POD XT Live or Boss GT-8?

[Jinx]

i'm sure the Line 6 modeling is better,
but the Boss seems to have more DSP power.

the Boss has 24bit s/pdif out,
the Pod has USB, but is it 24bit?

can USB handle 24bit w/o clix?
which one should i get?

thanks for advice.

[distortedrumble]

the xt is 24 bit. i think usb can handle it...i would think usb 2.0 would be more likely to handle 24 bit better. I've played with the pod and i own the gt-6 and that gt-8 looks good but i dont think theres enough new stuff for me to switch to the gt-8. i think you should try out both and see what you like. the xt has less knobs so it may be less of a hassle. but i still like tapping pedals so i'd go witht he gt-8...or the gt-6 if 24 bit isnt the end all and be all of your existence

[ewegogetemtiger]

I've owned a Boss GT-3 and a GT-6 and I own a PodXT as well.

Honestly, I think of them as two different kinds of things though on the surface they appear to be doing exactly the same thing -- all-in-one guitar tone and effects machines.

But

The Pod is going to give you, maybe, better and larger array of amp mods...and a lot of simulations of funky, old effects...plus some bread and butter effects tossed in to cover your bases.

The Boss will give you what the Pod can't -- better modern effects, better sound quality, a wider array of sounds and weird stuff, and some wild dynamic controls that the Pod doesn't have -- such as channel changes and effects parameter changes through picking dynamics.

The AD/DA of the Boss unit will be superior to the Pod. I don't know if it's the chip or the circut (or both) that L6 uses but it's pretty weak in my opinion.

[distortedrumble]

thanks ewe....um...I'll just call ya tiger lol. i guess i made the right choice in buying the boss. on that same note, some people swear by the pod and i hear the behringer vamp2 pro isnt that bad either

[OneArmedScissor]

I like my Pod XT Live with the metal amp model pack run into my amp. Without the metal amp models, it isn't near as good. The effects are nice too and some of the extra effects you get for free, like the synth stuff, is just nuts. I like how the pedals are set up because you can just turn off and on blocks of the effects without changing the entire patch. I think the wah kind of sucks, though. It seems like it shouldn't be as thin sounding, and there should be some settings for it.

[Atterion]

I know it is a bit pricier but consider the Vox Valvetronix SE. We've been using 1 for about 6 months now, and it is a lot better than the GT-6 we were using. Haven't used the POD-XT Live, but Line-6 makes nice stuff (Except the Spider Series...Yuck!!!). And the Pod XT Pro sounds pretty good. I personally like the Boss ME-50, but I prefer dialing in a sound with knobs, than with scrolling through menus.

[gemsbok]

the new version spider ii amps totally rock. nothing like the original. they have a 15 and 30 watt version that looks killer for micing up.

[Atterion]

My guitarist has a Spider II 2x12 (150watt). It blows for distortion. Nice clean tones though, and the FX are decent enough. It seriously lacks features though. No Pre-Out, Power-In, or FX Loop, and the speaker outs don't run parallel to the 2x12's so they don't function at all if you add another cab. That is just dumb!!! And being as it is a Line-6, you'd expect they would equip it with stereo direct-outs for recording, which you can do if you want to run out of the headphone jack. Yuck!!!!!!!

[Jinx]

ok now i'm thinking i should get the POD XT Pro,
cause it has 24/96 s/pdif in AND out.

i can't find out if the XT Live is 24/96,
i doubt USB could handle that anyway.

does anyone know why the POD XT Pro is more expensive than the XT Live?

[Dimebag]

The higher price on the Pro, comes from the extra routing options (like the pre-loop, and all that), digital ins'n'outs, AND from the (quite unknown) fact that the Pro runs at 24 bits, whereas the others only operate at 20 bits internally... Some people claim that they can hear the difference... I can't... I still want a Pro though, if not only for the re-amping features...

[Echelon]

I have the Pod Pro and the Pod Pro XT, both are amazing in the studio. I think that the Pod Pro (original) has some better sounding distortions once they are dialed in correctly, but I believe the XT has the added effects, which are nice. I personally would go with the XT over the GT.

[TheTriumpH]

What would you guys say is the best for homerecording, GT8 or Pod XT Live?
Ofcourse I guess Pod XT Pro is the best option but I can't really afford that.

Is GT8 capable of decent recordings without micing at all?
The A.I.R II is pretty interesting to me..

Hard decisions all the time =/

[Dumby]

Originally Posted by TheTriumpH

What would you guys say is the best for homerecording, GT8 or Pod XT Live?
Ofcourse I guess Pod XT Pro is the best option but I can't really afford that.

Is GT8 capable of decent recordings without micing at all?
The A.I.R II is pretty interesting to me..

Hard decisions all the time =/

Everything I do is with a GT8. Just check out my soundclick for examples. As far as which one is better, I definitly say the GT8 but it's not miles ahead. My best friend has the Line6 and he says the same thing in favor of the Line6.
I think that alot of people like the Line6 better because alot of the factory patches sound better out of the box, but I like the results I get with GT8 better.
One major difference is that on the GT8 you can edit the Fx chain

[Superhuman]

I have a GT-Pro and a POD xt. IMO the PODxt comes nowhere close to the GT-Pro for sound quality, tone and realism. I only got my GT-Pro about 2 months ago but already I realise it is a completely different animal to the xt. From what I have read, the GT-8 and the GT-Pro have almost identical tones - the GT-Pro is just more flexible when it comes to connections and routing into rigs, cool for reamping too.

A lot of guys say the PODxt is the best out there, thats mostly because they have never tried anything else or have only tried inferior products (no insult intended).

At the end of the day it depends on your musical tastes, the PODxt can probably produce the best tones in the world for certain types of music, just not the tones I want.

The PODxt has it's good points, the software is very user friendly (as is the GT-Pro) and Line6 have excellent continuous development - loads of driver updates and changes on the website. I tried my best to like the xt because the software interface is excellent and it's small, light and portable. I just couldnt convince my ear so now my PODxt is on its way to Ebay.

Try the GT-8 and the PODxt side by side before you buy. Also try the Digitech GNX4, that's got some solid tones too.

[TheTriumpH]

Originally Posted by Dumby

Everything I do is with a GT8. Just check out my soundclick for examples. As far as which one is better, I definitly say the GT8 but it's not miles ahead. My best friend has the Line6 and he says the same thing in favor of the Line6.
I think that alot of people like the Line6 better because alot of the factory patches sound better out of the box, but I like the results I get with GT8 better.
One major difference is that on the GT8 you can edit the Fx chain

Listened through your stuff on soundclick and I enjoyed it very much, my kind of music =)
Do you record the GT8 via the direct out or do you mic up?

Actually I think you can edit fx chain on every pod xt product if you use the software and go through the computer? or am I misinformed?

I don't like any of the samples of pod xt on the line6 website but I don't really wanna judge a product because of the presets.
Does your friend have any stuff recorded with his line6?

Thanks for the reply

[Dumby]

Originally Posted by TheTriumpH

Listened through your stuff on soundclick and I enjoyed it very much, my kind of music =)
Do you record the GT8 via the direct out or do you mic up?

Actually I think you can edit fx chain on every pod xt product if you use the software and go through the computer? or am I misinformed?

I don't like any of the samples of pod xt on the line6 website but I don't really wanna judge a product because of the presets.
Does your friend have any stuff recorded with his line6?

Thanks for the reply

Thanks dude!, I'll post a quick riff this weekend on sounclick, one with Line6 and one with the GT8...Simulating the same thing and that'll be one side by side comparison for what it's worth. By the edit fx chain, I mean that you can't simulate moving your imaginary fx pedals around.
I record direct, that is the entire point of having something like a GT8 or a Pod, you're simulating whatever because you don't have good room treatment and expensive, well placed mic's. Which you can adjust mic placement with a GT8, cabinet size, speaker size very easily.

[HomeMadeHitShow]

Originally Posted by TheTriumpH

What would you guys say is the best for homerecording, GT8 or Pod XT Live?
Ofcourse I guess Pod XT Pro is the best option but I can't really afford that.

Is GT8 capable of decent recordings without micing at all?
The A.I.R II is pretty interesting to me..

Hard decisions all the time =/

If it's for home recording only then I would recommend the Line6 Toneport. Cheaper and also has bass and vocal stuff + XLR and Line Inputs.

I loved the POD XT for home use etc. but traded to the XTL when I got a Variax due to the power supply and the pedal