Fractal Audio Axe-fx III vs Line 6 Helix - Comparison and shootout 

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I was hoping this would give me a reason to pony up for an Axe Fx III...but it gave me a reason to keep my Helix. Great tones from both!

Well call me whatever You want, but I liked the helix more on every example

In the mix the, Marshall tone was the biggest difference between the two. In the mix, the other amps sounded pretty similar with the Axe Fx having more detail in the high end. The detail was even more apparent in the isolated tracks. The beauty of all of this is if someone never owned the real amps they'd have no reference point and simply enjoy good tones. Thanks for this!

In the full mix (which matters most): Jcm goes to the Axe, Mesa is a draw, 5150 goes to the Helix. In solo I basicly prefer the Axe for all three though. But since that matters less, we are the winner for the kick ass riffing. Actually liked that the playing was not too technical, can be distracting 🤘

L6 sounded "boxy/middy". The AX3 sounded "scooped/distant". Upon listening to the end, there's some sonic f^*kery going on in the AX3. Almost sounds like a further spread out stereo effect that lends some faux 3d type quality to the sounds. Whereas the L6 kinda hits your ears right up the middle, between the eyes sonically making it sound sorta one dimensional sometimes.

I think they both are badass products. Hats off to both companies.

That jcm800 on the helix gives me old school feel and sound to me.

Only difference I heard is the Helix has more prominent lower mids. Axe sounded scooped. The Helix popped out more in the mix. I like both quite a lot.

In the beginning I was like AXE is going to kill HELIX. But man here’s the thing, I liked Helix more on each and every sample. Helix had more mids and I could tell notes more clearly on it than the AXE. More warmth for Line6. AXE sounds just great but HELIX just nailed it.

I remember when the tube amp guys couldn't tell in a blind test so retreated to the 'feel' argument years ago. Fractal is the Apple of guitar gear; sell the sizzle, not the steak.

Everything on the Axe FX 3 sounded super scooped, yet tight. It gave me a super old school death metal vibe, which I know not everybody likes, but I personally do. Thanks for the comparison!

I just got a Fractal FM3....had a Helix for 2 years...in the room,playing both,it’s not even close...the Fractal is on another level..The Helix isn’t bad by any stretch.....but it’s not in the same league with the Fractal stuff...

More organic tones with the AXE. The Helix still has some great tones, but the Axe Fx sounds more organic

The AxeFX fans will think the AxeFX sounds better and the Helix fans will think the Helix sounds better.

I have an axe effects,but in this demo the helix sounded alot more like a real amp rigg,the fractal was very scooped and very exhausting on the old ear holes,lots of high end,i have to say the helix tones were more pleasing to my ears.

The main thing/difference I noticed is that the AXE FX sounds more like a true mic’d cab, fizzier, more detail and body overall but not necessarily in a more pleasing way. Helix sounded pretty nice but more like a “pure” signal where as the AXE Fx was “coloring” the tone more. Both modelers had nearly identical reproductions of the basic amps, like the other commenters say, it’s all gonna come down to feel. I like the interface and look of the LINE 6 more. Also with the deep dive “customizability” thing, 90% of guitarists are probably going for a sound that mimics a super-popular amp choice.

JCM sounded better through Helix on chords, but better on Axe FX with single string passages. Rectifier Axe FX all the way....The 5150 is the one that really shocked me because the Helix and Axe Fx almost sound identical. That being said, both sound really good. Line 6 is getting really close to be a top contender.

Q: Which one sounds better? A: Yes Subjective. The consensus of most comparison videos. Each one suits some different preferences of the user. For me, having a deep list of options sounds like a lot of fun. I enjoy deep dive tone creation.

I love this video It's very impressive how the Helix model sounds almost the same as the Axe FX But on the other amps are a two different worlds

both have great tones but for me the helix leaves that feeling of more to be desired (not by a lot but enough to notice) where as the axe feels more complete.

I had the AXE III for a YEAR and the Helix for a couple now, sold the AXE III now. noise level of the Axe III is so massive and build quality... well... not compareable. the Helix honestly beats the shit out of the Axefx. yes you can do more routings and you have more amps but once settled you won't use more than 3-4 amps.

To me the helix sounds better and more balanced. The axe fx is a bit ear piercing and the jcm modded version of the helix is by default very muddy and low mid heavy. The normal version is not like that. However both sound great and you cant really go wrong with either of them. Also you could easily take out the harsh/muddy frequencies on both units using an eq so that would fix that problem.

I watched & listened through the full vid twice. Once, with my eyes closed and just listening to the sound samples. Then the second time seeing which modeler was which sample. I was using JBL 8" studio monitors. Both times, the Axe FX III won out to my ears. The other thing people in YT land are never going to be able to experience though is the 'feel'. With the Ares firmware Fractal released a few months back, it's been a game changer to give the III more of the feel of a real amp in the room. Ease of use, the Helix is going to for sure have an appeal. The Axe FX just sounds and feels better. The learning curve is steep as hell though. But, in a mix and live, your average person listening is never going to know the difference. I have an Axe FX II XL+ (until I can afford the III) and an HX Stomp for something portable to use til Fractal releases the FM3. So I'm not a Line 6 vs Fractal person. I like both and think both camps devices have their place. But, if I had to pick just one, the Axe FX would be my choice easily.

JMC 800 sounds huge, I'm impressed ! Cool video

Thanks for this, great back and forth breakdown between the two!

Okay, now Ampero vs Helix 😂

I'm listening this through good speakers, and when it comes down to the Recto and 5150 I honestly don't hear a lot of difference. And feel wise, I've played Kemper, and Axe-FX, and I own a Helix, honestly, I love them all, one does not "feel" off to me, they're all great units imo.

The feel is so far apart though. The Helix may please the ears sometimes, but when actually played the feel has always ruined it for me.

The Axe just sounds more defined!

The thing is with a little tweaking you can get them so close that most would not know the difference. But hey , the grass is always greener or something.

Sometimes more/less mid scooped, sometimes closed... For budget and simplicity, I will buy helix. Great video

Right on! Comprehensive, non biased comparison. I'm a line 6 guy. Have been for a long time now. Definitely wanting to try out(or buy)a helix or comperable line 6 unit. I was thinking about the pod-go, but i simply don't like the layout or how it looks. I've always admired Fractal Audio's approach to tone from what i've heard. However the price point for me over time hasn't gotten any better. Even though my wallet has to some degree. I dig your approach to all the vids you make so thanks!

Thick and rich sound of the helix. Fx3 sounds a bit anaemic. Much needed comparo. Was looking to upgrade from my boss gt100

I had the Helix for four years and now have the Axe Fx 3. You can sculpt the axe fx to get any tone you want. The Helix is good but its limited. The axe fx amps sound much closer to the real thing and are extremely tweakable as opposed to the helix. I ran a facebook group for a while that helped others how to dial in the helix so I know the helix very well. If you think the helix is an all around better unit you obviously do not know how to tweak.

Helix sounds fuller, but it certainly could be the way the eq was set. These are both great units and I think that is the most important thing to take away from here.

For high gain tones, the stock cabs in the Helix do not do the unit justice, throwing a good IR block in would give a better comparison in this specific genre.

Amazing demo!

Im late to the party on this thread but I would like to say. I just bought the Pod Go Live wireless to take to rehearsals etc. The one thing I noticed was that all the distorted models sound like they have a light blanket over them when recorded. Its like they went to the presence knob and turned it off on everything. (this is through 2 head rush 112s) I can hear it in these demos as well. The AXE just opens up in the 10K range. But they both sound good. just different eq curves. and to solve my issue with the pod go I bought a mixer to run it into, then tone shape, then out to the headrushs

Well call me whatever You want but I liked the helix more on every Example.

Second comment: to me The helix would sound good for live gigs and easer to use on stage it’s more in your face type of unit but for recording where more killer tone and blending is required I would choose the fractal ..I don’t own either unit yet but I am buying the fractal because I switched over to recording after playing out for over 40 years….thanks for the comparison you did a very GOOD JOB

Almost every example I can tell the difference without looking because the AXE just sounds gainy. Almost like there's a stereo widener or something running... can't place it. The Helix is nice and clean, and if you want the extra fizz it's easy to achieve in a number of ways. Although I'd like to have an AXE FX to sooth my inner child I am content with the tones Helix delivers. Just added Das Benzin Mega based on the Mega channel of the Diezel VH4, and the Das Benzin Lead which is based on the Lead channel of the Diezel VH4. Rectifier is pretty rad I've owned the head for around 12 years and it's a great model. Not a bad pedal at all. It makes believers out of people wherever we play. Running Helix + X2- 12" Headrush FRFR cabs @2000 watts with OwnHammer Boogie IR's.. just downloaded the Heavy Hitter pack with Diezel, Marshall, and Orange IR's. Good comparison vid . Thank you for the side by side comps. That's what convinced me the Helix could hang with the Boogie After I purchased it. piece

I listened through my studii monitors. I can say the the helix is great. I wouldn't use the helix over the axe 3 unless i had too.

This is really tough. In a couple of samples the Axe has some sort of slightly thicker undertone which sounds great by itself, but would have to be worked into the mix in a live setting. But I could hear some sort of weird thick bass undertone somewhere which was far too heavy. On the other hand, the Helix didn't sound "inferior" to me in any way, just almost different in actual tone. With either, it could be EQ'd within the unit itself to remove or add particular tones. I like them both, I dunno which one I would buy or which one I'd prefer! Very tough! Must hear some clean tones from somewhere as well.

The Axe FX is dialed up pretty high in the treble in this vid. I see this all the time in shoot-out vids. It's no wonder people complain about it being too "trebly" I had the Atomic AA3, the Helix HX Stomp and the Headrush Gigboard. Lastly, I had the Kemper Profiler which was the most disappointing out of all of them considering the price and hype from Kemper fans. I don't want to have to go through a hundred profiles to find one that works for me and then find that the more you tweak it, the worse it sound. The Axe III is so far and beyond the others that it's not really even a contest. The Axe III can dial in any tone that the others can, and has still has versatility that the others do not. It's as simple or complicated as you want/need it to be. Read the manual. The learning curve is huge, and off-putting to those with a short attention span, but well worth the effort.

I've just been browsing these so this is a really helpful video - thanks for doing it!

Love my Helix! Sure I've never owned a Fractal... but I don't feel like I need one either.

super super cool comparison !! thank you

Axe sounds like a real amp and helix sound a really good plugin

The peavy sounds the same in both units!

Without knowing how you dialed them, in this test the dual rec and 5150 sound pretty close with some small differences in certain freq zones. The marshall sounds very fizzy from the AFIII for some reason. Like the nasty 4k freq area is boosted. I m sure with some eqing you can make them all sound identical. And honestly on the comments on the "feel" department, having both, I cannot tell the difference. Both units seem to respond the same way on different pickings.

I think close enough you can get the sound you want out of both, but did prefer the helix more in the mixes. Like the axe fx iii more in some of the solo’d tracks but the mix is what counts. Seemed like the axe fx had four of the infamous scratchy 4k coming through

Helix takes the win 👌

Both have are awesome and have great tones! However, the Axe FX is too tweakable for my liking. I rather have something like the helix which is simpler to tweak and spend more time playing, which is what ultimately matter the most.

My takeaway from this is that both of these units are amazing and can be tweaked through their eq to sound like one another. they are both in the same price range and both have comparable capabilities for all intents and purposes. I have an ax Ultra which I love but if I had to spend $2k on one of these it would probably be the helix

i have a new pc, $1,500 stereo receiver, Anthem, , and $4,000 dynaudio speakers. the helix sounded in general a little brighter, and sometimes louder, the axe fx 3 sounded a little move level and even and fuller. it sounded definitelely more bassy and woofy on the jcm 800, like it was a new more modern supre amp sound to the bass. like a odern recording. was the helix brighter or fizzier? it sounded, in the end, to me, more like an older modeler in the sense that is was tinnier, i guess, and more fizzy or scratchy than the Axefx, which sounded broader and more like a "mastered in mix" guitar sound. the helix of grabbed my attention because it was bright, sharp sounding, the axe fx sounded more fuller and deeper, like comparing a deno preste to the full tweeked final sound you hear on modellers in the store. helix is less expensive, axe fx is more options and tweaking, the new axe fx turbo and fm3 and fm9 are out now with even better sound. axe fx has huge lobrary of sounds, has tone matching to record sample amps like kemper. does helix tone match, i don;t know. axe fx has 2,000 cabs. axe fx uses supewrior chips and components, better routing. new axe fx floor units with the turbo sound quality should be compared here. i like the tone options and adjustments of the axe fx 3. i want to see the new fm3 and fm 9.

Awesome video, congrats! What kind of drum sampler did you use?

Really digging your sound here. Could you tell me was this an IR from torpedo of a mesa cab?

Great demo 🤟🏻🤟🏻

Thanks for the Shootout! For me the EQ was too hard to see through. AXE had big smiley face tone, Helix had frown face tone. Together these sounds would complement each other great, but for comparison a closer EQ match would need to be done for me to be able to judge these.

Great video! To me the Axe FX sounds "more", so to say, in an organic, meaty way that makes it sit better in the mix. The Helix sounds a bit sterile to me and brings me back somewhat to the Pod XT I owned many years ago. I remember trying to tweak that thing for hours and hours without getting the sound I wanted, haha.

Amazing video. Please do more like this if you ever get your hands on different gear.

Both of them sound killer!

YOOOOOOOO! This SLAAAAAPS!!!!

I'm listening on a pair of DT 770's, and the Axe presets sound vastly better on every amp. The only exception is the 5150, where it's lacking some high end. But overall, I'm hearing a wider range of frequencies on the Axe presets, and a more compact range on the Helix.

I thought there was some fizz in the Axe, the Helix had a more muffled tone to it, but then again is this guy just using preset amp models? Tweeked at all? Is he running digital out straight into a digital converter, USB straight into the DAW, or using the analog outs into an interface? I don't know lol. There definitely seemed to be some more harmonic depth to the axe in some of the riffs. Both had high quality sound overall. I'm trying to make a decision right now between the two and will be running AES or SPDIF into my RayDat card.

Axe3 for me. They sound close on the 5150 but different on JCM and Mesa in which I like Axe3

I found the jcm800 tone in the mix to sound far more marshall with the helix I fount the fractal to be a little bit fizzy super scooped mods and almost recto type of low end .... don’t get me wrong it sounds great for that style of metal however I have to say that the helix was closest to the real thing and that is also true for all of them except for the 5150 the fractal and helix both capture the feel and sound of the real tube amp.... 2 out of 3 for helix are a win and 1 for both are a draw.... just my opinion and my preference in tone

AXe fx III is amazing but for the price LINE 6 is better choice bacuse is so close to AXE fx III...I like both of them

Firstly, my main complaint about all the videos is that they are recorded in stereo. I want to hear what it sounds like with no mixing of any kind as this dramatically changes the sound. I have had two Helix Racks and they have been dire to say the least. Seemed like I was playing inside a tube, thin horrible sounds after sounding ok for a while, constant restting and setting up again. I also got fed up with the reverbs sounding so bad. Never had any issues with a reverb pedal or builtin reverb, but the Helix sounded crap. I also found it a pain that you have to shove effects in weird places to get anything near a decent, usuable sound, which I never managed to get. I have no experience with the floor unit so not sure what that would give. I have a line 6 Pod Go which honestly sounded better, although still not quite what I am looking for. I was thinking about getting the Axe FX 3, but I can't find anything where it is just a mono recording. Will someone just do a comparison with a single mono track, no drums or bass? That is the ONLY way to get a true representation.

You did not mention, which in my opinion, is the most important thing, which is the sensation to the touch that both units give you. Nowadays, any first-line plugin shows you an excellent monitor audio (for example, amplitube, guitar rig, ax fx, kemper, line 6, bias, etc.) the difference between all these equipment and plugins is the sensation they give you play, and that's where kemper and ax fx take first and second place.

How is possible to compare tone with this music and together with the backing track????? nahhh

That fractal modeling code on the Dual rectifier is incredible. The low end and detail.

I like the sound of the Helix at 2:13 better than the Axe-Fx, it just sounds more open and real to my ear.

I like the Helix more, but the Ax fx tone is good as well, depends on the feel your going for.

Did you record the devices thrpugh an audio interface or used them as audio interfaes themselves? Also, Helix sounds slightly darker. Still, it d be nice if you shared the presets! Keep on!

Sick riffs dude

Regardless of which tones you prefer, what is being compared here, is firmware not hardware and could potentially change with the next update.

Axe Fx 3 is clear and crisp. The Helix sounds like is a little muddier. I prefer the Axe.

I listened on monitors and headphones. Helix in my opinion is better.

Both great, I guess the tweaks you can do on both will make them sound very, very close, but this doesn't justify how overpriced is the AxeFX IMHO. Still liked the Helix more. Thanks for the video Taylor.

Comes down to price and what interface you like, to me the AxeFx software and User interface just kills the Helix, they both sound good... the Helix seems simple to use, but in reality you start adding in tons of blocks to “fix” problems with other blocks and it gets stupidly complex fast... I’d say they are both extremely difficult to use when you are really trying to dial in a tone... of course the Axe is double the money when you add in the $700 pedal... Helix is a decent substitute for 1/2... I own a helix and I’m happy with it, I just wish the HX edit software was way more refined, I actually hate using it... so hopefully Line 6 will update that before long...

Do they even make those AXE-FX III anymore? All I can find are used ones.

Line 6 times thinner and more digital sounding although with some eq I could make them sound closer

Helix is a nice piece of gear, easy to use, with sufficient options and good sound. However, I sold it, as I was quite disappointed by how it handles note decays in some cases. I.e. long pinch harmonics decaying in a harsh way, kind of digital farting. I would really like to know, how Axe handles this.

Why just the high gain comparisons? It all sounded like angry cans of bees to me. I want to hear comparisons with the cleans and bluesy sounds.

Did you eq anything. The AXE has the edgy bite I like and the Helix is duller sound but more full .But Iv heard YT vids where its exact opposite so it makes me think. Did you EQ either of those or alter the sound at all

they're both awesome, but for less than twice the price of the helix,(with the current sale 1k more,) you get the axe fx3 and fc 12...IMO the axe fx 3 just crushes the helix for me...welll worth the extra money...the helix does some tones well but some sound like they're through a low pass filter or something...I felt even the ax8 sounded more realistic than the helix...and with the control of the scenes in axe fx3 ...and the high quality 8 channel audio interface, and the pedal board integration,....there's just no comparasin....I love all the presets too...I loved the helix too, I had one, but it just got out done by the axefx3...every time I plug it in it's inspiring!!...that's the important thing!! whichever unit you own, if it inspires you to create and practice, it's worth the money if you can afford it...it's never gonna be cheap...

Been looking at getting a hardware modeler because I’ve been using helix native for years now, and kind of thought about the axe fx… but man I don’t see any reason to spend that when the HX stomp xl would get me everything im already in need of for far less

the Helix sounds like I changed the video quality to 240p

Great video !!!

Any chance of upping your helix presets?

You should try music some day !

I wanna see axe fx 3 VS Ampero!!

I prefer the sound of the Helix.

Axe sounded thin and airy and the highs were uncomfortable in my ears through headphone. Line 6 was balanced, Mids were poppin. No to the Fractal for me.

Will someone grow a pair and actually say which one is better over all. I guess they just don't want to lose an endorser.

I'd like to know which you did first because to me the Axe FX sounded more open, clearer highs. The Helix sounded muddy, except for the Peavey. Were your ears 'tired' when you did the second one? whichever that was

JCM on the Pod has a honk to it. The Axe sounds more natural and even. Mesa sounds exactly the same to me for both units. 5150 on the Pod sounds more alive in the lower register and the top end than the Axe.

How in hell can anyone tell the sounds or tones in this comparison cideo... instantly ur either ramming ur head thru a wall or turning the channel ...