It can do quadruple amp, but i'd still prefer one single great sounding amp to 4 shitty models 
QuoteWhere are the tonestack knobs?
Under the big LCD. Since Helix can run up to four amps simultaneously (DSP permitting), pressing the AMP button quickly cycles through the tonestacks of any Amp+Cab, Amp, and Preamp blocks in a tone.
Superb and innovative interface. Capacitive sensitive foot switches ? Parameter editing with the foot pedal.
I have read that they have totally re-built the amp models and FX models from the ground up.
To be fair, in terms of user interface ... they do seem to have set a new standard.
The sound quality of the Kemper ... matched with this interface and form would be phenomenal.
Notice for L6 products they never demo/display any hi-gain or dirty dirty DIRTY tones... It's always the clean stuff - generally it's too easy for their hi gain tones to sound too artificial, I think that's why they shy away from touching on it. As a controller though, it's smart, like LiquidFoot+, very cool. And you can run vocals through it's processing also... It caters to a lot of markets to be fair, but what a pricetag and generally L6 always big up their stuff with marketing soooo much (remember the AmpliFI campaign haha!)
I have to be very skeptical about the amp models. They said theyve got what, 45 of them? But the whole pod hd series they claimed was years on development had far fewer on launch. And it was a very slow pace to develop additional amp models. So unless the new hx engine uses a totally different paradigm that makes modeling amps much quicker, i dont see how the models arent recycled pod hd models
The controller is the same price as Kemper Remote, but appears to have way more functionality ????????
The controller is the same price as Kemper Remote, but appears to have way more functionality ????????
Probably made in china as compared to Germany where I would have thought the remote will be of better build quality
Probably made in china as compared to Germany where I would have thought the remote will be of better build quality
In general, the quality of a product made in China is determined by the original design and the processes that the parent company put in place. I have seen lots of Chinese built products, and they can be excellent, as good as anything made in the US or Germany or wherever. If the Line 6 gear is of substandard quality, that is because of the design and processes developed at Line 6's engineering center in California.
Keep in mind most of the Apple gear is made in China, and all of it is of world class quality. Again, it's all due to the original design and control by the Apple folks in CA.
BTW, a Line 6 guy at TGP posted that the Helix has two 450mHz SHARC DSP IC's in it, each roughly the same cost as the one in a HD500 (around $30 each). The Axe FX II has two 600mHz TigerSHARC processors that are FAR more capable, and cost around $350 each. As far as sheer hardware number crunching goes, the Helix is probably nowhere near as capable as the Axe FX II is. This may have nothing to do with tone, but might be worth keeping in mind if one is considering one or the other. It also implies that the Axe FX II is giving a lot of value for the money; I am a bit surprised that Fractal can sell it as cheaply as they do (a $2500 final cost product has $700 in just two ICs).
I don't think AX8/FX8 are also getting the TigerSHARCs? I've stopped keeping up with the specs...
FX8 should have one SHARC, AX8 one additional for the ampsims, but I don't think they're tigers?
Guitar and vocal processing? 3rd-party IRs? Variax preset switching? Better navigation than the HD series? I'm definitely going to check one of these out. I'd like a smaller version, but baby steps.
What I like is the fact that you can have everything in a foot controller. I wish the kemper existed in a pedal format, I never really know where to put my toaster on stage...
Well, so far through the videos it sounds absolutely awful. Very digital and definitely has that Line 6 sound to it.
I'll have to wait and see what some users come up with as most of the stock presets on gear are very underwhelming. The beauty of the Axe FX and Kemper is that you can come up with your own tones via altering perimeters or micing up your favorite rig. Something about this tells me you get what you get, and aside from altering the mid, treble, bass, ect, you're stuck with the models they provide. Until firmware updates or, what is probably more likely - add on packs for additional money.
The functionality is great, but with the ease of the Kemper and the fact that Fractal is coming out with almost the exact same unit soon, this seems like a budget version of much nicer gear.
Guitar and vocal processing? 3rd-party IRs? Variax preset switching? Better navigation than the HD series? I'm definitely going to check one of these out. I'd like a smaller version, but baby steps.
USB audio, 3-oscillator synth, rotary speeds other than fast/slow, it's like L6 has been stalking me.
Does anyone think that this toy is compareable to the kpa?
It looks very nice and i am shure, this will be bought by some hobby players with a smaller budget.
I think we will see the next boss generation soon. All of those things are fighting in the same price class. To compare it to a kpa or to the forbidden Axe fx 
is not really fair.
I wont check it out because i am playing the best thing on the market.........my kpa
I bought my KPA for less than the price of the Helix. The Helix has the same 2 processors as the upcoming Fractal AX8, which is supposed to have the same sound quality as the AxeFX II. Everything will depend on the coding, of course, but this looks to be a pro-level unit.
QuoteWell, so far through the videos it sounds absolutely awful. Very digital and definitely has that Line 6 sound to it.
I'm personally pretty excited about the Helix - mainly from a UI and form-factor point of view - but I agree they chose a pretty awful sound to "show off" in their video. It's that tired, old, phasey 90's gain. They need to showcase the HX just doing a straight up Fender sound, a straight up AC30, a straight up JTM-45... assuming it can.
Quote3-oscillator synth
News to me - and one more thing to be excited about!
Quoterotary speeds other than fast/slow
This is one area where Line 6 comes out of the gates way ahead of Kemper: effects. We'll all have our opinions as to whose effects sound better, but Line 6 has a wider variety and more flexibility here. Tape delays, spring reverbs, etc. etc. all come with the territory. I'm kind of tired of waiting for these things - among others - to arrive on the Kemper.
I don't expect the Helix amps to sound as good as the Kemper's, but if they're even in the ballpark, there are a lot of other practical arguments for jumping ship. At least for guys like me, who prefer a simple rig over a pile of hand selected gear and a mile of cable. For guys who don't mind a more complex rig, and have the means, you could even argue for owning both - the Helix would make an awfully nice footcontroller + outboard effects unit for a Kemper.
I am more than happy with my Kemper and I think that profiling will always be much better than modeling.
The only thing I miss (like many of us) is a good software editor.
Fractal and Line6 patches can be easily edited via PC/Mac but this is an old story... 
QuoteI bought my KPA for less than the price of the Helix.
Wow - good deal!
QuoteThe Helix has the same 2 processors as the upcoming Fractal AX8, which is supposed to have the same sound quality as the AxeFX II. Everything will depend on the coding, of course, but this looks to be a pro-level unit.
And there's a footcontroller, a ton of I/O options, and a pretty decent editor thrown in for good measure. Whatever the case may be regarding sound quality, this is looking like a pretty solid value. Closest competition is the AX8, and I have to assume it will cost a whole lot more. (I think I heard the FX8 would be close to $1500, without any amps/cabs.)
I don't see a reason why the Helix shouldn't sound as good as the Profiler, or the XFX. I don't see a reason why it should, either, but that's not the point.
If it wasn't for L6, the Profiler would never have existed. The modelling world is advanced by progress, and who in particular makes the progress is less relevant.
We're all on the same side, eventually. The side that says that we can have good sounding guitars, paired with digital convenience.
QuoteI am more than happy with my Kemper and I think that profiling will always be much better than modeling.
The Kemper's going to be best at what it does for a while yet. If you need best-in-class amp tones, the Kemper is where it's at. If you need a really flexible gigging solution - and especially if you need it in a floorboard format - the Helix might suit you better. I say "might" because none of us has heard one yet...
