Of course this is one mans opine and some folks probably LOVE the gain from those units. For me it was awful.
On the line 6, it did have a million options and parameters. I'm a bit of a parameter tweaker so it too me an entire week of non stop testing to figure that I just couldn't get the sound I wanted. Honestly, it's a problem with the line six high gain emulation IMHO. It's fine for solos generally but runs a bit muddy once you get it hot enough. Cleans were amazing though
Mid gain too.
You may be better off swapping out for axe fx or kemper or Eleven Rack. That way you can get just about any tone you like pre built by somebody and just download it. All these units have killer gain at any level.
This is what I'm actually thinking...
I loved the Pod Bean starting off on, apart from it being a bit digital.
The Pod HD 500 took some care of that and is really good with the DT50 - cleans are awesome, jazz, blues and rock is sweet as, but the high gain emulation I want to use a lot, I still have to fight with it and hunt for a quality tone! My craving and ear for tone has developed a lot over the years - I can hear something isn't quite right.
The DT50 Amp is half digital / half tube - which is ideal for lower volumes. However, true tone doesn't really kick in until it's over a loudness point and kicking in the tubes, then high gain becomes muddy/fuzzy, so add a noise gate and it cuts some of the tone out. I find it really annoying to get a good kick into it and still being clear of saturation, even with low reverb.
One issue I believe is the DT50 weights a ton and sits in the corner of my room (with really no where else it can go). Probably weights more than me, I just can barely carry/move it. Can't take it out far. However that corner might be creating a bass sound reflection or something for the amp while it's being played?
The Axe FX II - Mark 2 was never available for purchase in NZ, until just this week... talk about timing! Was it meant to be?
I'm highly considering that as a replacement, with an Atomic CTR Active Wedge AMP. That shouldn't have any issues with the room right?
There's also a crazy guy selling a second hand AXE FX 2 - Mark 1. I might be looking at that coming with the MFC-101 control board and Matrix GT1000FX power amp too, fingers crossed - might get for half the price. Looks very good nick, only used a few gigs, etc. However, he's also selling guns / hunting rifles - so a little freak out it might be stolen and he'll just shoot me for da cash. Either way, I think he's crazy for selling it!