Advice sought about speaker(s) for home use...

[nippyjun]

Hello.
My guitar playing consists of me and my iPad. I play in my office at home. That is about 11 feet by 15 feet.
I have a helix, a 5watt tube combo amp and a 20 watt tube stack with a 1x12 cab.

I can get what I think are descent tones with what I have.

But I'd like to try using either a pair of monitors like the jbl lsr305's or a single speaker like the line 6 stage source l2m. I'm assuming that with either of these choices I would get more accurate representation of the tones/presets which is my goal for this purchase.

Would having stereo with a pair of monitors be a big advantage or just something else to complicate things?

What would you recommend and why?

 

I don' t do any recording.

Thanks.

[BigRalphN]

I use Krokit 5 Speakers so the JBLs should be fine. They are ok for their purpose and get me pretty close to what I use live.

[roscoe5]

I actually took my Helix up to Guitar Center a few months ago to demo it to friend of mine that works there.  He wanted to order one before GC got them in stock.  

 

We went through most of the low-mid range studio monitors.  The 8" versions of KRK, JBL, Mackie, and M-Audio definitely sounded better than the 5" models.  But the KRK Rokit 8" seemed to be the best sounding for Helix of the bunch, at least in the GC demo room.  Roughly $250 each.

 

The Line 6 L2M's are nice too, but 3x the cost.  You can get them on sale/coupon/open box from time to time though.  Pretty sure Line 6 should be doing some dev and updates of L6 Link functionality with them.  I'm keeping them on my radar as Line 6 release updates for Helix.

[nippyjun]

Thanks for your replies. Does having the ability to have stereo make a big difference?

If cost wasn't different would you get 2 small monitors or 1 Line 6 LM2?

[spikey]

personally I would look at the Firehawk 1500 if you can swing it. It just makes Helix sound even better, if thats possible.

[roscoe5]

Thanks for your replies. Does having the ability to have stereo make a big difference?

If cost wasn't different would you get 2 small monitors or 1 Line 6 LM2?

 

I think I'd have to go for the 1 L2M just to give me an all in one home jamming, jamming with friends, and a gig solution.  

 

I actually owned one with my old Line 6 POD HD500x.  I got rid of both in a package deal as i was over the POD HD, but wish I had kept the L2M...especially now with Helix.  It was really small, portable, and powerful.  Sounded good with bass also.  Kept up with a live band too.

 

You were able to buy them a little cheaper a couple of years ago. I paid $449 on sale for mine at GC 2+ years ago.  Now they are $749 online and I don't see them in GC anymore.

 

But for $749 for the L2M, I would probably go for an open box Line 6 Firehawk 1500 amps and get stereo speakers, and all of the HD amps and effects.  There are 4 open box Firehawk 1500's for $799 right now on Musicians Friend.

 

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/amplifiers-effects/line-6-firehawk-1500-stereo-guitar-combo-amp

[nippyjun]

Would the Firehawk 1500 be a better solution then the Mission engineering Gemini 2 that is also stereo?

Seems to me the firehawk 1500 offers a lot more for less $$

[roscoe5]

Would the Firehawk 1500 be a better solution then the Mission engineering Gemini 2 that is also stereo?

Seems to me the firehawk 1500 offers a lot more for less $$

 

We might let the serious pro-level FRFR guys chime in here on the Mission, but I personally would go for the Firehawk 1500, especially for jamming at home...and more.  A lot of guys on here like the Firehawk 1500 with Helix, and $799 open box seems like a sweet deal from MF too.

[spikey]

I don't know much art the G2, but I just love my tone thru the FH1500 using Helix LR outs into the Monitor inputs on the FH1500 ! And yes, I pulled up the G2 page and they show a price of 1499 to $1599. The FH1500 is $400 cheaper on avg.

[nippyjun]

What about just getting a pair of studio monitors for $250-$350?

[Cattlerancher]

Check out the acoustic a1000 acoustic amp. 2x8 stereo amp. It's designed to be used as a pa wedge as well as amp, so the coloration is naturally minimal. Also has Bluetooth connectivity. $399

 

Firehawk Lite*

[nippyjun]

I decided to go with the JBL LSR308's. I was going to get the 305's but I got a really good deal on the 308's and couldn't pass on it.
Thanks for all the input

What XLR cables do you all recommend?

[roscoe5]

Nice score on the JBL's!  those are gonna rock for home use and will still fit on a desk unlike the L2M's.

 

 I generally go Monster Cable for the lifetime warranty and easy exchange at GC, but I gig quite a bit.

 

Mogami is very high quality and lifetime warranty too.  A bit more expensive, +25% it seems.

[nippyjun]

Nice score on the JBL's!  those are gonna rock for home use and will still fit on a desk unlike the L2M's.

 

 I generally go Monster Cable for the lifetime warranty and easy exchange at GC, but I gig quite a bit.

 

Mogami is very high quality and lifetime warranty too.  A bit more expensive, +25% it seems.

I have never purchased XLR cables before. Is there a specific type I need to go from the helix to the speakers? I see some listed as microphone xlr cables. Are they all the same?

Thanks.

[cruisinon2]

I have never purchased XLR cables before. Is there a specific type I need to go from the helix to the speakers? I see some listed as microphone xlr cables. Are they all the same?

Thanks.

Just get a couple of balanced TRS 1/4" cables. I use them with the 5" JBL's. They work just fine. Don't buy into the hype about gold-plated, assembled by vestal virgins in a Cuban cigar factory, "high performance" cables. It's a farce. The signal either gets where is going, or it doesn't.

[nippyjun]

I do want to go with XLR cables that way I can still use the 1/4 outs to go to my amps if I want to use an amp.

 

So given that.... which kind of XLR cables (not necessarily brand) but are "microphone" XLR cables what I need (meaning all XLR balanced cables can be called mic cables) or are there a different type.

 

Thanks.

 

I see these on Amazon for 20 bucks:

LyxPro Quad Series 20 ft XLR 4-Conductor Star Quad Balanced Microphone Cable for High End Quality and Sound Clarity, Extreme Low Noise, Black

[roscoe5]

 

I do want to go with XLR cables that way I can still use the 1/4 outs to go to my amps if I want to use an amp.

 

So given that.... which kind of XLR cables (not necessarily brand) but are "microphone" XLR cables what I need (meaning all XLR balanced cables can be called mic cables) or are there a different type.

 

Thanks.

 

I see these on Amazon for 20 bucks:

LyxPro Quad Series 20 ft XLR 4-Conductor Star Quad Balanced Microphone Cable for High End Quality and Sound Clarity, Extreme Low Noise, Black

 

 

 

Sorry yes, any XLR mic cable will work.  The $20 LyxPro would work fine.

[Lachdanan0121]

On cables mogami is good, so is ProCo. If this is for balanced cables its not as crucial to get quality cables. Instrument cables, for guitar as example, it matters much more because they use unbalanced cables for the most part.

 

As far as speakers go, dont forget you can also get sub to compliment smaller speakers. If its just for guitar, doesnt matter as much on the sub,if its guitar and other things then it will start to matter more, and more.

[nippyjun]

Thanks for the info.

I appreciate it.

[droeber]

I use an Alto TS210 for at home playing when I want a speaker.  When I play at church I run my Helix to the PA, and use the same TS210 as a personal monitor.

[baggas]

Just get a couple of balanced TRS 1/4" cables. I use them with the 5" JBL's. They work just fine. 

 

Do you mean using stereo type TRS cables for the JBLs? Whats the benefit in that? I've been using normal mono TS guitar patch cables with no problem from the Helix to the JBLs. Any reason I should switch to the TRS ones?