It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Subscribe to our Patreon, and get image uploads with no ads on the site!
Base theme by DesignModo & ported to Powered by Vanilla by Chris Ireland, modified by the "theFB" team.
Comments
I might try again later with my studio 'phones but I lready know I really like the noises my Helix makes
View my feedback at www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/comment/1201922
Every time I see the question "which is best?" I have to remind myself that "best" is a relative term. It relates only to a set of criteria. Tests like this presume that the criteria are "which modeller sounds closest to the original valve amp when both recordings are over compressed with bandpass filtering?"
My personal criteria are "does it work well in a live band mix?". My experience is that all three do that.
View my feedback at www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/comment/1201922
Some of the most creative musicians ever embraced new technologies and used them as their own thing to create awe inspiring music.
I wonder if there will ever come a point where a multi amp/effects/whatever solution will be highly regarded in it's own right rather than because it sounds really close to or the same as a 60 year old design that wasn't even designed for that purpose in the first place.
A lot of Fractal and Kemper owners bought in a time where at the 'high end' it was Kemper or Axe FX 2. Now there's Helix, AX8, FX8, and soon to be Headrush, every unit has its own strengths...
if it's cleans with lots of FX, AF2 is much better than Kemper
If it's amp tones with no FX, Kemper is better usually, although AF2 has a few killer clean tones and is very popular for metal tones
AF2 FX are so good I sold my Big sky, and it has all manner of other stuff, including multi band compressors
Regardless of unit, I know that both @paulmapp8306 and @Cabicular have used valve poweramps with their digital units, presumably for tone and feel reasons.
Through monitors I can't really tell much difference though I have rarely been in the situation where I'm playing through a real amp but listening through monitors (and unable to hear/feel the real amp in any meaningful way). I'm very happy with the playing feel for recording/playing direct.
What's 'better'? Any of the big 3 will sound absolutely amazing for any style of music at all Main reason I went Helix was a 3-Year warranty (Thomann or DV247) as, although unlikely, having £1200 worth of gear stop working after 13 months would be annoying to say the least. You could get the same deal on a Kemper too.
I've gigged it for 6 months, and I smile from ear to ear every time I play it, it sounds that good. I'll admit I did go through a 'should I have bought an Ax8?' phase, but it soon passed
Just jump in with whichever unit you fancy and enjoy it
for 4/5 right first go
only one I got wrong was the clean amp - I assumed that the one with a noise gate would be the Helix - doh
http://uk.line6.com/helix/sound.html/
I don't think these amps are a good enough test
They need to prove it with more subtle tones like Tweed twins and Matchless DC30s
Having sold off a load of pedals, I fortunately raised enough funds to buy either a Kemper, Helix or AX8. I researched a lot (as you would when laying out that sort of cash)
I initially wanted a Kemper but ruled it out as I wanted amp sounds AND a wide range of tweakable effects. Which left me with Helix or AX8. As I couldn't try an AX8, the best comparison option available to me was online demo's. I listened to loads.
Ultimately, I chose the AX8 because I preferred the sounds I heard from it in demo's.
It's not knocking any of the others in any way. It's nice to have the choice. Everyone will have different criteria which will affect their purchase decision but based on MY criteria, I'm happy with my choice.
As @Drew_TNBD said, they are different but the creative possibilities they offer are mind-blowing. It's going to take a while to think differently enough to get the most from them. There's stuff that you can do that would be almost impossible to do in non-modelling world.
Observe my story:
I once had a TC Electronic Nova Drive. This is a digitally controlled dual overdrive, as most of you will already know. Really liked it, gigged it loads, etc etc.
Now, lets put aside the generally observed reliability issues of TC Electronic stuff for a second...
It broke. I was gutted. I sent it to TC Electronic, and they told me that the digital power management doodab and blown due to a power surge.
£70 to fix. I bought the pedal for £90 second hand I think. So I almost had to buy it again.
Now, i know what most will say - TC are unreliable, the pedal was built 10 years ago, and so on. And all of these things are true.
But the fact remains - if it was an analog pedal, I could've fixed it myself, had I the skills to do so; or sent it to someone who could for very little cost.
Extrapolate that - you've had the Helix/AX8 for 3 years, and the warranty is over. Something happens at a gig, and its fucked. Can you repair it yourself? Can you send it to your friendly amp tech to look at it? Nope!
You have to send it to Fractal or Line 6. Maybe their customer service is ace; maybe it'll be fine. But they've got you by the balls - you can't go anywhere else for that repair and they will charge you a lot for it.
Whereas, if a tube blows in your amp...you just replace it yourself. I carry spare valves with me at all times. And spare fuses. If something else breaks that you can't fix - it'll probably cost you £100 on average to fix an amp that cost over a grand.
So yeah, it's about trust and reliability in a product, really. All of these products sound great at the end of the day, and they all have a compromise of some sort, whether it be weight, reliability, how deep you have to tweak, and so on.
What you need to decide is: What compromises are *you* willing to make?
......
On a separate note, I like the personality that pedals and amps bring, both aesthetically and aurally speaking; and there is a trend in both live music and recorded music towards digital which I personally find worrying. The art of things is getting lost; and everyone has the same sounds. Digital is consistent - and that is a double edge sword. One persons's AxeFX will be identical to someone else's; whereas as 2 Deluxe Reverbs will never be the same.
With digital comes a loss of personality, a loss of unique identity and tendency for the quick fix; the easy way out.
Website || Feedback Thread || PayPal