My old rig was a Line 6 POD XT ran straight to the board. It was super convenient and easy to level. I ran it through a monitor so I could hear myself. But the tone was, well, lacking. No solid distortions, no sustain, and the cleans were weak.
I recently purchased a Mesa F30 and put a M13 (along with a few other pedals) in front of it. My tone has never sounded better! The M13 is incredible. Prior to finding it I was purchasing single pedals, and my pedalboard was quickly losing real estate. With the M13 you have every pedal you could want and more. I've never been more pleased with my tone and I hear a lot of positive feedback from the audience.
PS: I play lead guitar in an 80s tribute band.