Line 6 Powercab 112 Plus Active Guitar Speaker Reviews

I took the plunge and got the HX stomp XL and the Line 6 Power Cab Plus and let me tell you this bad boy sounds incredible and gets really REALLY loud (for practicing at home I have to crank the volume knob below 20% or else my ears start to hurt). I've been using the HX stomp to model amps/cabs and use the power cab on Flat response and it sounds fantastic. I tried the IRs in the cab as well and they also sound great, so many options to choose from, this cab will keep me busy for years. How I'm using it with the stomp:
1.) TRS /XLR on mono output of HX stomp to input 1 of Cab.
2.) output set on HX Stomp (set in global settings)
3.) Increase preset decibel output on HX stomp until signal light on Cab flashes between green and yellow (very important, need to feed the amp with heavy signal and clean tones especially need the boost. High gain will have the opposite effect and give you signal clipping (red signal light), in which case you need to turn down the decibels on the output. Sounds amazing when you get that light flashing or on constant yellow)

Remember, both the HX stomp and power cab are highly capable and complex pieces of equipment and there's a learning curve before getting to your desired results. But once you figure out the settings/functions, you can dial in the sounds you want. Give the manuals a read and watch some YouTube videos, these bad boys can do A LOT. Highly recommend those product to any player.

It sounds great!!! I connected it to my Helix via the Line 6 digital cable so I can change the cab settings via Helix Edit software. It sounded a bit fizzy at first, but after watching a few videos and some tweaking on my Helix I found the tones I've been looking for. This cabinet is light weight and attractive. Get one!!!!

Very happy with this amp, its my first real dive into the profiling era. Just bought the quad cortex and wanted something light to carry aroubd for gigging. Im 51 yrs old and tired of lugging my Marshall jcm 2000 dsl 100, 4x12 cab and heavy pedal board around to boot

This thing is really cool. Arrived with speaker sims and some ir's. I have the hx stomp. There are numerous usable tones. Problem with this cab and hx stomp combo it really eliminates my endless amp buying ect. I have tube amps, tone master, roland blues cube, boss nextone special ect. Now I really dont need any more gear. Yeah right!!!!

I hooked this up to my pod go, and it sounds wonderful…

Just as Bob Teufel mentions in his review, from the lows to the highs, this amp replicates tones better than any other amp I've played. It is a night and day difference. There is plenty of headroom for gigging. I've only had it for a few days so there is much I need to learn. This is more fun than anything I've played before now.

Paired with my Line 6 Helix Floor Modeler, this Line 6 Power Cab 112 Plus creates killer tones at the touch of a few buttons and offers one-unit system control!

I was absolutely amazed at the bass response compared to other amplifiers I had been using. It was like I had little to no base at all before the Power Cab 112 Plus.

The unit, paired with a modeler and a guitar, eliminates much of the unwanted noise I was hearing on my conventional amplifiers & cabinets. I can add my own IRs, emulate other amplifier speakers, or set the Power Cab to "Flat" and hear exactly what I set up on the Helix Floor Modeler!

The frequencies are clear and separate, the highs are beautiful, and the mids are very defined.

Can't wait to get another Power Cab 112 so I can set up my sound studio to produce true stereo sound, controlling it all from my helix Floor Modeler, or my HX Edit software. That's the beauty of a one system set up!

This 250 Watt active speaker system for modelers rocks!

I've been using the Line 6 Helix with the Powercab 112+ for a number of years now and am very pleased with the results. I can A-B between Helix and my tube amps and pedals and not hear any appreciable differences.
I decided I wanted to hear stereo in other than my studio monitors, so I bought a second Powercab 112+. Had I not already owned a Powercab, I might have gone for the Powercab 212+, but I also knew I could get better separation from two individual cabs.
It sounds great, the modeled speakers sound like my real versions of the model and the fact that Helix can send stereo audio and set up both speakers per preset using the Line 6 Link cables means I will always have the right sound for the moment.
Helix and Powercab are an unbeatable combination.
...and they can be LOUD, too.

I am using this with my Helix rack unit.
It sounds awesome.
I was worried that I might need the 212 because of some complaints regarding inadequate volume, but I find it is absolutely loud enough to play with a drummer. Pretty light and easy to transport.

I love how line 6 came up with an amp that u have so many choises to bring your tone to life!! I've been having my amp for almost a year and the speaker modeles are incredible and with the impulse response make it even more amazing give it a try you won't regret it!

Great construction, excellent sound.

Completely blown away at the sound of the Power Cab Plus, using it with my Helix Floor, XLR Digital out too the Power Cab, the tone is absolutely amazing, really does give the amp in the room feel, in Flat Mode. I have had it about 2 weeks along with the Helix floor. I have had it long enough to know that I no longer need amps and pedals, which will be sold soon. Line 6 has really hit it way out of the park. Thanks again Sweetwater and my Sales Rep. James Shilliday.

I purchased the PowerCab 112 Plus to use with my HX Stomp. I had a gig coming up the next day after its arrival. The day before it arrived I went through my presets on HX Stomp took out the IR's and cab sims thinking that I would be all set to use the PowerCab for the gig right out of the box. Got to the gig set it up, the band kicked in and the PowerCab didn't seem to have enough volume to compete with the band. I went home disappointed and wondering if I made a mistake by purchasing the PowerCab. I posted my experience on the Midi Mad Scientist Facebook page where I was given help on what to do to resolve the issues. Once I made the adjustments and spent time dialing in the HX Stomp and PowerCab I finally got the volume I needed and the rich tones I had hoped for! It takes time to find your perfect sounds on HX Stomp and PowerCab Plus is much the same. I am now loving the sound coming out of the PowerCab! I always appreciate Sweetwater's sales engineer Cody Kraus, he has been my go to guy for quite a few years now. He has never steered me wrong! Give him a call and get your PowerCab Plus 112....

Bought a pair of these and getting used to them with my Helix. I like that they are not too heavy and have several sound/speaker models, giving me options for different floor pedals, FOH sound connection, etc. The built in tilt stand is a nice feature.

After doing the initial setup, I was pretty blown away. If you really desire the amp in the room feel, you will love this. As much as I hate to admit it, a good portion of my high end equipment is gathering dust these days. For me the Helix and Powercab plus are all I need. Thanks Line 6, this is a gigging and recording guitarists dream. Special thanks to Sweetwater and Chris Jenkins for making sure, I was completely happy with my purchase.:)

I bought my first PowerCab Plus early in the month (from Sweetwater of course) and you can read my review. Recently I added a second PowerCab Plus (also from Sweetwater) that was easy to link to my first PowerCab Plus using the Link Cable. When a second cab is found, it automatically sets up both cabs in stereo mode (you can over ride this if you choose).

After tweaking my presets and IRs, I did a comparison using the following which connected to my Gibson ES-335 (from Sweetwater) directly using a Y-Cable.

First Setup, Helix Floor, Dual PowerCab Plus Cabs.

Second Setup. Mesa Boogie Mark V, Marshall DSL40C, TC Electronics Hall of Reverb and TC FlashBack Delay.

I wanted a good basic setup with reverb and delay for not so complicated comparison (that comes later). On the Helix, I was able to match the reverb and delay and dual amps similar sounding. With a simple footswitch I could turn off or on either setup along with running both.

The Helix with Dual PowerCabs sounded almost as good (to my ears) as the tube amps with less than a 10% difference. I was amazed to say the least. I know I can, with more tweaking IRs and Presets, get even closer. One thing that made a huge difference is under "User Mode" on the PowerCabs, select IRs and pick what sounds good to you. This made the biggest difference having the IRs on the PowerCabs rather than the Helix. I also used commercially available IRs which are well worth the investment and ready available to all.

I got this after I had my helix for a while. This thing really brings the helix to life. I really like this at lower volumes where I still want the driven amp sound but not wake up the kids or neighbors . The speaker modeling in the cab itself is really cool, when I really want to color the output a certain way it does a good job. I mostly run it flat and focus on the amp/cabinet modeling from the helix. Very happy with this cab.

For the first time in 46 years I stopped using vacuum tubes amplifiers. This is a perfect match for the AX8. and the FX 2 XL. Now I can carry all my gear just by myself. Hope they will come out with a 2X12.

Coming from old school guitar amps I"m amazed at the accuracy of the Helix or Kemper combined with the Powercab Plus.
So impressed I had to order a second one!

Primarily use with a Roland GR55. Models and Synth sounds never sounded better. I was using a Keyboard amp (Carvin KB100), and a Behringer UltraAcoustic Amp. They sounded Ok but this Line 6 PowerCab really sparkles. When I program a model I can really hear the differecne in tone between different amp models and mic'ed cabinets. It's amazing. I bought the 112 Plus because I needed the 2 inputs. Have not tried the internal Models yet because my gear has the models I like. So far I've used with a Roland GR55, Line6 PODxt pro, Zoom G3n, Zoom A3 and an Acoustic guitar through a Fishman ToneDEQ. They all sound great with the models I had programmed mainly with my near field monitors. Using the Acoustic Guitar through the Fishman ToneDEQ really suprised me but that is where I may start to experiment with the PowerCab Speaker Models. I can not speak to the Impulse Responses as I haven't tried this feature yet either. Over all I like the Power Cabinet for it's FRFR (Flat) mode, reasonablly light weight (35Lbs), traditional 1x12 cabinet look and feel, Mic simulated XLR out.(because the Speaker and HF driver are a Coaxial configuration you can Mic the Cabinet if you want). 250 watts is plenty loud and sounds good at any volume.If you don't need 2 inputs and all the other bells and whistles and just want an awesome FRFR amp with a traditional guitar cabinet look and feel. The PowerCab 112 will probably fit the bill for you at a couple hundred bucks less. And Sweetwater will get it to you fast n free.

For the price, for Line 6's proprietary and competitive features, for the size and weight, for the quality of sound and "feel," not to mention for Line 6's industry-leading customer service, for all that, this is a great investment.

Whether or not there are better options out there, this is the best combination of features. It just sounds good. If you follow the conversation on Facebook some like the speaker models best, some like the IRs, some like the "Flat" setting with cab models... The point is that there is much disagreement on preference and very little disagreement that it does their preference very well. Even the few who say it's not for them say it does what it does very well.

If you own the Helix, this will reveal the quality and complexity of its amp and cabinet models, and its effects, as well as anything you've heard.

Is it "better" than Mission, or Friedman, or QSC, or other top contenders? Maybe not in EVERY category, or for every style of music, but in overall performance, for most of us out there, yes, absolutely. And those contenders cannot compete with the PC+ in EVERY category either, guaranteed. The best doesn't have to be the best at everything, but it does have to be really good at everything. Line 6 did it. It's a keeper.

So, I picked up a Helix a couple years ago, and have been loving it. Have been running it through a set of studio monitors at home, and through a pair of cheap powered speakers live. They worked, but I decided to pick up the PC+ since it was on sale, and I'm really glad I did. It is a super sounding "amp", and the speaker emulations sound great. Honestly, if you have a Helix or an LT, I would say you NEED to get one of these and the L6 link cable that lets you use the Helix to change settings on the PC+.

It is definitely loud enough to keep up, and has the ability to run an output from the PC+ into a PA... What more can you ask for?

This thing is a no doubt must have if you are a Helix user. The speaker sims built into the PC sound great, the ability to load IRs is awesome, and it totally gives you that "amp in the room" feel. It is definitely loud enough to keep up with a drummer, and if you use the Line6 Link cable, you can switch the Powercab settings with the Helix.

The build quality is solid, and it is super lightweight compared to a similarly sized tube amp.

My only gripe, and the reason for 4.5 stars instead of 5 is that it seems to be a bit picky as far as which IRs that can be loaded. There are quite a few that I have received with some Worship Tutorials presets that work fine on the Helix, but will not load onto the Powercab for some reason. That being said, this thing is killer!

I'm really pleased with this! Most of the time, I run a guitar & HX stomp into input one, and a mixer into the second for vocals and backing & I can control the whole chain from my computer with HX and Powercab Edit. I've also used the PC as a monitor for a keyboard, and as a small PA on its own. Sound quality is good, and it's plenty loud enough for my usage. The direct-out for front of house is really cool, or you can use it as a loop back to your interface & DAW for recording the final output without messing about with mics.
The speaker modelling is a nice sounding feature, but I've only scraped the surface so far.
Only minor gripe is that you need a pretty high signal level to keep the PC in its sweet spot. You'd think the HX Stomp and PC would be well matched, but even with the HX at max volume I have to add 12dB of input gain (the max the PC has) to get the desired result. It doesn't add any significant distortion, so it's no big deal, but the principle annoys me :)

I started off with a Helix Floor connected to my Mesa Boogie Mark V, a Marshall DSL and a Fender DRII. It two a few weeks of working with the Helix to find the tone I was looking for. Unfortunately it still sounded like I was missing something as I tried to adjust to each amp.

Rather than spend more time with IRs and AMP/CAB setting (not very useful when driving true guitar amps) I ordered the PC+ and the Line 6 Link Cable. Setup was easy, I downloaded the software to my PC and started tweaking. First impression, I wish I had ordered two PC+ cabs, they are very well made and the perfect compliment to a Helix. I explored the various speaker emulations, added an Ownhammer IR and started comparing the tone between Helix and PC+ and my traditional pedal board to a Mesa Boogie Mark V and Marshall DSL.

I found the PC+/Helix combo can almost match the traditional Amp/Pedals and the Helix sounds much better with an FRFR cab. At some point I am pretty confident I can live with a pair of PC+ cabs with the Helix.

Very handy and great little unit. You would think by at size that it can"t keep up in a life situation next to a drum set, but it can.

I love this thing. I have three modelers and it sound great with all of them. I usually use the flat response but the built in speakers is a nice touch and also add some nice characteristics to the tone. I know Friedman and mission make flat response amp type PA speakers but this is powerful enough for me and much lighter. I did not want an 85 lb monster to try to deafen myself and the neighbors. For practice and small gigs this will do and for me everyday playing. I am just an amateur and don't play out do to my anxiety and stage freight. Ive been playing guitar for 33 years and think I know a little about what sounds good. Everyone sings about tone with some of my modelers this Powercab brings it plus a ton of features and I think its only about 35 lbs a big plus. I Love the speaker models and the IR's . Im only giving this a 4.5 stars because I thing line6 should have included more IR's with this thing for 200 bucks more. Ryan Murphy helped me with this purchase and he was a great help. I told him what I would be doing with this and he had no hesitation to recommend it. Thanks Ryan great pick again.

If you have a Helix then get this. With the L6 Link and MIDI capability for selecting Powercab speaker presets per Helix patch, it works great as the guitar amp behind you feel... Oh and if you want the Helix cab/IR patch then MIDI can select FLAT FRFR preset also. And I like the controls for the 112+ on top vs. the standard powercab 112.... Fairly lightweight and I suggest investing in the Line6 cover...

After having the need to satisfy my curiosity to hear the powercab 112 Plus in person, I must say I was quite satisfied and impressed. I tested it in 3 different scenarios and it delivered. Church gig, Jazz trio and paired it in stereo with a Fishman loudbox for acoustic gigs. It passed all three! Definitely designed to handle the amp models in the HX Stomp. The speaker models included sound great. It's really a sound I'm happy with. It delivers beautiful clean tones and nice
creamy/airy distorted tones. If you're considering using one, I highly recommended it!

Love the sound of this thing and it works great with Helix. I only have one complaint and it is that is not loud enough when playing with a band. When playing next to drums I can't hear the cleans. I need to work with it more to get a better feel of volume levels, but overall 250W works for most situations, but not for all. When we play live this will act as my monitor and I will play through the PA so no worries their, just during practice, it doesn't have enough punch. I may need to go back to my fender/Helix setup which I was hoping to move away from.

I bought this PC+, to pair up with my Boss GT-100. Purchased a demo model and it was in like new condition. So I have to give it 5 stars for that. I only have about 4 hours on it at this point. So what I did was I reset all my parameters on the patches in the GT and set the PC+ to a vintage speaker IR. Adjusted all my patches to something that sounded alright and then changed the GT"s main EQ a little. At this point, I have an alright sound coming from most of my patches. There are a couple that sound a little muddy, but I think some more tweaking to the patches will fix that. As far as using the Pc+ goes, it is a real nice set up over all. It"s taking me a little time getting use to the sound because I"m downgrading from a 4x12 connected to a Ampeg VH140C. I"m not use to having the one speaker so far down to the ground. The PC+ does sound good, I just need to get use to it. The 7 speaker selection is actually a nice feature. They can really add changes to your tone. I"m kind of digging the "Swampthing" simulation at the moment. The PC+ has a lot of bells and whistles when you go into the editing software. You can really set up your chosen speaker to sound whatever you want it to. More/less bass, treble volume, mic placement/type. You can just go nuts with it. I"m kind of thinking I probably could have got away with the regular PC without all the bells and whistles, but hey.... I deserve the best. Can the PC+ get loud enough to play along with a band... I don"t know. I just need bedroom volumes so I can"t answer that. The quality of build is pretty good. It doesn"t feel like a well constructed cab when your putting your hands on it, but it does look like it will last long enough. The connectors and such are good sturdy quality so that"s a plus. It is light weight, that"s for sure. Overall, I"m happy with it. 3 star rating just because I think it"s good enough for my needs. The more expensive Friedman and Mission"s might be better construction? I don"t know, you get some nice tone tweaking options with the PC+. Hope that helps your decision.

Love it but not enough watts if playing next to a heavy drummer in a band

Sounds great and is loud enough to play at home but I wish Line 6 would"ve made something a little bit louder