Iridium Amp & IR Cab Pedal - Sweetwater Exclusive Silver Review

The Future in Silver

Not a big "review" guy but maybe I'll get some extra candy on my next order(?) Strymon pedal modeling/tone shaping goodness with Sweetwater Sounds world renowned expertise....How can you resist!? Grandad always told me, "Junior, whenever you come to a fork in the road?....Take it!" I also happen to own two, or three...or four, of the amplifiers that the pro Damage Control hackers… read more over on the left coast have lovingly and daringly convulsed into a wave of the future "amp in a pedal" that is sure to please all of us Old timer.."you'll pry my '62 Marshall Blues breaker from my cold dead hands" tube amp aficionados ("valves" for my friends across the pond) that may be in doubt...? Fear not my fellow Axe Wielding Wood Choppers, this is the Real Deal. With a lot of healthy competition jockeying for the inside rail of IR/Cabinet convolver simmering to please all facets of live and DI studio goodness,,, it's money and time well spent. Wayne's basic test bed or, first impressions after wiring up my VoxAC30 and ye old Fender Princeton for "0 LUFS/2BFair" comparison...?? This thing is way cool! and a whole lot lighter! Focusrite Clarett+ 8Pre Interface (M$ Windows 11 Studio One Pro...yaddi ya-aah, etc...) Beyerdynamic DT 900 Pro X cans, Yamaha HS8i 8" Monitors w/HS8S sub-woof, Hosa YPP-117 Stereo Breakout Cable, Tech 21 MIDI Mongoose 5-button MIDI Foot Controller....various guitars, Fender J bass, electric mandolin!? Why not! Superb!..low noise..plenty of dB range..awesome pedal! I also like the simplistic approach to the IR Manager/Firm Update software and self explanatory (albeit tiny) amp like controls on the Iridium's well built casing. Great job Pete C. and crew over in The Valley! *Notes from The Trenches: Watch the pedal demo video right'cheer on Sweetwater; Mitch Gallagher tells it like it is, straight to the point! my kind of intro; short, sweet and right to the point. ""On the back of the Iridium chassis, you will find the Audio Routing selector which selects the Input audio routing for the pedal."" Also remember to use the LEFT OUTPUT for MONO (not marked as such?) least you get less than stellar results. The Strymon website has great FAQ's, Vids and the Manuals/Specs/etc... for all their elite offerings, and (when they're not out surfing Oxnard or Pebbles) great tech support should you need it. Last but not leastess', chat with your Sweetwater Tech/Engineer if need be, or...just to say thanks! I'm lucky to have Ian Roegels and the Fort Wayne posse covering my back. Ian is a great guy and a super friendly, hard workin' family man that knows a thing or two about audio engineering. He's been laying tracks and mixing n' splicing hot tape since The Beatles broke on the scene! I'm talkin' about the Species! ~;-) Most of all...enjoy, jam-on and please...Stop the Hate! "All You Need is Love!" **R.I.P. Joe Messina: A True Master of the "Motown Sound!"

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Most realistic IR

I bought this hoping I could find an option to replace my Line 6 Helix. The Helix was great for features, but no matter how many IRs I used, I could never get the tone right. I needed something that would allow direct input into a PA system. Right out of the box this pedal blew me away. It felt and sounded like a real amp. I have a Vox 30AC and performed an A/B test and it was almost… read more impossible to tell the different. The amp modes performed like true amplifiers and broke up nicely. This is the piece of equipment I've been waiting for. Zach Richard's is and has been my contact at Sweetwater for about 2 years and I have greatly appreciated his input when discussion purchases. On a side note, I LOVE the exclusive Sweetewater finish of this model. The black looks nice, but I think the silver is outstanding.

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Why Did I Wait So Long?

The Iridium is everything they say and more. Easy to use and wonderful tones. I've never bonded with anything that has a screen and after reading and watching countless reviews, I finally made a purchase. I have zero regrets. I'm just kicking myself for holding off for so long and trying other options. It sounds amazing through headphones, my house PA system and I know it with… read more sound good with a power amp and cabinet. It has proven itself already, so I have no doubts it will sound amazing through a guitar cabinet. Every amp sounds authentic, respond like real amps and the cab selections are spot on. I will also add that it actually made some pickups I didn't care for sound better. The other thing I really love is the "made in the USA" stamped on the box. Thanks Strymon and Sweetwater for making me truly happy with an amp alternative that sounds great and is built to last.

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Unbelievable time

Now I see why they say amp and ir cab. This sounds so much like the real thing. They way it responds to input changes is incredible. But the thing for me is it's easy to use. Take out of the box and watch a couple of videos and start playing. It's really that easy. Yes it does much more if you want to dig in but if you simply want something that sounds like a legit Fender, Vox or… read more Marshall within minutes for half the price of most any decent amp and that you can throw on your board or in a backpack and go, this is it hands down. Also Justin at Sweetwater was great at assessing my needs and hooking me up with the perfect piece. Thanks!

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This thing is worth every penny!

I had a Deluxe Reverb Reissue back in the day. I loved that amp. I only got rid of it because I took a long break from playing, moved a few times, and slowly got rid of a pile of gear. Fast forward to 2020 and getting back into playing. I bought a Egnater Tweaker and have been pretty pleased overall. Most nights, I play through Logic on my computer and record. I've been pretty… read more happy with the setup, then I bought this. The TONE. It's hard to explain… I have a G&L V12, an American pro ii Tele, a Godin Radium, a G&L S-500 Fullerton, and a partscaster. The Iridium allows each of these guitars to sound distinct in a way that the amps in Logic didn't seem to do on their own. It may be the Mojo from Strymon just dialing things in a way I hadn't in Logic, or maybe it's better software, whatever it is I'm thrilled. It takes pedals really well and sounds great plugged into my amp (effect loop), headphones, or on my computer. Each of the amps sounds very individual, more distinct than my Egnater placed in the same modes (which is still very good). I bought a demo unit of this Strymon from Jason, but knowing what I know now, I'd happily pay full price in a heartbeat id this got lost or stolen. This pedal makes me want to try other Strymon units. With this pedal you can quickly dial in some really distinct, great tones, and the. add a bit of "room" reverb to taste and let your guitar tone shine. I have no plans to add IR cabs, this thing has all versatility I need and more.

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