Headrush vs ?

[dogman]

I have a Headrush and a Helix. Sold my AX8.

Are they as refined as the Fractal? No. Are they less "demanding" if you are one of those people who can end up "chasing the rabbit"? Definitely. Less to monkey with. Both can use 3rd party Its, which most think is the weakness of these units. Myself, I'm pretty okay with them. I find that if I put an EQ at the end of the chain, you can often dial out some of the harsh fizz that some complain about.

The HR is the coolest interface I've had the pleasure of using. I think it sounds great too, but I really liked the 11R too, so there is that...

What's making you keep both the Headrush, & Helix? Why would the ability to use 3rd part IR's be a weakness?? I suppose, in my cases I've read, that it's nearly a MUST to load 3rd party IR's. I suppose, the weakness would be what's available on the unit, factory?? It sucks to drop even MORE money on IR's, because the onboard models aren't as good.

I think it's a shame that 3rd parties often have the best IR's, and the Fractals, Line6's, and other manufacturers can't seem to get that part right.. Well, Fractal seems to offer the most cabs, anyway.

I like them both, that's why!

Badly worded - the onboard IR's are "considered" a weakness, although I guess I haven't really wanted for more. Tons of guys use 3rd party cabs, but I don't. Like I said, I use an EQ at the end of the chain, and can dial in/out what is missing or too harsh. I might try a couple 3rd party IR's I remember really liking from my Fractal days though - just to see if it's really all about the author of the IR.

I do like them both too but the AX8 is hands down a better sounding modeler all day long. The learning curve is a bit harder but well worth the time invested once you get it down.

https://youtu.be/swJel09ar3A

 

[Chris O]

I have a Headrush and a Helix. Sold my AX8.

Are they as refined as the Fractal? No. Are they less "demanding" if you are one of those people who can end up "chasing the rabbit"? Definitely. Less to monkey with. Both can use 3rd party Its, which most think is the weakness of these units. Myself, I'm pretty okay with them. I find that if I put an EQ at the end of the chain, you can often dial out some of the harsh fizz that some complain about.

The HR is the coolest interface I've had the pleasure of using. I think it sounds great too, but I really liked the 11R too, so there is that...

What's making you keep both the Headrush, & Helix? Why would the ability to use 3rd part IR's be a weakness?? I suppose, in my cases I've read, that it's nearly a MUST to load 3rd party IR's. I suppose, the weakness would be what's available on the unit, factory?? It sucks to drop even MORE money on IR's, because the onboard models aren't as good.

I think it's a shame that 3rd parties often have the best IR's, and the Fractals, Line6's, and other manufacturers can't seem to get that part right.. Well, Fractal seems to offer the most cabs, anyway.

I like them both, that's why!

Badly worded - the onboard IR's are "considered" a weakness, although I guess I haven't really wanted for more. Tons of guys use 3rd party cabs, but I don't. Like I said, I use an EQ at the end of the chain, and can dial in/out what is missing or too harsh. I might try a couple 3rd party IR's I remember really liking from my Fractal days though - just to see if it's really all about the author of the IR.

I do like them both too but the AX8 is hands down a better sounding modeler all day long. The learning curve is a bit harder but well worth the time invested once you get it down.

https://youtu.be/swJel09ar3A

It's not always the hammer; sometimes it's the carpenter.

I'd put things in this order - 1) Fractal 2) Helix 3) (tie) Atomic Amplifire/Headrush

Kemper is great as well, but is a bit of a different animal than the others. I've had all of them, and if I had the money, I still would.

 

[errrrrl]

I'm getting a Helix LT - This sealed the deal. I know he's using 3rd party IR's, but the high gain amp models are insane. The Line6 Litigator, Badonk, and Archon models sound sick. I'm going for it, I think!

I was messing with native again this morning before work... added ownhammer IR's to the stock presets, it helped them a little, same with adding an eq block. Was dialing in more tones and seeing how it sounds with drum tracks thrown in. It's ok, and better than my initial thoughts on Helix but still nothing to get too excited about tone wise... but it was fun to mess with. YMMV

Have you tried the Helix Native demo?