Want: Firehawk 1500 for FRFR, NOT WDW

[krut917]

I feel like this topic has been covered, but in reading all of the threads I've seen, I still don't know if I've quite found the answer to this question? 

My question:
Is there a way to hook my Axe Fx II into the Firehawk 1500 in stereo that gives me the image back through all of the speakers? I'm not looking for wet/dry/wet (at least not at the moment), and I plan to use the Firehawk 1500 as primarily a FRFR Cab, and backup should things go wrong on stage. 

Is this possible? If so, how's everyone doing it with their rigs? 

Thanks! 

[alitz]

As far as I can tell, there is not really a way to avoid W/D/W unless you daisy chain everything and send it through the guitar input like a standard peddle board setup. I think this would activiate all the speakers but the signal would have to mono because you would have to eventually get to the mono guitar input of the amp. And if you try the 4CM or in this case 5CM because of the stereo inputs, you are going to get all the speakers active but the stereo coaxial speakers for the effects and get the center and horn for the dry guitar send from the modeler output. I am picking up one of the new Helix HX Stomp processors and I am waiting for a definitive reply from Line 6 on this very question. It seems that on the forums, the L6 guys have skirted around the answer but didn't come right out and say that this is the "best" way to do it, choosing to say that there are many ways to make the connection and that the best way would be in the hands of the particular user to find themselves. I truly wish that they would just come out with a set of diagrams specific to the Firehawk and say: "if you hook an external modeler up this way, you get this from the speakers. If you hook, it up this way, you get this... and so on." On you listening Line 6?
 

[Kilrahi]

If you're not looking for the wet/dry/wet setup then it's stupidly easy.  Simply connect the Axe's balanced outputs in to the Firehawk's balanced inputs. Walla. BUT you won't have all of the speakers engaged in this setup no matter what you do.  The other speakers were specifically created for the wet/dry/wet setup. Each of the speaker's has different capabilities in terms of how much output they can take before they basically blow up on you. As you can imagine, wet signals don't require near as much oomph as dry signals. If the Firehawk let you do what you want to do (let your dry signal blow out all six speakers equally) you'd basically destroy the smaller speakers. 

 

If you want the wet/dry/wet it gets a little harder. The four cable method should work though through some variation of using either the Firehawk's FX chain + the guitar input or the guitar input + the balanced or unbalanced inputs. 

 

Ultimately though you have to ask if what you're interested in doing makes any real sense, and I have to say based on what you're asking not really. The Firehawk 1500 was primarily designed as a simplistic (but AMAZING) way to establish a wet/dry/wet setup.  That's why the effects are already built into the thing. It allows a novice/lazy/broke/practical person like myself to quickly establish a brilliant sounding setup with minimal effort.  That's why I bought it . . . now once I did, as what happens with so much guitar gear, I started dreaming of buying a HELIX effects unit but understandably don't want to make my investment in the Firehawk a waste, so I keep trying to figure out how good it pairs with it. 

 

For you though, where you already have your own effects unit that you still enjoy, my advice would be to look elsewhere.  Line 6 offers several great Powercabs designed to do exactly what you want and they save you a good chunk of change over the Firehawk.  That's what I'd recommend you do . . .