joel_brown Posted July 8, 2013 Share Posted July 8, 2013 Found this on the internet and they can't put anything on the internet unless it's true. I also attached a picture. ================================================================== The success of the current model, it seems that Line6 is about to market a new POD HD500: the HD500X. It would be the well-known gaps in the current HD500 and offer the customer a better product with the following enhancements: double the capacity of the DSP strengthen the mechanical strength of the chassis install switches at the foot of better quality increased opportunities for routing improve the signalling LED The full specifications of the HD500X would be as follows: 2 x more processing power of the DSP from the POD HD500 (completed the message on the limits of the DSP!) more routing options new stronger foot switches equipped with a bright halo 256 pre-programmed presets and 512 programmable presets amp, 25 amps guitar HD, 1 bass amp HD models models of speakers: 16 for guitar, one for bass (with 8 models of pickups) effects models: 100 + (from products M-series) up to 8 simultaneous effects 8 programmable switches (choice of presets or effects on / off) banks change buttons TAP tempo Looper: up to 48 seconds functions of the looper: register. / Overdub, Play / Stop, 1/2 speed, Reverse, Undo, Play Once, Pre / Post Tuner: chromatic instrument input: jack 1/4 ' (6, 35mm). entry to the: jack 1/4 ' (6, 35mm). microphone input: XLR, with preamp analog input: jack 2 x 1/4 "(6, 35mm). headphone output: 1/4 stereo jack "(6, 35mm). XLR output: symmetric L + R output S / PDIF: RCA (RCA), 24-bit L6 LINK XLR connector digital input Variax (VDI) stereo effects loop: jack 4 x 1/4 "(6.35 mm), 2 x FX Send / Return. CD/MP3 input: 1/8 "(3.5 mm stereo jack). MIDI connectors: 5-pin MIDI In and MIDI Out / Thru USB output: USB - B external pedal input: 1/4 "(6.35 mm jack). construction: metal chassis, pedal and switch power: Line 6 includes Size: 270 x 550 x 80 mm Weight: 4.8 kg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlyingSquirrel Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 The backlit footswitches are a God send! Thank you Line 6! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joel_brown Posted July 11, 2013 Author Share Posted July 11, 2013 2 more days and we should here the official announement, according to what I could find out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kmoed Posted July 11, 2013 Share Posted July 11, 2013 It's already announced, it's on the front page, there's vids all over youtube for it now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RhelmTrent Posted July 11, 2013 Share Posted July 11, 2013 I'm a current HD500 user...I love the unit...buuuuuuttttt...I don't see the value in selling my current HD500 to invest another $500 for another HD500 with more memory and better footswitches. If you want actual pro-grade switches you can have the footswitches replaced by R3FX (and choose any color of LED lights you want installed for each switch). For extra memory...HA! I bought a HD300 for 75 bucks and I run it in the loop of the HD500. The HD500 does all of the switching and the HD300 does all of my 'post' fx (reverbs, delays...etc). It sounds great and works great. I was using a M5 before I found the HD300 and it worked great for patches where I didn't have enough juice. Now if L6 had only installed an on/off switch...maybe I would have been interested. ;) P.S. seriously L6...no new amps, fx, cabinets, mics...etc. I'm beyond bummed...I was expecting something big, not existing tech with a little more memory and a facelift. I was like everyone else and when early on we saw the "HD500X" pics and forum(s) talk of this unit that it was anothing more than a photoshopped joke. I was really expecting that with all of the time that had passed that L6 would have something to rival their competitors and release something impressive...what a let down. P.S.S. I still love my HD500 ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil_m Posted July 11, 2013 Share Posted July 11, 2013 I was really expecting that with all of the time that had passed that L6 would have something to rival their competitors and release something impressive...what a let down. What competitors? If I had to venture to guess, I'd imagine they're still outselling all their competitors. Perhaps no one has noticed, but most of the mainstream companies seem to have moved on from investing a lot of R&D and money into amp modeling. Sure there are companies like Fractal and Kemper that do their thing, and there are people who are interested in that, but I think right now amp modeling in and of itself is almost sort of a dirty word to the mainstream guitar market. I think that's why Line 6 paired the HD stuff with the DT amps - a tube amp. Tube amps haven't really decreased in popularity in the last 10 year. If anything, that segment of the market has grown. There are so many low wattage tube amps on the market compared to 10 years ago, it's crazy. I just think the reason you don't see the same sort of hype around amp modeling in the overall market is that what guitarists want is different now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRealZap Posted July 11, 2013 Share Posted July 11, 2013 it's just a hardware upgrade... the software (models etc) were always intended to be the same... having said that... it will actually now make more sense for them to pursue more models (that all HD pods will get) with the new buyers and continued use of the pods internal software.... so its a good thing. P.S. seriously L6...no new amps, fx, cabinets, mics...etc. I'm beyond bummed...I was expecting something big, not existing tech with a little more memory and a facelift. I was like everyone else and when early on we saw the "HD500X" pics and forum(s) talk of this unit that it was anothing more than a photoshopped joke. I was really expecting that with all of the time that had passed that L6 would have something to rival their competitors and release something impressive...what a let down. P.S.S. I still love my HD500 ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GTLazer Posted July 11, 2013 Share Posted July 11, 2013 In the medium term, it's definitely a good thing; they wouldn't bother with a face-lift model if they didn't think it had probably another couple of years in it. By then they'll be ready for the Pod VHD as a cheaper alternative to the Axe-FX3 and the KPA2, if you see what I mean. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RhelmTrent Posted July 11, 2013 Share Posted July 11, 2013 Fair enough...but I guess you can see that this was a huge let down from a company that we have had so many incredible developments from in the past. it is also (according to the L6 Experts own words...very apparent that L6 will never compete or deliver anything that will be at the forefront of guitar modeling technology like they were in the past). Why can't they deliver something for guitar that has the same insane coolness as the stagescape M20? The answer is easy...really...their market for guitar has to be cheap or nobody will buy it. They could dominate the market and put AxeFx and Kemper sales in the toilet if they actually listened to what people want, delivered a rival processor for around $1,000 and built it right the first time. I don't see this release as a hardware upgrade...I see it as an acknowledgement that their other design was flawed (like sticky switches, broken usb ports, defective switches under the pedal, broken power adaptors...etc) and they just threw in the latest comparative chip (monetarily speaking of course) which is, of course, more powerful than what they threw in it 3 years ago. I know a lot of HD500 owners and I have read all of the comments on the forum and nobody is a fan of the power supply...if this was truly a hardware upgrade don't you think that would have been the first thing to fix? No matter what is said by any "experts", I have owned almost every L6 product over the years and I feel that I have a right to say that I am not impressed with this product release from L6. It gets the official RT "Big Whoop" award...what a let down Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kmoed Posted July 11, 2013 Share Posted July 11, 2013 This is nothing but an small upgrade to their existing product as they can no longer purchase the DSP chips that were in the original HD 500's. I don't think they were looking to "fix" anything, they are simply continuing production of an existing line in a way that makes sense. Thus it being a 500X as opposed to a HD600 etc.. They will design new POD's and release them in good time. Delivering a rival product to an Axe FXII or Kemper sub $1000, would mean going out of business. Selling at a loss makes no sense what so ever to any business. Your more likely to see Fractal and Kemper looking to enter the $500 market , there is a lot more market there, but they would need to compete with Line6 then... The HD500 is already an exceptional value for what you get. Enjoy it for what it is, or just simply save your pennies and grab a Fractal, But they are certainly not without faults either. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil_m Posted July 11, 2013 Share Posted July 11, 2013 according to the L6 Experts own words... What I said above is just my own personal opinion. I have no inside knowledge of what Line 6 plans to do. I'm just speaking from what I observe. I just imagine that if plotted out sales of modeling/multi-fx units on a graph with price on the x-axis and number of sales on the y-axis, that the distribution would be something very close to the ubiquitous bell curve/normal distribution, and it would be centered on the $500 price point. I also imagine that the drop-off in sales is quite steep past that. So companies have to ask themselves whether or not it's worth the extra investment in R&D, capital investment, etc. to go after the part of the curve above that price point. Since virtually no one makes anything around the $1,000, I'm assuming the answer companies come up with is "no". That's all I'm saying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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