STRYMON IRIDIUM VS BOUTIQUE AMPS
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- Опубликовано: 14 окт 2024
- With the amazing response to our first video, we decided to do a deep dive on the Strymon Iridium and see just how it stacks up, not only "driven," but in a clean setting as well.
In this video, we will be comparing some comparable amps to the ones that come with the iridium, and pairing them with exact cab configurations to give you a clear idea of what the iridium sounds like next to an actual tube amp. Each amp is inspired by the amps inside iridium, and to make things interesting, we have set up a small A/B game for you to test your ears and see if you can hear the differences.
Let us know in the comments how you did, and don't worry, we're not here to judge anything but tone! Let the games begin!
I hope you get some kind of compensation for the comparison because you just sold me on the Strymon Iridium
I think the Iridium shines where most modelers fail - in the Clean-to-slightly-gritty area. Most modelers focus on metal tones and have terrible clean/slight dirt tones.
I had extremely high quality profiles and a kemper, this sounded more real and dynamic by far. Tried it next to a dialed in helix, sounded better. Sold my kemper two days later after having spent over 100 hours tweaking knobs on it. There’s nothing limited about the iridium, it just sounds great.
Amazing!
Hear, hear!
You should have profiled the iridium! LMAO
I had the Kemper for 2 years. I used like 2-3 profiles. It's very overwhelming. Sold it and a Dr Z after getting the Iridium.
Finally a demo where its actually possible to hear the fundamental core tones. 99.9% of all videos with modellers are either high distortion or as wet as the Pacific Ocean. This, right here, is musical and honest. Thanks a lot…
Thanks so much for watching and your kind words!
This is exactly the demo I was hoping someone would do! Nothing but clean tones - excellent! Thank you.
beshmonger thanks for watching, thanks for the kind words as well!
Wow. I mean wow. All along the comparision I was convinced that A was the amp, turned out A was the Iridium. The only slight difference I heard between the real thing and the Iridium was the Marshall setting. Based on this video the Strymon seems to be the ultimate amp and cab modeler in a box, a great tool for home recordings when someone doesn't wanna burn tubes with a Captor X or an OX. Sounds great, I am ordering my Iridium right now based on this amazing video. :)
thanks so much for your kind words and watching!
My preference was A sometimes and B other times, but critically I'd like to point out that there weren't any bad tones in this video to my ear, and it wasn't easy for me to tell which was which, so I think that says a lot about the pedal regardless.
Prog Pogs good words! Thanks so much for watching!
I usually don't like amp sim tone. But I was actually surprised here. Cause I liked the A examples best on pretty much all of these and was afraid the strymon would be the B amp each time. Great tone for all the examples on all the amps though. Thanks for the vid!
thanks for watchin!
Wooooah! Blown away! When listening to these blind tests I always try to avoid the guesses which is which because by default we tend to think the real deal is better. But it's not necessarily so. Instead, I just make a mental note which sound I liked more. I watched a pretty good helix vs real amp video recently and was disappointed that I liked the real amp on all the clips.
In this example I liked clips A - A - B - A and I was pretty sure I also knew which one was the amp. But when you made the reveal, my jaw dropped on the floor. :D
Great video, thanks!
I've watched 30 different channels demoing Iridium, including their official channel. This video is what sold it to me. Thanks man!
Thanks so much for your kind words!!
Forgot to mention that it was your playing that sold it.
Thanks for this great video. I am getting one for sure. This was most helpful since I am a clean tone freak. This will be a huge upgrade from my Eleven Rack.
Loved the Nocturne bit, Julian Lage rips
I absolutely loved your playing! Very expressive, melodic, delightfully voiced chords . And thank you so much for using clean sounds so we can actually hear the amp and not the distortion. Great demo man
I have the iridium. After a couple hours I literally said out loud, “I doubt I will ever use an amp again”, in my home studio. It sits in a mix perfectly. The three amps give me all I would ever need. Highly recommend it
Kevin Musso 😧😧😧😧😧😧😧😧😧
Mmmmm.....
Kevin Musso I was thinking the same thing when I finally got my hands on one! It’s more than good enough for hobbyists who want studio quality on a budget!
Same reaction I had Kevin. I also feel more inspired to practice, play and create. With the settings so minimal, I don’t fall down the black hole of tweaking things.
Christian Pescado cheaper than amps and mics 👍🏼
Bro! I’m so glad I ran into your channel. Great content! Btw, I loved the A’s without knowing. (I did purchase my Iridium not too long ago and I love it)
I really liked the sounds coming from a the whole video and couldn’t really tell which one was the iridium. I must say Strymon makes amazing products hands down. I get more impressed by their pedals the deeper my research gets. Thank you for the video!
thanks so much for watching and your kind words!
@@kinsmenmusicofficial my pleasure.
Great video dude! And great range of playing styles to really get a taste of the diffs.
Don’t know how long it took you to match the tones between the iridium and the original amps but what a freggin great job!
As a lot of the other peeps are writing you literally would not be able to tell in a live environment if someone was playing the iridium or a real head.
Thanks for making the vid!
I’m pretty convinced to get an iridium to try it live now :-D
Sorrento Rock thanks so much for watching! All settings on amp and iridium were at noon. We actually didn’t try to match them at all too much. But really appreciate you takin the time to watch.
Amazing I was all A every time on good monitor headphones. What’s stunning is what they have done with the fidelity in the top end. The 10k is better and cuts amazingly while retaining all the warmth and dynamics.
The real amps sound muddier and have less vibrance in the top end. Just a testament to where Strymon is. I have a dialed sound on my Volante that is completely 100 percent on par with a space echos sweet spot-and the fidelity is better. That pedal convinced me-and this reinforces it. Strymon are doing stuff nobody else is. There’s a lot of good stuff out now-but this is the best stuff on earth presently.
Fly Johnson thanks so much for watching and great comments!!
Finally! A demonstration of the cleans.
Thanks for watching!
Both sound good. Great clean playing, not one duff note!
Your playing is fantastic!
Superb demo
Thanks a lot!
Pretty amazing. The differences are that the very highest frequencies are ever so slightly rolled off on the Iridium, like it’s just slightly compressed and the room effects, maybe because of mic’ing, were more noticeable on the real amps. The Iridium may not have been as responsive to your pick attack either, which is why people commented that the notes had more “bloom”. These are all 2% differences though. Considering the annoyance of the space, weight and all the extra gear you have to buy to record with these amps, the Iridium is amazing, so I bought one! If they added spring reverb, this device would be unstoppable. I rely on the built in amp reverb. After I purchased this I realized I have to buy a reverb pedal as well. Duh.
Check out the Strymon Flint. Gorgeous spring and plate reverb sounds mixed with authentic tremolo options. Seems like these would be a perfect fit.
This is my only issue with the Iridium. The high end roll off doesn’t bother me on dirty sounds, but I bought an ACS1 just for clean clean sounds. They don’t look much different on a spectrum analyzer, but the ASC1 has more sparkle in the top on cleans.
@@itchyvinyl I’ve since moved on the a RevivalDrive Hotrod edition and a Torpedo speaker can emulator. Light years better than the Iridium.
Wow 😳 Iridium sounds amazing. Crazy
Great review. Tasteful playing that allows the listener to hear individual notes. Subscribed.
came across your channel today while looking from some informative stuff around the iridium. Absolutely great video, I was able to hear what I wanted to hear!. you've got a new follower!
eventidewinds thanks for watching! And thanks for following!
Love the Julian Lage at the beginning 🙌🏼
super stoked you noticed!
Wow! I got one one the way and after watching this video I think I will be pretty happy with my Iridium!
thanks for watching!
I preferred the Iridium hands down in part because it sounds like a finished guitar tone that’s been meticulously worked on and recorded. Bravo to the strymon team.
I preferred A and thought it was the Iridium - it’s just a tiny bit more upfront. I’ve had this pedal for a couple of months now and love it. You get consistency and a tone that is both inspiring and sits well in the mix with no fuss. I’m planning on using it direct into the PA for gigging once we can get back to playing live again.
For me, it’s never really been about a stark difference in the sound (although it’s clear they have their differences), It’s the difference in feel between digital and tube amps. I actually end up playing differently when I’m using digital because it doesn’t feel right to me. But these sounds you’re getting are fantastic on both!
I thought the iridium was the amp and the better sounds. Wow thanks!
Great to see some tasty playing instead f someone just shredding 👍 Iridium is close enough for me, awesome piece of gear 🤘
Elwyn, thanks so much for the kind words! glad you enjoyed, and thanks for watching!
Amazing. I was a bit worried A would be the Strymon because they always sounded a little brighter (except the Vox, where it was the other way around), but I guess you could also argue that the real amps sounded dull by comparison. But it never sounded fake or digital, and if I wasn’t paying attention I usually didn’t notice at all when you switched sources. Great comparison!
Thanks for watching!
Picked B every single time. But A sounds really good. Can you please do an overdrive test with playing chords (not only lead)?
kkkfts thanks for watching!
kkkfts I picked B every time too and I was listening on my iPad Air.
Great job on this! Would love to know the Iridium settings, especially that gorgeous chime example!
thanks for the kind words! All settings on iridium were actually at noon EXCEPT the punch section, for that the input was at 9 o'clock because it was getting gritty really fast. but for the chime example, every knob at noon, 2x12 cab was the cab we went with. thanks for watching!
Awesome tones!!! Subscribed and soon to be Iridium owner!! Strymon better be sending you some cash!!!! Thanks for your time!!!
leftyshep oh we wish!!!!
Amazing video, beautiful playing, you Rock. Suscribed
If amp and iridium are set up as equal as possible, i can say that iridium seems to have a little bit more clarity and less bottom end, but what impress me so much is that incredible similarity of the two tones!
I listened to the video a second time without looking at the video and could not hear the switch from Iridium to the real amp on 2 out of 3 and just barely noticed on the one that I did hear. Excited to see the dirty tones video.
Thanks for posting! Just subscribed
thanks for watching and the sub!
No way anyone could tell a difference in a mix or band setting! Nice!
Les Johns exactly mate. When your using it live in a band or whatever In packed venue ‘NO ONE’ is gonna know the difference. Great piece of kit 👌
I got them right 100%, yay! Welcome Iridium (heads to the Strymon website...). Thanks for the cool video!
Would love to have your settings from the Iridium Presets played. Sounds great!
hey Jason, all settings on iridium were at noon! Thanks for watchin!
I did get it right. Thanks for doing the A B test.
Thanks for watching!
Thanks for the comparison, it was really informative! Any news about the shootout featuring the dirty settings?
Florin Gogianu working through it!
I'm thinking about buying an iridium so I took notes during the video and honestly I'm shocked about the results.
The sounds I preferred;
Fender, definitely A and I actually didn't like B. Iridium +1
Vox, A but it was close. B was great. Iridium +1/2
Marshall, B. I thought A was good but the top sounded a little fizzy to me Amp +1
Two Rock, A by a narrow margin. I thought B sounded a touch lifeless until the solo notes when it sounded beautiful. Iridium +1/2
So I was very surprised the Iridium not only stood up to but beat out the real amps by a small margin of 2 points to 1 point.
Brilliant video, it was really useful to hear such an accurate A/B comparison.
thanks so much for watching and giving us your feedback!
@kinsmen hey, thanks for this video, amazing tones! I was just wondering what is the sound when you hear it from the monitors? Is it possible to run Iridium directly to a guitar cab, to hear it in front of you as a normal amp? I would like to use it for recording and go directly into PA in live situations, but also for rehearsal and then I would need to hear it directly. Thanks for advice! :)
I picked b to be the amps, though really liked the strymon. very perfect tone with clear balance and nice compression. real amps sounded real, not perfect, warmer less hifi.
Julian Lage FTW. Nice one dude
Thanks for this! Nice work.
Thanks for watching!
Damn you! Now I have to pause this video and go listen to House Of The Rising Sun before I can continue watching. >.
great comparison... great song selection, there are too many demonstrators playing metal... you also did it objectively in a blind test... well done. The iridium seems like a solid amp sim.
We really appreciate the kind words!
Both Sounded fine - I have the Iridium. I thought A as the quality of the overall sound was most consistent and had the smoothness of the device.
I preferred B in every case and I'm playing on headphones and Zoom G2.1U all my life, lol;)
I actually couldn’t decide which I liked better. A or B both sounded great! So I guess the question is, do you want to spend well over $10k on real amps, mics, preamps, room treatment, ect....or just use the iridium for a very affordable price?! Lol
exactly. I can't afford all those beautiful amps or warrant owning them.
I love my Iridium. It’s hard to beat.
That’s encouraging!
Do you run it into an FRFR, studio monitors or something else?
I was wrong, so i'm glad i purchased an Iridium and i didn't buy into the hype. it sounds great.
Cool. How are you using your Iridium? Live or studio?
Stephen Lennartz Just for home use. I tend to be plugged in with headphones more than anything so I don’t wake anyone up while I’m playing at night.
I got it right but not because A didn't sound like an amp... but because in the final test A sounded like a Fender and B did not (because it wasn't!) :) It is a good time to be alive in the guitar world right now friends.
Agreed! thanks for watching!
I got it right. Something in the Bs sounded a bit more nuanced, loose, imprecise. So, not necessarily 'better' and it's not really something you can plan to get out of an amp, but there is something there. The Iridium is a pretty good practical 'compromise,' considering all you get.
I could tell from the get go which one was the amp. Doesn’t necessarily mean it was always better. Obviously the amps had a touch more sag, which can be great for certain kinds of music, but when recording, I love going DI so the Iridium would be awesome. Nice demo, mate.
dostacos thanks for watching!
I guessed them! all the A samples sounded hi-fi. Kinda like a perfectly mic'd cab.
#NAILED IT!
Subscribed! Good stuff. What are you playing at 4:20? Sounds familiar but can’t place it
clintmiller23 thank you so much for the sub! The song is “what do you want from me?” By Adam LAmbert 😂😂😂
Lovely playing.
Dang! I have an Iridium and I got it wrong! Nice work!
thanks for watching!
Such perfect tones!!!!
Loved the A the whole way through... until that Two-Rock. God Damn.
I own a kemper and hx stomp and I always find myself using the iridium. Takes pedals really well and not having 3000+ presets is also why it takes the the number one spot
That's a really good point! Sometimes simplicity is better. Probably 100% of the time, 50% percent of the time!
Great video! I love my Iridium it’s become my main rig .
Good choice!
Awesome comparison guys, i get they bouth Sound really good, But when you are playing the amps through monitor speakers , do you feel the difrance? I am asking about the feel , not the Sound . Can you fell witch is the iridium and witch is the amp? Thanks :)
Demi Lapadat I have used multiple times with in ears and headphones and I have to say, it feels good in the ears, but you don’t feel it because it’s not physically pushing air behind or around you.
kinsmen i am asking if the amps are in isolation , not in the room with you.
I’m really on the fence between iridium or Morgan AC20. I just want to record at home. I never owned a boutique amp in my life. But I’m scared that it might be too loud. Which one would you recommend? Awesome video btw!
ralph dajao strictly personal opinion, but if we had a choice between those two, it’d be the iridium.
Thanks for the demo! This is how to demo folks. Let us here the sound of the pedal.
Plus throw in some Yellow Ledbetter!!
You got it!
I thought the amp was A and the irridium was B, because to me the A examples sounded clearer with more air and definition, and I figured that was the hallmark of an actual “real” amp. I’m pleasantly surprised to find out I was wrong, especially since I just received my iridium two days before watching this😊
Just goes to show you how amazingly realistic digital simulation algorithms are becoming. As bono sings, even better than the real thing...
Thanks for watching!
B wins every time for me. Dang it I wish B was the Strymon. A still sound great though but love the B by quite a margin. Which IR used in the Vox Setting?
Dave Andrew I think the same.
What were your settings at 5:30? Awesome tone? Which amp model?
The Punch setting on the 4x12
I don’t think there is a discernible enough difference to justify the real deal over the Iridium unless you already own and have the one and only amp you’ll ever need. It’s literally $1,000s vs $399. Both sound absolutely great.
thanks for watching!
I started to get it right from the monent you started jamming with the strat type guitar. But I am pretty sure that almost no one could understand the difference in a mix. You did a good job with the video and with your playing !
totally agree with a mix situation, its def mind bending when you realize it's not an amp!
@@kinsmenmusicofficial Yes indeed!
I liked your little major key version of Rock & Roll Ain’t Noise Pollution 😂
thanks dad!
i got the first two wrong and the second two right. The strat vox tone threw me off because they both sounded like the iridium to me, and not quite voxy to me lol
Wow. I was sure the amps were A. I’m seriously considering selling my amp and getting that pedal, but what kind of speaker can I go out of other than a PA. Can you go out of one of those party speakers people use for backyard parties, or even some powered stereo speakers for a home theater?
So, the description has all the info, there was a two-rock, a fulton webb and a 65' bassman. You can use iridium to powered stereo speakers. thanks for watchin!
@@kinsmenmusicofficial yeah. I’m considering the Iridium or the Atomic Ampli-firebox Mark II. The Atomic has some built in effects. The iridium I would need a compressor and tape delay. So I’m leaning to Atomic but that sounded better than the amp.
@@thetakenking7061 I’m not sure about atomic, never played one, but the iridium, to my ears at least, is amazing.
The one thing we really miss here just listening is how EASY it is to get these great tones out of an iridium vs how difficult it is to record those tones out of amps without pissing off your neighbours and spending hours tweaking mics and settings.
The iridium is incredible.
"What a wicked tone! ... ..."
Thanks Stephen!
I prefer the A. What are the Filtertrons in that Gretsch? Is that Brian Setzer signature model?
Those are actually mcnelly stagger swaggers. The gretsch is just a plain 6120
Nice. I love my iridium, and my amps. Lol. But yeah. Wow.
Is there any way you can share your settings for all of the Iridium sounds?
Sorry David, it's been so long, I couldn't tell ya. I will say that the amps resembled the model, so fender was fender, fulton was ac30ish, and diamond was marshall. hope that helps but I know it probably doesn't. Sorry man.
@@kinsmenmusicofficial no problem - only asking because it did sound so good.
thanks so much for the kind words, and watching david! @@davidwlucas
Curious what the recording setup was for the amp.
sm7b straight into apollo into studio 1
Sorry where did I miss which was A and B? Thanks!
all of the answers were at 8 min in. thanks for watching.
Nice playing
Thanks for the video, great demo.
In the guess game, I went for the sounds I liked the most, assuming that they were the originals.
In the end I guessed wrong ...
This is one pretty solid and well made piece of gear from Strymon, I may have to try one.
sounds great! thanks!
JulianFernandez thanks for watching!
Nice video. Thankyou for sharing this
Pomeranian Serenader ya is so much for watching!
How do you feel about an Iridium along with an FRFR (or even just studio monitors) as an alternative to a tube amp with an attenuator for jamming at home with friends?
we've used the iridium in a ilve rehearsal setting with ears and enjoy it alot. we also tried with a JBL eon and it was pretty solid, a little hard to cut through everyone at first, but just takes a little tweaking!
Was the strymon recorded directly into DAW, or with a mic in front of cabinet?
DirkDusty the iridium was direct into daw
@@kinsmenmusicofficial That's amazing! Thanks for your answer.
No prob! Thanks for watching!
I chose B, A,A, A/B tied on last one. Those were my preferences. Then again I wear a hearing aid - and have tinnitus.
oof
I thought A is real amps, but actually not :) I liked A better :)
Martin Tomášik spoiler alert!!
If you hadn't put it up on the screen, I'd never heard the transition or a difference.
What's the first song at 1:10 ? Someone please tell me the name because it's gorgeous.
Pedro Cabral that’s nocturne by Julian Lage, thanks for watching!
was not expecting Nocturne, nice!
James Bennett thanks for watching! And noticing 😃
Did you use any cab sims other than what’s built into the Strymon?
jammin4good no, we just left it stock.
Woahh you played Julian Lage tune
Ly glad you enjoyed it!
Was really hoping the Iridium was the “B”...I thought all those sounds were better and more dynamic. I live in an apartment. I want the Iridium to be as warm, and dynamic as a real tube amp!
Even though both sets of sounds were really good, there was some thing more alive with the “B” sounds? I play with my guitar volume so the dynamics of a tube amp reacting to those changes are important to me.
May still get one to practice, but it has to react like a Tube amp to be worth the cost?