Reactive Load Shootout - UA OX, Suhr RL, Fryette PS2, BOSS TAE
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- Опубликовано: 31 июл 2024
- Back to back comparison of the reactive load component of 4 market leading devices. Interesting comparison for my own purposes that I think will be useful for all!
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0:00 Intro
1:00 Rig setup
3:32 UA OX direct
4:57 Suhr Reactive Load
6:22 Fryette PS2
7:47 Waza TAE
9:12 Mix
10:37 Outro 
Видеоклипы
My ranking:
1) Suhr RL
2) Boss Waza TAE
3) UA OX
4) Fryette PS
2, 3 and 4 have other redeeming features - for example the Fryette does sound very good re-amped through it's tube power amp into a cab. But on a pure RL basis the Suhr has it, followed closely by the Waza. I thought the OX came to life when using it's built in cab sims. The BOSS is the best allrounder in my view - it can handle almost any scenario/rig setup.
Mate the OX cab sim immediately had that "in the room" sound as oposed to a mic'd cab thing, i didnt know they had that feature, I wasnt watching the screen so i didnt listen with my eyes, it made me stop what i was doing to find out what it was!
TAE was already on my list for upcoming aquisitions as a part of my home studio setup as it ticks the boxes for my personal needs.
Thanks very much for the demo Jason :)
I have the Suhr and the Fryette. I prefer playing through the Suhr but I'm frustrated it's only available in 8Ω as my amp puts out 3Ω and sounds best that way
@@sirvidiais the Suhr an attenuator like the fryette??
@@randym3982 it's a dummy load, as is the Fryette. The Fryette turns the amp speaker output into a line level signal, then has a built in power amp that amplifies it again. The Suhr has no second amp so you either run it into a mixer or buy a power amp
The Suhr RL as the best audio for an IR but the Fryette PS is king for live playing. 🤘
Tell me more about your experience with the Fryette unit?
Have you tried the Boss waza TAE?
I own both the Waza and the fryette (and the captor X) and the Waza can do SO much more than the fryette. Quality of sound is no better or worse but I think the TAE punches a bit harder.
For playing live, nothing can touch the flexibility and routing/output options the TAE has. Being able to load Ir’s and go cab-less is the huge difference for me as I am DI to board with maybe a FRFR behind me.
All sounded great to me through the tv. I own a TAE and have been happy with it since I bought it in my setup 2xKHE Switchers from selection of 12 amps and 1x412 rectifier (dv77’s x v30’s ,1 evh stealth 212, 1 marshall 212 swamp thangs and 1 212 mesa creamback and v30.
I get nice control over my amps/cabs with the TAE
I think the Fryette is the best for in the room attenuation to your cab without competition from anyone. I think the Fryette PLIR and Suhr IR are probably the best for IRs. The OX seems like it's really good if you want a simple interface for recording that just works. I think the Boss WAZA TAE has the best overall feature set in terms of doing any of the above plus digital effects post amplifier.
I think it really comes down to your use case. They're all fantastic.
Thanks for the great video! I own the fryette ps2 and always thought it lacked a little top end character compared to a speaker but was reluctant to try anything else for fear of having the same result. After watching this video, I'll be selling my Fryette and getting the Suhr.
Nice one Jase! Good to hear ya rippin some Vernon Reid riffage.. splendid!
Yeah man, I've been waiting for someone to shout it out! Love the old Living Colour stuff.
Always love some Living Colour! Great video and comparison!!
Mike, what an amazing debut record that was!
One has to keep in mind, that the impedance curve the Suhr is modeled after (analog modeling, to avoid misunderstanding), is a 4x12 with Celestion Greenbacks.
That's pretty much the gold standard for Rock, Hard Rock, heavier sounds short of plain metal.
Maybe what all you guys love about it as sounding natural, is simply what you are used to.
As someone playing much cleaner, preferring Jensen AlNiCos over Greenbacks and 112, 212, 210 open backs over 412s - natural and organic response consists of something very different from your playing and hearing standards.
I have only tried the OX after purchasing it... as strictly a home player it fills all my needs as I can run the signal to a DI and monitors with added effects and the dry signal to the amps cabinet and control the output for each separately. So its an attenuator with great software that allows me to run a wet dry rig with one rig.
I developed a Load Box addiction awhile back,Lol!…I have the Fryette PS2,Suhr Reactive Load,Fractal X-Load,TAE,and an old Marshall SE-100 from the early 90’s…All of these are based off of different impedance curves,so they all sound a little different..the Suhr is based on a 4x12 with Greenback’s,the Fractal V30’s,etc….I like the Fryette,but I always keep the hi switch in the up position,and the low switch in the middle..but I tend to only use the Fryette thru a cab and not just for a reactive load….The Suhr and Fractal X-Load are my favorites..But they all sound very good,and unless you are ABing them against each other,you forget the sound of the previous box pretty quickly..any one of these sound great…I tend to prefer the simple load boxes..I don’t need the IR’s and bells and whistles….although the adjustable load portion of the TAE is nice..Great video!!
Prefered Suhr RL. Thanks for making this comparison.
I'd be jumping on the Suhr for sure, simple and for me sounded the best
Suhr for me! I think the Fryette can get a little closer with the high frequency switch for the load in the up position (but Suhr is still closer to the cabs I've compared against). Great test, and killer playing and tones as ever Jason. Thanks for doing the video!
Thanks Ed, agree the Suhr won this one! Hope you are well mate.
@@HeadfirstAmps Likewise mate, hope the knee’s recovering well!
Thank you for answering my question about this in the live chat a few weeks ago with Monomyth amps. Maybe have you the idea to create this video shootout. The Suhr Reactive Load IR is at the top of my list.
Great vid Jase! Suhr was my favourite but the TAE isn't far behind. The Ox sounds like it's pumping up the low end which might be why so many people like it in a standalone setting.
Agree man. The OX only came to life for me when I used its own internal cab sim, it has some killer onboard fx though. The TAE is the best all rounder I think.
Very Cool Jase. I chose the TAE over the Fryette and gladly after this.
I think the boss Boss amp expander seems to be underrated by a lot of people. In my opinion, it’s up there with the very best, and it has some other bells and whistles that a lot of the other devices don’t have.
And if you wanna have the sound but not the bells or whistles, the Torpedo Captors have been measured to have the same kinda impedance curve.
The Suhr sounds the most natural and lifelike.
its too brittle
I have the PS100 and the Suhr RLIR - you should have brought the left upper treble toggle on the PS all the way up to EDGE (I can't tell if you have it on flat or bright) and the lower bass toggle to WARM (I can't tell if you have it on warm or possible the highest setting of deep) to best match the Suhr - they are really similar set this way. Fryette even says that in order to get a reactive load out of the Fryette you need to use the toggles - if they are on FLAT, it is just resistive.
The Suhr is great and so is the Fryette. The Suhr is limited to only 8 Ohm though which means it only works with certain amps.
Really enjoy your vids- I stumbled onto your channel from (I think) Leon Todd. However I found you, I dig your mods and playing.
Cool, thanks!
I did a blind test with the Mix-Chapter and heard absolutely no difference except for the OX with it's own cab-sims, where the tone change made me look at my monitor. :D
I like the Suhr and the TAE the best sound wise 👍
i have all of these units and OX is my favorite
The Suhr sounds best to me. But none of them was bad, just slight differences. I'm using the Suhr myself for a couple of years now. Before that I used the Two Notes Torpedo Live. I did a direct comparison between the Torpedo and the Suhr with the same IR and I instantly preferred the Suhr. It sounded a bit more "open" and "lively" to me in comparison. But the Torpedo wasn't bad either. All a matter of taste I guess.
Damn, they all sound great :) must be the playing!
Thanks 🙏
Brilliant comparison, I had been looking precisely for this kind of test for a long time. I have both the Suhr and later acquired the Fryette, but had been looking at the Boss - and in this comparison the Boss comes out on top according to my ears.
The Fryette sounds a bit dull and honky when put against the others. The Suhr has some sort of sizzle compared to the Fryette that I also noticed in my own comparisons. I use the Fryette as a clean PA for my AxeFX or Synergy modules, so it has other uses, but it's now clear there are better options as a load box. I'm still wondering about the latest newcomer from the RedSeven,
Ty for sharing! I'm new to load boxes. What's their main purpose? I have Mesa C+. Could I benefit from one? Ty!
Suhr for sure !
All sound good. I have the Suhr and the PS2 and perhaps slightly prefer the feel playing the Fryette. Did a similar null test myself and the Suhr and PS2 almost cancel out. Cheers!
Massively interesting Jason! Putting aside "personel taste" issues, they clearly are NOT all the same. To my ear, the Suhr and OX sound really balanced - like what I'd want from an amp. Good bite and mids, without being wimpy on the bottom. The Fryette sounded really dead - like inherently lacking something in the upper mids, and the Waza seemed pretty boomy. Big differences in "girth" and "sizzle" between them. Whether that can simply be EQ'd out is something I'd be interested in, as that would guide me as to whether one (or several of them) were simply not for me. For instance, a mid bump on the Fryette might change the whole picture, as would a high pass on the Waza. But that's just my taste, right? If i was making a buying decision based on hearing this alone, I'd NEVER buy the Fryette!
S.T.rock React I.R. the best deal!!
Go review! Thanks for shootout!
I think they mostly sounded pretty similar save for the waza which seemed.. different? I liked the other 3 better. It might have been good to stick a real cab as a load in there just for giggles. I was hoping you would show the impedance curves on these - I have wondered for a while, almost enough to buy them, measure, and then sell them.
Maybe I’m bias because I have it, but I liked the PS the most.
One question to return to the axe which output did you use on the PS, fx send or line out?
In my opinion the ox with built in cabs are the best, the most alike a real cab, more life and top end. The reactive load tends to sound all the same and more static sound.
Thats such a cool comparison! Thanks for this Jason. I have the WAZA and love that unit. I've been thinking about picking up the Suhr unit as I need another load box. Q for you - did changing the position of the Presence-Z control on the WAZA bring the tone of the WAZA closer to the Suhr? I usually have my Resonance-Z set to Low mid and Presence set to High Mid. I also add some high and mid boost into the signal via the EQ on the WAZA. Probably gets me 99% of the way there but curious about your experience too. Thanks dude and have an awesome day!
I dialled it into the safe position of resonance at LO and then played with the presence knob and left it where it sounded most natural and cab like
Thanks! Were you using the Suhr RL or Suhr RL IR? So with these devices you can do direct, absolutely silent recording (no cabinet needed) with any guitar amp?
the suhr sounds more "natural". Have you tried the captor x?
Definitely some Tonal Variants there…. I use the Suhr Reactive Load/IR
I've owned all these. The Fryette is the only one I use. It has nice tone control . It sounded dull here but there is a Prescence knob and Brite switch. Could sound much better. It's also fully tube driven and has a built in 60 watt 6L6 tube section that takes my 5-20 watt amps and makes them sound like 50-100 watt amps. It goes both ways. :-) . I sometimes run my plexi through it even though I dont need attenuation. The post power amp tone controls are better than the ones on the amp. I can make my plexi thump. No jumper needed. Its clean, quiet, all analog tube and awesome.
The test was for the reactive load only. I love the Fryette because of all the features you mention, however mostly they were out of scope for this test.
@@HeadfirstAmps Of course. The test was great to compare everything neutral. I appreciate the work that went into this. Not as easy as it looks to make these videos so thank you!
What are your thoughts on why some builders (such as Suhr/Germino) won’t warranty their amps for products with a “U” shaped impedance curve like the OX or Two Notes products? There’s also something potentially fatal to certain amps in the TAE’s variable impedance parameters as well.
It's a tough call, and how would a manufacturer actually know...unless you told them! But yeah, it's a thing to be concerned about if the impedance curve is vastly different to a speaker load.
Once again, a well presented and concise video, Jason! Your humble and passionate personality shine through as always. Strong work!
I liked the Suhr best, but it's splitting hairs. I've yet to go down the virtual rig road. Looks viable, but does it inspire? It's totally subjective but I'm curious about the feel. What did you use to record the loop?
I've got a locally built unbranded "Ultimate" attenuator kicking around somewhere. Designed by our cherished Mr. Ho. It's some novel design that he created. It's a big load restistor and an "emitter follower" to reamplify powered by 110v., from what I gather. Perhaps that was an attempt to make it feel reactive? They were all the rage a decade or more ago. Some guy marketed them, poor old bugger was overwhelmed hand building them. Hardly made a dime. In the end it didn't do it for me.
Ho is charming old Chinese guy that doesn't play guitar but speaks circuit theory as a second language. He has a shitty guitar, can't play a riff and uses cotton balls in his ears when he tests. He's a riot. He loves musicians and understands what they want, but he's simply an old man that knows his shit in a messy shop. Legendary in Vancouver.
Really interesting comparison, Jason. The only one that sounded much different was the Waza. More top end. I preferred the others for that tone you were using.
I notice you've got a Marshall 9100 (or is it a 9200) in the background there. I've got a 9100. Left channel hums, even on standby. Had a good tech go through it and he can't work out what the issue is. Caps and tubes are all good. Tech was thinking it could be magnetic inductance between the mains transformer and the output transformer. Any suggestions on what could cause 100Hz hum in standby? Presume it's coming somewhere from after the rectifier if it's 100Hz.
Mines a 9200 and it hums in both channels but not standby.
I compared these boxes a while back and chose the Suhr. I have still yet to hear anything that sounds better than it.
I just bought a Suhr Reactive Load I.R..... it sounds absolutely incredible. I liked it better than the Captor X which I checked out as well.
Here in this video, I liked the Suhr best. I am a bit disappointed by the Fryette to be honest.
There was some extensive testing of the frequency response and for the Fryette it is most accurate to a 4x12 and the Suhr when you set the reactive load to EDGE and WARM. This will make the reactive load more accurate and the best frequency response.
anyway the signal run into 3 AD coversion, 2 in fractal and 1 in apollo. this means fog that we all are used to hear. Mic and cabinet reduce the AD conv. to only 1 in audio interface
The OX was my least preferable, a little thin. My favorite was the Suhr, it sounded best the whole spectrum but had the bottom end punch you would expect from a loud tube amp. The Fryette provided a broad spectrum as well, but was a little smeared. I'd put the Boss in at #2.
Fryette sounds the most natural. I have both the fryette and the Suhr and as soon as I got the fryette it sounded less harsh in the upper register. You can hear it it the pinch harmonics especially. The fryette pinch harmonics sound more natural and thicker.
It’s still really good tho.
I've tried all of these, and the Tone King IronMan II bests them all.
Hello Jason,
Honest opinion from you:
Comparing the 1959hw or the SL68 which one you prefer most, pure sound and second through an ox box..
I think with the SL68 you can save the attenuator a bit from dying as the PPIMV and the Variac can help to not going full tilt like🖕on the ox box 😅
But I am not sure if i miss something between this and the 1959hw.. a marshall is marshall what I always came to conclusion in the end. Do You think the SL68 is a authentic reacreation or a real recreation apart from the fat cap on v2 and brand? Maybe I have to compare Mallory 150 vs these ERO/Vishay in the Marshall.
Thanks for your videos they are really helpfull! Keep on rockin 🤟
SL68 hands down is the better amp. The built in variac low voltage mode alone makes it better, then you have the factory PPIMV which is so useful in these beasts.
But, which one sounds the best through a cab?
Only two of them have power amps for re-amping.
I liked the Suhr and Ox the best but really...it's just whatever. They're all good and usable if you need a reactive load.
Only a hairsplitting difference with most of these, but to me, the Boss sounded a bit brighter.
Middle Man!
I think PS2 it's unbeatable when it comes handy the attenuation part.
If you don't use attenuation or don't even care to monitor you with your cab at low level volumes, the best for the buck is the Suhr.
So...when is the Headfirst Reactive Load due? 😁😁
😆💪
There's a great design you can improve from, check out JohnH diy reactive load on marshall forums, must be the best reactive load there is.
@@HeadfirstAmps lol - well, just hope there's a way to get it in the EU when it does hit 😎
All 4 sounded the same to me. Being all are high quality RL's I would expect them to sound good on their own.
I am at work tuning a loop, so I was bit zoned out, as a result, they all sound the same.
Ok a flaw with all of this.. Take a static line out box, line out box feeds the cab ir, then just switch loads and for fun put a real cab in the mix as a load.. as all of these are suppose to mimic a curve of a cab so let hear the cab as a load.. Then which one is closest.. I say the same line out as line out circuits change the sound also..
That’s a good but different test. I wanted to test the fidelity of the units line out as well as that how everyone uses them.
@@HeadfirstAmps also the old fryette the high switch should be up. He changed it on ps-100..
That’s good to know. What is it switched down, resistive?
fryette has no inputlag what so ever. its pure analog. has for me the most identical sound. and can be used without using the powerswitch if you just want silent recording from an amp -into the powerstation - into audio interface. i play with my mesa boogie mark V /25 and the powerstation do not even heat a bit up. ... had the OX but i felt like the oxbox has a good but very oxish sound.
suhr and ox for me.
My wallet will decide which one...
With a little EQ tweaking all could sound exactly the same…
You missed the fractal :)
Sounds like the winner is Suhr
It’s not the best way to do it. Its hard to remember sonic details once you change what your playing. For example your playing on the low strings then change to something else then something else etc before you start again with the next RL. The mind only remembers as much detail about one thing as possible for a short time. The best way to compare them is to play short very very simple passages so you can A/B them without delay. Such as simply playing a muted low E a number of times then immediately dong it again with the next RL.
Spot on. Accurate audio memory is about 3 seconds. You lose all objectivity after that.
none of these are accurate, we’ve made measurements against 4 different real cabinets as a load. the only accurate true reactive lbs are amt and st rock. the suhr is also up there but its got noticeably more high end than the cabinet with greenbacks, contrary to whats advertised.
What kind of cabs? All closed back? All 412?
"Accurate" is dependent on regarding to what.
I guess the ox and fryette might get much closer to the impedance curve of an open back 212 with speakers other than Celestron Greenbacks.
Suhr Sounded best to me.....The fryette sounded dark and a bit muffled to me.
correct
The Brite switch needs to be in the "Edge" position and Presence knob to taste. The knobs and switches are there to customise to taste/ style of music etc. It is not a one size fits all unit.
4:57
7:47
Fryette PS-2A all day every day...
The Suhr sounded the best followed by the Ox.
1. Suhr RL as it had girth and a great top end.
2. UA Ox as it sounded similar to the Suhr.
3. The Fryette, it’s probably in this position as I expected a lot from it. The top end wasn’t there like the Suhr and the Ox.
4. Boss TAE I initially thought these were cool and I saw a review where it wasn’t as good as the Fryette.
My interest in this sort of thing is reamping.
The winners are they way you have them in order for the demo. UA 1st, Suhr 2nd ,Fryette 3rd. But they all do a great job.
The UA OX direct sounded best to my ears.
they all sound the same. which is good for Suhr…
My favorite the UA OX. It has the best mids to my liking and balance overall. Followed closely by the Surh(2) and the Freitte(3) which sounds very similar to me. The Friette has a bit more low end. I could be please with any of those three. The waza sounds thin and scooped to me. I don’t like it at all.
Spot on
All sounded much the same ; maybe the Frayette was a slightly less volume. A load box is a handy way of heating your Unit
ox for me.
The Ox is horrible to my ears...suhr and Fryette do it best. BOSS has great features but is missing something..
Waza is terrible