re: In the amp market

Helix is a nice product. Looking at modelers/profilers, people can get really territorial over the one they own and it can be hard getting an unbiased answer.

Note that with a lot of these devices, you really need a computer to program them. Almost all of the more feature-rich products will have software to help set up the patches and settings.

There are also devices that only give you amp tones at bedroom levels but are dead simple to use and emulate the actual amp (but no effects). These usually don't need a PC at all.

It really depends on what your needs are. You can get great sounds out of just about anything with where the technology is now.