Helix on a budget.. Donner Arena 2000

equalsql · August 2023

£228 witb their additional 5% discount.
A lot of pedal for very little dosh indeed.
Anyone on here own one?

jellybelly · August 2023

I didn't think it sounded great, but that might just be me? I have an allergy to 'sponsored content' though so my opinion should be taken with a grain of salt.

A more skeptical man than I might deliberate what percentage of the development of this product was the reverse engineering of the software and hardware of similar products made by US and Japanese companies.

Not me however, I love Donner...

thecolourbox · August 2023

Jesus that's a lot of reverb and delay for no real benefit

Grumpyrocker · August 2023

Looks like the same FX unit that's available in various boxes and brands from Amazon and elsewhere.

welshboyo · August 2023

jellybelly said:

I didn't think it sounded great, but that might just be me? I have an allergy to 'sponsored content' though so my opinion should be taken with a grain of salt.

A more skeptical man than I might deliberate what percentage of the development of this product was the reverse engineering of the software and hardware of similar products made by US and Japanese companies.

Not me however, I love Donner.

I don't think it helps that the guy is not a great player.....

thecolourbox · August 2023

He reminds me of the kind of person who works in a guitar shop, and when you ask him if you can try out a guitar/amp he says yes sure then proceeds to play his own overly percussive style through it at a totally different volume and gain level than you'd like to try, while you stand and wait for your chance to actually have a go

Reverend · August 2023

The video just sounds like being a guitar show as 35 people try various amps and pedals at the same time

Rocker · August 2023

The guy demoing the pedal has a channel that teaches guitar playing. His channel crops up frequently in my YouTube listing.....

thecolourbox · August 2023

Rocker said:

The guy demoing the pedal has a channel that teaches guitar playing. His channel crops up frequently in my YouTube listing.....

Thanks for the warning

monquixote · August 2023

If anyone is after budget modelling the Nux stuff sounds excellent and supposedly the Hotone stuff is also very good.

jellybelly · August 2023

monquixote said:

If anyone is after budget modelling the Nux stuff sounds excellent and supposedly the Hotone stuff is also very good.

If that skeptic were back in the room, he'd be interested to discuss whether there were really 4-5 well-resourced and above-board guitar effects r&d departments for these companies all located in Shenzhen, China. Maybe it's some sort of new Mecca for innovative guitar equipment??

jellybelly · August 2023

(he wouldn't be upset at the user's of such though, each to their own)

Wazmeister · August 2023

Not for me, doesnt sound great…. In fact, the Bogner sound was woeful. As was the AC…

Get a useD HX Stomp.

Sporky · August 2023

I wonder if it's like the AV world. There are a lot of conferencing bars - basically USB soundbar with a camera and mics built in. From all sorts of companies.

Many of them were designed by the same roving band of designers, incorporating a bit of the individual companies' technology (fer instance if they have their own audio or camera technology).

It's entirely possible that the same happens with guitar DSP stuff. Line6 and Boss have their own developers I'd bet, but some of the smaller companies may use roving freelancers.

DrCornelius · August 2023

I went through a phase of buying loads of cheap mini pedals , nearly all Mooer, Nux and Donner. During my research I’m sure I read somewhere that they were basically all identical units with different finishes and logos

Danny1969 · August 2023

Sporky said:

I wonder if it's like the AV world. There are a lot of conferencing bars - basically USB soundbar with a camera and mics built in. From all sorts of companies.

Many of them were designed by the same roving band of designers, incorporating a bit of the individual companies' technology (fer instance if they have their own audio or camera technology).

It's entirely possible that the same happens with guitar DSP stuff. Line6 and Boss have their own developers I'd bet, but some of the smaller companies may use roving freelancers.

That is the case for a lot of things now. I have seen loads of active PA speakers with the same internal class D amps. EV, for example has a lower end range which is just one of these modules stuck in a polypropylene enclosure with an EV badge on it. Generally the RMS power is exaggerated, the size of the bridge rect, flyback tranny and mosfets are about right for 350 / 400 watts or so not the 1000W you see on the box.

The earlier days of laptops, when I was heavily involved were also very incestiest. 2 large companies Quanta and and Compal along with Twinhead and a few others were basically making all the Dell's, HP's and other big brands. The HP Omnibook 2100 was basically the same laptop as the Dell Inspiron 3200 for example.

The Icepower audio modules, which are a combined SMPS and class D power amp PCB are used in loads of audio products from B&O sub woofers to hi fi audio amps and as I've mentioned loads of times Fender Tonemaster amps.

I suppose it allows designers to bring out a product quickly due to the lack of time and money needed for R&D .. plus all the certification is done. It does mean though that going forward there will be less innovation in the audio world.

One company that is still designing all it's own products is Blackstar. When they brought out the Amped module I thought it was another generic amp module with some BS DSP in a box but then coincidently I was mixing a U2 tribute a few weeks later and the guitarist was BS's head of design. He told me they designed it, and the St James amp completely in house which is nice to hear in these days of other manufacturers using generic building blocks.

Sporky · August 2023

There was a set of gut shots of AV mini power amps. Even the QSC ones were made from the same 3rd party modules as the cheapies.

Extron had their own design. About a quarter of the capacitors, much higher efficiency, lower noise, faster startup ftom standby.

Kebabkid · August 2023

Sporky said:

I wonder if it's like the AV world. There are a lot of conferencing bars - basically USB soundbar with a camera and mics built in. From all sorts of companies.

Many of them were designed by the same roving band of designers, incorporating a bit of the individual companies' technology (fer instance if they have their own audio or camera technology).

It's entirely possible that the same happens with guitar DSP stuff. Line6 and Boss have their own developers I'd bet, but some of the smaller companies may use roving freelancers.

A friend is obsessed and buys all these type of cheap sub-£200/mini-units and mini amps and then sells them if he doesn't like them and so I get to try them. The Nux ones were OK but the Hotone Ampero was probably the best. That said, he recently sold a lot of them and bought the Boss ME-90

steer · August 2023

Kebabkid said:

A friend is obsessed and buys all these type of cheap sub-£200/mini-units and mini amps and then sells them if he doesn't like them and so I get to try them. The Nux ones were OK but the Hotone Ampero was probably the best. That said, he recently sold a lot of them and bought the Boss ME-90

And there it is. If I were after a new multi fx, I would go to Boss, Line 6 or Zoom, rather than one of these lesser known models.

Danny1969 · August 2023

The real Helix on a budget is the Pod Go. I mean it's the same amps and cabs and most of the effects of the Helix but available for £250 used on a good day.

soma1975 · August 2023

I mean, how many companies do you need manufacturing a type of weetabix? Better to have one do it to different price points or specs.

monquixote · August 2023

Kebabkid said:

Sporky said:

I wonder if it's like the AV world. There are a lot of conferencing bars - basically USB soundbar with a camera and mics built in. From all sorts of companies.

Many of them were designed by the same roving band of designers, incorporating a bit of the individual companies' technology (fer instance if they have their own audio or camera technology).

It's entirely possible that the same happens with guitar DSP stuff. Line6 and Boss have their own developers I'd bet, but some of the smaller companies may use roving freelancers.

A friend is obsessed and buys all these type of cheap sub-£200/mini-units and mini amps and then sells them if he doesn't like them and so I get to try them. The Nux ones were OK but the Hotone Ampero was probably the best. That said, he recently sold a lot of them and bought the Boss ME-90

The Nux ones aren't all the same. They've gone through about 3 generations of modelling

p90fool · August 2023

Danny1969 said:

The real Helix on a budget is the Pod Go. I mean it's the same amps and cabs and most of the effects of the Helix but available for £250 used on a good day.

I've just started gigging one and it's the most impressed I've been with a modeller live so far.

darthed1981 · August 2023

thecolourbox said:

He reminds me of the kind of person who works in a guitar shop, and when you ask him if you can try out a guitar/amp he says yes sure then proceeds to play his own overly percussive style through it at a totally different volume and gain level than you'd like to try, while you stand and wait for your chance to actually have a go

Ah them, they call then "staff in guitar shops"...

darthed1981 · August 2023

jellybelly said:
Not me however, I love Donner...

Naan, all salad, garlic mayo and chili sauce please

thecolourbox · August 2023

darthed1981 said:

thecolourbox said:

He reminds me of the kind of person who works in a guitar shop, and when you ask him if you can try out a guitar/amp he says yes sure then proceeds to play his own overly percussive style through it at a totally different volume and gain level than you'd like to try, while you stand and wait for your chance to actually have a go

Ah them, they call then "staff in guitar shops"...

Usually rubbish staff in rubbish shops, not representative of good staff in shops

darthed1981 · August 2023

thecolourbox said:

darthed1981 said:

thecolourbox said:

He reminds me of the kind of person who works in a guitar shop, and when you ask him if you can try out a guitar/amp he says yes sure then proceeds to play his own overly percussive style through it at a totally different volume and gain level than you'd like to try, while you stand and wait for your chance to actually have a go

Ah them, they call then "staff in guitar shops"...

Usually rubbish staff in rubbish shops, not representative of good staff in shops

Joking aside, happily conceded

PolarityMan · August 2023

Sporky said:

the same roving band of designers,

I'm concerned. What can I do to deter them? Do I need to make sure there is always a camp fire or should I just make sure I stick to the King's road which is regularly patrolled? Can they detect traps?

Voxman · September 2023

p90fool said:

Danny1969 said:

The real Helix on a budget is the Pod Go. I mean it's the same amps and cabs and most of the effects of the Helix but available for £250 used on a good day.

I've just started gigging one and it's the most impressed I've been with a modeller live so far.

v1.5 is in Beta testing so hopefully shouldn't be too much longer and should up Pod Go's game even further with the anticipated new cab engine, IRs, amps and fx from Helix v3.5. Helix is on v3.6 so we'll have to see if Line 6 include those new amp, fx and cabs too.

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Helix on a budget.. Donner Arena 2000

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