Hi guys,
I know that most of what I ask has been covered before but now that people have has a chance to gig and live with their dream rig for a while I'm hoping for some more up-to-date answers to a few questions. Basically, I'm looking to buy a HD500x and either a L2t or a DT25 as a lightweight and portable substitute for my current valve amp, pedals, several leads, guitars etc. I play in different bands so want something to cover all bases and in theory a dream rig set should be ideal.
I'd love to get my hands on the gear for a few days but trying it out in a shop 100 miles away for 1/2 hour or so is currently the only option here. This makes me reluctant to drop nearly £1100 on a bit of a 'blind' gamble so I'm getting as much info as possible!
I currently use either a DeVille or Blackstar HT60 in my main band (an 11 piece) and only have monitoring from my amp due to our setup. I already lug to much gear (why I'm trying to cut down) so will not be taking an extra monitor just for myself so my amps have to be loud enough to cut through. I'm then mic'ed up in the normal way.
My preference would be DT25 and HD500x because if one goes down I have a back up in the other but the L2t is significantly lighter and louder.
1. Clean headroom - can you squeeze more from the DT25 using modelling?
For a lot of what I play I need a good, loud clean tone which I don't think will be an option with the DT25. My main band is a 11 piece and stage volume is a massive issue - for perspective my old Mesa Express 5:25 just didn't have enough, and even a Hot Rod only just coped. However, can using a super clean fender style pre-amp from the HD with the power amp of the DT open up the headroom significantly (more so than the amp alone)?
The DT50, whilst would be wonderful, is simply to large and heavy.
2. Ease of use - making usable patches for gigging.
I'm well aware that it's no plug and play setup and my past experience with Pod stuff has really put me off. In the POD XT days even minor volume/room changes had a drastic effect on your sound and whilst I don't expect miracles (all rigs need tweaking to the environment) is it easier now? I lost countless hours reading about Fletcher Munson curves, messing with EQs and such and am hoping that things might be simpler these days. The fun is creating tones, not spending hours on end trying to get them to translate at volume.
Does a basic amp tone scale up when increasing the volume (fine-tuning aside)? Can you make minor changes e.g. patch volume balancing without having to rework the entire patch?
3. Connections - 4 cable (for DT), Line 6 Link, XLR etc.
The Line 6 link sounds wonderful but I've read about problems with it changing modes on the L2t and people have reverted to using the POD's audio outs. Also the L6 link seems to bypass the master volume on the POD which is very undesirable. What are you guys using now the dust has settled?
4. Reliability
Any concerns or things to consider yet?
5. Which is currently preferred sound quality wise - DT or L2t?
I completely understand 'tone is subjective', 'what sounds good to one person...' etc etc. However, is there a reason to go for one over if I'm probably going to be using full modelling from the POD? Does the DT give as accurate a representation of the different models as the L2t? Does the DT add a warmth and 'thump' you can't get with the L2t?
I understand that's a lot of info to ask for - I will be hopefully able to A/B them at some point to decide which is for me but a quick test run in a shop won't answer all of my questions. Anyway, we all love taking about gear which is why we're on guitar forums!
Thanks in advance!