I have both. Each excels at very different things. The Friedman has valve (tube) warmth in spades, sounds very organic and responds well to dropping the guitar volume. The HX is a guitar tone swiss army knife and Line 6 are very proactive at providing updates and improvements regularly.
Had the IR-X. It's really nice but I returned it. A/Bing it with the Stomp or my Fractal, it was really just different....but not better. It has a nice feel but again, it's different...not really better. It's nice having knobs for the amp controls. For those that don't want to mess with a modeler, it works great.
Funny I guessed you were switching in the intro. Honestly though, they both sounded similar and more importantly very similar. For me it would be more about feel. I have an HX Stomp and very happy with it as it feels great and sounds great too. Not sure why I always check out gear demos when I am completely happy with my current rig. Must be that I can't miss any of your demos John. Great playing as always!
Love the videos with the kid! Those are going to be something great to look back at down the road. IRX into Stomp seems like a good combo, maybe with a drive pedal out front. I go back and forth on the drives in the Stomp.
Those were some really good tones from the Friedman. The ability for the HX Stomp and your skills to so closely match them is truly remarkable. Such a great Modeler and bang for the buck, I'm glad I have one. Having a "library" of great tones from other pedals, helps dialing in and plays to the strength of the HX Stomp. Thanks
Nice comparison. Would love to get your thoughts on the feel of the two units. As a long-time Fractal user, that is where the IR-X really stood out to me. It had great dynamics, even when playing through headphones. I get really great dynamics from my FM9, but I need to be pushing some volume. They both sound fantastic, but the feel is why I have kept the IR-X and built a more "traditional" pedal board around it to compliment my FM9. Thanks for the great content, per usual. Cheers.
I've come to the IR-X from the Helix and the feel and touch sensitivity is the ultimate game-changer for me. I couldn't agree with you more on your thoughts about the feel.
I was definitely feeling like the IR-X is doing a better job when I back off the volume, but in an actual blind AB test, and if I'd tried to match them, I wonder if I'd really tell the difference?
I have both. I find the IR-X blooms a little better, and is a bit more complex nature of the tone. HX can sound darn close. But, I still find I like the feel and response to pick dynamics better on the IR-X.
@@HeadHondo If you're coming from modellers, depending on what platform, to HX Stomp, you might feel the difference. If you come from most Modellers to Friedman IR-X you WILL notice the feel and reaction difference. Friedman feels like a modern tube amp. NOW, you don;t get saturated O Tube response, unless you run it through a tube amp cranked, or a similar power amp. I also Have an Axe FX III, Tonex, lesser modellers, and HAD a Kemper. IMHO, the Helix though tonally there, has the most 'modeller feel and response of the high end stuff. Axe FX is about as close to playing a tube amp as there is imho. Kemper over exaggerated a few things, so was SUPER Tubey in feel. Tonex has a tiny latency , that is just noticeable.
I just bought the ir-x yesterday. Really just to hear how great it sounds, tweak my hx stomp to sound as good, then return it on the market. Modelers are great, but I need references to know what it’s emulating. Update, it’s been 8 days, I get very close, but I always end up liking ir-x more.
both sounded incredible. to get the HX to sound that good, it's more effort i'd imagine. plus, too many options quickly gets you into the constantly tweaking habit. I'm also terrible with computer based devices with menu's. IR X suits me to a T.
OK, I think John Cordy is an amazing guitar player that can make any half decent piece of guitar gear sound great. Also, by the time the sound has gone through RUclips compression I'm sure the differences we can hear between the IR-X and the Helix are going to be minimal. In the room when I play my own IR-X I get definite warm Marshall JCM800 vibes that take me right back to being 18 years old playing loud in a garage rock band. The Helix is different, very versatile. If I have a particular sound in my head, the Helix can normally nail it.
I do not own either, but have been curious about the Lion. One of the main things that people rave about with the lion is the Marshall cleans that it can produce. Are these two on that same level when it comes to cleans? Thanks!
The Friedman IR-X has completely replaced my Helix. I disable the IR on the Freidman and run into a Seymour Duncan Powerstage 700 then out of the PS700 to both a 2x12 cabinet and FOH. However, I only used Friedman and Marshall amps in the Helix along with a simple delay and basic ambient reverb. I tried for about a week and I couldn't get the Helix to feel as good as the IR-X. I exclusively used the Helix for 6 years and thought that I was incredibly knowledgeable on how to sculpt tones. I plugged the IR-X in and never looked back. Turn it on and it sounds better than every amp I have in my arsenal and blew my Helix out of the water. I will say this...I've not used the IR-X through monitors alone. I have only used it through a live cab on stage and FOH gets a separate signal that I'm not hearing. But when I plugged the Helix into the Powerstage 700 through the 2x12 cab the harsh brittle digital highs were just so obvious and piercing. The IR-X has ZERO harshness.
Interesting - I plugged the Friedman IR X into the return of a tube amp and also a Boss Katana, and found all of the same harshness and stuff that I didn't like. However, using it like I would a normal modeler, I agree, it's really decent
@johnnathancordy That is very interesting. When I tried it through the return of the Boss Katana Artist mk2 head, there was digital fizz, through my EVH LBX III there was a lot of harsh fizz, through an Orange Pedal Baby 100 there was a lot of spikey highs, but through the Powerstage 700 its the smoothest amp tones I've ever gotten. Thanks for the response! Happy Christmas!
@@johnnathancordysame here. Plugged into a return of a 5150 111 stealth 100 w tube amp sounded terrible, also plugged into a return of a boss Katana 2x12 same thing. Friedman sounds great with headphones on but that’s about it.
I think this proves that the cabinet is core influence on the tone of different hardware modelling the same amps. You soon find that avtually the amp midels individually are all actually really close when offered up to the same cab.
Being technologically challenged, I would happily live with, and gig with, the Friedman and a couple of effects pedals. Now just to find someone to carry around the PA system…
I bought a hx stomp because it was ths only platform that (really) handed down the flagship tones to the affordable units Im weirdly specific with my effect needs, hx has them Professional sounding high gain tones Now they are heady sounding and it plays right into the sound i want im not missing bass frequencies when i leave out a low cut. When I make a moderate high cut, the top end sits perfect. A real quality sound kicks in. I was thinking about getting a fm8 becase they are affordable now and i could just add to the stomp and bam, dual cabs and fractal amps After dialing in helix tones...i wo dering if its even worth it to get into the fractal world I am liking helix sound that much
Great playing! The IR-x sounds a tad better to me. Like more strings and air between the notes. The HX sounds a little bit more compact. The HX is obviously more value for the bucks with 1000 of things the IR-x can't do and really close soundwise. But for a simple good sounding pedal I will probably go and buy the IR-X and use it with my Fender FR-10.
That is another product sure. A quick google seems to show that the Simplifier doesn't load IRs, so doing a meaningful comparison of the amp modeling/sims would be very difficult - unless you can bypass the cab section?
Yes, but they possess similarities. Both are analog with digital reverb for the Dsm and digital Ir for Ir x. Both are made for direct or to play silent with Headphone. Both have effect loop. Which one do you prefer?
The IR-X is a amp replacement for people who want / need to go direct but they don't want a full on modeler with menus. If you already own a digital modeler like a Helix then the IR-X just seems like a waste of money. You clearly demonstrated that you can get the same tones with the Helix and Leon Todd did the same with matching the Axe-FX III to the IR-X.
Love and always watch your videos...but adding other effects and a backing track combined with RUclips compression makes it virtually impossible in a mix to distingish between pedals, particularly with IRs and is not useful if trying to decide on pedal A vs. pedal B. Given that...excellent job isolating each pedal on their own...very helpful. Cheers
if we're being honest, even if you can tell a difference and tell which is which in a blind test (which i honestly doubt anyone could do with reasonable accuracy), the differences are small enough that it just doesn't matter. the IR X is cool, looks great, sounds exactly how it's supposed to, and is a really cool gadget, though i'd personally rather have a 600+ bucks tube preamp in rack form safely stowed away instead of literally stepping on it. i understand anyone who wants one. but if you compare it (or pretty much any other pedal/preamp for that matter) to the stomp purely on merit, the stomp's versatility and value proposition is just unfair.
I'm struggling to find interest in either because you're not on a big stage in an open field while a powerful thunderstorm is starting to pass over while you're playing & singing a cover of U2's MLK to a packed, entranced audience. I mean, you're in a dark room all alone & filming yourself playing into a laptop input instead. Where's the magic? Where are the REAL amps? Is THIS what artists have devolved into after so many years of growth, innovation, potential? If yes -- and it is unquestionably yes -- then I'm enthusiastically here for it and love the absolute shit out of it. I say keep asking the important questions, rockin' & lecturin', sir.
Hey, John. How did the HX Stomp feel compared to the IR-X? I've always thought the Line6 HX stomp sounded great for the high gain stuff, but felt it was somewhat lacking at the crunch or just breaking up sounds.
Hated my stomp. Had one year. Brittle and harsh for majority of distortion and gain options. The spacy effects and lead guitar options were decent and some good bass tones for bass but lacks major tube feel. Friedman all way.
After upgrading to v3.6, I was able to use the 2048 sample IR blocks - making my Ownhammer IRs sound much better, and without the need to remove the other blocks for processing room. So now, I'm using the HxStomp for more than just a backup.
Not *hear* a big difference... but *feel* a big one! Obviously this is not a important point of interest for you. Imho for most (older) guitarists (who know tube-amps well) this is the most crucial point. With a modeler (any!), I can feel the latency and the missing dynamic. Maybe for a Pro like you are, this is not a "instrumental" thing ;) Btw: the Boss-Modelers (IR-200, GT-1000 etc.) are the "fastest" (best sample-rates) under the fingers, with lots of dynamic. For some reasons, you obviously do not like them that much. Why?
I've actually done quite a lot of videos with the Boss stuff talking about the hardware being the best in class - but I think there are other trade-offs with their stuff - particularly the choices around AIRD speaker stuff. Incidentally, given that the Friedman IR-X has modeling built in too (power amp into the IR) - there would probably be comparable latency anyway. Latency on the best hardware tends to be below 2ms in any case, which I think is the equivalent of being like less than 1 metre from a tube amp - I'm pretty sure I wouldn't detect this
John Cordy entered a John Cordy lookalike contest in Taunton and came first. “It was clearly her,” the judges said.
I have both. Each excels at very different things. The Friedman has valve (tube) warmth in spades, sounds very organic and responds well to dropping the guitar volume. The HX is a guitar tone swiss army knife and Line 6 are very proactive at providing updates and improvements regularly.
Had the IR-X. It's really nice but I returned it. A/Bing it with the Stomp or my Fractal, it was really just different....but not better. It has a nice feel but again, it's different...not really better. It's nice having knobs for the amp controls. For those that don't want to mess with a modeler, it works great.
Funny I guessed you were switching in the intro. Honestly though, they both sounded similar and more importantly very similar. For me it would be more about feel. I have an HX Stomp and very happy with it as it feels great and sounds great too. Not sure why I always check out gear demos when I am completely happy with my current rig. Must be that I can't miss any of your demos John. Great playing as always!
Love the videos with the kid! Those are going to be something great to look back at down the road.
IRX into Stomp seems like a good combo, maybe with a drive pedal out front. I go back and forth on the drives in the Stomp.
I think this simply once again proves how amazing the Helix is ....even after all this time.
Those were some really good tones from the Friedman. The ability for the HX Stomp and your skills to so closely match them is truly remarkable. Such a great Modeler and bang for the buck, I'm glad I have one. Having a "library" of great tones from other pedals, helps dialing in and plays to the strength of the HX Stomp. Thanks
Thank you for getting a good mic. Always great content, but now much easier to watch!
Nice comparison. Would love to get your thoughts on the feel of the two units. As a long-time Fractal user, that is where the IR-X really stood out to me. It had great dynamics, even when playing through headphones. I get really great dynamics from my FM9, but I need to be pushing some volume. They both sound fantastic, but the feel is why I have kept the IR-X and built a more "traditional" pedal board around it to compliment my FM9. Thanks for the great content, per usual. Cheers.
I've come to the IR-X from the Helix and the feel and touch sensitivity is the ultimate game-changer for me. I couldn't agree with you more on your thoughts about the feel.
I was definitely feeling like the IR-X is doing a better job when I back off the volume, but in an actual blind AB test, and if I'd tried to match them, I wonder if I'd really tell the difference?
@@MrStephenlederle 💯
Jam in this one is exceptional
The "chirppy stringiness with the IRX" as well as percussive feel under the fingers seems to be the difference?
The “chirpy” sound is all in the playing style, settings and the way the pick attacks the strings. Also try playing a couple of “real” tube amps.
I have both. I find the IR-X blooms a little better, and is a bit more complex nature of the tone. HX can sound darn close. But, I still find I like the feel and response to pick dynamics better on the IR-X.
Thank you. This is the opinion I was hoping for. My main concern is how a product that feels under the fingers. Makes for a better performance
@@HeadHondo If you're coming from modellers, depending on what platform, to HX Stomp, you might feel the difference. If you come from most Modellers to Friedman IR-X you WILL notice the feel and reaction difference. Friedman feels like a modern tube amp. NOW, you don;t get saturated O Tube response, unless you run it through a tube amp cranked, or a similar power amp. I also Have an Axe FX III, Tonex, lesser modellers, and HAD a Kemper. IMHO, the Helix though tonally there, has the most 'modeller feel and response of the high end stuff. Axe FX is about as close to playing a tube amp as there is imho. Kemper over exaggerated a few things, so was SUPER Tubey in feel. Tonex has a tiny latency , that is just noticeable.
@@justmehere6094 Great info - thanks!
I just bought the ir-x yesterday. Really just to hear how great it sounds, tweak my hx stomp to sound as good, then return it on the market. Modelers are great, but I need references to know what it’s emulating. Update, it’s been 8 days, I get very close, but I always end up liking ir-x more.
Both sound great, and pretty close. Is the Stomp preset going to be available at all?
both sounded incredible. to get the HX to sound that good, it's more effort i'd imagine. plus, too many options quickly gets you into the constantly tweaking habit. I'm also terrible with computer based devices with menu's. IR X suits me to a T.
Always nice to hear some LTE!
OK, I think John Cordy is an amazing guitar player that can make any half decent piece of guitar gear sound great. Also, by the time the sound has gone through RUclips compression I'm sure the differences we can hear between the IR-X and the Helix are going to be minimal. In the room when I play my own IR-X I get definite warm Marshall JCM800 vibes that take me right back to being 18 years old playing loud in a garage rock band. The Helix is different, very versatile. If I have a particular sound in my head, the Helix can normally nail it.
Wow the difference in sound is minimal. Would it be possible to get sounds from the video as an HX Stomp preset in your bundle?
Yes - I will try to remember to upload it! I think it might already been in the folder and called FriedCordy or something?
I do not own either, but have been curious about the Lion. One of the main things that people rave about with the lion is the Marshall cleans that it can produce. Are these two on that same level when it comes to cleans? Thanks!
The Friedman IR-X has completely replaced my Helix. I disable the IR on the Freidman and run into a Seymour Duncan Powerstage 700 then out of the PS700 to both a 2x12 cabinet and FOH. However, I only used Friedman and Marshall amps in the Helix along with a simple delay and basic ambient reverb. I tried for about a week and I couldn't get the Helix to feel as good as the IR-X. I exclusively used the Helix for 6 years and thought that I was incredibly knowledgeable on how to sculpt tones. I plugged the IR-X in and never looked back. Turn it on and it sounds better than every amp I have in my arsenal and blew my Helix out of the water. I will say this...I've not used the IR-X through monitors alone. I have only used it through a live cab on stage and FOH gets a separate signal that I'm not hearing. But when I plugged the Helix into the Powerstage 700 through the 2x12 cab the harsh brittle digital highs were just so obvious and piercing. The IR-X has ZERO harshness.
Interesting - I plugged the Friedman IR X into the return of a tube amp and also a Boss Katana, and found all of the same harshness and stuff that I didn't like.
However, using it like I would a normal modeler, I agree, it's really decent
@johnnathancordy That is very interesting. When I tried it through the return of the Boss Katana Artist mk2 head, there was digital fizz, through my EVH LBX III there was a lot of harsh fizz, through an Orange Pedal Baby 100 there was a lot of spikey highs, but through the Powerstage 700 its the smoothest amp tones I've ever gotten. Thanks for the response! Happy Christmas!
@@johnnathancordysame here. Plugged into a return of a 5150 111 stealth 100 w tube amp sounded terrible, also plugged into a return of a boss Katana 2x12 same thing. Friedman sounds great with headphones on but that’s about it.
I think this proves that the cabinet is core influence on the tone of different hardware modelling the same amps. You soon find that avtually the amp midels individually are all actually really close when offered up to the same cab.
That intro jam may well be my new favourite, is this preset going in the folder?
I can chuck it into the folder yes! Remind me!
@@johnnathancordy REMINDER 😛
@@johnnathancordy Reminder :)
John... John please...the preset John...
Being technologically challenged, I would happily live with, and gig with, the Friedman and a couple of effects pedals. Now just to find someone to carry around the PA system…
What about the HX Stomp vs the Kemper Profile player?
I bought a hx stomp because it was ths only platform that (really) handed down the flagship tones to the affordable units
Im weirdly specific with my effect needs, hx has them
Professional sounding high gain tones
Now they are heady sounding and it plays right into the sound i want im not missing bass frequencies when i leave out a low cut. When I make a moderate high cut, the top end sits perfect. A real quality sound kicks in.
I was thinking about getting a fm8 becase they are affordable now and i could just add to the stomp and bam, dual cabs and fractal amps
After dialing in helix tones...i wo dering if its even worth it to get into the fractal world
I am liking helix sound that much
I love your playing. When’s the album coming out 😃
The jam was great! How do you get other things to come in like the drums? I don’t know much about looping
You ever tested the Mooer GE300?
Paradigm Shift LTE!
Great playing! The IR-x sounds a tad better to me. Like more strings and air between the notes. The HX sounds a little bit more compact. The HX is obviously more value for the bucks with 1000 of things the IR-x can't do and really close soundwise. But for a simple good sounding pedal I will probably go and buy the IR-X and use it with my Fender FR-10.
I prefer the Ir x. But the real comparison is Ir x vs Dsm simplifier Mk2?
That is another product sure. A quick google seems to show that the Simplifier doesn't load IRs, so doing a meaningful comparison of the amp modeling/sims would be very difficult - unless you can bypass the cab section?
Yes, but they possess similarities. Both are analog with digital reverb for the Dsm and digital Ir for Ir x. Both are made for direct or to play silent with Headphone. Both have effect loop. Which one do you prefer?
The IR-X is a amp replacement for people who want / need to go direct but they don't want a full on modeler with menus. If you already own a digital modeler like a Helix then the IR-X just seems like a waste of money. You clearly demonstrated that you can get the same tones with the Helix and Leon Todd did the same with matching the Axe-FX III to the IR-X.
Love and always watch your videos...but adding other effects and a backing track combined with RUclips compression makes it virtually impossible in a mix to distingish between pedals, particularly with IRs and is not useful if trying to decide on pedal A vs. pedal B. Given that...excellent job isolating each pedal on their own...very helpful. Cheers
Which amp model did you use in the Stomp for this comparison? Thx
The friedman Be on Helix is the Placater
@@dandyism7288 thx🌟
if we're being honest, even if you can tell a difference and tell which is which in a blind test (which i honestly doubt anyone could do with reasonable accuracy), the differences are small enough that it just doesn't matter. the IR X is cool, looks great, sounds exactly how it's supposed to, and is a really cool gadget, though i'd personally rather have a 600+ bucks tube preamp in rack form safely stowed away instead of literally stepping on it. i understand anyone who wants one. but if you compare it (or pretty much any other pedal/preamp for that matter) to the stomp purely on merit, the stomp's versatility and value proposition is just unfair.
I'm struggling to find interest in either because you're not on a big stage in an open field while a powerful thunderstorm is starting to pass over while you're playing & singing a cover of U2's MLK to a packed, entranced audience.
I mean, you're in a dark room all alone & filming yourself playing into a laptop input instead. Where's the magic? Where are the REAL amps? Is THIS what artists have devolved into after so many years of growth, innovation, potential?
If yes -- and it is unquestionably yes -- then I'm enthusiastically here for it and love the absolute shit out of it.
I say keep asking the important questions, rockin' & lecturin', sir.
I stiiiiiiiill haven't found
where I left that shirt
Hey, John. How did the HX Stomp feel compared to the IR-X? I've always thought the Line6 HX stomp sounded great for the high gain stuff, but felt it was somewhat lacking at the crunch or just breaking up sounds.
Hated my stomp. Had one year. Brittle and harsh for majority of distortion and gain options. The spacy effects and lead guitar options were decent and some good bass tones for bass but lacks major tube feel. Friedman all way.
I loved my HX Stomp but sold it a couple years ago... used it with IRs always, was not a big fan of the built in cab sims...
the new cab engine has almost entirely replaced my 3rd party irs.
@@givemeajackson yeah, I sold
mine before this came out...
Bummer. That update made me boot all IRs as all. Even my York IRs. @@ToneChaseBasement
Yeh the new cab engine is really quite good!
After upgrading to v3.6, I was able to use the 2048 sample IR blocks - making my Ownhammer IRs sound much better, and without the need to remove the other blocks for processing room. So now, I'm using the HxStomp for more than just a backup.
nothing can keep up with tubes!
Unless you want a one trick pony, the Stomp always wins.
Yes. I want a one trick pony, thats the point.
@@Ottophil well there you go…
Thought you switched back to amps? That didn’t take long. Just kidding.
Not *hear* a big difference... but *feel* a big one! Obviously this is not a important point of interest for you. Imho for most (older) guitarists (who know tube-amps well) this is the most crucial point. With a modeler (any!), I can feel the latency and the missing dynamic. Maybe for a Pro like you are, this is not a "instrumental" thing ;)
Btw: the Boss-Modelers (IR-200, GT-1000 etc.) are the "fastest" (best sample-rates) under the fingers, with lots of dynamic. For some reasons, you obviously do not like them that much. Why?
I've actually done quite a lot of videos with the Boss stuff talking about the hardware being the best in class - but I think there are other trade-offs with their stuff - particularly the choices around AIRD speaker stuff.
Incidentally, given that the Friedman IR-X has modeling built in too (power amp into the IR) - there would probably be comparable latency anyway.
Latency on the best hardware tends to be below 2ms in any case, which I think is the equivalent of being like less than 1 metre from a tube amp - I'm pretty sure I wouldn't detect this
ah line6 :-) funny boy