Sorry L6, but a POD is a POD is a POD...

I still think the Axe Gen1 sounds better than the Helix. Sure, the Helix has many advantages over the Gen1s, but it just doesn't sound good.
 
Good point, haven't watched the vid, but I do recall seeing one a while ago somewhere where there was a comparison between a Helix Fender and an Axe Fender.
The Helix one sounded artificially bright, but the Axe sounded more like an amp.
I think Cliff said he wasn't sure why the Line6 model was so bright.

It's not just the fizziness dude, I feel they seem to make caricatures of amps, whereas the Fractal stuff just rocks, to my ears at least.
 
On most comparisons, I actually don't hear a big difference between Helix and AX8, but in this one, it is huge. I do agree with Ola that it does not make sense to insist on the same settings on both modellers. If one thinks, the Helix is to bright, reduce treble. We would all do that, and as he says, L6 and Fractal may have modelled the same amp model, but they modelled different units.
 
I own the AX8 my friend has the Helix
The Helix when dialed in does not sound like this clip
I have heard both through monitors
Both are good IMO
I love AX8 but a good player can get sound out of most for the record I also dig some tones in the Atomic 12
If we are talking Direct IR's make a huge difference
Give the AX8 a bad one and Helix something like a new celestion then compare oh and don't use the Recto
That is one model I think as do many line6 didn't quite nail
 
I tried a Helix last week. I couldn't a/b against my AX8 but man that user interface kills. I had a patch with 2 drives, amp/cab, chorus, verb and delay up and running in seconds with no computer. Honestly that alone tempted me. You can navigate through everything so quickly.

I think each unit has its strengths and I thought the Helix did sound really good. I hope to get to a/b it for myself someday. For now the AX8 works great for me.
 
As mentioned all units have there strengths even the lil red Atomicbox
I mostly use 4 0r 5 presets
Ironically they sound similar
A DZL Herb w/EL34 and few tweaks
A 5153 blue 50 EL34 same Celestion sm57 balanced IR
Most players I think unless in cover bands or into atmospheric stuff will use about 5 or 6 presets
Live I still use my Archon and it's 2
Presets essentially clean /modern hi gain
So when using the axe I don't do much more although it's nice to have the extra in the box :)
 
philipacamaniac said:
I don't think anyone doubts the superiority of Fractal for Death Metal tones.

More comparisons with cleans, breakups, hard/classic rock tones, etc would be helpful for the masses...
Click to expand...

Lol yep there this to
Ola is Ola on the pod500 Atomic
11 racks ,Axe fx Ax8 or the
Real Rectoverb 25 he gets "that tone "
 
Ola, to make this a fair test you should really try all 2,511,345 different combination of G,B,M,T, and presence. ;)
 
I didn't like either tone TBH, but tha AX8 was far closer to usable. I think the all noon setting with the TS808 would have been better than the all 70%.

I think it just goes to show you don't have to tweak insane parameters to get accurate tone from the AX8, where as you would have knobs (or sliders) all over the place trying to coax a decent tone from the POD....I mean Helix.

I would like to see a comparison, where a good tone is dialed in on each unit to match, then see what the differences are between the settings.

Bottom line, the AX8 sounds like an amp, the POD sounds like a POD....or more accurately a POS.
 
deadhorse.jpg
 
I will be honest here. I love my AX8 to death, but, I had the Amplifire before and it sounded amazing too, and I play with my friends Helix and it also sounds awesome.

The main reason I would personally never buy a Helix, or, to be more precise, I would always prefer the Fractal over the L6 stuff, is because of the "after purchase support".

For me the value of a product, specially a professional one, is 40% or less in the physical product and 60% or more in the customer support.

All firmware updates, how much Fractal hear the community, the infinite number of examples where a musician had a unit broken before a gig and Fractal helped them right away with a spare unit, etc, it is for me THE reason why Fractal gear is superior.

Also, the goal of a big company like L6 is put something out that is good enough and forget about it. Fractal (Cliff) in the other hand focus on incremental improvements just out of passion about it's own product. That mentality just proves that over time Fractal will always sound better because the amount of R&D on sound quality is exponentially bigger.

In that sense, an AX8 for 1400 is FAR cheaper for me than a Helix for 1200 since that on a Helix I am paying almost all money on the hardware, and on the Fractal, the hardware is like 400 and 1000 is for years of improvements and support.
 
I don't have any experience with the Helix but as someone who went from the HD 500x to an AX8 (after years with nice tube amps, pedals, and rack processors), I wouldn't say either is a clear winner. The AX8 no doubt sounds better, particularly out of the box, but with tweaking you can get reasonably close with the HD 500x to the point that no one in the audience is going to care. The big upside for me with the HD 500x is that it has a ton of features that I miss dearly with the AX8 -- a dedicated AUX input, seamless preset switching, dual amp models, a usable looper, USB audio interface, etc.. I never had CPU issues with the HD 500x no matter how fancy my presets. Major downside of the HD 500x is build quality. The thing is just a piece of junk. The "footswitches" internally are little plastic switches that were never designed to be stepped on and break easily. The power connector is flimsy and broke off of mine. Something like the AX8 that had feature parity with the HD 500x would be my dream.
 
I had a helix for a short while and was too embarrassed to bring it to band practice , for lack of good tones. Navigation was great. Sound was poor.
I sent it back , got the AX8 ,and bonded with it immediately.
Now , on the other hand , a bandmate has the Helix , and it sounds good. In the studio , the other guys have commented on how well they like his sounds.
I have NO regrets. Love my AX8 , and the comments above about support are right on.
Oh , ...... and size ! Love that the expression pedal is separate. I fit my AX8 in a backpack to take on the plane , on vacation. Great size. That Helix is a beast
 
The Helix in good hands can sound fantastic - this clip doesn't really do it justice.

In a mix it can sound great.
 
dbun said:
The Helix in good hands can sound fantastic - this clip doesn't really do it justice.

In a mix it can sound great.
Click to expand...

Meaning you have to tweak the hell out of it to get a "decent" tone to start with. That's why I posted the thread, with everything set to normal amp settings, the Helix is horrible where the AX8 is a decent start. The clip does neither platform justice, because they both sound bad, but the POD is a POD and not an amp emulator and it is evident when settings are normal on both units.
 
vick1000 said:
Meaning you have to tweak the hell out of it to get a "decent" tone to start with.
Click to expand...
No - the Helix can sound fine with minimal tweaking.

The biggest issue is the factory IRs that come with the Line 6 - load up some good third party ones (that come with the Fractal gear as standard) and it is much easier to get a good tone.

The IRs are what let the unit down out of the box.
 
dbun said:
No - the Helix can sound fine with minimal tweaking.

The biggest issue is the factory IRs that come with the Line 6 - load up some good third party ones (that come with the Fractal gear as standard) and it is much easier to get a good tone.

The IRs are what let the unit down out of the box.
Click to expand...

"Fine" with minimal tweaking versus great with minimal tweaking on FAS gear. That's the point. They are both using the same IR in the video.
 
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