I waited an extraordinary amount of time, hoping to prepare it for an upcoming tour. It took almost 4 weeks to get here, because DHL "lost" it. So, when it did finally arrive, the first thing I wanted was to update the firmware, but first there was an error, and to bypass the error I had to remove the MicroSD card, per some other users that and the same problem.
So, now it booted up, and the firmware upgrade went swimmingly. I put the MicroSD card back in, and reformatted it. Showcase mode was where I went next, so I could test out if it would work for my upcoming tour. The instructions in the manual were not quite correct, but I did eventually get my WAV files in, and got them to play back. It was late, so I figured I'd wait until the next day to dive in, and verify functionality for touring.
This is where things went very wrong. It froze during boot up. So, as before, I removed the MicroSD card. Still froze during boot up. Tried several more times, kept locking up during bootstrap.
As a touring artist, I need gear that works every time. So this was a deal breaker. I've had problems with Line6 firmware issues before (the infamous delete on all your assigned outputs on all the presets), and sold my Helix, as a result. Imagine stepping onto a stage, and your unit freezes/locks up? Where do you go if that happens?
Into the trash bin of history. So, I will stick with my NeuralDSP Quad Cortex, which has never failed me. Line6 may eventually iron out these bugs, but I am not their alpha tester. The features, if they worked, are great, but I can't use a very expensive unit that locks up for any reason.
If you are not a touring musician, you can maybe live with issues. I cannot. I was so looking forward to this, but it became a HUGE disappointment.
