First impression of the HD 500

hippietim

Axe-Master
Mine came Friday and I got a chance to fire it up a little that night.

My very first impression is that Line 6 has set an all-time new low for truly rotten presets out of the gate. The very first preset you get when you power it on is this seriously washed in effects patch that absolutely should not be the first patch on power up. I flipped through most of the patches in the default list and the vast majority of them are a mess with effects and cheesy sounds - I was very surprised. Along the way there were a few good ones but geez anyone that just plugs the thing in and flips through the default presets is not going to be very impressed - and this was the "Best of HD500" list - aroo? They have some other lists to choose from that are much more sensible but still too many effects and bizarre crap. Anyone that is skeptical of modelers to begin with will assume it's the same old POD stuff if they only flip through the default presets. I really don't get it.

So I just set about dialing in my own patches. This was much more gratifying. The HD500 is a noticeable improvement over the past POD products. The effects alone are obvious. The amp tones didn't have as much of that "thing" that you heard in past PODs. Definitely much more responsive to touch and volume control. The user interface is so much better than the X3 (which was really bad). I found it to be very simple to edit and navigate around creating patches. It was nice to be able to have more explicit control of the signal chain than the older PODs.

In short, I was able to dial in some usable tones in a reasonable amount of time. This is not the holy grail of modelers by any stretch and it certainly is not "revolutionary" when compared to what is already on the market but it's a very good piece of gear for a very reasonable price. Anyone willing to give it a shot should not have a hard time using it to make good sounding music.
 
Thanks for the unbiased review.

Lots of comparison tests these days. Heard some pretty good HD500 clips too. Whether it will hold up live remains to be seen. But it's almost a fanboy war out there (Gear Page, HC).

I don't think comparing the audio / model quality between HD500 and Axe-Fx is fair. The HD500 costs so much less, and it includes a fine controller (the MFC by itself is already more expensive).

Competition is good, so I kind of hope the HD500 will do okay. Personally it won't make me re-think my choice. The Ultra's flexibility and power to run so much stuff simultaneously continue to be unique selling points for me.
 
hippietim said:
In short, I was able to dial in some usable tones in a reasonable amount of time. This is not the holy grail of modelers by any stretch and it certainly is not "revolutionary" when compared to what is already on the market but it's a very good piece of gear for a very reasonable price. Anyone willing to give it a shot should not have a hard time using it to make good sounding music.
And the final question will be "Is it on par with the Eleven.".
Gasp on TGP seems to answer...not.
 
bmi said:
And the final question will be "Is it on par with the Eleven.".
Gasp on TGP seems to answer...not.

I'm curious, you seem to have an agenda. And your quoting is incomplete / incorrect.
BTW, the 11R too is much more expensive.
 
Seems to me like some Axe users fear that a cheap pedal can get close to their Axe so they bash the HD even though they never tested it.
 
bmi said:
And the final question will be "Is it on par with the Eleven.".
Gasp on TGP seems to answer...not.

Based on my experience with the 11R a while back, I think the POD HD is a better unit. The effects on the HD are much better IMO and the amp/cab sims are improved enough on the HD that I think they compare favorably with the 11R.

Then you consider that an 11R is going to run $700+, is far less flexible (for guitarists anyhow), and will cost another couple hundred bucks for a foot controller. The POD HD has everything you need for at most $500. Based on past performance I would say we can expect a couple decent free updates and some model packs down the road for the HD. Avid/Digidesign's upgrade story has pretty much always sucked.
 
Clark Kent said:
Seems to me like some Axe users fear that a cheap pedal can get close to their Axe so they bash the HD even though they never tested it.

Agreed. Don't get bmi's angle on the whole thing. Leaves a bad taste in most folks' mouth, and I've been fielding all sorts of 'what is bmi's problem?' private messages. Folks assume it's an "Axe-FX owner" thing... which is sadly mistaken. Sorta like GT out there spanking the L6 fanboys barking about the Axe-FX when he never even owned one. bmi does own an Axe-FX, so it seems that folks just assume (wrongly) that bmi speaks for all Axe-FX owners.

I won't say boo about the Line 6 stuff because I've not tried it. Ranting about clips/videos (good OR bad) is no better than the folks that bagged on the Axe-FX for years; same MO, different box is all.

I enjoy reading reviews from folks that simply state what they find in the boxes they actually play - Tim and others like him. That offers a truer sense, IMHO, of what can be done with gear for real... from guys that actually play the gear they discuss.

If you dig something you've played and want to rave it up because you are excited, have at it. But all the raves/ragging on stuff based on third hand posts and clips/videos? Meh. No thanks.

Thanks for posting your thoughts Tim. You didn't mention the feel; how's the feel of the new Line 6 stuff? That was always the Achilles heel for me.
 
Clark Kent said:
Seems to me like some Axe users fear that a cheap pedal can get close to their Axe so they bash the HD even though they never tested it.

The flip side is also true though. There are going to be a lot of folks that will assert that their cheap pedal sounds much better simply because they cannot afford the Axe (or are unwilling to spend the money). The truth lies somewhere in between.

This is not unique to Axe or POD users. There will always be some folks that act like either side in any group of users of anything.

In any case, I've tested the HD and think it's a nice piece of gear but there is no way it's on par with the Axe.
 
When you compare prices, don't forget that 11R also has great audio interface features (inputs for instrument, line, digital and phantom powered microphones) and comes with Pro Tools.

True, it is very limited in modelling features (not many amps, effects, no IRs).

I use my Eleven Rack as the Pro Tools interface for my Axe FX (which is doing all the modelling).

Clark Kent said:
Seems to me like some Axe users fear that a cheap pedal can get close to their Axe so they bash the HD even though they never tested it.
So true.
 
Scott Peterson said:
I enjoy reading reviews from folks that simply state what they find in the boxes they actually play - Tim and others like him. That offers a truer sense, IMHO, of what can be done with gear for real... from guys that actually play the gear they discuss.
Thanks. Let me say why I have this thing at all. My house is the jam house. We rehearse at my house. I have random folks get together and play. My wife and I throw parties and we always have live music. Etc. So to that end I own a drum set, PA, keyboards, and a bass rig. I also like to make sure I have extra guitar rigs handy. That's why I bought a POD X3 Live (also as a backup rig). Our other guitarist uses an X3 Live with a Tech 21 Power Engine cab for his stage monitor. He is a great player and he gets that rig to sound great. After hearing his, I picked up a Power Engine for the rehearsal room.

So I just picked up the HD with the hopes of it outperforming the X3. It is substantially better. In fact, it was really fun to play. Even though I would have absolutely no reservations about gigging the HD, it's not in the same league as the Axe-FX.

Scott Peterson said:
If you dig something you've played and want to rave it up because you are excited, have at it. But all the raves/ragging on stuff based on third hand posts and clips/videos? Meh. No thanks.
Amen.

Scott Peterson said:
Thanks for posting your thoughts Tim. You didn't mention the feel; how's the feel of the new Line 6 stuff? That was always the Achilles heel for me.

This is where they've made some strides. I think it feels better than the X3 but it's not on par with the Axe-FX. If I sit there and focus on it or dwell on the sound then it is obvious, but when I cranked up the HD and just started playing it wasn't an issue for me. I guess my point is that the feel of the HD didn't interfere with my connection to the sound when I'm playing. At one point I dialed in a gainy Marshall patch with a vibe and delay and just got my Trower on for a while - not a care in the world other than playing. That's good enough for me.

Based on what I read here, TGP, etc. I think that I am far less nitpicky about the specific nuances of tone than a lot of folks - I just can't get wrapped up in the minutia when it comes time to actually play. If I play certain things and something reasonably good sounding comes out of the speakers then I'm good to go - I can tell right away. That doesn't mean I don't like great tone or that I don't care - it's just that I hit a point with knob turning that bores me and I just want to play. So in a funny way, this is why it is particularly important for me to have great gear - I'm very disinterested in tweaking shit forever - I just want to plug in and play so it needs to sound good pretty quick. Which is why I always crack up at all the people that talk about having to tweak the Axe-FX constantly - I haven't touched my main patches in a year. This has a lot to do with the fact that I write spend my days on a computer writing operating system software so the last thing I want to do when it comes time to play music is to spend time dwelling on knob turning.
 
hippietim said:
[My house is the jam house. We rehearse at my house. I have random folks get together and play. My wife and I throw parties and we always have live music. Etc. So to that end I own a drum set, PA, keyboards, and a bass rig. I also like to make sure I have extra guitar rigs handy.

I want your house. And your wife too. :mrgreen:
 
hoss said:
When you compare prices, don't forget that 11R also has great audio interface features (inputs for instrument, line, digital and phantom powered microphones) and comes with Pro Tools.

True. There is a downside though too. Requiring Pro Tools to use the software editor is an unnecessary requirement because the system requirements of Pro Tools are far higher than what is necessary to run the editor. Not to mention that Pro Tools is a compatibility nightmare.

It's also worth noting that the HD500 does have a microphone input and seems to work quite well as a USB audio interface.

Then consider that you can get an I/O device for $200-300 that will have much more capability as a general purpose I/O than an 11R and it can come with Pro Tools (or better). So you come out comparable pricewise but have a more flexible system.
 
Clark Kent said:
Are the Line6 cab sims comparable with Redwirez?

I don´t have extensive experience with Redirez but have tested about a dozen or so on the Axe. I would say the difference is almost night and day - at least for the selection I tried.

Most HD500s sims appeared to me to be hyped. As an example I have never experienced the Royer 121 to be fizzy and almost scooped such as I experienced the HD500 sim to be. I found most of the cab and mic sims to have some sort of characteristic that I didn´t think was accurate and/or I didn´t gel with - with a few exceptions.

Here is a quick write-up I did:

http://www.thegearpage.net/board/showth ... 13&page=46

IMHO.
 
hippietim said:
hoss said:
When you compare prices, don't forget that 11R also has great audio interface features (inputs for instrument, line, digital and phantom powered microphones) and comes with Pro Tools.
True. There is a downside though too. Requiring Pro Tools to use the software editor is an unnecessary requirement
I am not using the PT GUI at all, especially since all the modelling is done through my Axe FX.
 
hippietim said:
Clark Kent said:
Seems to me like some Axe users fear that a cheap pedal can get close to their Axe so they bash the HD even though they never tested it.

The flip side is also true though. There are going to be a lot of folks that will assert that their cheap pedal sounds much better simply because they cannot afford the Axe (or are unwilling to spend the money). The truth lies somewhere in between.

This is not unique to Axe or POD users. There will always be some folks that act like either side in any group of users of anything.

In any case, I've tested the HD and think it's a nice piece of gear but there is no way it's on par with the Axe.
This is the case with anything that anyone buys. I mean it's so infuriating when you try to gather information about a product of any type when everyone who owns one swears that its the best thing ever made...simply because they own one. It's almost as if the product defines them as a person. It's just sad to be honest.

But it's especially sad in the guitar world. How many $200 chinese guitars that are Les Paul killers can there be? :mrgreen: But people swear up and down that their piece of firewood is better than every LP they tried in the store. I always ask them if that little chinese guitar cost $2000 if they still would have bought it. I also ask them if I traded a brand new Gibson for it if they'd take me up on the offer.

It usually shuts them up.

I'm not going to bash their gear so don't go around trying to bash mine in order to make you feel like an internet tough guy. I'm sure that it's a fine guitar, amp, modeller, haircut, whatever. But going over the top and overhyping it should be left to the marketing department of the company, not the customer. It's just spreads misinformation and fuels fanboy wars.
 
Hippietim....

Your HD review on TGP is one of the first ones I believe, so I'm going to ask you ....

I'm thinking of getting a 300 to replace the GT10 that I use with my amp. You didn't mention the HD compressors and reverbs, which is the main reason I would like to replace the GT10. How are they?

I saw another HD review by a GT10 owner that claimed the HD was about the same as the GT for effects and low gain amps, which if true, is faint praise for the HD, at least compared to my Ultra.

JWW
 
JWDubois said:
Hippietim....

Your HD review on TGP is one of the first ones I believe, so I'm going to ask you ....

I'm thinking of getting a 300 to replace the GT10 that I use with my amp. You didn't mention the HD compressors and reverbs, which is the main reason I would like to replace the GT10. How are they?

I saw another HD review by a GT10 owner that claimed the HD was about the same as the GT for effects and low gain amps, which if true, is faint praise for the HD, at least compared to my Ultra.

JWW

I'm the wrong guy to ask about compressors and reverbs for guitar. I have never really used a compressor for any length of time and I use very little reverb. Sorry.
 
hippietim said:
JWDubois said:
Hippietim....

Your HD review on TGP is one of the first ones I believe, so I'm going to ask you ....

I'm thinking of getting a 300 to replace the GT10 that I use with my amp. You didn't mention the HD compressors and reverbs, which is the main reason I would like to replace the GT10. How are they?

I saw another HD review by a GT10 owner that claimed the HD was about the same as the GT for effects and low gain amps, which if true, is faint praise for the HD, at least compared to my Ultra.

JWW

I'm the wrong guy to ask about compressors and reverbs for guitar. I have never really used a compressor for any length of time and I use very little reverb. Sorry.


Personally, I much prefer the reverb in the GT-10 because I like a brighter reverb sound than what I could find in the HD500 (even with tone at 100%). The compressors i tried sounded ok, though I did not spend much time with them. Just concluded I liked them, my focus was really on finding good amp sim sounds for FRFR.
 
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