B-O-G

Nice - I’m actually relieved for you. It’s strange that the two of us had identical issues - literally identical experiences. I certainly hope that the line 6 devs take a look but I’m happy you’re good now

Do you have a Windows machine that you could try running the Line 6 Updater? Maybe you have a friend with a Windows machine that would let you try this? The reason I ask is because I had literally the same scenario - the situation you described about how your update failed was identical to mine and just like you the Line 6 Updater would not recognize my Helix on Mac - that’s why I ran the Updater on Windows

The Line 6 Updater was successful where the HX Edit was unable to recognize and interact with the device - that was a great suggestion and thank you. I do think that it's odd that two people using Mac experienced nearly identical issues and points to a problem with the provided software. I ended up digging up an old Windows laptop to handle the firmware update just in case.

Same thing happened to me. I've tried a few things, but ultimately I'm not able to get HX Edit to recognize my Helix and I'm unable to attempt to run the update again. Much like you I'm very concerned that my Helix Rack is now just an expensive paperweight.

I used to run my Helix into the effects loop in of my Boss Katana 100. I disabled all cab sims in the helix and only used preamp models. The reason for this was I read somewhere that the Katana actually tried to model an EL34 power section. The end result was pretty impressive in my opinion. Certainly not perfect, but that amp in the room sound was definitely there. Worthy of note was that this did not work equally well for every preamp block - some sounded great and others were less than desirable. if I recall correctly, however, the Katana 50 doesn’t have an effects loop so you could try just running a preamp block into the front of the katana on a clean channel (not the acoustic setting) if you haven’t yet and you might get lucky. As far as FRFR’s go I’ve found that my preference always comes back to the Powercab Plus, which I know isn’t the most budget friendly option but to my ears it just sounds “right” and I spend more time playing and less time tweaking my gear. I saw a video of Pete Thorn trying out the Headrush FRFR’s and he didn’t seem to have many negative things to say but I don’t have any direct experience with them. There’s also a YouTube video from 5 Watt World where the guy talks specifically about what makes the Powercab such a great match for the HX stomp specifically - you may find his opinions valuable. With anything I recommend buying from a local GC or even Sweetwater (whenever possible) so you can return things you don’t like. I actually bought a Powercab Plus years ago from GC but returned it at the time. I ended up buying another one recently and I love it because nothing else worked as seamlessly as the Powercab - they really are made for each other and it shows in the final result. Just my $0.02 - YMMV

I bought a PC+ to try out...there was a lot to like. The overall sound quality was very good. I felt like the power section was great and the different speaker cab simulations were all very unique sounding. All in all, it appears to me to be a great piece of gear. I did end up returning it, however, because I think that after years of playing with combos or open back or ported cabs, I felt like the PC+ just wasn't quite giving me that "Amp in a room" sound that I was accustomed to. I ended up trying my Helix through the effects return of (please don't cringe) my 1x12 Boss Katana, and after a little bit of tweaking I was able to find a sound that was actually quite good. I'm just a bedroom player and I don't play out at all, so this will work fine for me. I think that if I ever find myself in a band situation I would try the SD power amp, but it just isn't necessary for me right now.

Hi, Was hoping to get some thoughts from people on amplification solutions for the Helix and I've narrowed my options down to either a Powercab Plus (possibly two to run stereo, but that could be overkill) or get a Seymour Duncan Powerstage 700 and run through my current speaker cabs. I know that the Powercab Plus will give me more versatility with the different speaker models, but I'm also interested in the SD Powerstage with my current 212 cabs to save some space, as well as keeping things simple because I'm not sure I need all of the flexibility of the PC+. Is there anyone here with experience with either one of these (or both) that could help me out? That is, make a good case for either solution with sounds being the primary focus, and not think too much about the cost. Thx. B.O.G

Hi, I've been looking at the HX Effects, and it has the potential to be exactly what I've been needing. The only thing I'm curious about is how I might control the wah. There's an expression pedal input, but unlike the Helix Rack, there's no jack for an expression pedal toe switch. Does the wah have some kind of auto-on/auto-off feature that will make using this with a regular expression pedal (i.e. no toe switch) easy, or do I need to assign a toe switch to toggle the effect block? I apologize if this seems like a silly question, but I couldn't find anything in the manual. Thanks in Advance, B.O.G