Axe FX II vs Helix: initial thoughts

Mr.Anderson

Mr.Anderson

Member
Recently, I was fortunate enough to have a friend bring his Line 6 Helix down to the studio for a brief spin.

I was pretty excited to see the thing in person, and of course to hear how it sounded!

My first impression when he took it out of the case was that it's built very well. Everything looks and feels really solid, and the industrial design is brilliant.

We ran it (and my AFX2) into a small powered PA.

Next, we spent a little time listening to amp models, and when we first powered it up, the Helix sounded pretty good. I thought the clean models sounded very nice, and the high gain stuff was pretty good. I then powered up the AXE FX II, and brought up a corresponding model.

I felt that the Fractal unit had a lot more realism or harmonic complexity in the amp models, and the Helix models sounded rather sterile by comparison.

We didn't pay a bunch of attention to the effects, but what I heard in the Helix did sound very nice.

Overall, the usability and feature set in the Helix is STELLAR. It's a super clever design. But the models didn't stack up to the Fractal unit.

I'll most likely get a rematch in the next week or two. Anyone want specific info, it comparison? Let me know.
 

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Don't even go there, waste of time. Axe has more power, better ir's, no contest.
Anyone that thinks otherwise is not using it right. :)
 
Mr.Anderson said:
We didn't pay a bunch of attention to the effects, but what I heard in the Helix did sound very nice.

Overall, the usability and feature set in the Helix is STELLAR. It's a super clever design. But the models didn't stack up to the Fractal unit..
Click to expand...

Exactly what I've found. Do look into the effects on the Helix, they're quite good and instantly usable. Some of the cleaner amp models aren't that bad. AC30 can be decent. But I gave up finding anything even close to usable in the Marshall range or higher of gain. Just couldn't make it work for me. Axe-Fx, by comparison, is instant gratification in the amp/cab department.
 
Yeah, re-amp a dry guitar track through both units. Get a couple of IRs that you can load onto both units and use the same amp models at the same settings. Use both the 1/4" input and output for both units in order to hear the input and output converters as well. Test with several models. I would love to hear this. What's more, if you save the settings on the AX8 you can revisit this with later firmware. My suspicion is that however they stack up now the AX8 will continue to sound better and better with firmware updates while the Helix will lag.
 
I dunno, I have to admit I get increasingly uncomfortable seeing product comparisons on manufacturer forums these days. Shouldn't this kinda thing take place on neutral ground anymore, somewhere like TGP perhaps? Seems a bit unfair and disrespectful to the manufacturers and so often seems to bring out the worst in their customers?! Anyway, just a suggestion, as you were :)
 
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ethomas1013 said:
The Gear Page is neutral ground? Year, right... :rolleyes:
Click to expand...
Ok so I've obviously missed this by a mile with TGP for whatever reason (Ive spent all of about 30 mins of my life on TGP) but nonetheless my point still stands.

...ok so who owns TGP?!!!
 
The Fanboi's own the Gear Page. It's really hard to find any neutral, objective discussions on the Gear Page. Granted, there are plenty of Fanboys here too...
 
My neighbor got a demo model Helix for his studio last week and was kind enough to let me borrow it for a couple days.

My findings pretty much mirror yours, A/Bing through the same cab (preamp & amp modeling only for both, of course).

Cleans were usable. Not FAS quality, but definitely good enough in a pinch. High gain settings were absolute crap. Instant typical Line 6 fizz/buzz/can of bees, regardless of model. They all had this weird piercing thing going on in the presence/highs too that I couldn't seem to dial out.

Effects were ok, some really cool stuff, some of it kinda' meh. Again, I prefer the AxeFx in this department.

Build quality looked pretty rugged. I like that they finally ditched the wall wart and, I presume, mounted an internal transformer.

I will say this in favor of the Helix: I CANNOT WAIT for these to start popping up on the used market at half the retail price so I can use one as a new MIDI controller. That's one area this thing is just amazeballs in. Colored LEDs, scribble strips, juuuust about any config I could think of, built-in dual expression pedal (which feels like it was forged in the heart of a dying star), and a decent enough backup rig in one package? I'd pay $6-800 for that all damn day long...

...but given a choice, I wouldn't run audio through it. Maybe as a practice rig, maybe.
 
Helix is just another gimmick from Line 6. I will say it has some cool routing features, nice interface, blah blah.
But for me anyway, it all about quality and TONE. Helix has hardly any amps, just the same ol same ol, that may be
better than their last offering, but no where near axe-fx land. Just a feeble attempt. You can't compete with sub par
components, like those offered in the axe-fx. You CAN"T polish a turd, sorry.
 
I don't think the Helix is a turd, by any means. As I expected, the models don't show the depth and complexity that the Fractal ones do.
And really, how could we expect them to? The Helix has the same exact chipset as the AX8, but boasts 4 amps at once compared to only one for the AX8.
 
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