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HD500X with a power amp?


Legaato
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I'm considering buying an HD500x for all my effects needs, but if I can get better tones from the modeled amps on the POD, I might end up using it through the power section of my amp. What's the best way to hook up the HD500x through a power amp/cab setup?

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It really varies based on what your amp has available. 

 

 

A lot of us don't use amps and we go straight to the PA, or they will use a special type of amp called FRFR -- which is really the same as a pa or a studio monitor. 

And some of us will go direct to the pa, but will still use an amp, not for tone, but for volume. 

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I'm considering buying an HD500x for all my effects needs, but if I can get better tones from the modeled amps on the POD, I might end up using it through the power section of my amp. What's the best way to hook up the HD500x through a power amp/cab setup?

As was already mentioned, the 4 cable method will work for you, but is only necessary if you want the option of bouncing back and forth between using the POD's full models, and getting your basic tone from your amp. If you settle on just using the POD for all your tones, and you only want to slave the amp for power, then all the 4CM accomplishes is requiring more cables, and using up 1 of your 8 fx blocks for the FX loop. You could just as easily run GUITAR-->POD-->AMP'S FX return, and call it a day.

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  • 1 year later...

Hey is it possible or has anyone tried using the pod 500x or 500, as a cabinet simulator? So from my:

 

guitar > individual pedalboard > pod 500x > direct into pa system

Well, not to put too fine a point on it, but that is the primary purpose for which the unit (not to mention all other current modelers) was designed....

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Well, not to put too fine a point on it, but that is the primary purpose for which the unit (not to mention all other current modelers) was designed....

 

I thought the cabinet simulations are supposedly the weakest element of the PodHD? That's what people say anyway. I wouldn't know, I don't use them.

 

I started off using the Pod in 4CM but I have the amp sims sounding pretty much as good as my valve amps now so I am going straight into the FX return, as mentioned above. I also have a Magnum 44 and that doesn't have quite the liveliness or body of the valve amp power stage but it's pretty close.

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I thought the cabinet simulations are supposedly the weakest element of the PodHD? That's what people say anyway. I wouldn't know, I don't use them.

 

I started off using the Pod in 4CM but I have the amp sims sounding pretty much as good as my valve amps now so I am going straight into the FX return, as mentioned above. I also have a Magnum 44 and that doesn't have quite the liveliness or body of the valve amp power stage but it's pretty close.

We could argue all day about whether the POD's cab sims suck or not. However, that won't change the fact that the entire purpose of a modeler is to produce an emulation of a recorded guitar tone, which is the combination of 3 elements: an amp, a cabinet, and a microphone. These things are specifically designed so that you need nothing but the POD and a guitar to produce an "album ready" tone.

 

Can it be used other ways? Yes, of course it can...and that's all well and good. Use it however you see fit. But the question that was asked was whether or not the unit's primary function was even a possibility... like it was some sort of novel idea to use the cab sims. That seemed a little strange to me.

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Just thought it might not be that helpful to suggest someone use the Pod solely for the one thing that it's not very good at. I wouldn't have said cabinet sims was the 'primary purpose' of the Pod. Especially when there are much better and much cheaper solutions out there for doing just that, such as the H&K red box or various software tools that can load impulse responses (which the pod can't).

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Just thought it might not be that helpful to suggest someone use the Pod solely for the one thing that it's not very good at. I wouldn't have said cabinet sims was the 'primary purpose' of the Pod. Especially when there are much better and much cheaper solutions out there for doing just that, such as the H&K red box or various software tools that can load impulse responses (which the pod can't).

You're entitled to dislike the cab sims, but that is entirely your opinion, and is in no way objective "fact". There are plenty who like them just fine and achieve good results with them.

 

Furthermore, the fact that there exists other gear and/or software solutions to provide cab sims, does not change the fact that the POD was designed to be a self-contained and fully functional unit...and it is, amp/ cab/mic sims all in one box. Merely because you don't personally care for one of those elements, does not in any way change the purpose for which the device was designed...hence my "primary purpose" response. One does not "need" anything else to make it work. I owned a Saturn once. HATED the thing with the fire of a thousand suns, but I'd be an imbecile if I tried to argue that it was really designed to be an airplane, and just happened to be a dismal failure at it.

 

The original question was odd, period... but even if it wasn't, throwing other options at the guy wouldn't have answered his question anyway. He wanted to know if the POD does cab sims. It does. End of story. The "good" vs "sh*tty" cab sim argument is another discussion altogether.

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I've been going Variax to Wampler Super-plextortion to POD HD (first it was an XTLive) to H2O chorus\echo to Valve Jr (and now a VHT Special 6) for a long time. And I really like the tones I get from most of it. You really need to try it yourself. There are a lot of preconceived notions as to what modelers should and should not do. I don't care for FRFR and the way I do it gives me an amp in the room feel. You've got the amp give it a try you can always go powered whatever later, but you have to try it to know. Same with cab sims. Do I like all of them? No, but I do like a lot of them. Does an AC30 amp model through a Valve Jr sound like an AC30? Not exactly, but I get a good sense of it and it absolutely spanks any AC4 I've been around. Does a Special 6 with a blackface amp model sound like a 64 vibroverb? Not quite, but I like it a lot better then the super champ xd I used to have or the blues Jr for that matter. The point is try it for yourself. You will be surprised at the versatility it affords you. I started this because I needed decent tone at low volume, what I found was a setup I like better then any modelling amp I've ever plugged into and I've plugged into a bunch. Good luck.

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I'd be an imbecile if I tried to argue that it was really designed to be an airplane, and just happened to be a dismal failure at it.

 

Indeed. Equally though, I wouldn't advise someone to go out and buy a Xbox One if they mostly love playing Japanese RPGs. The primary purpose of both the PS4 and the Xbox One is playing video games but one is better at some things than others.

 

I just didn't want the guy to get the impression that rushing out to buy a Pod HD just for the cab sims, without considering other options, would be a great idea. As I said, I don't have any personal experience of them so I wasn't saying I hated them.

 

I have to say, I've never had so many grumpy responses to genuine queries or well meaning comments as I have on this forum in the short time I have been trying it.

 

I'm outta here.

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