npoguitar Posted August 30, 2021 Share Posted August 30, 2021 Hello all! Long time user of Line 6 products and I will soon become a Helix LT owner (VERY excited!). I plan on picking up the Helix LT by the end of this week and have a few questions that I'm hoping to gain clarity around. For informational purposes, in my current band I currently A/B/Y a JCM 800 and Dual Rectifier through individual 4x12's. My goal is to replicate this setup with the Helix unit where the Helix is taking over for the JCM and Dual Rec (with a few effects thrown in there of course), while using my existing cabs. I know it would be probably be easier to run through frfr cabs, but am going to be using my existing cabs occasionally as well so I'd rather not need to purchase more. I've done a decent amount of research and know that I can run two amps at the same time using the Helix LT, which is one of the big selling points to me. However, my main question is how would I set up a dual amp/dual cab setup so that the JCM amp is running through one cab and the Dual Rec is running through the other? I know that I'll need a power amp, but am unsure of what to look for in a power amp so that I can do this. Will I need to find one that has two individual inputs and outputs? Would I have to purchase two separate power amps? I haven't been able to find anything out there about this (I'm sure it exists but I just haven't had any luck). Also, if anyone happens to have any recommendations in power amp wattages I'd love to have some guidance on that as well. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rd2rk Posted August 30, 2021 Share Posted August 30, 2021 Any stereo amp will do, though you may want to look for one specifically made for use with modelers (Matrix?), or a proper tube amp (Mesa?). You'll probably want one where each channel is at least twice the rating of the cabs to allow clean headroom. Or you could use a pair of mono Class D amps. The T.C Electronics BAM200 is currently in vogue over on TGP. Then just pan one amp LEFT and the other RIGHT, and take the amp input from the appropriate Helix Output, probably set to LINE level. EDIT: Here's a demo preset. Note the Pan settings in the Output Blocks. npoguitar.hlx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
npoguitar Posted September 2, 2021 Author Share Posted September 2, 2021 Thank you! Not sure which one I'll get yet but I'll probably lean towards getting two mono since most stereo power amps appear to be rack mounted. Since my goal in moving to the Helix is to keep streamline my setup I'm trying to stay away from rack mounting if possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spaceatl Posted September 3, 2021 Share Posted September 3, 2021 If you want it to feel about the same, you need a power amp rated at 500 watts @ 8 ohms RMS per channel...That will mean 1000-1200watt peak rating. One thing that is often overlooked is power matching. You are simulating two Class AB tube amplifiers. Tube amplifiers are a bit unique in that they put out 2-5x times the specified rating in fast transients...So 200-500 watts. Use that to match the RMS rating of a nice class D amplifier and the transients will feel identical in the room. If you under power it, it will never feel quite the same. Remember, the voltage that the speaker sees is analog. If your are wanting to create a true simulation, you gotta match the amount of current the amplifier can put our cleanly. 300 watts rms works just fine... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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