POD GO -> FX Return sounds bad with Cab sim bypassed

[talbenami1]

Hey! I bought the POD GO few days ago,

I'm willing to use the Amp models & effects. my signal is Guitar -> POD's Guitar In, POD's Main Out L -> Blackstar HT20 FX Loop return.

 

One thing I haven't figured out yet - In the signal chain, when I bypass the Cab block, it sounds fizzy, sharp & mostly unplayable.

When the Cab block is turned on, it sounds like the speaker has a wool blanket on it.

I tried using EQ after the disabled Cab, it makes things a little bit better, but still not as I expected. are there any known EQ settings for this situation?

 

What am I doing wrong? in other words - what's the best way of using the POD's preamps & effects with my Blackstar's poweramp?

I actually don't mind using the POD's cab sim, if there's a way to make it sound better.

 

Further than that, I'd like to get some tips from whoever uses similar setup for getting the best tone out of it.

Thanks for whoever reached here :)