Spent some more time with it and put it in the loop. It sits in there fine and I did some comparison on the models they have in common. Sound wise they are close. I still think the 11R sounds a bit better to my ears, but the POD has a few cool amps that the 11R does not. I like the layout of the 11R computer tools much better.

I think for the professional type, the 11R wins hands down because it comes across as more of a music tool, more professional layout and can be integrated right into a studio. The POD has more effects some of which are just bizarre. It took me no time to take Mikes EVH brown sound patch and add a little detune and dimension to get instant 5150 sound.

I can run both computer edit packages side by side no problem. The guys at AVID will loose some sales to this box, no doubt.