Upgrade From Pod Xt Live To Pod Hd500x?

[ninfrag]

Hey,

 

I was wondering if anybody could answer me this question?

 

I currently own a POD XT live, which I solely use for home recording. Is it worth it to upgrade and buy a POD HD500x? Are the models better, does it sound better, does it have more and better effects?

 

Thanks for an answer!

[TheRealZap]

i'd say yes to all of your questions.

the HD pods are a higher sound quality...

there are fewer models (than the fully loaded xt with all the model packs), but they sound better.

[ninfrag]

Hey,

 

Thx for the info. Are the sounds worth the upgrade of 500 dollars?

[TheRealZap]

It's hard to place a dollar amount on a subjective thing like tone....

 

I can only suggest that you give it a try and judge for yourself.

 

you might consider saving a few bucks and getting a 500 (probably loads of new ones at bargain prices, and many used ones)

but it all depends on you're preference.. some would rather pay a few bucks get the latest and a warranty.

 

I do think it's priced well for what it does.

[arislaf]

Well, as an ex user of the XT live, I can tell you that the pod is another kind of beast.And as for the price, for good or bad, line 6 has always less price than the quality it gives for any device.

[joel_brown]

Is it worth it ? - that's a very subjective question.  For me it was.  I didn't mind spending $500 bucks to get something that sounds and plays better.  I play out often plus do recording and have been doing so for a lot of years.  $500 is very inexpensive compared to $2,000 and up for a Kemper or Axe. 

 

On the flip side, if you're happy with what you have... well you need to make that choice.

[brue58ski]

I believe the best way to describe the difference between the two is the XT sounds more like a professionally recorded amp and the HD is more like the raw amp.

[sosmusic]

I too upgraded from the XT live to the HD 500, and i would give a resounding YES to all your questions. The HD 500 is such a superior device, It was worth the money and a whole lot more, i only needed to be plugged into the HD500 for about 5 minutes to know this. I will add that i was a content XT Live user from the time it came out too. MUCH better amp modelling, WAY better wah models too. HD 500 is next level tone.

[Inerzia]

Me too, I skipped X3 generation and went straight from a fully expanded XTL to an HD500. Much less models, but much more quality in each of them.

XTL is fine, it always has been fine for me, and I still use it and will continue to do so, because there's patches there that I love and can't dial with the HD

(anytime I try to do so I come up with good things, but they don't sound the same, that's the idea anyway, isn't it?). There's also the bigger offer in bass amp

models on the XTL, so, whenever I grab the bass I end up using the XTL.
It has more effects, some are new for you, some are the same, some are similar but sound different, and If you like the autowha on the XTL, you're going 

to miss having it on the HD, because there's no such thing. There are similar things, some supposedly better, but... just supposedly.
If you feel it's time for an improvement and, for whatever reason, want to stick with what L6 offers, an HD500(x) will do it for you.

[h8hoos]

You could always go HD300 (least money and still get HD quality).  Mine is for sale with gigbag.  Today I got a HD500x.

[DeanDinosaur]

 

I solely use for home recording. Is it worth it to upgrade and buy a POD HD500x? Are the models better, does it sound better, does it have more and better effects?

 

 

Positively. For home recording the difference can probably be explained in 10 years of advancements in modeling. Seriously, for recording the xt,x3 are  are very inferior to the HD. Hd is much more believable  and much better solution if you don't won't to bother micing real amps.

[ur2funky]

The looper is a lot of fun!

 

Coming from the XT, the HD500 felt a little unfinished when I first got it...there's patches that are wildly different volume levels...and it does have a different sound than your XT, so it could be a good compliment to it. I ended up selling my XT...the HD500 does sound great once you dial in your tones. Haven't tried the 500X. Good timing for going for a 500 and saving some bucks...

[Vin_Dizon]

I have an XT Live that I got second hand really cheap a few months back without the metal shop and I have been thinking lately as well about upgrading to the HD500. I play a lot of old school thrash and death metal (80s Metallica, Death, Deicide, Possessed, Pestilence, Exodus, etc.) and the XT Live has always delivered. I also love how the whole thing is built like a tank. It's always plugged via USB into my desktop computer and I'm the type that can sit in front of Gearbox all day long tweaking and making patches like there's no tomorrow. I found that I can get some really amazing sounds out of it that really suit the style of music that I play and this is without the metal shop. I'm very satisfied with it. :D

 

Now I've been seeing a lot of stuff on the internet as to how the HD500 is such an improvement over the XT Live series in overall sound but then again, I don't know. I do know that I really like my XT Live. :unsure:

 

Also (forgive me, I am new to all things Line 6), is there anyway for the online Line 6 store to use something like PayPal? :unsure:  I don't have a credit card and I don't live in the United States (I live very far from it actually) but I'm interested in purchasing the metal shop.

[TheRealZap]

I don't think the site takes paypal.. you'd need to get a pre-paid credit card i believe.

[boris55]

is gearbox not working with pod hd500x i have no  conextion  help me i am from holland

[TheRealZap]

gearbox does not work with the hd500x you need hd500x edit.

[katiekerry]

As far as upgrading from XT to HD500, Its a catch 22 in many ways.  Yes The HD500 has the potential to sound significantly better but it takes a long while to get there.  You get a plethora of added features and do dads that you can do amazing things with it.  But if you want something that is more plug and play easy and fast the HD500 is a no go for me.  It was much easier to get working tones for me with the xt technology than hd500..  I used to be able to just download usable patches through custom tone and they would generaly sound good enough but the HD500 series I have not found any good sounding patches through custom tone.  I usually have to pretty much start from scratch ( I don't no if its because the majority of people using hd series has DT amps or what).  I use  FRFR Headphones not a physical amp so I can detect sound artifacts a bit more than a limited range guitar amplifier..

 

well just my 2 cents good luck though If I were to do it again I would not have bought the HD500...

[aliengtr]

ok i used the pod xt lvie and its a blast to play through, so easy to get awesome tones,its harder to play through than a pod 500x which is smo0ther,but after buying the 50x I instantly mised my pod xt live sounds. the 500x is no fun to play through kind of dull in a way and the custome tone preses suck so far and so hard and freakin takes so long to get a god tone. .pod xt live al the way the patches are fun .fun to play, customtones are sweet and easy to get a great sound. i am returning my 500x.if I didnt have pod xt live or experiene of playing one, then yes I would get the 500x

[geeker]

It is worth the five hundred bucks for the 500x in my book, especially for recording. Don’t get me wrong; I still pull out my XT Live and X3 Live from time to time for recording but that is becoming less and less as I get used to using the HD 500x…..  

[Topaz]

Add me too....  I found the difference between my XTLive and the 500X like night and day

[Ultraworld]

Hey,

 

Thx for the info. Are the sounds worth the upgrade of 500 dollars?

I think it's worth the price. I have a XT Pro and a Bean, and the improvement is really eye opening. The amps sound much better.

[Badspike]

Been thinking about the same upgrade but really only use the XT live for the effects(Mod/delay maybe the occasional wah). Is there a substantial difference to other members ears between the units?

[pianoguyy]

My opinion is this... 

At this point, if your machine isn't broken - therefore you don't actually need to buy a new thing; 

 

1. The HD500 has been out for 5 years. The X, while only 2 years old, wasn't actually a new product. It was a slight mod due to a hardware supply issue.

So, you may want to consider waiting to see what and when something new comes out.  

FYI - I am not an advocate for chasing, or waiting for, technology. It is just a suggestion due to the unit's age. 

 

2. If you are not using L6's world famous modeling technology, you may want to consider a different product. 

It is sort of like buying a sports car that you only intend on driving during gridlock. 

[Glebber]

I have a XT Live that I will keep,  but the HD500X is a whole new level of experience. Out of the box I thought I made an expensive mistake, for some reason it came loaded with what I consider a bunch of "wow, look a all the spacey weird sounds I can make" presets and a very steep learning curve. After a bit though and some YouTube tutorials I've come to realize how fantastic this device is. It was well worth it for me and can be used live or recording. The modeling sim tech has come a long way since the Xt Live, think of a new i7 Intel intel 5960x chip computer verses an old core 2 duo, I am blown away by the realism. It takes work to get good sounds but they ARE in this very capable machine.

[Hockeynut19]

I have a x3 live I have used since 2010 or so. Like it for my solo gigs through my Bose pa. Bought a HD500x and a JTV-69  James Tyler wanting the acoustic guitars mostly. Almost sold the 500x,the factory presets are terrible.Some of the patches on CustomTone are ok. I did watch a lot of videos on both products before and after my purchase. I will say there is a pretty good learning curve to the 500x.

what is rather difficult for me are a solid lead tones. I am a Strat player and a long time Line 6 guy. Have a old AX2 amp.Check out Glenn DeLaune's website he has some usable patches there.

Is it worth the money... yes, are the amps believable? Yes, will they sound good recorded and live? Yes, it just takes a lot of tweaking.... good luck!

[pianoguyy]

"wow, look a all the spacey weird sounds I can make" 

 

I've said that numerous times. 

The factory patches aren't there to be used, otherwise every album made since 2010 would all sound the same. 

The factory patches are "far out" because they need to demonstrate what can be done with the unit. 

 

The next time you see an ad for a new phone, are they going to open up the dialer and say "this is how you make a phone call" or are they going to say "we have included the ability to display holograms in your living room" 

 

Because, quite frankly, I am not going to spend $2k on a phone that has hologram technology unless I know it has hologram technology. lol

[mattchug1]

I have an old POD XT Live that I loved.  Recently, the volume / expression pedal stopped working.  I've run backups and software updates all afternoon.  Short of a factory data reset for a possible fix. 

 

CAN I INSTALL MY BACKUP INTO THE POD HD500?? 

 

If I decide to upgrade, I would love to keep using the tones I've created on the XT Live.

[joel_brown]

No, absolutely can't do this.  Basically you're starting over creating patches plus the learning curve with the PODHD and how to build tones.  I'd also recommend looking at the Helix LT.  It costs more but sounds better and easier to work with.

[cruisinon2]

I have an old POD XT Live that I loved. Recently, the volume / expression pedal stopped working. I've run backups and software updates all afternoon. Short of a factory data reset for a possible fix.

 

CAN I INSTALL MY BACKUP INTO THE POD HD500??

 

If I decide to upgrade, I would love to keep using the tones I've created on the XT Live.

The HD series is a rapidly aging product line that isn't seeing much in the way of updates anymore, and may or may not be around and/or supported much longer, no way to tell... what is certain is that it's no longer their "flagship" device, and the focus is clearly elsewhere. If you want to upgrade, I'd look at Helix.

[BillBee]

The HD series is a rapidly aging product line that isn't seeing much in the way of updates anymore, and may or may not be around and/or supported much longer, no way to tell... what is a sure thing is that it's no longer their "flagship" device, and the focus is clearly elsewhere. If you want to upgrade, I'd look at Helix.

 

Yep - good advice unless you can score a used one on the cheap. I've seen used HD Beans going $100 - $150 if you feel the need to try one. It has a bit less DSP and routing as the 500s but for the $ its a great unit. 

[VAX700]

In my opinion, upgrade to HD500X but keep the XTL if possible. Here's why:

 

They both sound great... different, but great! While the 500X is an evolutionary step ahead (more DSP power, HD models, more connectivity...) the XTL has a sound spectrum all its own. There's no doubt the 500X will blow you away with a whole new sonic realm, though a number of presets are "over the top" special effects that aren't practical straight outta the box... They showcase the 500X's possibilities but require some work to make them useful.

 

The XTL doesn't have many frills, but it's very useable as is. It has a wide range of appealing presets (IMO) that feature conservative use of basic distortion, mods and delays... which don't need much tweaking to suit most needs. Plus, the XTL is built like a tank!

 

I know many say the HD modelling sounds better, but personally I think they both sound great... In fact, I've been working to reproduce my favourite XTL tones on the 500X.

 

So yes... Definitly get the 500X, but keep the XTL if you can.

[joel_brown]

This thread is 4 years old.

[skybone]

Hey,

 

I was wondering if anybody could answer me this question?

 

I currently own a POD XT live, which I solely use for home recording. Is it worth it to upgrade and buy a POD HD500x? Are the models better, does it sound better, does it have more and better effects?

 

Thanks for an answer!

 

In a word. YES!

 

Been through a few units to get to the HD, but prior to getting the HD500x, I used a PODxt Live.

 

When I got the HD500x, I still had the XT Live, so I did a comparison. Manually copied over a couple of my favourite patches form the XT to the HD, then compared the units back to back, with the same instrument(s).

 

The conclusion was that the HD500x patches were not only "clearer", but more "defined", you could certainly hear more nuances in the sounds form the HD than the XT, the effects are far better as well.

[joel_brown]

Look at the date of the first post.

[maskota]

hola que tal queria hacer una consulta yo tenia una cápsula en vivo y compre el paquete de módems metal para instalarlo y lo puedo hacer, la vida dentro de la tienda ahora tengo una hd 500 lo que quiero saber si puedo pasar el paquete de modem metal de xt vive a la pod hd 500 

 

[DIEGO254]

Tengo la POD XT Live y la POD HD500X en lo personal la HD500X tiene mejor sonido en cuanto a amplificadores suena mucho mas nítida, pero es mas difícil llegar a alcanzar un buen tono, y es mas difícil encontrar tonos en el CUSTOMETONE, además  tocando en vivo suena muy diferente a la XTL, cuando trabajas el pedal de expresión para volumen no maneja todo el recorrido a diferencia del XTL que si lo hacía, pero en cuánto a grabación desde el USB el HD500X suena mejor que la XTL, la salida PHONES suena mejor en la XTL que en la HD500X, además la HD500x tiene un hardware mas delicado, en conclusión yo seguría usando una XTL o X3L en vivo y en grabación una HD500X, es cuestión de gustos. Y lo que mas me admira es que con tantos años de desarrollo no hayan solucionado el problema del pantallazo azul de Windows que se produce muchas veces cuando estás conectado al USB y aumenta la probabilidad de la pantalla azul cuando abres un software de grabación lo mismo pasaba con la XTL y con la POD HD500x, muchos dan buenas referencias de la Helix pero será cuando tenga mas dinero.

[bobcoss]

No he usado el xt o x3.  He estado usando el hd500 en vivo, and ha funccionado muy bien.   He oido que es completamented diferent que el xt or x3.  Ahora uso el Helix, y otra vez esta completamente diferente.  

 

Con esfuerza, el hd500 o hd500x suena muy bien.  De vez en cuando conecto una guitarra al hd500 o hd500x, y toco y estoy contento con el sonido.  Los modelos de amplificadores y parlantes suena diferente, but me gustan la calidad.

 

sigue probandolo y pienso que vas a encontrar buenas tonos.

 

Bob

[joel_brown]

Very old thread.

[bobcoss]

Very very very very old thread.....