Pod and Pod PRO - what's the difference?

M

Martin Bostock

New member
Sorry that this is slightly off topic, but I couldn't seem to access The Rack list...

Anyone know what the key differences are. From the Line6 website I can only really see that the PRO has SPDIF output, which is nice but not worth an extra £300!

Anyone had a chance to use both and make a real comparison?

Thanks,

Martin
 
Ok the Pod Pro also has xlr outs. Wordclock, and a noise gate.
Basically you are paying for the rack ears.
 
Pod PRO also has 32 amp models instead of 16 plus ( as you mentioned 24 bit S/PDIF) and AES digital output.The PRO also has a line input for re-amping tracks. (Too bad they did not see fit to include digital inputs for this purpose although I am not positive about this until I see the back of one)Seeing the back of one could be a good trick considering it is yet ANOTHER announced product that is not yet shipping. In the US POD pro costs about $290.00 more than the POD. 300 pounds($453.00) seems like too much but you do get more for your money than rack ears/ I think the regular POD also has a noise gate.
 
The new version 2 POD for $339 has access to all 32 amps models and 16 cabinets without using Soundiver. Yes, for an extra $200 you can get very nice rack ears!! Rock On?
 
In an attempt to take my mind off the very sad and not altogether enlightening wrangling going on elsewhere, I shall pursue this little thread a moment longer if you will indulge me:

I bit the bullet and bought a Pod Pro here in London yesterday (what's this about them not shipping, Dorian?).

Ridiculously, I won't have a chance to put it through its paces until the weekend, but just to settle one point, here's the gist what it has by way of connectivity:

Line level input and output
Unprocessed guitar out
Tuner output
Wireless guitar connection
Stereo effect loop (1/4" unbalanced)
Live mode (no speaker emulation)and studio mode - both with balanced XLR and unbalanced 1/4"
Digital (AES/EBU) XLR output
Digital (S-PDIF) output
External digital clock input
Midi in and out
Pedal connector

I don't know how these and all the other specs scompare to the Pod 2 - probably the same, as suggested here (32 amps etc etc)

It cost me £450 which is around £200 more than I'd have paid for a Pod 1 (haven't seen any Pod 2s here).

Probably a rip-off but, what the heck, I have a bad attack of GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome for those of you unfamiliar with the acronym).

If anyone cares I'll give you a subjective report of a beginner's experience with Pod Pro after the weekend.

All the best,

Martin
 
Hey Martin,

I'd be interested in reading your impression of the Pod Pro, so I know what I have to look forward to. I ordered one four weeks ago, but Line 6 still hasn't shipped the order to the dealer, so I'm stuck for now.

I've had a lot of success using amp sims for thickening up tracks(I have a VS-1680 - and Yes, I'm a Planeteer), and many of my friends have raved about the POD. So in a GAS fit similar to yours, I ordered the Pro Model.

[This message has been edited by Kobb (edited 06-08-2000).]
 
Hi Kobb,

Got your Pod Pro yet?

Here are my initial, and very quick, thoughts having played with it only for a total of about 3 hours so far:

'Driven' sounds - absolutely excellent. Very, very good for thick soloing and chord sounds of all kinds, from the slightly meaty to the totally extreme. Very convicing, and gives very good recording results indeed on the 1680. I got very passable imitations of everyone from Pete Townshend to Clapton to Noel Gallagher to Carlos Santana to.... even some modern people!

Very happy with this aspect indeed, and am confident that I will use it a lot.

Clean sounds? Not *quite* so fully convinced yet. Haven't achieved a sound which I would say absolutely worked for me as a valve amp with plenty of presence and just a little 'edge' to it. Not on the pre-sets anyway.

But I have felt that I could probably get closer to the sound I want with a little more tweaking, which I really haven't had time for.

The effects are good enough (though you'll probably use the ones on board the 1680 more often).

Ease of use is not good - too many functions hidden behind other functions and the display doesn't always tell you where you really are, so I got lost a lot early on.

But I'm getting there...

Connectivity is excellent with tons of options, and as I said, the quality of the sound going down to disk is superb.

And of course there's all the deep editing stuff you can do via PC and the net to edit and add new sounds. I haven't got anywhere near that lot yet!

Summary? I think it's well over-priced in the UK (cost me £450) but all in all I find it very exciting, and can't wait to get back down to my cellar and make some more noise!

All the best,

Martin


[This message has been edited by Martin Bostock (edited 06-14-2000).]
 
One takes up more space than the other.

One is vertical, and one is horizontal.

Also the regular pod is more portable.

Seems like pod pro's display would be naturally easier to read, at vertical angle.

Just more things to consider.
 
Martin,

Thanks for the reply - sorry it took so long to get back to you. I'm not a regular 'round these here parts.

No, I still haven't recieved the POD Pro yet, and it's starting to get on my nerves because I ordered and paid for it over one month ago.
Arrrgh! But thanks for the preview.
 
I have to say that I bought a POD pro today. I payed £400 (should have been £450). I tryed it side by side with the normal POD and although they are supposed to be the same the actual POD pro did sound marginally better.

It also looks better as it has more presence. Unlike the original POD it also makes it ideal to play with live as well as recording.

Paying the extra was a little anoying and if you can wait a few months the price is sure to come down a bit. I was going to pay about £450 for the GT-5 anyway so a compramise was in order.
 
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