Before I get too far in this post let me say that I am not a professional musician. I recently sold most of my equipment for my first child. I've used every pod since 2.0 but not the x version.
So, I'm debating which of these to get. Pros for the Helix is that it sounds better, but how much? I don't know. Pod is cheaper but there's the sound quality issue. I'm only playing via headphones or powered monitors. I record but just for fun. I could get the Pod sooner than later but the Helix would take time to save for. The Helix presets I can use right out of the box, the Pod presets stink. I am a tweaker though. I don't know if I really need the Helix though it's supposedly light years beyond. Thoughts?