Which would be better? Since it is a essentially a preamp, would i be better off(sound wise) hooking it into a power amp or would it sound fine through a tube combo amp?
You should consider the notion that a modeller is intended to put out the desired sound the way it is......which implies that it is intended to be plugged into a high fidelity power amp and speaker, or directly into a board, instead of into a guitar amp.... guitar amps are designed for guitars, not for hi-fi...
you can test this theory by plugging your pod into a stereo or into a board with a PA and see if it sounds awesome the way it is.
Here's what I do.Which would be better? Since it is a essentially a preamp, would i be better off(sound wise) hooking it into a power amp or would it sound fine through a tube combo amp?
Here's what I do.
I use a Vox AC30CC combo (all tube) amp. When I want to use my POD XTL with the Vox, I set up a user bank with the amp modeling bypassed. This kills not only the amp emulation but the speaker cabinet emulation, mic placement, and AIR settings. So what you end up with is a very versatile multi-bank effect pedal. You also need to make sure that the "what are you connected to" setting is set up for direct-in; this turns off all the weird EQ stuff that comes into play when you are setting up to run into the front end of a guitar amp, or into a power amp.
The trick is to set the output level of the Pod so that (all of the above having been done), when all effects are turned off, the gain is the same as what it would be if you were running your guitar straight into your amp. That way, the Pod will not be pushing your amp any more than your guitar would be, and the Pod will just be buffering the guitar at unity gain when all effects are off.
The amp models, when enabled, have individual output levels that will interact with the Pod's overall output level. You will have to experiment with each amp model to get your levels consistent (or customized to what you want them to be).Hmm i didnt know you could bypass the amp emulation and just use the effects? (I dont have a pod yet, but i just wanna get all the items i should buy along with it out of the way)...However, if i wanted to use the amps and such, would i still do the 2nd step of what you said? Getting the gain to the right level?