2nd. Line 6...... I really hope that your not saving up amps to sale in amp packs. That will be the day I get a new ax8. I bet lots of other people will do the same.

Really liked it! Would have loved it had you made the guitar cry (kinda srv style) at the end of 1st impro part before your last part. You have the talent to nail it.

amsdenj. Nice write up. My background is car audio, while the rules are the same pro audio and car audio are applied differently. Only time I ever maxed out a car amp I used an O-scope to read the sine wave then pushed it to the limit of the sine curve with least amount of clipping. In guitar audio it seems clipping is a good thing? Naw I already guessed in a guitar amp the power amp is not being clipped, the pre amp stage is being clipped.

I do have something I have no clue on. Maybe you can help. I understand mosfet A,B,C class and D class.and the combos of say AB or BD. But I have no clue why a 15 watt blues Jr. Or any 15 watt tube amp can be stupidly louder than a solid state 50 watt or sometimes even 100 watt guitar amps.

I understand the 1 watt 1 meter. Higher db = more efficient speaker. Lower db - stronger speaker most times. And if speaker is not X maxing or amp /signal is not clipping on full out....... Like you say all is good in the world. Not knocking the product. It's just that I wish companies could go back to rms power ratings.. If you have one 12 doing 125 decibel on say 200 watts. How do you get more? To get 3 decibels more in theory you can 1 double the power (Watts) or 2 double the speaker surface. I guess with bass you have a 3rd option of porting, a port done right can give you up to 3 extra decibels over a bumped range of the hertz you picked for port. But wattage with matching speakers is how you get decibels

Let's talk real power not peak. It has a 80 watt center channel amp. 2x80 amp and a 440 watt amp. Looks like a total of 680 watts rms with high 1% thd. Not sure how loud one 12 and what looks like two 6.5's are going to be compared to a regular 2-12 cab and would fail up against a 4-12 cab. 1% thd can be picked up by the human ear. I miss old specs back from 1997-2000 like on a ppi power class amp signal to noise ratio 115 decibel , thd .006, dampening at 500. Guess I'm still old school and I hate seeing peak power ratings. To get the full peak power you would have to blast a the perfect hrz for an instant with some really high total harmonic distortion level.

Would love to have a 20watt engl power amp.