The Helix arrived earlier today, and I've been having a play with it for the last hour or so. Had to stop in the end as it was hurting my ears and giving me a headache (which I've still got). What do I like about it? Very, very little at the moment. The build quality is very robust. The main screen, showing the current signal chain is quite nice, and the scribble-strips are great. I thought a couple of the chorus's were nicer than the Kemper. But, as for the rest of it................................................ I hate it!!
It sounds harsh and brittle, and there is a constant hiss/buzz going on irrespective of gain level (there is probably a global noise gate somewhere, but I've yet to find it). I've been playing it through headphones, and I feel so fatigued now. I'm sure I could play around and get it eq'd to sound better, but it's soul-destroyingly bad "out of the box". I'm a bit loathe to start editing the parameters in case I have to send it back, and that looks incredibly likely at the moment. I've been through all of the presets, and had a play around with some of the effects. It's no Kemper, that's for sure