Line 6 Powercab 112 Active Guitar Speaker Reviews

This power can is awesome. I have a Headrush
cab and this sounds way better. With the modeled speakers in the Line 6 I can use any one of six cab simulations to get the exact tone I want. Works great with my Helix HX pedal board. If you have a modeler this is the cab. Feels/looks like a real amp cab and enough power to cut through a band mix. Sounds better than a Friedman my buddy let me borrow and at half the price. I recommend this cab to anyone who uses a modeler.

So much better than playing through the PA. So much simpler than a complete rig. I use this and my PodGo, and while you might argue that there is nothing better than a tube amp and pedals, this set up is so convenient to go from something close to a SRV sound to a EVH sound to a BFG sound by pressing a foot switch.

I got the HX stomp Xl and i was running it 4cm with a Rivera Suprema Jazz amp. Really great sound (when the amp was working). Long story…. I see line 6 advertised for this powercab. I figured why not? Half the price or so of a tube amp and more reliable (i hope).

Sweetwater gets this thing to me in 2 days flat. Thanks! After playing with for half an hour i can't figure out why this thing sounds kinda flat?? Hollow-like? Then i read - Set output to Line Level - OMG! This thing came ALIVE!!

All the amps i was using were sounding so detailed and clean. Jazz/fusion. This powercab can really put out that "amo in the room" vibe well. Its reallly a pleasure to play. Very lightweight too. Easy gigging.

The speaker sims will take sometime to get use too but they sound great so far. Oh yeah, this thing is LOUD!!!

If you want a cheap and viable solution for gigging or jamming. This may work for you. Im sure this is gonna be a pleasure to record with. Very happy i took the plunge!!

Been playing only effects from Podgo to Fender Blues Jr. amp. Now I get to sample the amps too. Love this thing, Powercab 112. Very loud! I only play at home in our den. Will never have to turn up the volume. Now all I have to do is find out how close to the real thing these amp sims come in. I'm really digging the Mesa Boogie simulations as well as the Fender sims.

BTW: Have had it for a few weeks now and haven't turn on my tube amp since I received the PC112. This thing is a lot of fun!

Im using a Helix LT and it sounds great through this power amp. I get the "amp in the room" sound. I play in a country band and took it to a small gig last night. Used the tilt back stand and adjusted the helix for the room. I only used about half the volume and had the drummer next to me. Very nice!

Now, there is a trick to it. You have to send enough gain to the power amp to dig into the speaker. They have a light that turns yellow to let you know where that is. It cannot be understated how important that is.

Highly Recommended!

Bought this to complete a package,(Variax Shuriken,HelixLT)..Excellent sound !! Very Loud if you want it to be..I really like the look of it besides..Very Happy with this !

I own a Pod Go. I own a Powercab, (two actually, but mainly play through one.)

This can go loud, but I'm not a very loud player. I'm kind of shy. That will change when I finally find a band, but for now I'm just noodling in my basement, and even my wife who, for years, I've suspected wasn't a big fan of my musical tastes, when I come up for air from the basement even she says "You sounded great down there." But I don't need her opinion to know that. I sound freaking amazing down there. I never knew in my lifetime I would have the opportunity to sound this good. Hopefully they'll last as long as my '95 Peavey tube amp, but who knows. For now, I'm awe-struck with every chord strike. Thank you, Line 6.

I've had my Helix LT for a year, but now I feel like I'm really playing guitar through it. Until now I was playing through a set of studio monitors, and while they sounded great they didn't "feel" great. A lot of people talk about the "amp in the room" feel. This has it. You turn it up, play it loud, and don't just hear your tone... you feel it in your chest... the way electric guitar was meant to be played!

This combined with the POD GO is really amazing.

So, I'll start by saying that for the last 25+yrs, I had always gone straight to the High-End Class A amps/cabs at any music store. So, over the years, I feel I have developed a pretty good ear for tone and can generally tell the difference between a Class-A vs Solid-State.
There was always this "hiss" and "uncomfortable" frequency that Solid-State amps always seemed to produce. Other things I noticed were when I would crank the pre-amp to 6-7 and the Channel Volume to about 6: The Class-A amps would fatten up and leads would get that rich creamy sound vs solid-state, which would begin to sound hollow and almost piercing (not in the good way!).
I say all this because it wasn't until I needed to figure out a way to "make room" for all the pedals, switches, etc... did I start looking into custom rigs, which can be be 10-15K just to get the set up! Needless to say, I went back to the drawing board, so-to-speak, and to the advice of a good friend, I started reading reviews and couldn't help but notice that there was a common theme and solution.... modeling. At first, I was skeptical, but then decided that I should give it a try and went to my local music store where I spent roughly 3hrs getting to understand how the modeling units work and interact with actual Class-A amps, analog pedals, and microphones. There was another person there that just asked, "Can you tell the difference?... Tone-wise?"... I thought about it and said, not at this volume... So, I contacted Nathan Kelch at Sweetwater, ordered the Helix LT and plugged it into my Combo Class-A at home... It sounded unbelievably amazing!
Except, that, the "range" of tone was limited by the combo amp.... So, I spoke to Nathan @Sweetwater again, and he explained it was only because I wasn't using a true FRFR Cab... So, I ordered the cab and it was like going from the sound of one instrument in mono-sound to a full orchestra in 7.2 Surround! The optional Speaker emulations really do carry the "break up" exactly the way that speaker is known for... The quality is phenomenal and when paired with the Helix Modeling Processor, the Gain and Channel Volume really DO come alive and react JUST like they do when using that actual Amp/Cab...
So in summary, This PC 112 delivers what it states. The ONLY thing I cannot test immediately is longevity of the cab itself... But if it can be broken, I will find a way and update everyone.

-CM

Absolutely love my PowerCab /Helix combo. People complained about volume, flabby bass/low end etc etc. I have none of that. I use a single IR (412 Marshall with a 57) for all my patches and it sounds fantastic. Nice clean, fat and punchy dirty tones and searing leads. Effects sound clear and deep. Might even get another one ;-) this is the first setup in 15 years that leaves me smiling eveytime. I actually sold my Two Rock EXO after getting the PC

My Powercab 112 was delivered just in time to unbox and put in my car for a gig. I plugged my Helix in and powered everything on with 10 minutes left before needing to play. So, I had no time to experiment with settings. I did not want all the extra features of the Plus. I like simplicity as much as possible so really all I had to do was set the Powercab"s volume level and select the FRFR setting since my Helix already had cabs turned on. After the gig, I liked the Powercab but actually liked my previous setup better which was through two Tech 21 Power Engines. So, slightly disappointed after the gig, I held my opinion until I was able to actually give the Powercab a fair testing. Next day, I set up at home, and even though it sounded ok, I was still not blown away by the Helix cabs through the FRFR setting. But, I turned the Helix cabs off, set the Helix to a mono path, selected the Powercab"s internal speaker models, and there it was, that fat, beautiful, rich tone! I caught myself grinning from ear to ear. Changing my Helix patches from stereo to mono, turning off the Helix cabs, and adjusting the output levels of the Helix, released the beast. I"m getting the best clean sounds from the Helix"s Matchless and Deluxe models I"ve ever gotten from anything I"ve ever owned. The same is true for the iconic distortion amps as well. They are singing, fat, punchy, and rich! I honestly can"t find a bad sounding amp/verb/delay/etc in the whole system. The green setting on the Powercab is probably my favorite but they all sound great! Helix/Powercab has given me the best tone I"ve ever had! Love it!

I tested my Helix with some JBL studio monitors and I have to say I was very disappointed with the sound. I started researching this product and it sounded like it would be a perfect fit, but I was still apprehensive due to my experience with the monitors.
I am extremely happy to report that this doesn't sound anything like the monitors to me. Even on the flat mode, I feel that this provides an accurate representation of what the Helix is sending it. No "boxy" sound at all. I alternate between headphones and this cab and while the sound is definitely different between the two, it's by no means better or worse to my ears- just different. I'm not a gigging player, so just using this for home use and I couldn't be happier. I've went through several different configurations looking for my "perfect" setup and I am happy to have found it.

I was fortunate to get to experience the PowerCab slightly before release at a Guitar Festival near by. I was blown away in that crowded loud environment, and knew in a very short time that I had to get it.

I happened to have purchased an Alto TS312 FRFR speaker very recently before hearing the Powercab. I played through the Powercab for about 3 minutes before immediately boxing the Alto back up to return it, without even A/B-ing them.

The "amp in the room" sound is perfect. Line 6 nailed it with the Powercab - I couldn't be happier with the purchase.

As someone new to the modeling and impulse response world, at first I was incredibly disappointed as this did NOT sound great out of the box with my Headrush Gigboard. I was ready to send it back to be honest and just give up and go back to lugging around my 6505 and 4x12. I thought this was gonna be a simple plug and play option. Like anything, there is a learning curve and this does require an initial setup. But once you dial it in, it's truly great, and really does feel like an amp in the room. I encourage you all to look up the video "Line 6 Powercab 112+ -How to PROPERLY Set Up and Get the BEST Tone" on You Tube, which really does make a huge difference in how this performs. It was the actual difference in not returning this.



(note: I did not make this video, I'm not promoting it, and have no stake in it whatsoever)

I want another for stereo. Not because one isn't loud enough. One is enough for any small club. I can't turn it up past 3 in my apartment. The internal speaker simulations are good but I don't think they are necessary. Amp modelers today have enough horsepower (shark processing) to get the job done. This guy is light, well constructed, looks great, love the kickstand, rackmount gear fits on top (I have a Fractal in an SKB case and it sits on top perfectly without having to remove the top handle.). I have an Atomic CLR, a Friedman and QSC K2's and the Line 6 is the least expensive of the bunch and still holds its own with all of those. I'm at 4.5 stars because I would rather have a second input instead of the speaker modeling. Pretty minor but a second input would allow a seperate monitor mix from a PA system.

I have not had a chance to fully explore the PowerCab, but I have used it with my tones and it sounds amazing! The pick attack and nuances of a real tube amp are all there. I live in an apartment, so I have not had a chance to crank it to the level of how I have tested my Marshall in the past, but I can tell it will not disappoint me. I have seen other reviews where it is stated that it sounds best when your processor's speaker cabs are turned off and you use the PC speaker models, but I think it sounds good both ways. It's just a matter of preference.

Works great with my Helix LT using a Humbucker Les Paul or Single coil Tele. Definite upgrade from my E66 Monitors. Liking the Flat mode with IRS as well as the speaker modeling (with IRs turned off). Couldn't be happier, looking forward to playing it more.

I use this with my POD Go and Sonically, this speaker performs as advertised and has everything you need. It is really a good speaker and light weight. So, why only 4 stars you are thinking? Well, if you are a "set and forget" person, it probably is 5 stars. But, if you gig, need to make adjustments on a fairly regular basis like at a practice, it can be a pain because the controls are out of sight on the back. This means, if you are dialing volume in, changing speaker presets, you literally have to turn the speaker around or tilt it towards you, lean over and make an adjustment and repeat if necessary. Not optimum as I said if you are in dial in mode. If I had to do all over again, I would have paid the extra money and got the PC 112 Plus, just for the convenience factor as the controls are easily accessible on the top, so view this as a cautionary tale if you are not "set and forget". I wish I would have talked to my Sweetwater guy Nate first, as he would likely have convinced me to upgrade. My mistake.

I tried for 2 years to like these cabs for my Kemper Stage, but they destroy the realistic quality of the Kemper. It was to the point that my Kemper never left the closet because I couldn't enjoy it unless it was plugged in to my studio monitors or headphones. These cabs may work better with other brands, but not with Kemper.

Love me some L6 gear. And while these cabs are good stuff, they ain"t cutting it for me. Love my Helix and wanted to use the PC"s to take full advantage of the Helix pre amps and run stereo live. Bought 2x PC"s and liked them at low volume when tweaking solo. Nice dimension across the stereo spectrum and the cab models were great. Wrote a few patches and took one of em to a gig. Struggled to get it loud enough. It was a med volume gig and I had to dime it and and the helix. Next was to use both at a gig. Wrote a few more patches and was able to squeeze a few more dB out of em via a few tricks learned on the web. And I was exited while I was tweaking. I wrote some badass patches and it was loud AF!!! Alas the rig just didn"t cut thru at a full volume rock gig. The Clean highs became a fizzy mess on the bandstand. I got most all the volume you could get out of em and there was no headroom left and they were just barely loud enough. As the 4 hour gig progressed, I felt some "digital fatigue" too. On the plus side, they were even across the volume spectrum. The cab sounded the same at low, med, and dimed volumes. Which is no easy feat. In a band setting, they just didn"t have the depth and presence of a great amp. (5pc plus vox) The PC"s do some good stuff, all of which are well documented by its fans. But they are nothing special as back line amps imho.

I bought a Helix, PowerCab, and a Stagesource in the spring this year...converting from a Fender Deluxe Reverb and pedal board. Love the Helix and Stagesource. I really wanted to love the PowerCab. Easy to carry around, very light. But unfortunately, when placed side by side with the Stagesource, it just doesn't cut it. Sounds really thin/weak. I decided to keep it as practice amp.

Let me start out by saying i wanted to love this thing. I played it for weeks. The amp in room feel advertised is true for cleans, but any form of overdrive, and this thing sounds like complete crap! In FRFR mode, it sounds fine, but still not half as good as any other FRFR on the market. For a couple hundred more go Friedman, it"s not a toy like this product.