For what seems like forever the Neural DSP Quad Cortex has been number on in our best amp modeller buyer’s guide – but could all this change with the arrival of the Line 6 Helix Stadium Floor?
This more compact sibling of the MusicRadar-approved Helix Stadium XL Floor, the Stadium Floor shares the same expansive 8” touchscreen and a user experience that is incredibly intuitive, and boasts the same state-of-the-art DSP, with its an all-new Agoura modelling technology presenting us with the next generation of electric guitar tones from Line 6.
It, too, has the Showcase feature that is going to be a game-changer for gigging musicians, allowing players to automate their entire live show (not just the presets in your set, switching between guitar amps, but synthesizers, stagelights, slideshows…).
Even in our digitally transformed gear eco-system, Showcase feels like a radical proposition. And, as Eric Klein, Line 6’s chief product design architect, this is the Stadium unit that you can throw into a backpack.
“Helix Stadium Floor gives players the same powerful DSP, entirely new Agoura modelling methodology, Showcase automation capabilities, and other tone-crafting and performance tools found in our flagship Helix Stadium XL Floor processor,” says Klein. “Except in a notably smaller and lighter chassis that is compact enough to fit in most backpacks.”
Okay, the Stadium would need to shrink some more to beat the Quad Cortex Mini on portability – the latter offers the full-fat QC performance, complete with the 7” touchscreen, in a glass-topped unit just 228mm × 118mm × 65mm, weighing 1.5kg (the Stadium Floor weighs 3.4kg and measures 408mm x 241mm x 82mm), But still, this is the conversation players will be having.
As Klein mentions, the Stadium has the same firepower as its larger sibling. It might lack an expression pedal but it has got an abundance of connections, and similarly can be hooked up to your DAW and used as a studio-quality USB guitar audio interface.
The Augora modelling tech used to create its sounds takes a component-by-component level approach to recreating the sounds of a hardware amp or guitar effect.
“Our powerful new platform isn’t just for more stuff; it was mission critical to help us deliver the single biggest leap Line 6 has made in its near 30 year history of modelling amps,” said Klein, when the Helix Stadium platform was first announced in summer 2025. “We call it Augora. But Augora isn’t HX on steroids. It is an entirely new subcomponent behavioural modelling methodology.
“There’s all-new tube emulation where we actually measure detailed parameters of the actual tubes used in these amps – voltages, currents, capacitance and more.”
Some features are not ready yet. The Proxy amp and effects capture feature will be arriving in a future firmware update (Showcase wasn’t ready upon the Stadium XL’s launch).
But from the Hype control, the wi-fi, the Bluetooth, the capability to import up to eight stem files, mute on and play over the others in the track, plus your Helix/HX presets can be used here… Well, this is a formidable platform.
You can read MusicRadar’s review of the Line 6 Helix Stadium XL here. You can now officially buy the Helix Stadium Floor for £1,549/$1,799. And see what we thought of the recent competition. Our Neural DSP Quad Cortex Mini review is right here.
For more details, head over to Line 6.
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