Great ease of use is matched by sound quality
First I want to say that I've used the POD XT live, POD HD500X, and AMPLIFi in the past (as well as units from another, ahem, brand that starts with B), and I am very familiar with using computer library and editing software for FX. This, however, is a new level. I recreated all my core library sounds within 4 hours of opening the box on this unit, assigned footswitch toggles with no drama, and had all patch levels normalized for my primary guitar not long after. This also sounds amazing, and gives fantastic control over specifid amp + cab combinations. I also found the IR import and use to be intuitive, and had an amazing acoustic guitar sim from scratch that sounds as good as my Variax sims. The patches available freely on the line-6 site were also great to see and some of them I quite like. I know this sounds like I'm a shill, but I don't have any connections to Line-6 -- I've just used their products live and in my recordings for years (I still have my Variax 300 in the closet). I bought this, even though it lacks the Variax port I wanted, because it was so much less expensive and would settle, once and for all, if I want to stick with Line-6 or go with the "B" brand's full size offering. The verdict? I'm hoping a fairy godmother sends me a Helix, because if this is the core sound, I'd love all the extra bits and bobs to go with it. If not, I guess I'll just have to cut back on coffee and save up:)