Line 6 HELIX vs TUBE AMP - Can You Hear The Difference?? 

If I didn't already have a Mesa tube amp, dropping $1,000 on the helix might seem like a decent choice compared to getting a tube amp. I think I'd be better off improving my fingers.

Insane, erevy time I tought "yeah that one sound a bit more artificial" it turns up to be, the real amp lol. Amazed by the work line6 have done with the Helix.

I got three out of five correct. On some clips the Helix sounded better and on others the Blue Angel sounded better. Lesson learned: You can make an amp modeler sound good and you can make it sound just OK; you can make a tube amp sound good and can make it sound just OK.

I actually preferred the helix almost every time. The cleans are so rich and sparkly. The dirty sounds were muffled sometimes but like you said, you can dial that in to make them more like an amp. I was kinda on the fence of getting a helix but now I am sold!

I love your blind tests. It blows are the conventional "wisdom" out the window and forces players to confront their own biases.

I could hear massive differences between the two, but I could never tell which was which. Both sounded good. So I don’t know what that means 😑😂

The first gig I did with the helix was one of the best guitar sounds I've had in 35 years. I play a lot of small clubs and it's tough to get a good mic sound in some of these rooms sometime and still have a nice full tone. I also use it for my Van Halen tribute shows. The funny thing was the phase 90 and flanger in the Helix have an extremely smooth beautiful tone. It was actually to smooth it too beautiful so I had to go back to the original mxr phaser and Flanger to get eddies sound. I also have played in the Stevie Ray Vaughan tribute band. The Helix did a great job with that as well. Bottom line is I believe that the digital equipment has caught up and even in some way surpassed old traditional amps. And of course the convenience totally outweighs using the old standard floor pedals and amplifiers.

I have to admit...there were several times that I actually liked the Helix a bit better. Great video.

In my opinion, the Helix sounded richer. The technology has come a long way.

Both sounded good, but in almost every case I chose the Mesa.. Thanks for the demo.

I definitely preferred the Blue Angel for clean tones. With distortion, it went back and forth. Either way, the Helix sounded fine. If I didn't know what I was listening to, I don't think I would have known it wasn't an amp.

Ignore me im just a digitech rp1000 user.

I've always been a tube amp snob, but I have to say as a touring guitar player that began using a Line 6 unit about 8 months ago, I've never had a better touring rig. It's always dependable, quick setup/teardown, it sounds the same no matter the conditions and zero stage volume interfering with my bandmates or the soundman. I run a powered monitor straight out of the back and sit it side by side with my monitor from the front of house, aimed away from my bandmates, and it sounds fantastic. If I need to tweak the tone, or create new tones I have my laptop and it's super simple. I also use the JT Variax and I never have to tune or capo the guitar. Slide in open G? step on a button, then back to standard tuning after the solo. Crazy Led Zeppelin tunings? No problem. Drop B? No problem. Drop C#....you get the point.

I vote for the Helix. I own one and with the new 3.06 update it is even more fabulous than ever. You can compare for ever but when it is mixed into a song either live or in a DAW the differences are not noticeable. Long live the Helix.

Somehow you can clearly hear the difference. Both sound great but the tube amp really has more of that warm natural sound to it.

I guessed every one of them. I liked the tube amps better. But I’m surprised how close they were.

I was actually able to pick out the Helix on all but one of those tests. But with that said, the tones were very close each time. Kudos to Line 6 for doing a great job with the Helix. I've been considering buying a Helix for a multi-purpose rig, this has just about confirmed my choice (on top of other videos and reviews I've been checking out). Only question to answer now is whether to get the floorboard or the rack unit?

I honestly like both Its an affordability issue. The Mesa Boogie amp sounded better on some comparisons and the Helix on some others. You can do with just one, but if you can have both in my opinion its better. Thanks great review

Hey! The crunch test was amazing for the HELIX. Do you still have the preset? Can I purchase?

I missed three times. I thought the amp sounded best. To me it sounded more rich more warm and as it broke up it had a certain smoothness, like a good bite of chocolate, lol that made me know it was the tube amp. Thanks for all your work man, I love your content.

The Helix sounded great! Even if it was off by a tiny bit, the convenience definitely outweighs that drawback.

We are entering into a new era. Think of the tube amps as the “bag phones” and think of the Helix as the new Droid or iPhone. Which is more convenient to carry? Which is easier to use? Perhaps more versatile vs costs? These new modelers are getting better by each manufacturer release. If you are a working musician, would you rather carry a few pounds of equipment or a few hundred? 😳 The real question is tone! Both sound really good! At a bar or wedding after a couple of rounds of drinks, can the guests really “care to tell the difference?” or will they be out there dancing having a great time? Get my point? Then you can load up your stuff in a smart car hopefully with your pay and go home. If I played out any more, I would definitely look at a Helix or something similar. I have one nice tube amp setup and a Champion 20 modeling amp for cheap fun.

Just to add my 2 cents - I'm a vintage tube amp collector. Bought and sold many-many amps (and guitars). One of the NICEST tube tone solid state amps I heard (and own) is the Fender Princeton Chorus. I have the 210 cab version. And most ORANGE CRUSH solid states have a really nice rich tube tone as well. Just saying ...

I was impressed with how nice the Helix sounded. Any chance you can run a Boss GT-100 through its paces?

That is incredible. It really at the point one can't tell the difference. the Helix definitely is a bit brighter and the distortion has a different quality. Truly fantastic.

This is the first time I've ever gotten all of them right. I usually suck at this. ;) It seemed, to me, that the Helix lacked some of the overtones and detail that the Mesa Boogie brought. Even so, it still sounded great!

after 3 years nobody is going to mention all the lint Darrell has on his hoodie?! I could knit a shirt out of this :)

Yea it was pretty easy for me personally to tell which 1 the amp was, but I'm betting with a bit more tweaking you could make that test a lot harder. The helix sounded good but Dam that amp sounds incredible, thanks for doing this review like this, it was fun

Surprisingly, I like the sound of the Helix better (it sounded brighter, more saturated). After test 1 it was pretty easy to tell them apart.

I think its harder to tell a difference when hearing the tones in a video compared to right in front of you. I just can't replace the sound of a tube amp right next to me. Helix has improved things a lot but I just don't feel you can replace the sound of a tube amp in a live situation. Both have advantages and disadvantages. I guess just buy both! 😁

+1 for the scientific testing!

Helix Lt, i like it but most important i can afford it, that is a kind of "end of discussion" for me :). And the sound? Close enough.

I was 50% fooled by the Helix, surprised.

I get these correct so far %100 of the time. The difference isn’t really the tone, but the responsiveness. The real amps respond to dynamic playing much more than the helix. The real amps go from crystal clean to grit with how hard you dig in. The helix kinda just gets quieter with the same level of gain. They both sound great though and serve their purposes

In almost every instance, I guessed wrong. However, in every instance I preferred the Helix. I'd love to try one.

Both sound great... there were some noticeable differences in the EQ which threw me off on a few samples. Been a long time since I saw a video with one of those boogies.

I Liked the Helix but the Blue Angel sounded way better...

My Helix LT is under the Christmas tree right now, wife bought it for me. I know when you played the Helix just from all the demo's I've been watching (which is a lot). The Matchless is a dirty amp right out of the gate. Another banger of video D.

To me the Helix sounded like rubbish. It was thin, fuzzy and artificial. Processor sounds are a disappointment.

Every single time I ended up liking the Helix in the blind test. I've never liked the Blue Angel much anyways

The tube amp actually sound more muffled and muted, the other sounds more vibrant IMO.

For most of the A/Bs I found myself preferring the Helix, but they were often quite different sounds, which makes things very subjective. They both sounded excellent, and within a mix I certainly think the benefits of the helix (versatility, direct input, quiet and cost) easily outweigh the cool factor of a classic tube rig.

I have a MB MarkV:35, but the Helix still got me on comparison #3. This is a great demo, not just production-wise but playing, too. Keep up the great work!

Really fun reading this thread of comments. I rarely comment but I'll throw my hat in the ring. So many comments about the sounds as if the helix native (specifically as this is a recorded sound) is about sounding like an amp in your living room. For this recording, it's not the point. I saw people talking about how they have played tube amps forever so they knew the difference. Not the point. I played for about 20 years on a mesa and I know what it sounds like. But I've produced for 30 and the sound that comes out of the speakers hangs on a whole lot of other factors. What microphones were used? Was the engineer good at placing them? Preamps? Mixing? What we hear on a video has nothing to do with placing a tube amp in a room and strumming some chords. And the same is true for live. Again, playing in your house or even in a small club is one thing. Once that amp has to be mic'd it's a whole other world. I was primarily a piano player and had the chance to play live on a beautiful grand for over a decade. I loved it. The sound engineers were always trying to get me to play on a keyboard. Can I tell the difference between a grand piano and a keyboard playing live...um...yeah. However, how far back in the audience are they not hearing any ambient sound? It's just what comes out of the speakers. So we went through so many mic configurations and styles, when, in the end, any high-end Keyboard sounded more like a grand piano than the grand piano to those people hearing it out of the speakers. I hated having to listen through monitors or in-ears, but it was mixed better and sounded better. So let's all take a step back and think about this a little differently, or not, I don't care, but it's not just about which sounds more like a tube amp. It's which one sounds more like a tube amp that you could record. I am writing this will a dozen tube amps behind me that I haven't used on a recording in close to a decade. I get better sounds with the helix native and amplitube (especially the fender 2), and when it's in the mix I get compliments from guitarists I deeply respect. But if you've got a great mic cabinet full of options, a great engineer, really good preamps and a whole lot of time, rock those vintage amps. Just my 6.5 cents on the subject

After the second test i was able to tell wich one apart.. But i liked Line 6 better, love the full body it gets

I have to say that I am a fan of tube tone (I have a Mesa 5/50 Express) but have to admit that the Helix sounded great. If I was still playing out I would consider a Helix as I know it has to be lighter than my Mesa. Great job!

From this test, the Blue Angel sounded way far greater than the Helix... Oh... what a sweet buttery tone from the Blue Angel

I like the Helix for clean tones and the Mesa Boogie for distorted tones.

For me I prefer the amp tones that I'm used to play for years. Maybe I'm too old for new tecnologies.

Sadly I preferred the Helix in nearly every run. Also in a couple cases the Angel sounded cheap.

I had a 100% accuracy on spotting the actual amp. Since I play mostly digital stuff myself for many years now I can spot the digital stuff relatively quickly when a track is solo'd. The real deal just sounds more "round", balanced, natural and pleasant. Your last jam is a quite emblematic example for my claim. The amp sound sits perfectly well in the mix while the Helix sound sticks out more. Having said that, the Helix sounds good on it's own and I consider it a good tool to work with but the Amp is still the superior option when compared directly.

Amp sounded better, but for versatility and having endless possibilities on different sounds,Helix.

I was 100% on which was which. This kind of made up my mind about sticking with the 3202 Marshall half stack and going with vintage pedal effects

Both sound very nice. And using mics is always more work but also gives you a lot of options especially when working with 2 mics. I did like the tube amp more to be honest and that was on my phone ;) Cool videos ;)

Im surprised so many like the helix. I was on the fence but after this im all tube more natural sound to my ears but to each there own.

I preferred and picked out the boogie in all but one comparison, the second or third test, with light overdrive I think it was. Tough to decide which I preferred in mix though. I liked the smooth sound of the Mesa, but I think the Helix cut through better, had more of its own distinct space in the sonic spectrum.

Here is my follow up to this video. My wife and I went to visit her mother in SE Missouri. It was Sunday evening and she wanted to attend the “Cowboy Church” singing that night. The group was pretty good, the guitar player was very good and he had some wonderful different tones for different songs. What was he using? A Fender Mustang amp with a Helix 6...the audience loved the performance. Tubes or no tubes? Nobody knew the difference.

Helix or Amp? Let me know!

I love these "guess which you're listening to" comparisons - it eliminates "favorites." I only missed 2 of the Mesa and like the Helix more - maybe because I thought it was a bit cleaner. Like you said, you could probably tweak the Helix to sound more like like the Mesa, but as I said, overall, I like that Helix!!!!!!!. Love you demos!!!!!

Dude... great video... but i have to say.... Head and shoulder...man... Head and shoulder....

you can't hear the difference from a recording work , but you can feel the difference when you are playing it

The mesa was generally better for me. The clean tones were really hard to tell which was which (on phone though). Helix is damn impressive.

I think it also depends how you decide to record your amp. Different mics give you different tones. The best comparison should be done in person with the real amp and the helix + an FRFR speaker.

It's a tough comparison to make, and I suspect not entirely fair one, due to the amount of variables to deal with. The Helix is easy to pick out mostly because it's brighter. But you could brighten up the amp recording by changing the EQ on the amp, changing the mic, and/or changing the mic position. Or vice versa. I know the Helix gives you mic options as well. Given these choices, I would likely use the Helix sound, as I think it is less muddy, would work better in a mix. The question of software vs authentic nowadays often comes down to the skill of the engineer. It is much easier to get a sampled instrument to sound great because the hard engineering work has been done for you. Software modeling and samples have gotten very good. But sometimes I will ask not what's better, but what's more interesting. This is especially the case when recording my own drums, but it goes for keyboards and guitar amps as well. Usually I will get more interesting sounds the old fashion way because there are imperfections/uniqueness to my equipment. Samples and software are (generally) designed to be perfect and generic so they will satisfy the broadest of circumstances. But, of course, if your recording sounds interesting and unique, but not good, then you are better off with software. For live playing I think digital modeling is the future, but the studio is a different story. My two cents.

In terms of the drive, the tube amp sounded better than the helix in my opinion. In test number 5, the blue angel sounded more responsive to levels of attack. Still impressed by the helix, but the tube amps are still a bit better.

Astonishingly, I was surprised by the quality of the Helix, very inferior to my attempts. I use to play with Pod Xt and X3 live, and am less and less in love with those sounds. I may not put enough time working on the sounds, but it feels a bit dull, not alive enough. Very strange, as far as I am a Line 6 historical enthusiast. Maybe it is time for me to find something else. I still like the "all-in-one" concept, but Helix is far too expensive to be a good choice for me. Anyway, thanks for the blind test, I really dig that, because they force me to be honest ;)

The Helix really surprised me. Digital modeling has come along way. What is your opinion of the future of tube amps. Are they on there way out do to cost and fewer tube factories? That is what I have been hearing for years.

I just won a Helix LT... amazing Tones in there...

I was able to answer correctly for all samples on real tube vs emulated. However it was hard to tell and I am not sure if I got lucky. It was much closer than I thought it would be.

Helix sounded better in all tests, except arpeggiated chords. A BIT of an unfair comparison though, as the level of distortion and eq'ing was different between the 2. My ears preferred the helix 80% of the time though, blindly. Bought one because of this vid, and absolutely LOVE it. Best piece of gear I could have ever bought! :)

In the blind tests, the Blue Angel sounded more 3 dimensional than the Helix when played clean. The differences in all tests were quite pronounced. I preferred the tube amp.

I love your atitude and advise! Keep making these

Content starts at 3:24 The Mesa sounded much better, especially when dealing with overdriven sounds

At high volume, I can still hear digital Line 6 modeling go square wave. It drives me nuts. Even super expensive Axe FX stuff is the same way for me. One day I will finally find that open note in the intro for Metallica’s “One”.

Helix has insanely good tones and price too

I can see snow on your cloth. It means...Merry Christmas!😆😆😆

People often say modeling amps "sound great", but how often have you heard anyone say modeling amps "feel great"?

I’m very surprised that the Helix seemed a much nicer sound to my ear. Shocking.

Wow! That Helix is amazing!

Y’all tube snobs tripping! The Helix sounded better, more precise n clear and present than some of the Mesa comparisons. At the end of the day it’s all about what YOU like and what makes you get the sound in YOUR head out. A bad player will sound like shite through a real amp or modeler, period.

I got it wrong on every occasion and preferred the Helix - well done Line 6

i heard a huge difference in clean tones. tubes sounds real

I've played classical guitar for 45 years but being in my mid-60's, I grew up on classic rock from the 60's & 70's and still listen to and love it today. I have a POD X3 Live and a MiM Strat, but I don't use it much and have zero experience with other guitars or amps. I'm careful never to use the words bad, good, better, best and only say what I like personally. I am a fan of technology and Line 6 and was pulling for the Helix. So, I didn't try to pick which was which, but simply made a note of which sound I preferred for all the tests and was surprised that I picked the Mesa amp every time, even in the mix at the end. Darrell did allow that one could tweak the Helix settings to improve the sound. What is interesting to me is that for the comments I read, people seemed split maybe 50-50 as to which they thought was "best" or preferred.

i got it right every time (which I'm really surprised at). The thing i spotted was the clarity and note separation was "better" (what i like) on the boogie over the helix. To an audience, they would never tell or care as they are really similar.

I will probably catch crap from my lead guitarist who's played nothing but tubes but I found myself liking the sound of a helix before the blind was out reveal

Damn this guy pissed me off when he said he's skipping over the high gain channel

Blue Angle destroys the helix. At least in this example.

You will never hear the difference on youtube.

This was really interesting, I own a helix and it's great, but it does take a lot of tweaking. The main thing I noticed was to my ears when you were switching between them in the mix a the end I felt the Helix sound harsh, where the Mesa was so smooth a musical. The Helix just seemed to have a bit of what i think most people describe as that "digital fizz". I listened with head phone, but sure I'd even notice in speakers. Amazing how close the Helix comes to a real amp though.

I’ll have to admit that I preferred the sound of the Helix more during the majority of the blind tests.

The Tube Amp sounded the best!!!

The helix sounded better with more overdrive, and breakup, and the Mesa sounded better in cleans. Overall, the helix is much better for me

Sorry, but I picked the Blue Angel in all tests -- and it definitely sounded better during the final song. I was really pulling for the Helix too. Oh, well.

massive differences, helix is always easy to identify. Maybe you're using crap IRs

When listening back to back you can tell the difference. Well I got the third one wrong. The Helix was a better sound for that one. The amp sounds thicker and rounder for the most part.

Helix sounded better in all but one example. Sold.

Harder to tell the difference to my ears in clean patches than in non clean tones. Huge difference in dynamics and breaking points in slightly dirty tones. Could feel the difference more obviously to players. But this is just a difference or preference not either better or worse in my perspective. Thanks for sharing your nice review.

play some Metallica, you got a Mesa Boogie and dont jam out Master of Puppets?! shame on you sir! 😂😂😂

Dude this is a great comparison. Thank you for making this, as it really helps me with rig decisions.

Helix always lacks bass. I had one and it sounded to me as there is a permanent low cut that eradicates all the softness a tubeamp can deliver. No punch either. So, when you turn up the bass the helix gets fizzier and fizzier. I sold it.