About Strymon Iridium

[Jazz_175]

I am very attracted by th Strymon Iridium but, as far as I understand, these is no way I can use it with my gear. I read that it is not recommended to use it in front of an amp, so, owning a Fender Deluxe Reverb, a Henriksen JazzAmp and Henriksen BluesAmp there is not much I can do and I guess I should buy one of these FRFR cabs. What do you think and which one do you recommend?

[Spook410]

You do need a full range speaker. I think all of them are powered. If not, you would need a power amp as well.

I don't care for the sound of a regular PA speaker. Even a good one. (I have a Yamaha DZR10.. lots of power.. lackluster detail)

I'm using an Acus 350 which works quite well but it's not exactly a common set up.

[jorgemg1984]

Love my two Mambo PA cabs.

[Jonathan0996]

You don’t necessarily need an FRFR cabinet.

A workaround is to plug the modeler into the amp effects return or amp in jack rather than the input. You could probably try this out at a music store that carries the Strymon. This would effectively bypass the preamp stage of the guitar amp and send the signal directly into the power amp. Depending on how the amp is wired it should bypass all the tone controls on the amp. The modeler would act as the preamp.

I do this with a Fractal AX8 and an Evans amp. Works well.

[Spook410]

You don’t necessarily need an FRFR cabinet.

A workaround is to plug the modeler into the amp effects return or amp in jack rather than the input. You could probably try this out at a music store that carries the Strymon. This would effectively bypass the preamp stage of the guitar amp and send the signal directly into the power amp. Depending on how the amp is wired it should bypass all the tone controls on the amp. The modeler would act as the preamp.

I do this with a Fractal AX8 and an Evans amp. Works well.

Glad this works for you and in the end it only matters that it sounds good. However you are sending an Impulse Response (IR) into a cabinet that's not designed to accurately represent it. Doesn't take advantage of what the tech is capable of especially if you put some effort into downloading good IR's into the Iridium.

[Jazz_175]

A workaround is to plug the modeler into the amp effects return or amp in jack rather than the input. You could probably try this out at a music store that carries the Strymon. This would effectively bypass the preamp stage of the guitar amp and send the signal directly into the power amp. Depending on how the amp is wired it should bypass all the tone controls on the amp. The modeler would act as the preamp.

I do this with a Fractal AX8 and an Evans amp. Works well.

Thanks, the problem is that the amps I mentioned only have the regular input jack, no effects return.

[Jazz_175]

I submitted a similar question to an online music shop. They suggest the following headrush frfr108 for home use and an active cabinet from the grguitar brand for stage.

[Jonathan0996]

Glad this works for you and in the end it only matters that it sounds good. However you are sending an Impulse Response (IR) into a cabinet that's not designed to accurately represent it. Doesn't take advantage of what the tech is capable of especially if you put some effort into downloading good IR's into the Iridium.

Fair point. I neglected to mention that I disable the IRs in the AX8. I just use the amp modeling and effects.

[Spook410]

Fair point. I neglected to mention that I disable the IRs in the AX8. I just use the amp modeling and effects.

Umm.. wait.. I had not thought about this. I could run into the return of a Quilter tone block and drive one of the guitar cabinets I don't use much with the IR turned off.

OK. Have something else to play with. Good idea.

[Jonathan0996]

I guess it depends on what you’re going after. If you want to specifically emulate particular amps with particular cabs, my approach probably isn’t the way to go. I can never precisely get a ‘68 Plexi sound with vintage Greenbacks. It ain’t gonna happen.

My approach probably wouldn’t be optimal for recording, but that’s not what I do. In my case I’m just looking for a variety of good usable tube amp sounds and a nice variety of effects for live applications. Again, it works for me. And I think it works well partly because the Evans amp makes for a powerful, clean, neutral sounding platform. Your mileage may vary.

[Jazz_175]

You don’t necessarily need an FRFR cabinet.

A workaround is to plug the modeler into the amp effects return or amp in jack rather than the input. You could probably try this out at a music store that carries the Strymon. This would effectively bypass the preamp stage of the guitar amp and send the signal directly into the power amp. Depending on how the amp is wired it should bypass all the tone controls on the amp. The modeler would act as the preamp.

I do this with a Fractal AX8 and an Evans amp. Works well.

Actually, I've got another amp, which I haven't used for years. It's in my basement and I had forgotten about it. It's an old Fender Princeton Chorus and I've noticed it has a section Effects Loops with Send and Return (actually two of them a Mono Send Return and a Stereo Send Return)
So, as I understand, I should do this: Guitar ----> Iridium-------> Return of the Amp

[Jonathan0996]

So, as I understand, I should do this: Guitar ----> Iridium-------> Return of the Amp

Yes, that should work. When you first try it, turn the volume down on the guitar and the amp. Then slowly bring up a little volume. It should work fine.

There’s no law that says you can’t plug the Iridium directly into the input, but then the amp’s tone controls would further color the sound. It’ll probably sound better if you turn off the IRs and use the effects return, but you can try it both ways and see which way sounds better to you. It won’t hurt anything.

[Cunamara]

I have an Alto TS110a FRFR powered speaker which works OK with my Tech21 SansAmp Para Driver DI in front of it (set to line XLR output). Where my band rehearses has an FRFR powered speaker (QSC brand which is related to Quilter I am told) and it's definitely more satisfying than the Alto. I don't even bring an amp, just the PADI. But the Alto is much cheaper...


It seems to me that the FRFR powered speakers have better dispersion than a guitar cab.


The PADI is not an apples to apples comparison with the Strymon, but has been a very good solution for me. I also use it in front of my AI Clarus 2r at home for thickening up and "electrifying" the tone a bit. I have a Zoom MS-100bt which also worked well in front of the Alto and as a DI to a mixing board; output from that pedal is pretty strong. It may be a more apt comparison to the Strymon. I did quite a few gigs with that and the Alto instead of a conventional guitar amp.

[burchyk]

I use Iridium into Mambo FX return sometimes with IR disabled. Pretty good results.

[Jazz_175]

Yes, that should work. When you first try it, turn the volume down on the guitar and the amp. Then slowly bring up a little volume. It should work fine.

There’s no law that says you can’t plug the Iridium directly into the input, but then the amp’s tone controls would further color the sound. It’ll probably sound better if you turn off the IRs and use the effects return, but you can try it both ways and see which way sounds better to you. It won’t hurt anything.

I don't own an Iridium (yet) but I am collecting information as I intend to purchase one. In the meantime I have been playing around with this Princeton Chorus that I had abandoned years ago because I did not like how it sounded. I bought it for 150 euros a few years ago but a technician had to work on it, I don't even remember why. I plugged a Telecaster straight into the loop/return and the sound that comes out is plain and clear, a bit weak, but of a better quality if compared to the sound I get when I plug the guitar into the regular input jack. So, to reinforce the signal, I included an overdrive in the chain and reverb: Guitar -----> overdrive------> TC Hall of Fame Reverb-------> Return and I was very much satisfied with the result. Never thought about that. Just another possibility.

[Spook410]

While running into a guitar cabinet with the IR turned off is a fun thing to try, it doesn't take advantage of what an IR does for you. The point of an IR is not just fidelity but flexibility. If you want the sound of a 15" or the sound of 2X10" you can get a simulation of that with the flip of a switch. When you dial up a 4X12" Marshall closed back does it sound just like that? Nope. But you can work within the limitations of an FRFR speaker (and there are many) to get something closer to what you're looking for without the weight and power constraints of a guitar cabinet.

A guitar cabinet might be a workaround while you save up for an FRFR or it might (my case) be something to screw around with because gear is fun. But if you really want to get what the Strymon Iridium provides, you need an FRFR to go with it. If all you want is an amp sim, a Joyo pedal is a lot cheaper.

[Jazz_175]

Yes, you right, in order to fully exploit the potentialities of the Iridium an FRFR cab is needed. So my plan is purchasing Iridium, experiment a bit and then acquire one of these FRFR cabs. I was looking at this video
Sound comparison starts at 4:55, if you do not want to listen when he speaks.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEIvRCecodM&t=213s

where a comparison is made between three FRFR cabs: GR Guitar, Red Sound and Line 6.
I am very attracted by the GR Guitar Cab, AT G112A, it's in carbon fiber with 12" speaker, 300 Watts RMS and weighs only 6 kg.
(No affiliation with GR Guitar)