Has Helix sort of combined the AXE and Kemper into one unit

[imran5000]

In terms of superior realism + killer FX = Helix.

[jar1zx]

kemper is in its own class. Axe fx and Helix don't work like the kemper.

helix is just starting out so not as many bells and whistles as the axe fx.

Each device you stated has its own merits.

 

Let's talk Helix since we are in a line 6 forum.

+ price

+ looks

+ brand loyalty

+ future updates

+ capabilities

 

I picked Helix on looks factor and what it is able to do. Price being lower than others is just a + :)

[jar1zx]

What Line 6 has done is a stroke of marketing genius.

Line 6 seen a price point that no one was at, took a chance and it looks like they hit a home run.

 

No competition at this price point.

Line 6 has always had peers, Boss, Zoom, Digitech and we all have used these products and while we got some sounds we could live with........ We were always left wanting. Now we have the Helix a product that promises the quality of tones that we have wanted out of the $500 line up.

 

So the Helix stands alone as a product with no competition.

Complete game changer.

[imran5000]

Price wise there's not a huge difference between the Kemper and Helix though

[PRSGuy]

the AX8 fits in the same space as well...thing is they are all great products...if you can't use any of them to make great music (HD included) the problem is you, not the equipment.

[imran5000]

True - to be honest you can use amp sims to make great music, but everyone's searching for the closest thing to amps and pedals in a box

[cruisinon2]

Price wise there's not a huge difference between the Kemper and Helix though

Sort of...but unless you've got a 3rd arm for switching presets, after you buy your Kemper it's gonna cost you at least the price of Helix (possibly more), just for the foot controller.

[ozbadman]

As far as I understand it, it's like this:

 

Kemper is quite a different beast. It effectively samples the Amps at one point, and then guesses how to make adjustments to that to give control. So, it is perfect at the exact point it was sampled, and less so at guessing alterations to that.

 

HELIX design philosophy is much closer to AxeFX2. They both sample the Cabinets, but they also model the sections that make up the design of the original models. So, they are much better at "guessing" the changes to an amp than a Kemper, but maybe they are not quite as accurate as the Kemper on the sweet spot that the amp was sampled at for the Kemper.

 

But, the real question is, after listening to them, which one works best for your needs, and is it worth it to you at that price?

[Digital_Igloo]

Kemper is quite a different beast. It effectively samples the Amps one point, and then guesses how to make adjustments to that to give control. So, it is perfect at the exact point it was sampled, and less so at guessing alterations to that.

 

HELIX design philosophy is much closer to AxeFX2. They both sample the Cabinets, but they also model the sections that make up the design of the original models. So, they are much better at "guessing" the changes to an amp than a Kemper, but maybe they are not quite as accurate as the Kemper on the sweet spot that the amp was sampled at for the Kemper.

 

That's a fair assessment, although I'd say that every possible knob position in Helix could be considered a sweet spot, depending on how you dial in your amps.  ;)

 

Kemper's big advantage is the ability to sample your own amps—especially those that have unique characteristics that may be lost from serial number to serial number. And of course the gigantic library of profiles available. It's really a clever platform.

 

A good analogy might be the difference between a comprehensive Moog sample library (Kemper) and a hyper-detailed analog-modeled Moog softsynth (Helix). The sample library will have a ton of snapshots of a particular state of the Moog, and the filter and envelope knobs may work, but they don't necessarily behave exactly like the Moog's filter and envelopes. (Imagine applying an Akai or Kurzweil low pass filter instead of the Moog ladder filter—it may sound great, but it's not quite the real thing.) The analog-modeled softsynth may have fewer presets, but you can totally nail the nuance and behavior of every filter, envelope, LFO, etc., and even alter them in real time during a performance.

Both approaches have their advantages and disadvantages; it's more of a philosophy difference than anything. Regardless, one would have to really hate life to not be happy with a Kemper, AxeFX, or Helix.

[jar1zx]

I'm still thinking the helix is in its own class.

For the price of the axe fx and floor unit I would go buy one of the amps that I like. In ten years from now a good tube amp taking care of will hold its value. This fx boards in ten years will not.

 

But with helix ($1500) I can not go buy one of the amps that I want at this price, and with the helix I get some amps I want and others I would like to try at a good price point.

 

Also I have limited room for amps and cabs so the helix just makes sense.

 

Again if I was just looking into helix or axe fx I would not sale my high end tube amp just to fund the purchase.

Tube amps go down in price after you walk out of the store but from that point they don't drop in value, years later lots of amp will go up again. Helix, kemper, axe fx are all in the moment, 5-10 years from now these will not hold there value when the new tech is out.

[imran5000]

I found the Kemper worked best when you left the EQ flat as intended with the original profile. I always liked creating my own sounds so I felt a bit restricted. With the Kemper you can get overwhelmed with Amp choices, but what you rapidly find is that you will have say top 5 distorted, top 5 clean, top 5 crunch and you keep going back to your favs essentially making huge numbers of amps/ rigs pointless. The weird thing is a lot of the distorted high gain profiles sounded a bit samey? Maybe that's the reality of high gain I dunno :ph34r: