Perfect through headphones. I had trouble getting the same perfection through monitors. PA, also not as perfect but could just be the PA equipment/me. I bought a Seymour Duncan PowerStage amp and a 1x12 cab to put the strymon through but the cab isn't here yet so not tested yet. Blown away through headphones though. Bought some 3rd party IR's and loaded a few but honestly the stock IR's were just as good. In hindsight I probably wouldn't have bothered with 3rd party IR's. Quality/build awesome. I wasn't concerned with the price so "value" I'll have to leave up to other users. Review the USB functions before purchase though and be sure you know what you're getting here. I have a Helix which I think sounds ordinary and a GT-1000 Core which is ok, but the Irdium sounds ... MorePerfect through headphones. I had trouble getting the same perfection through monitors. PA, also not as perfect but could just be the PA equipment/me. I bought a Seymour Duncan PowerStage amp and a 1x12 cab to put the strymon through but the cab isn't here yet so not tested yet. Blown away through headphones though. Bought some 3rd party IR's and loaded a few but honestly the stock IR's were just as good. In hindsight I probably wouldn't have bothered with 3rd party IR's. Quality/build awesome. I wasn't concerned with the price so "value" I'll have to leave up to other users. Review the USB functions before purchase though and be sure you know what you're getting here. I have a Helix which I think sounds ordinary and a GT-1000 Core which is ok, but the Irdium sounds better to me.

A real alternative for miking an amp for recording

I bought this to enable me to record guitar without the need to Mike up my valve amp for my releases. I tried it out before buying and as it reacted so well to my picking and fretwork. It really did emulate so accurately the qualities of a valve amp. It’s modelling of the popular three amps and cabinet combinations. The drive and volume have loads of “headroom” to work with and the tones provide colour. I have recorded a lead solo with it already and it was frankly easy to set up and it sounded as if I had miked up a Plexi and all done on my desk and phones in silence to everyone else. Really good. Only reason I have given less than 5 stars, I think although the box is strong the knobs and switches could be more robust, so if you intend to use it in the audio I ... MoreI bought this to enable me to record guitar without the need to Mike up my valve amp for my releases. I tried it out before buying and as it reacted so well to my picking and fretwork. It really did emulate so accurately the qualities of a valve amp. It’s modelling of the popular three amps and cabinet combinations. The drive and volume have loads of “headroom” to work with and the tones provide colour. I have recorded a lead solo with it already and it was frankly easy to set up and it sounded as if I had miked up a Plexi and all done on my desk and phones in silence to everyone else. Really good. Only reason I have given less than 5 stars, I think although the box is strong the knobs and switches could be more robust, so if you intend to use it in the audio I think it will be fine but if you intend to gig (I have regularly gigged for nearly 40 years ) a good whack on the knobs may well damage it. However, studio wise it’s now my go to for recording guitar and space is saved!

Amazing little box!!!

First off, I would like to say that I have literally owned and tried every single direct amp/cab sim option on the market, both in a studio situation and a live gig/touring situation that required nightly in ear monitor usage. My one and only quest was to get as close to my tube amps, that I dearly miss being able to use, as possible! I have ditched every single unit after one or two gigs for the same reasons; too digital in response, and they just don’t feel good during a gig (which makes the whole gig a struggle in some aspect), and don’t handle analog pedals well. My search has ended with the Strymon Iridium! I popped this little monster on my pedalboard and off to rehearsals, and sessions I went! I have been able to dial in almost exact responses of a gorgeous ... MoreFirst off, I would like to say that I have literally owned and tried every single direct amp/cab sim option on the market, both in a studio situation and a live gig/touring situation that required nightly in ear monitor usage. My one and only quest was to get as close to my tube amps, that I dearly miss being able to use, as possible! I have ditched every single unit after one or two gigs for the same reasons; too digital in response, and they just don’t feel good during a gig (which makes the whole gig a struggle in some aspect), and don’t handle analog pedals well. My search has ended with the Strymon Iridium! I popped this little monster on my pedalboard and off to rehearsals, and sessions I went! I have been able to dial in almost exact responses of a gorgeous fender style clean, and a Marshall style lead tone, in seconds. I also have been able to do my beloved overdrive and fuzz stacking to my hearts content and this little black box handled it with ease and felt realistic while doing it! I will leave with this; if you have been struggling like I have to confirm to the direct trend and need an immediate solution to take you as close as you could possibly get to recreating those killer tube amp tones on a nightly basis, definitely cut your journey down by thousands of dollars and countless irritating hours by just going to purchase the Strymon Iridium first! Thanks Strymon for a tremendously useful, well thought out tool for the gigging musician!!!

Astounding

Hard to believe that this pedal can sound as good as tube amps. But I cannot hear the difference and I have tube amps. There is so much that this preamp pedal has to offer in tones that it is simply remarkable. I'm not sure that I will ever need to go beyond the IR cabs that come stock loaded in the pedal and for sure the 3 amps are plenty. I don't have to play at 100db to hear the greatness of a tube amp. This pedal sounds just as fantastic with the sound and feel of the real thing at bedroom levels. No mics needed to record from amps. As a result of this pedal, my set up is so much simpler, versatile, and quicker to get a particular tone. I use active studio monitors instead of active pa speakers. I run the Iridium with other pedals into my mixer/interface to ... MoreHard to believe that this pedal can sound as good as tube amps. But I cannot hear the difference and I have tube amps. There is so much that this preamp pedal has to offer in tones that it is simply remarkable. I'm not sure that I will ever need to go beyond the IR cabs that come stock loaded in the pedal and for sure the 3 amps are plenty. I don't have to play at 100db to hear the greatness of a tube amp. This pedal sounds just as fantastic with the sound and feel of the real thing at bedroom levels. No mics needed to record from amps. As a result of this pedal, my set up is so much simpler, versatile, and quicker to get a particular tone. I use active studio monitors instead of active pa speakers. I run the Iridium with other pedals into my mixer/interface to control everything. This is a fantastic product!

Good Choice of Amp Modeller

The Iridium met my expectations. The simplicity of the user interface on the device is underpinned by sophisticated tones and subtle control. The 3 amp- 3 set up is perfect and proves to be a combination that delivers ultimate playability…. I looked at equivalents which required a degree in computing to set up. The Iridium sits in my pedal chain and interacts with all other effects qell

Review of Strymon Iridium Amp & IR Cab Simulator Pedal

I've been using a Fractal AX8 for 3 years. Great bit of kit but I found I was only using 3 amps and a few effects. Got the Iridium out of curiosity but found I prefer the amp tones and ease of use. The 3 amps are the same as I was using on the AX8!Really easy to set up your tones, especially edge of breakup which are always the hardest on modellers. Overall dynamics, note clarity, separation and detail in the low-mids is most notable over the AX8. Plays well with overdrives without digital clipping and the output signal is also pedal friendly.A few people find the Punch (Marshall Super Lead) dark. I got the Own Hammer IR Bundle (£25) which gives more options to find your perfect Cabs and there are plenty of options for brighter 4x12s.I don't gig, but if I did ... MoreI've been using a Fractal AX8 for 3 years. Great bit of kit but I found I was only using 3 amps and a few effects. Got the Iridium out of curiosity but found I prefer the amp tones and ease of use. The 3 amps are the same as I was using on the AX8!Really easy to set up your tones, especially edge of breakup which are always the hardest on modellers. Overall dynamics, note clarity, separation and detail in the low-mids is most notable over the AX8. Plays well with overdrives without digital clipping and the output signal is also pedal friendly.A few people find the Punch (Marshall Super Lead) dark. I got the Own Hammer IR Bundle (£25) which gives more options to find your perfect Cabs and there are plenty of options for brighter 4x12s.I don't gig, but if I did I would have one set of cab IRs for home practice and another for live use. Easy to change over with the Strymon cab management software.Some people have complained that their is no balanced XLR outs. Form factor is limited and anyway, if the Iridium between your drive and delay/mod/verb pedals you could not use the balanced outs anyway. Iridium outs are buffered.Now building a pedal board around the Iridium with a Sunset and SA Ventris reverb pedals (both from Andertons). Really, really hear the difference in quality with separate pedals. These cover

Simply the Best

Not only is this probably the best amp-modeling pedal ever, it's probably one of the greatest overall pedals. It can go on a board, in place of or in service to an amp, as well as a major factor in recording (direct or otherwise). It has a plethora of hidden features and is a standard-bearer for the fans of Midi control. By far the best thing about it is the fidelity of the sounds produced. It's honestly hard to make this sound bad.What is it missing? Stereo in option would be nice, and maybe at least one XLR output, but I'm guessing that will all come in future versions.

Still Testing it Out

I was eyeing the Iridium for a number of months and finally decided to take the plunge. I like the concept of not having to lug amps especially for band practice. Nothing beats a good tube amp, but the Iridium seems to work well and is easy to hook up, I use a DI Box and plug it directly in the mixer for band practice. I am till getting use to the Impulse Response tones and using the various knobs on the pedal. Just like an amp, you have to find the sweet spot. I find the "round" gives a nice clean tone if dialed in right. I'm not completely sold on the "punch" tone yet, but again, it will just take some time to find the right tone and pedal combinations. My concern is using it for various songs on a live gig, I probably won't have time to mess around with the ... MoreI was eyeing the Iridium for a number of months and finally decided to take the plunge. I like the concept of not having to lug amps especially for band practice. Nothing beats a good tube amp, but the Iridium seems to work well and is easy to hook up, I use a DI Box and plug it directly in the mixer for band practice. I am till getting use to the Impulse Response tones and using the various knobs on the pedal. Just like an amp, you have to find the sweet spot. I find the "round" gives a nice clean tone if dialed in right. I'm not completely sold on the "punch" tone yet, but again, it will just take some time to find the right tone and pedal combinations. My concern is using it for various songs on a live gig, I probably won't have time to mess around with the knobs, so that will take practice to quickly change tone. So far, I'm satisfied with the unit and the price point. I give it a 4 star only because I am still working with the pedal and don't want to oversell a product that I'm not completely knowledgeable.

Very good Amp in a Box solution

The Iridium is very popular for a reason. If I had a need for a no amp rig, I would pick one up. Even as a practice headphone amp this would be great. In fact, it sounded great coming through the headphones.I tried it a few different ways, Headphones, into a powered PA speaker (Sound was pretty anemic), into a bass amplifier (Not good), in the power amp in of a Boss Katana (Solid tone and volume but kind of a waste of the Katana’s feature set), into a Fender Acoustasonic amp (My favorite sounds were oddly enough found in this combination and if I were playing solo gigs I would put this into my acoustic rig to add some range), and into a clean Fender tube amp. Obviously overall it sounded best into the tube amp, but I don’t think that is a good use of the ... MoreThe Iridium is very popular for a reason. If I had a need for a no amp rig, I would pick one up. Even as a practice headphone amp this would be great. In fact, it sounded great coming through the headphones.I tried it a few different ways, Headphones, into a powered PA speaker (Sound was pretty anemic), into a bass amplifier (Not good), in the power amp in of a Boss Katana (Solid tone and volume but kind of a waste of the Katana’s feature set), into a Fender Acoustasonic amp (My favorite sounds were oddly enough found in this combination and if I were playing solo gigs I would put this into my acoustic rig to add some range), and into a clean Fender tube amp. Obviously overall it sounded best into the tube amp, but I don’t think that is a good use of the pedal.They did a very good job with the controls on the unit, you can min or max multiple dials and get a big range of usable sounds. I think my favorite over all was Amp B in cab 2, treble turned up, gain at about 3 O’Clock. If I bought this pedal, I would set the dials to Amp B Cab 2 with treble boosted and gain at about 9 O’clock for an edge of breakup sound, then have the favorite slot just be the same settings with the gain cranked.