Can the Line6 PodGo compete with the Helix? Big Shootout! Part 4/5

As a previous Helix owner and now a Pod Go owner, I can say that the Go is everything I need and more for my home studio. The Helix was overkill and I was more intimidated by the madness available to me that I never needed. The Pod Go delivers the same sounds with a much easier interface. I've yet to run out of DSP (I don't make insane patches), and I pocketed a ton of cash from the sale of my Helix. Win win for me. Thanks for the video.

Weight 1:18
Price 2:20
Overview/Specs 2:59
*SOUND COMPARISON*
Clean POD 12:33
Clean Helix 13:36
OD POD 14:48
OD Helix 15:30
More gain POD 16:20
More gain Helix 17:09
Even more gain POD 18:08
Even more gain Helix 19:19
Lead POD 20:35
Lead Helix 21:29
Quick comparison (clean) 22:48
Quick comparison (OD) 23:52
Quick comparison (more gain) 24:34
Quick comparison (even more gain) 25:23
Quick comparison (lead) 26:34
The funny bald guy's 2 cents 27:28

This was perfect. Really appreciate the work that went into this. For a rig to play when the rest of my family is asleep you just saved me $1100 bucks. Thank you!

The design and looking for the Helix is very cool as well as makes players feel professional when using, playing it on the stage. On the other hand, the POD GO looks more for home practicing or small gigs. But! They both sound amazing.

man. I was thrilled to hear you say EXACTLY what I think about these 2 units. New subscriber here based on your Truthful honest opinions..your average garage band guy or dive club gig doesn't need all that Helix delivers...I truly hope your review helps Go sales..and that players who couldn't afford helix can enjoy some of the same beauty its brother. Has to offer in sounds ..thanks dude Rock On

Great vid, thanks man. Subscribed! For live performance which I do, Helix has XLR out and few other important things to consider but is way overkill and $1700 is crazy. POD Go is lacking in the back with connections and front with pedal buttons , so I'm more likely to go with the Mooer GE300 or similar. Plus the Helix chain interface appears not user friendly compared to many other boards like Headrush, Zoom, Mooer, Valeton, etc.

One day I'll be ready for something like the Helix. I think the Pod Go Wireless is my place to start in this brave new world of all-in-ones.

I have both and apart from a few modulation pedals my patches are setup the same. My signal chains are very simple anyway so it is easy to get both sounding the same. My Helix is now for full studio use...my PodGo for live. Love them both

This has gotta be one of the best comparisons I've heard. Truly honest and to the point. Specially at 10:19
Thank you for this one!
How about the LT then vs pod go?
Cheers from Montreal!

Hey Henning, watching your videos quite a while now and this 'Pod Go' series is the most sophisticating in terms of direct gear compaision, yet. I'm really impressed by the format you choose focusing on the direct comparision between the two devices blendend directly. And I must insist that the sound on youtube are quite comparable for both devices, but please consider the compression and equing taking place on playback. For those people heading just for the sound the price difference is a decision-maker. Nevertheless, given the opportunity to play all three devices (HX Stomp, HX Floor, Pod Go) in dierct comparision, I could want to say that there is quite a difference. At most the the feeling while playing although I could not argue why (brighter eq, some milliseconds on responsivness). For all other people trying to make a decision on the Line6 series for pure home recording. My advice would be go with the HX Stomp. Reason being is the better integration to semi-pro setup, the better Software and at least the HX update policy.
For myself I must admit I'm really impressed with the HX Stomp in my HomeStudio Setup in regards of recording quality (Processed/ReAmp and Di) as well as the ease of use putting this thing under my desk and controll it via App or Midi.

Hey Henning, the output sockets are labelled "Left (mono)", "Right" and "BALANCED/UNBALANCED". This suggests that you might be able to use these outputs together as balanced mono (like an XLR output) with some kind of adaptor. Maybe useful for the gig situation.
Great video by the way. I'm seriously thinking about buying one of these. I have the HD500X and I just don't like how it sounds.

Great demo and video, I had a helix lt, and found it too confusing! Ive ordered a Pod Go and I cannot tell the difference, and the simplicity is a bonus for me

if the pod go had 2 or 3 more slots, imagine how many more of those they would sell. With more DSP power of course.

This is a great vid, one think to note is there is also the option of getting the Helix LT, which is cheaper and has a bit less I/O but all the processing is the same as the top Helix. Also I heard minor difference mostly with high gain but cleaner tones sounded about the same through my monitors and headphones.

Great sound on this preset... got me thinking along the way too. I have been looking at this thing the wrong way, its not as simple as people think, it takes time to pull a tone this sweet out of that little box but by golly its in there for the taking if you expend a little xtra effort.
Ty again

I say this as a Helix Rack user: I must say, in the high gain/lead tests, I heard a little more mid presence from the POD Go.

Great video! For my ears, Pod Go sounds better than the Helix on the clean on every example here. I have a Kemper Powerrack but I want to get a light weight option for small gigs. I tried Headhush and Fractal, really did not like it. But I decided to get the Pod Go (Helix Go?!) after watch you here.

As always awesome and honest review. You are killing it Hennig! 👌🔥

To me it seems like it's easy to get the pod sound on the helix, but you'd have a really hard time replicating sounds from a helix to a pod

I have the Line6 HX FX and have a Mooer preamp live (for amp modelling and IR's etc) in the loop of the HX FX, which I use as a control centre to control the Preamp by midi.. The Mooer pre amp live also tone captures brilliantly. You can do genuinely brilliant things with the HX FX and the Mooer pre amp live in combination. Add all this to the Boss Katana 2x12 I plug it all into, and I think I am pretty much done with buying gear forever.

Path 2 has its own DSP. If you start running out of horsepower on Path 1 route it to Path 2. You can also easily route Path 1 into Path 2.

Good job using a looper to remove yourself from the equation! It's not a fair comparison unless you use a looper. I always greatly appreciate your reviews!

I guess different people always hear different things. To my ears, in some of the sounds there was no difference, in a couple of them the POD sounded a little better to me, in others the Helix was superior. In the end, as he said, it comes down to what you want to use it for, and how much you're willing to spend.

As cool as the POD GO is, I bought the mooer GE250 Because of its size, tone capture, and being able to load profiled amps made in GElabs.

I have a pedalboard that I use for shows made up of all individual pedals that I leave in my rehearsal space and I really wanted an all-in-one solution (that is not as pricey as the Helix) for recording at home. I bought the Pod GO to replace my HX stomp because there are 6 programmable footswitches instead of 3 but it's a bit misleading because although you get two expression pedal effects (vol. and wah) and 6 effect blocks, every preset you make will come with a wah and volume pedal, an EQ pedal and an FX loop block and YOU CANNOT DELETE ANY OF THEM! The wah and volume makes sense but I feel like EQ and an FX loop would be two of the last blocks I would need and the first ones I would sacrifice to run other blocks. An EQ is nice to have in the chain but do I need a footswitch for it? No, I would just leave it on. I like to use a compressor and reverb as well but again, things that I leave on and don't need a switch for. With the Pod Go, if it's in the chain, you HAVE to assign it to a switch. The other block they force you to have is the FX loop. This is nice if you want to run other pedals, but I would much rather have an editable block with the OPTION of an FX loop if I really wanted to expand but I don't want to be forced to have it. How many people that are using the Pod GO with the intention of adding anyway? It feels like it's supposed to be an all-in-one device. It does come with an EXP input where you could connect a third party footswitch to control more blocks but since they only give you 4 blocks (5, if you count the unremovable EQ), there's noting to control! I guess if you use snapshots this could be helpful but I just like to use stomp mode. Just wanted a VOX AC30 tone with 6 effects of my choosing. Nope. Perhaps they will add more blocks in an update but at this price point, I doubt it's possible. I do really like the size and the large display with a simplified interface and sounds just as good as my HX stomp. I guess what I'm looking for is something between the HX Stomp and the Helix LT. I've been using Line 6 gear for 20 years and I was so excited to get this as I thought it would be my all-in-one recording solution but I'll just stick with my HX Stomp and build a small board with some additional pedals. If I'm totally way off here or someone has any ideas, I would love the feedback. Great videos!

I am enjoying this series immensely!

Let me ask you would rather get the Stomp or the Pod Go? I guess for portability with the Stomp, to travel, you can just throw it in a gig bag. But has only 2 effect pedals maybe three. The Pod Go has a little more Bells and whistles than the stomp. Great review. Stay safe out there.

A few more features and more processing power is about the only difference. They both have a lot of the same DNA. I like the all metal case feature but price is a huge factor. I have an HD-500X and the sound of these floor processors are way beyond what the older line 6 units have provided. Tube dynamics and headroom are way improved. I am going for the POD go, $449 USD now . If I have $1800 I'd simply by a twin tube Boogie and be done with it.

Both of hem sound the same and are really good pedals, but I'd go for the Pod Go because it sooths my budget. But if I only have enough money of course the Helix

This should have been called Helix Go...but in that case they probably would have made it a bit more expensive. Sounds exactly the same to me, for almost 1/4 the price. Hard to beat that !!

thank you for the deep down review and comparisons. I was't sure, that the POD Go is worth to buy, but now i know it is. I do not have the budget to by the Helix, so i was looking for budget and now i am buying POD GO!

Excellent review:) The gearhead in me says Helix the cool thinking guy in me says I really don't need the Helix the Go will be sufficient for my needs:) Only one thing that I actually could use on the Helix is the Variax interface.

Great video, great playing I would say even some great tones. In my opinion however what happened here is a challenge of making the Helix sound like the PodGo. A more accurate comparison might be to create the best sounding tone you can in the Helix and attempt to match that with the PodGo. Not taking anything away from the awesome work you put in here. It was an impressive job. Thanks for all you've done with the comparison. Cheers!

What a fantastic video. Thank you so much for helping me with my decision! I'm old school but I think I'm gonna make the switch.

I so appreciate your starkly honest review and demo of this product. Plus I know that you are a very good producer so I trust that what is coming through my studio monitors is going to be as true as I'm going to get on Clip-Share. I will likely never be able to afford a Helix, plus my needs have always been minimal. All I need is 2 great sounding channels (clean and dirty) and basic effects: overdrive, chorus, tremolo, delay and reverb (all in mono) and occasionally be able to drop the pitch (Does Pod Go do that?). I realize that some guitarists have much more complex needs. For them there's the Helix.

Very similar to me!!! I have been playing for 35 years and have had all the different high gain tube amps and now being alot older and don't want to pay or have to lug around a 4 by 12 this pod go is a great sounding very close in tones to the way far more expensive helix I'll go with the GO!!! LOL

The Pod Go does have midi..with the USB..but you won't probably need it. It also can be just used as an effects unit with 4 cable method. It even has presets already set up for 4 cable..Also just buy a couple of cheap trs to xlr and direct to house..pretty cool for the price.

There's like a 1% difference at most, which at this price point is excellent

I have. Pod Go and I agree; Line 6 should REALLY make better factory presets. I hated them all and made my own(also there is a very large community of Pod Go patch makers).
When I said this on the Pod Go forums i was sort of ostracised. So i am glad somebody agrees with me. The Pod Go is an incredible piece of kit by the way, unbelievable for the money.
Keep up the good work!

Frankly, the only time I could consistently notice a difference was a baritone demo. Pod sounded bit brighter than Helix, but that simply could come down to slightly different preset on the Pod I guess?

Oh and the Pod Go is incredible. I find new capabilities every time I use it. The sounds i can dial in are 1000 tones better than the garbage that's thrown together on line 6 website.
Using this in conjuction with neutral archetype = never go back

The Helix is a tiny tiny bit quieter, maybe that’s why it doesn’t sound quite as compresses as the pod to my ears. Pod reminds me more of the lofi/low-res sound of my amplifi TT, the Helix sounds more open. However both have a slight compressed modeler sound to them which I don’t really dig, but you wouldn’t hear in a track I guess. It might also be different with another cab sim. Would love to play them back to back though.

Just to be clear... the Helix actually has 4 separate signal paths, not just 2. Good video - this is clearly a 'Helix', and for most people is all they will need.

there's a minor harmonic richness to the Helix that isn't on the POD but it's not enough to say the pod isn't worth the money. I just got the pod and using it in 4 cable method with my amp - I assign the fx loop and the internal model amp to the same foot switch and then when I switch off the internal amp, I have my amp in the fx loop so I can switch between the two :)

Thanks man! For me they sound reasonably similar, if not the same! I wanted to buy Helix LT but it's still kind of expensive. POD Go might me just what I was looking for!

i've kinda been waiting for the pod go. when the helix and helix LT came out, they were both just out of budget for me and I just don't need two signal chains and all those ins and outs. I'd like a good sounding updated unit that lets me plug a guitar in, and usually mono out maybe stereo out on occasion and this has at least that. I'll think i'll get one of these. it does all i need it to do

Great video as always. Thanks for all the great information!

You can split the difference and get the FM3 by Fractal. It is a beast and used can be had for 800 to 850. The sounds in it are so convincing, used the the Friedman BE100 patch and have the actual amp and the FM3 sounds better. FYI

Also, what you're really paying for is the ability to put anything in the signal chain any where you want. Pod go is just straight forward. You get 11 blocks in a set order. Helix, you get 32 block in any order you want, the ability to run up to 4 different things at once, like vocals, two guitars, and bass. You guys the scribble strips on the board and all the routing. They don't compare at all. Why try to compare them? I'm not taking away from the pod go. I've been calling it helix go since I heard it ran on the helix brain back in Jan. Pod go is great if you don't mind the stripped back version. They are two very different animals though at the end of the day.

I can hear the big helix being slightly more full range, but again, I have no idea if it's my brain telling me to hear the difference. If there happens to be a slight difference, and it's not just my mind playing tricks on me, it is very very minimal, it is sooooo close, and it is nothing that renders the pod go useless by any means. I think the POD go is fantastic for a lot of people, including myslef but I just wish it had either MIDI (with an rjm mini amp gizmo which I already have) or the EXT amp control with relay swtiching, to change channels on my amp and be able to fully integrate it. I know that's not the mission of this and that's what the big Helix, LT and HX FX are for, but it's just such a basic function all multi fx should have today. I know this is a full all in one for someone that just wants to go direct to PA or interface and for that, it is fantastic.

I really wish for the Pod Go there was a line 6 GTR connector for the varrix GTR . This could replace the Pod Hd 500 x and be a nice solution for people who can't afford the Helix LT and the Helix

Great video as always.
QUESTION: Is the Pod Go good for recording directly into a DAW? I am looking for something that sound's really great with many amp sounds for recording. I would trust your input (no pun intended!).....Thanks.
Philip
NYC Area

Here's a question that I'm guessing most home-recording folks will ask - when USB'd to your computer for recording, can you balance the mix between the POD signal, and the monitored signal from your DAW? I always find that one is louder than the other, and cannot figure out how to get a balance between them for recording.

By far you Sir have broken the myth about podGo and Helix. You have just made my day. Thanks

There are plenty of videos showing a massive difference in top end, however this video tends to mask that and the top end seems lacking. People say the Helix has automatic impedance detection whereas the POD GO is fixed. This was very noticeable with a single coil Fender Strat, so do you have any pedals in front of the Helix that might help balance impedance?

Great review, thank you for the job ;), the difference is negligible, a question arises, can I plug directly into the Imac and listen through the speakers without the need for external monitors?

I was listening to it in my car, and the pod go sounded like it had more low end, nothing major but I still go with the helix , great job on the demo

Great series of videos for the pod go. On the pod go there's a slight delay between stomping thru presets/patches...this is quite annoying especially playing live when you want to go from say a clean part to high gain part smoothly.. Any suggestions?

it is weird, cause I'm listening to the heavy tone and it sounds better with pod go, it's got more bite to it, less mids but still full crushing tone, I would absolutelly recomend pod go to any guitar player, unless you're using crazy amount of effects and patches

I use a stomp because it's small and I don't need an expression pedal. But I guess I would have gotten the pod go, had it been available at the time.

Could you release your POD GO presets? That lead setting you have going is unreal I love it!

Very very very very close, I hear a tiny bit more dynamic range and overall fidelity in the Helix, more lows and higher highs and smoother. Im listening from some Kali monitors. But the POD Go is rad.. Now it would be cool to leave the Helix in the studio and gig with the POD Go

First of all, thanks for the A/B instant comparison, it's the only way to test anything. I hate when people say which sounds better? And there's a 5 minute jam between the sounds. Well done!!!!! Literally no difference in sound to me, they both sound great!!!

For some reason, the Pod Go sounds a bit muffled in comparison to the Helix, might be the EQ I don't know. Both sound amazing though, can't go wrong with either of them.

I have a buddy with a Helix and he recommended the POD Go so I purchased a POD GO wireless last week. No way there’s enough difference in sound to justify an extra $1000, and I sure don’t need all the options of the Helix. I’m content… at the moment, haha.

U have the most thorough comparison of the two units on Clip-Share to date imho. Well done!

Henning: did you try inverting phase of one rocerded track into the other? Not too scientific, but maybe it surprises us with a flat line. BTW, it's still good enoughh for me.

My plan is to buy the Pod Go to replace my whole stuff. It's small and my band only plays small gigs. Two mono guitars, left/right. No fancy stereo effects or anything. The Pod should get the job done. 3rd party IRs will help with quality of sound, too. So, if I can play gigs with a clean, distortion/overdrive and a lead sound by just throwing this little device on the floor, it will keep my back healthy. I'm tired of carrying amp+cab from location to location.

The Pod Go does a great job and delivers great value for money - however, the difference is noticeable, as it has already been pointed out in the comments. The Helix has more bass, better dynamic range, feels more “real”

They just flipped the finger on all HX Stomp users. They can only atone if they remove the hard limit of 6 blocks on the stomp - I'm sure they did it to nerf it enough not to compete with its bigger brothers.

My biggest shock is how expensive Helix has gotten! That feels like 500 more than the initial price.
The new pod seems like a pretty neat thing for the price.

It depends more on what you’re going to use it for. My band’s music director, who also plays guitar, has a Helix Floor. But he’s also using it to control Ableton Live as well as his sounds, and he’s running the talkback mic as well as playing the lead sounds. Me, I just need a couple patches that can approximate a sound that works with him and the rest of the band. I’m not being asked to direct the band right now. So I’ll have the POD Go.

I am Japanese. Many Japanese people say POD Go is far worse than Helix. I think because they see only its name and not the sound. the Japanese tend to think products' name or spec TOO important.
sorry my English may bad😭

Parabéns !!! Excelente vídeo

I agree w a lot of the comments...the helix may possess a tad of a smidge of a scoche more detailed low end/higher fidelity sound? Onstage, NOONE would tell the difference, EVER.

Pod Go for the win! It sounds the exact same and the price is a no brainer.

Love your work!

Man, you are giving the people what we WANT

I hear a difference but it’s not what I expected... I thought the pod was less compressed, more headroom and sounded more amp like than the helix in all the comparisons.

Zero difference in tones from my perspective. I don't need all the complexity and additional I/O of the Helix. Going to give the PodGo a go before Line 6 decides to go and raise the price!

It's the tonewood, I mean the materical that the expression pedal is made out of that's absorbing certain frequencies, maybe if you road-wear it, it'll "open up"... sounds identical

Does the pod go offer acoustic simulation sounds like the new update of the Helix? If I can get that this go would be a buy. Great reviews and you play awesome plus I love your cats. Peace from CT. US.

I got a HX stomp to replace my HD Bean. While it sounds better, I still use the bean as a bass di and vocal pre lol.

Fantastic review! And couldn't hear any difference between the 2 of them

Love my POD Go. ...until they come out with a Helix 2 that has POD Go UI 😋

It's hard deciding between the POD GO and the HX Stomp for what I plan on doing (HX pedalboard or POD into a USB interface). I'm kind of leaning to the POD but the HX having the idea of getting my own pedals with it is so much more attractive. Still think I'll go for the HX just for the use of HX Native on the PC. Just want that ultimate bedroom player setup!

I'm going to buy a Pod Go but the question is: is it good for live gigs in small/medium venues (pubs and similar)?

unbiased info 🤘😎 great job

Be damned if I can tell the difference. Helix is definitely a prettier box though.

Thanks, great advice, and strait forward info!!!

The pod go was clearly brighter sounding to me. They both sound the same but the eq setting will come out different I guess.

I don't own a Pod Go, It is a VERY interesting unit some some users. As for the MIDI, According to The Andertons Pod Go review it DOES HAVE a MIDI use. Apparently it is the USB cable. Here's the link clip-share.net/video/xbRFuBtsA84/video.html
As for the comparison Helix VS Pod Go Sounds sounds the same. At the end Helix has more options for the user depending what you needed for.. Other than that The Pod Go can be your work horse for Clubs and Church..
However, I must say I love this channel and it has awesome context. Cheers!!

They should have called it Helix Mini

The only parts in the demo where I heard any noticeable differences are in the last two (heavy and lead). The Pod Go has more noticeable mid range and the Helix sounds more scooped in those comparison. That could probably just a volume difference. However, the modelling sounds exactly the same! They both sounded great even with those minuscule differences. In a mix and in a live context, it probably would not even be heard.
This would be like the pixel-peeping equivalent in photography. I say just focus more on playing and tweaking them to get a sound you like. At the end of the day, it all boils down to the features that you need and how much money you're willing to spend. Personally, I'm saving up for a Pod Go.

I think the sounds are similar but Helix sounds a bit better. I do Have a helix.

Thank You. I can't afford the Helix Lt but I can afford the Pod Go. I care about sound and I agree with you that I could not hear a difference. Pod Go it is. Does the Pod Go have the same presets as the Helix Lt? Also I heard some fantastic presets on the Helix Lt, can I get a few from their website to load into the Pod Go? Please let me know when you have some time. Thank again for the great demo.

Goal for summer of 2021, trade in my Pod Go and own the Helix Floor.

wonder how these will compare with the Fractal FM3

I'm going out on a limb and saying most people who hear any difference already dropped 2 grand on a Helix.

in studio I can hear the little difference. Helix sounds a bit better. It has little more bass and sustain on sound but just a little.