Stereo amp for Pod XT Live?

[ForkliftJeff]

I have a Pod XT Live and I love the stereo sound I get when plugging headphones directly into the Pod. Is there an amp setup that could have the same effect?

 

I usually just jam by myself in my hobby room but once in a while I head out to my buddies place to jam. Curious if there is a small amp setup so I could have 2 speakers possibly that I can setup in different parts of the room or at least facing away from each other  so I can get the same effect as when I use my headphones. I currently have a small Traynor Guitar Mate 20 watt amp and a Peavey Express 112 65 watt amp. I need to be fairly quiet at home but at my buddies place we can get pretty loud but still never really get above 5 on the volume knob with the Peavey.

[scott93105]

Yeah - there are lots of options bra!  Do you have a good set of 2.1 computer speakers - two speakers with a single sub woofer?  Try your pod out of those... Get yourself a nice TRS cable that has two 1/4" mono jacks going to 3.5mm stereo.  Be sure to set the pod up to optimize this type of direct output.  This gives you as much stereo separation as you care to place your speakers and offers really great practice level tone - and many people have these speakers lying around.  You can use this same cable to jump in to an AUX in on any stereo device or amp with these common inputs.  These AUX inputs normally bypass the preamp of a given device - so your POD will just be utilizing the power section and speakers - leaving all the control at the pod - perfect.  Ever try jamming in your car?  If you have a nice car stereo with an input for your ipod or other 3.5mm device - try plugging you pod into that.  Keep the volume down do avoid blowing your car speakers!  But at comfortable levels the stereo reprodcution with a cars typical 8 speaker setup is cool as hell!  VW even made a car with a preamp in this 3.5mm device to literally acoomodate a guitar directly!

 

For jamming live you can simply run the left to your traynor and the right to your peavey and adjust as necessary... if either of these amps have an effects loop - you could try jumping into the returns... but you would have no way to independently adjust the volume of the two amps so one may be louder than the other.  Going through the front would give you a way to balance the two.  A matching set of amps is therefore the best approach when going stereo.

 

I have run my pod through many stereo amp returns and it always sounds kind of thin...  but theoretically this should work well - though real amps always provide color with their cabinet and speaker voice - with intention to do so.  Modeling products like the pod always work best with flat response - which is why kick lollipop PA's work so well.