dacop13 Posted May 4, 2021 Share Posted May 4, 2021 Hey Guys, do any of you Helix owners also own a Spider 240 mkii head? If so how would you compare it to the Helix amp models? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OmniFace Posted May 4, 2021 Share Posted May 4, 2021 I have both. I got the Spider V stack for my second guitarist to use. It's been a while since I used it though... I think the new Spiders sound quite good. I haven't directly compared models, but I'd wager they're close enough that most people wouldn't notice. Recording wise it sounded definitely usable from what I recall. Speaker/mic sims were always a weak point in the lesser gear, but I think they're much improved these days. Some people really didn't like the speaker cab being used to output a fully modeled signal as if it was mic'd, even with head adding tweeters. When my guitarist used the stack it was a bit muddy, but I"m sure it could have been fixed with a little work on the tone. It's hard moving from "no amp" in-ear practice to full amp shows. The MKii has the option for "classic speaker" mode which turns off the mic sim and full range functionality so it sounds more traditional. For live that's probably preferable. Not sure how that impacts the DI outputs. The head has the built in speakers and wireless receiver which makes it pretty useful for a practice amp, but it is a little on the large side still. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dacop13 Posted May 4, 2021 Author Share Posted May 4, 2021 Thanks for the info! You also answered my follow up question, if it can be used with a real 2x12 or 4x12 cabinet, killing the mic and cab simulation on the head, and it looks like "classic speaker" mode will do that. I love my Helix, but just wondering if the Spider head is "almost" like a "powered" Helix. I would imagine Line6 must have taken some of the already programmed Helix amp models and stuck them into this head. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OmniFace Posted May 4, 2021 Share Posted May 4, 2021 1 minute ago, dacop13 said: Thanks for the info! You also answered my follow up question, if it can be used with a real 2x12 or 4x12 cabinet, killing the mic and cab simulation on the head, and it looks like "classic speaker" mode will do that. I love my Helix, but just wondering if the Spider head is "almost" like a "powered" Helix. I would imagine Line6 must have taken some of the already programmed Helix amp models and stuck them into this head. Yep. There's also a switch on the back to turn off the cab/mic modeling completely, for use with a real cab. I don't believe the Spider has any HX algorithms, but depending on what you do, that may not matter. If you cant a powered helix, get the PowerCab212+ and don't look back. If you want a decent alt rig for easy practice or to play with friends, the Spider V is a pretty decent choice IMHO. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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