Pod XT vs Sansamp and blindfold tests between analog n digi

[Genoscidal]

Hey guys! Anyone done a comparison between these 2 before? I was told by the 1 of citymusic staffs that the line6 is able to do anything that the sansamp triaci and other products can do..He also said that a "blindfold test" was done before at some gig before.. where they put e line6 stuff behind e curtains.. many professional musicians got fooled in fact... Anyone of you guys actually haard both side by side or did a blindfold test before? I know both are amp simulators/modellers.. However is it true that line6 is at e top of amp modelling technology? Does it own e sansamp products anytime as the guy mentioned or is that sales talk? haha he challenged me to do a blindfold test, bring both down.. however i dont actually have any sansamp stuff.. haha anyone up to e challenge? Perhaps itll shed truth on digital vs analog.. haha.. In all, which do you guys prefer? Line 6 or PodXt's modelling technology and sound?

 

[jbarks]

If I'm covering a wide range of genres, I'd get the PodXT... if not, I'd just get the Sansamp because it's that much easier to use. When you get to the amp modelling level, Sansamps and PODs are pretty good; it's just a matter of personal preference which one you want.

 

[Vaiyen]

the organic tone of the sansamps for me, anytime.

 

[jony]

The reason many professional musicians got fooled is simple.. They do sound good.

but as with modellers, they dont respond to your touch like a tubeamp or pedals would.

 

[theblueark]

I've heard of the tests, but i've yet to hear any 'proffesional' names being mentioned, nor any interviews with the 'proffesionals' who got fooled.

The last advice you from the seller of a product.

I say we do a blindfold test ourselves!!

Who's got a top of the line line6 amp? I've got 2 tube amps ready anytime for a live blindfold test. We can charge tickets for people to come :lol: :lol:

 

[Genoscidal]

hahaha that would be a great idea actually... hmm but i guess you'll have to bring ur stuffs to sinamex.. cos e more "expert" tweakers would be found there.. the way the guy talked he challenged to put any products against e test, saying that they would be able to tweak out e same tone.. including the sound of an actual gibson lespaul / fender strat using a variax... leads me to wonder actually how true.. but thing is a poor guy like me dont have any tube amps or all these stuffs.. haha but im dying to know if wad he says is actually true.. If what he says its true and fools e people here as well... boy! e outcome of the long argument of analog vs digital/multi will come to a conclusion.. if i had a les paul and a tube amp i think id go try.. but i dont =( i dont even have an analog pedal yet.. still using line6 podxt thinking if i should sell and go for e sansamp, but thinking twice about how he says that the sansamp can be emulated exactly if not better with e podxt..

 

[NoMiS]

i am a user of POD xt. all i can say is. if u are poor. and u jus a need a pedal tht can last u for years and be able to still sound good on stage. this pedal can do the job. plus it has several software packs. sound packs actually to updgrade ur sound. line 6 is actually one of the digital pedals that sound as close as a analog pedal. reponse and nuances out of the pod xt. well i am able to get mine. i guess its how u tweak it. oh well jus my few cents worth of opinion.

 

[tany]

POD just sounds too digital to me. maybe it's the settings but i dont like it compared to analog.

 

[theblueark]

They have vox AC30cc's at city music, good enough for a test if you wanna do it there. Maybe city music would like to do a blindfold test there someday? Let a tube lover tweak the AC30, then the POD guy tweak his variax and POD stuff.

Like mentioned above, the tone can get surprisingly close, but not the feel, the response. It's not what the audience hears, it's what the player hears and feels. I'll bet the audience won't hear any difference but a tube player will pick up the guitar, play a few notes and know right away which is the tube amp. Especially once you start turning both amps up.

 

[ShredCow]

You know blueark, there are people who believe in "what the audience hears is what matters". So screw the tubes and/or emulations... its all about the audience.

I never understood that mentality.... really saddening to see how a musician treats his own tone, his own voice.

And yeah, its really about the feel, how the pedal/efx reacts to your playing.
Granted, if you play thru a ton of chorus/delay/flangers/phasers, then hahaha... I think you effectively phase out any "feel concerns" when playing with too many modulations. For that, Line6 will keep up well enough.
But for pure organic distortion and od... nope. Never matches the feel... and it always sounds flat.
I think the salesman is speaking some truth... the audience wouldn't be any the wiser. Only when a musician takes up the guitar and plays, then he'll know.
Though, line6 will beat tubes in a metal context IMO. Just tighter.

 

[Guest]

The Line 6 PODs and other modelling units are good at what they do: reproduce a good recorded guitar sound. They would probably win a blindfold test if that's what you've set the test up to do.

Comparing the modellers, the thing I've noticed about the Sansamps is that they're better at preserving your guitar's original tone. So a strat sounds more like a strat and a LP sounds more like an LP. Rather than modellers that sorta impose this "blanket" with the sound of the particular amp model covering up your guitar's characteristics.

That's what I've noticed and I've got the Tri AC, GT2 and Vox Tonelab (which I chose over the POD). It really depends on what you're intending to use a particular piece of gear for. i.e. direct recording? lightweight do-it-all for cover gigs? creating your own unique voice? tone to inspire you to play? etc etc

Of course if you're a guitar player, nothing beats the response and feel of a proper full tube amp.

 

[audio]

digital-analog issue will never end.
both are good lah. just keep on playing and making music.
without digital, my life would be boring man.
without analog also boring.
my opinion ah, i listen to tubes everywhere also sian..
sometimes it feels plain and boring when u had too much of the same thing.

 

[Guest]

Heheh, with tubes you'll be going 6L6 vs 6550 and/or EL34 vs KT88, NOS vs Russian vs Chinese, cascading gain preamp, etc etc.

It never ends.

 

[audio]

wow..as if i dont know..
honestly, i cant identify what tube is inside by listening. u can?
if i can, im a freak.
anyway, how frequent u change your tubes?

 

[Guest]

Bruda, that's the realm of bootek amp owners with the money. :wink:

 

[theblueark]

Not saying either is better or worse.

When stating digital vs analog to me it's not about which is 'better' because what does 'better' mean after all?

What I can and do state, are the differences. And you take those differences and try them out yourself and see if you notice them, and if they are important to you. Then you pick the lesser of the 2 evils. Or the more of the 2 goods.

Both will have pros and cons. It's about which pros you MUST have or can do without and which cons you CANNOT have or can live with.

However, claiming to be able to emulate a tube amp perfectly is still quite, I would say, nonsensical. But then neither can a tube amp *heh* emulate a modeller.

 

[suspend_thought]

I personally can just FEEL the tone of a good tube amp just by listening sometimes. It isn't very obvious all the time, but on some songs you can just hear the TUBE-ness of the amp in like, a few moments of sustain at the end of a solo and I think that's just worth the extra money anybody would pay for it.

Of course, a good tone is primary. Analog does not always equal good tone; it's the guitarist's ear and know-how that make a good tone, not how much he spends on his effects.

 

[ShredCow]

wow..as if i dont know..
honestly, i cant identify what tube is inside by listening. u can?
if i can, im a freak.
anyway, how frequent u change your tubes?

What does it matter as long as it inspires me to play better/more?

 

[PatheinRaindropMoe]

hehe, this thread shud be burnt and put inside bandung to drink

if hendrix is still alive today, he might prolly be into exploring the side of advanced music technology which enable him to break out of the music he's been making in the 70s, which until today, so many still trying to emulate and go after

but since he is not with us anymore, lets drink more bandung and get on with playing.

pardon me :lol:

 

[edo83]

So what if a certain artiste claims that he can't discern the line6 to the 'real deal'? That means zilch to most of us out there, why? Take any cd now, most likely you wouldn't even know if the guitarist is using the exact live setup for recording.

I'll second what ark had mentioned, it might sound the same....but when you play through a tube amp and a modeller, the difference is there. Smack right there, in the notes and in your playing. A listener might be unable to discern, but by handling the amp...it will be obvious to the seasoned player.

I honestly have to attest to the fact that a tube amp exposed some of the flaws in my technique, and the way i approach my phrasing....it's a whole new world out there :roll: