Line 6 Helix Stadium

[HomespunEffects]

… IMO when the time comes they really need to do basic dry not over processed sound bites in a variety of styles …

Preach on. They also need to make better presets. Make them useful. I hate when every preset is a caricature. “Here’s a high gain amp SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS *no mids or bass *”
And “Here’s a delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay… delay”

 

[mbenigni]

Is the HXS more akin to the og LT in the new gen?

 

[mbenigni]

something more than just a exp pedal difference is my guess... imho they've could have differentiated them even more (im no marketing strategist by any means... though)

The I/O is the real differentiator IMO.

 

[Eagle]

FTFY

D

You mean actual professional users but they will probably not use it anyway.

 

[MadMaxG79]

This might not be popular opinion, but a Line 6 floor modeler at Fractal prices? No thanks. I'm never paying that much for a modeler, especially since the more affordable solutions have started to catch up in both form factor, UI and fidelity of sound.

I don't even have a guitar that costs that much...

 

[HomespunEffects]

This might not be popular opinion, but a Line 6 floor modeler at Fractal prices? No thanks. I'm never paying that much for a modeler, especially since the more affordable solutions have started to catch up in both form factor, UI and fidelity of sound.

I don't even have a guitar that costs that much...

I promise to not force you to buy one.

 

[Mongillo19]

I'm never paying that much for a modeler, especially since the more affordable solutions have started to catch up in both form factor, UI and fidelity of sound.

If you can show me something that has everything the stadium does (let alone on a budget) please send it over. Nothing currently on the market is close.

 

[Lysander]

man, it's going to be a long 10 years. You better start making peace with this

 

[Lysander]

This might not be popular opinion, but a Line 6 floor modeler at Fractal prices? No thanks. I'm never paying that much for a modeler, especially since the more affordable solutions have started to catch up in both form factor, UI and fidelity of sound.

Um, flagship L6 devices were already at Fractal prices? And NDSP/Fender/Kemper et al, while we're at it.

Anyway, Line 6 is the one company offering products in every single price segment these days. Pod Go's are fantastic if you don't want to splurge.

 

[MadMaxG79]

If you can show me something that has everything the stadium does (let alone on a budget) please send it over. Nothing currently on the market is close.

I wasn't saying that the price isn't warranted.

 

[MadMaxG79]

Um, flagship L6 devices were already at Fractal prices? And NDSP/Fender/Kemper et al, while we're at it.

Not over here in Europe. Fractal has always been almost insanely expensive compared to the rest.

 

[ChordInversion]

Thinking about it, I've always disliked the term "scribble strips" (they generally contain typed text, so I call them labels, like DYMO labels), and my eyes aren't great at reading from that distance, so I'm pretty sure I'm not going to miss them.

I can totally see why people would want them. They don't matter much for how I play. The TMP has to have them in order to label the encoder switches. But I could probably use colors on my FM9 and obviate the need for them there, and I'm sure that's how it'll work for me on the Stadium.

 

[Mongillo19]

I wasn't saying that the price isn't warranted.

That's definitely what you wrote though

 

[Lysander]

Not over here in Europe. Fractal has always been almost insanely expensive compared to the rest.

Tell me about it Still, US$1800 should be ~€1500, right in line with historic prices for L6 flagships. Hell, right now the original Helix line is selling at a discount, and it's €1200-ish through most retailers.

Point is, this is steep pricing, but sadly in line with every other major player these days. And feature-wise alone, the HXS line gives you waaaay more bang for your buck - on paper, at least.

 

[ChordInversion]

I hate the promo site currently up for the Stadium. It's pure bad website design.

• It takes a long time to load and then you need to scroll to see any relevant info.
• Nobody cares about a big X and a freakin' start button.
• Nobody wants a wavy background that is what, meant to hypnotize you to buy a Helix Stadium?

I just wanted to see the product and read more about it.

I'll take this moment to also dump on Line6's entire website. The product pages for even the older Helix products are just bad. You have these clickable feature things that show some little pic and less than a paragraph of text. The freakin' close button for those sections is buried under the top header bar and only appears if you figure out you need to scroll down.

Whoever made these clearly never tested them, never thought about their usability or the information value of their content.

Also WTF do you have to sign in to download e.g firmware updates?

We pause these pages of Line6 adulation to critique their website, which I will agree is trying too hard to be clever, and just ends up looking like it's trying too hard to be clever. It's not a great experience for current and potential customers looking for information.

 

[HomespunEffects]

Thinking about it, I've always disliked the term "scribble strips" (they generally contain typed text, so I call them labels, like DYMO labels), and my eyes aren't great at reading from that distance, so I'm pretty sure I'm not going to miss them. …

Yeah, man. I can’t see that far away.

 

[HomespunEffects]

We pause these pages of Line6 adulation to critique their website, which I will agree is trying too hard to be clever, and just ends up looking like it's trying too hard to be clever. It's not a great experience for current and potential customers looking for information.

Yep, I want information, not animations.

 

[OneEng]

One thing that a couple people have mentioned but not a lot are talking about… why no sound demos? Isn’t that was Tim Pierce was there for? I was really hoping to hear him play and get his real time reaction.

I noticed that. Line 6 has always been lacking in tone quality (according to most any shoot out you can find) compared to its competition. It will be interesting to see if they have made progress here (amps and efx).

Argh...

67 mm footswitch spacing.

This means I´ll never buy a Helix Stadium. Just for the same reason I´ll never buy a QC.

As a flagship product, this is a very strange choice for them to have made. I agree.

Makes sense, because, with the Stomp XL having two footswitches rows, how the hell can you reduce the device a lot more than this?

View attachment 46519

Smaller LCD with just a simple labeling for what patch and group of patches you are on with a tablet or phone app for deep control and editing when not actually gigging?

Can I have one with scribbles, no knobs and no expression? Thank you.

I really like the idea of the scribble strips, but I think Line 6 considers this a big differentiator between the flagship and the next rung down.

 

[madmarcus1960]

So it seems LINE6 has just recreated a modern version of the Digitech GNX4 w/NAM-like tech(which they didn't develop)
Very creative

 

[Lysander]

Yep, I want information, not animations.

Guess we'll need to wait until the 25th (or actual release date) for that. The current page is mostly a flashy placeholder, with no more information than we got from the announcement party.