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As well as the AX8, I also have an HX Stomp- in comparing Fractal to Helix based purely on my personal opinion with the above 2 products, the Fractal does sound better - hard to put my finger on it but it just sounds more polished and the number of amps modelled is massively bigger than with Helix with much greater control over parameters. The extra footswitches on the AX8 also offer a greater degree of control without requiring extra footswitches like with the Stomp, or FM3 for that matter.
Helix user interface is class leading though and it does sound good....decisions, decisions...
Bandcamp
Spotify, Apple et al
I did the same thing. Ended up buying a used Helix Floor a few months after selling it!!! Doh!
AX8 - I don’t know much about these, only that they are 5 years old now. Are they still supported by Fractal with updates?
FM3 - I am on the waiting list for one of these. But will probably drop out since learning that you can’t set them up to do dual amps. Although I believe you can do dual cabs.
Kemper? or wait until the Quad Cortex becomes readily available, then decide?
Helix absolutely did what I wanted, but thinking maybe try something for a change
I'm probably doing the FM3.
Studio: https://www.voltperoctave.com
Music: https://www.euclideancircuits.com
Me: https://www.jamesrichmond.com
If it was purely change for change's sake, then you probably shouldn't have sold it - but why not try something else first, to put the mind at rest?
Same as everyone, I wonder if Fractal/Quad Cortex might sound better, but to be honest I have no gripes with how the Helix sounds, love the updates and the lifespan of it where Fractal seem to make things obsolete after a few years, and QC is very much an unknown at this point.
Functionally the Helix is/was brilliant, does everything I need in one box
As for Fractal obsolescence, it's not like the units stop working or suddenly sound awful and it's not exclusive to Fractal. I still use a Pod 2 from time to time ....I also bought my AX8 after Helix was already out. I bought it because of the reasons above, along with the fact that it modelled way more amps including many I wanted to try. All of those things still hold true. That's not to say Helix sounds bad - it doesn't, it sounds great and the UI is second to none.
Ultimately, the only way to know if the grass is greener is to try. I've done it so often with pedals with mixed outcomes- sometimes it is, sometimes it isn't but at least I've cured my curiosity.
How do returns work post-Brexit?
I love the Helix workflow, tones and community/support so it would be really hard to move away from that. And the Helix Rack + floor controller integration and form factor seem the best to me. I don't currently own any HX products but keep coming back to it. Will probably dip my toe in again with another HX Stomp at some point but the rack is what I really want.
The way Neural have dealt with things so far, it'll take a lot for me to have faith that they'll support the QC long-term
FM3 is. lot of money for what it is, and for me I don't think it can sound that much better than Helix, but I'd be happy if it did. Does the limited processing power really limit the FX you can use?