# NPD: Strymon Iridium



## Deadpool_25 (Nov 17, 2019)

I went ahead and picked this thing up. Another one of my impulse purchases. I’m using it for a somewhat specialized purpose though. I’m bypassing the cab sims and running it through my Invective’s FX loop.

Although I loved the Invective from day one, it had two issues for me. First, its clean, while great for a lot of things, isn’t that crystal and sparkly clean I like from Fender and similar amps. I like to noodle around with some neo-soul, John Mayer, math rock, etc. where the Invective’s clean is too warm and compressed. Second, the crunch channel has a bit too much aggression to do more classic Marshallish tones.

The Iridium completely eliminates these issues. Additionally, I get an AC30 tone as an option. I’ve never really thought I’d like AC30s much but it’s a pretty damned nice tone.

I’m waiting on a simple 2-loop switcher. When that arrives I’ll be able to switch between the Invective preamp and the Iridium as a preamp, in effect doubling the Invective’s number of “channels.” My ideal amp would have a clean in Fender territory, a crunch in Marshall plexi-to-JCM territory, and the lead channel from a 5150. It would also be fairly easy to control the volume at home and be very simple to use. The Invective/Iridium setup nails all of these.

The Iridium itself is a brilliant piece of gear imo. It’s been called a “gimped modeler” by some here  because of a few reasons: lack of an FX loop, lack of onboard effects, only three amp sims, etc. Although I can understand these criticisms if coming from the perspective of comparing to other modelers, the Iridium has a few things that I think make it an excellent unit worthy of a place in the market:

1. Sound quality. The amp models sound absolutely phenomenal imo. Easily as good as my old Axe FX2. I actually think it sounds even better, though I haven’t had the Axe in a long time so I may not remember all that well. And a 120w Fender Deluxe? Yes please. Additionally, the Room sim sounds great. I thought that might’ve been disabled when I disabled cab sims but it still works and I love it.

2. Ability to take drive pedals. The Iridium takes pedals far better than any modeler or digital amp I’ve tried. It takes low gain pedals like the Archer, Tumnus Deluxe, and Tubescreamer like a champ, but also sounds awesome with the BEOD Deluxe.

3. Simplicity. It’s as easy to use as most other pedals. Plug it in and turn a knob or two and you instantly have great tones. There’s zero menu diving and almost no tweaking. Option paralysis is definitely not a thing. This simplicity is part of why some think it’s overpriced and under-featured. For others this simplicity will be a huge benefit. I think it depends on your needs and what you’re looking for.

It certainly won’t be for everyone; people need to think hard and research exactly which modeler (if any) suits their needs, but I definitely think it’s an excellent product that _feels_ like it’s different from other current offerings on the market.

The Iridium doesn’t do a lot of things. It does a few things—and does them stunningly well.


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## Deadpool_25 (Nov 17, 2019)

Oh sorry, I almost forgot where I was.

On its own, the Iridium can do a good pretty high gain tone. It’s not quite modern metal territory, but is certainly hard rock worthy. It gets better with a TS in front which tightens things up just as with a good amp. At very high gain settings, the Punch amp gets a bit muddy but at around 2:00-3:00 it’s pretty satisfying.


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## Spinedriver (Nov 18, 2019)

Deadpool_25 said:


> Oh sorry, I almost forgot where I was.
> 
> On its own, the Iridium can do a good pretty high gain tone. It’s not quite modern metal territory, but is certainly hard rock worthy. It gets better with a TS in front which tightens things up just as with a good amp. At very high gain settings, the Punch amp gets a bit muddy but at around 2:00-3:00 it’s pretty satisfying.



That's what I was going to say. "That Pedal Show" on YT did an hour long video putting it through it's paces and they absolutely loved it as well. Mainly though, what you're using it for is essentially Strymon's target demographic, people wanting clean to mid/high-ish gain (think Fender/Vox to modded Marshall/Friedman territory). There's already enough modlers that do uber-crushing high gain and mediocre clean to mid-gain tones, so they just filled in the gap, which is pretty much their wheelhouse anyway, just look at the Riverside and Sunset pedals.

That's the one thing you can always count on Strymon for, when they make a pedal they do it _very _well. They aren't trying to make something for everybody and doing a mediocre job at it. They just design a pedal and put it out there and people either say 'meh, not for me' or they absolutely love it.


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## Meeotch (Nov 18, 2019)

Yeah man, I think you deserve some credit for building some cool non-traditional setups with your 3-tier approach. That Cali Tweed/Super Kraken rig is sick. And now you're back to the Invective! 

I did own the Invective for a short bit and totally agree on the cleans. I always had the treble maxed but still couldn't get it to "liven up". It was just too warm and subdued for my tastes. I also thought the boost on channel one sounded like crap. 

Channel 2 was cool but like you said, a bit too aggressive. It seems like the Iridium covers those channels perfectly. Could you elaborate on the 2-loop switcher? The Kraken pedal was the first I've seen that allows a simple toggle between Kraken preamp and amp preamp. I didn't think there was a simple way to set this up otherwise?


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## Deadpool_25 (Nov 18, 2019)

Meeotch said:


> Yeah man, I think you deserve some credit for building some cool non-traditional setups with your 3-tier approach. That Cali Tweed/Super Kraken rig is sick. And now you're back to the Invective!
> 
> I did own the Invective for a short bit and totally agree on the cleans. I always had the treble maxed but still couldn't get it to "liven up". It was just too warm and subdued for my tastes. I also thought the boost on channel one sounded like crap.
> 
> Channel 2 was cool but like you said, a bit too aggressive. It seems like the Iridium covers those channels perfectly. Could you elaborate on the 2-loop switcher? The Kraken pedal was the first I've seen that allows a simple toggle between Kraken preamp and amp preamp. I didn't think there was a simple way to set this up otherwise?




Thanks man. I swear I have as much fun building my rigs as I do playing them. I'm clearly broken lol. Although I couldn't always define it so clearly, I was always looking for that Fendery/Marshally/5150 thing. Ideally it would be in a single amp but I haven't quite found "the one" yet. The SK is the closest I've found--the Invective was quite close too but not quite. I kept looking for the clean amp and getting the other sounds with pedals...didn't really occur to me to do it the other way around until trying the AMT F1 through the 5150.

On the switcher, I'll just use a true bypass loop switcher. Basically you can think of it like using the amp's preamp as a "pedal". I'll connect the Invective preamp to one loop using the input and FX send; I'll connect the Iridium to another loop. The output of the loop switcher will go to the Invective FX return.

Guitar >
Pre effects >
Loop switcher >
- Invective preamp
- Iridium preamp
Post effects >
Invective power amp >
Cab >

I have a Morningstar ML5 and while I could figure out a way to make use of all 5 loops, I really only need two and the ML5 is just a little bit bulky. I'm working on getting a smaller 2-loop switcher that will integrate nicely into the above board. If I do that I wouldn't necessarily need the BEOD Deluxe as the Invective would handle the higher gain tones.


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## Deadpool_25 (Nov 23, 2019)

Brought the Iridium (and El Cap and Strandberg) with me on a quick Cali trip. Sweet and easy little fly/practice rig.


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## Backsnack (Nov 23, 2019)

I get what Strymon is doing with that, and I agree that it's either for you or it isn't. The pedal seems like it audaciously flies in the face of all the other great modeling competition out there. Strymon also has their group of loyalists who fill their boards with their pedals, so despite the shortcomings, they'll probably sell a lot of these.

Their one pedal that I probably have a thing for is a Volante.


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## Backsnack (Nov 23, 2019)

Oh and fellow Morningstar MC6 Mk2 crew @Deadpool_25 .


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## Deadpool_25 (Nov 24, 2019)

Backsnack said:


> I get what Strymon is doing with that, and I agree that it's either for you or it isn't. The pedal seems like it audaciously flies in the face of all the other great modeling competition out there. Strymon also has their group of loyalists who fill their boards with their pedals, so despite the shortcomings, they'll probably sell a lot of these.
> 
> Their one pedal that I probably have a thing for is a Volante.



Yeah I admit I’m one of those loyalists lol. There are I think 4 of their pedals I haven’t owned. I’ve loved all of the ones I tried...they just always sound great to me. And their power supplies are fantastic. I do wish they could be traditional sized though, kinda like Chase Bliss manages.


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## Spinedriver (Nov 24, 2019)

Deadpool_25 said:


> Yeah I admit I’m one of those loyalists lol. There are I think 4 of their pedals I haven’t owned. I’ve loved all of the ones I tried...they just always sound great to me. And their power supplies are fantastic. I do wish they could be traditional sized though, kinda like Chase Bliss manages.



That's one of the cool things about Strymon though, in a way, they've kind of created their own standard. With the exception of the 3 'big' pedals, the rest of their entire line is the same size, 5-6 knobs and 1 or 2 Three position switches. Kinda like how Boss more or less standardized all of their pedals so that they all look & fit together on a pedalboard. To a certain extent, it's their way of 'incentivising' people to buy/use all Strymon pedals on a board & not mix & match.


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## Deadpool_25 (Nov 24, 2019)

Spinedriver said:


> That's one of the cool things about Strymon though, in a way, they've kind of created their own standard. With the exception of the 3 'big' pedals, the rest of their entire line is the same size, 5-6 knobs and 1 or 2 Three position switches. Kinda like how Boss more or less standardized all of their pedals so that they all look & fit together on a pedalboard. To a certain extent, it's their way of 'incentivising' people to buy/use all Strymon pedals on a board & not mix & match.



I suppose, and I don’t hate it but they take up just a little more room on a board than ideal. Probably not much more than a boss pedal though since the Strymons have top jacks. The Volante is an interesting one as well. Wonder what else they’ll use that form factor for.


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## Backsnack (Nov 24, 2019)

Deadpool_25 said:


> Yeah I admit I’m one of those loyalists lol. There are I think 4 of their pedals I haven’t owned. I’ve loved all of the ones I tried...they just always sound great to me. And their power supplies are fantastic. I do wish they could be traditional sized though, kinda like Chase Bliss manages.


The Chase Bliss Thermae needs to be double the size for all the functions that are buried in each knob.


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## Backsnack (Nov 24, 2019)

@Deadpool_25 


A setup I’m considering to add the Vox AC30 tone is to combine a RevivalDrive into an Amp1 Iridium Edition. arguably the Strymon is a more complete package because it has the cab sim built in.


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## Deadpool_25 (Nov 25, 2019)

Backsnack said:


> @Deadpool_25
> 
> 
> A setup I’m considering to add the Vox AC30 tone is to combine a RevivalDrive into an Amp1 Iridium Edition. arguably the Strymon is a more complete package because it has the cab sim built in.



That could be an interesting setup. The Amp1 line looks pretty nice. I don't really need the Styrmon's cab sims, but if I want to just grab a pedal or two and be able to practice, the cab sims come in handy.

I'm very close to having all the components I need for my latest pedalboard so we'll see how it works out.


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## Cheap (Nov 25, 2019)

Definitely interested in this pedal for an all board setup. I'm after those cheesy Nashville session guitarist tones and have a revival drive compact that I'd like to run into this if it ends up being a sick all in one option


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## sharedEQ (Nov 25, 2019)

Deadpool_25 said:


> View attachment 74738
> 
> Although I loved the Invective from day one, it had two issues for me. First, its clean, while great for a lot of things, isn’t that crystal and sparkly clean I like from Fender and similar amps. I like to noodle around with some neo-soul, John Mayer, math rock, etc. where the Invective’s clean is too warm and compressed. Second, the crunch channel has a bit too much aggression to do more classic Marshallish tones.



It sounds to me like you don't really like the amp.

This is the problem with Peaveys; they have an extra gain stage enabled and its hard to get any good classic tones. 

A better strategy is to get an amp that doesn't have the extra fizz stage, and use a boost pedal to add saturation.

My favorite amp used to be the JSX until I realized its a one trick pony. I did the same thing you are doing now, searching for boost/drive pedals that could do "classic" amp tones better (read everything not metal). When you're at that point its time for a new amp.

I realized its important to have an amp with an amazing clean and classic crunch, so I got an Ironheart and haven't looked back. At first there was some saturation withdrawl, but it just sounded better recorded than anything I got from the Peavey. The PV always sounded like 80s metal no matter how I recorded it. (Even though "in room" I didnt think it sounded like 80s metal... even tho it did.)

The Ironheart is a better amp in almost every way; to get the "Peavey sound" it just needs an SD-1 in front. But it will do everything else better.


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## Deadpool_25 (Nov 25, 2019)

sharedEQ said:


> It sounds to me like you don't really like the amp.
> 
> This is the problem with Peaveys; they have an extra gain stage enabled and its hard to get any good classic tones.
> 
> ...



No, I really do love the amp. It's just not perfect for _everything_ I want to do. I think it's clean and crunch are great tones for some things, just not for the really chimey cleans and for the low-to-mid gain Marshall tones I also like. To be fair, I'm asking quite a lot from a single amp. When your tastes are as varied as mine it's probably impossible to find something that does them all very well.

John Mayer, Tool, KSE, VH, Zeppelin, ACDC, jazz, 5150, ambient, Plini, Covet, SRV, Hendrix, etc. The list goes on.

It's not like I'm trying to 100% cop all those tones, just get to a place where I can ballpark them I guess. Except for the 5150 tone...I want that tone very specifically.


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## sharedEQ (Nov 26, 2019)

Deadpool_25 said:


> No, I really do love the amp. It's just not perfect for _everything_ I want to do. I think it's clean and crunch are great tones for some things, just not for the really chimey cleans and for the low-to-mid gain Marshall tones I also like. To be fair, I'm asking quite a lot from a single amp. When your tastes are as varied as mine it's probably impossible to find something that does them all very well.
> 
> John Mayer, Tool, KSE, VH, Zeppelin, ACDC, jazz, 5150, ambient, Plini, Covet, SRV, Hendrix, etc. The list goes on.
> 
> It's not like I'm trying to 100% cop all those tones, just get to a place where I can ballpark them I guess. Except for the 5150 tone...I want that tone very specifically.


 
5150 Is not a distinct tone. It is a family of high gain tones. You couldn't pick a 5150 out of a lineup of other high gain amps, or mid gain amps with boost pedals.

A 5150 is an "idea" that an amp shouldn't need a boost pedal to be completely saturated.


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## cardinal (Nov 26, 2019)

I'd have a hard time picking any amp from a line up of similarly gained-up amps. But I sure can tell which ones work best for me when I'm playing them. 

Iridium looks cool. I like the feature set a lot, though the lack of a loop is a head-scratcher. If it sounds great, I think it would be well worth the price to get that form factor.


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## sharedEQ (Nov 26, 2019)

cardinal said:


> I'd have a hard time picking any amp from a line up of similarly gained-up amps. But I sure can tell which ones work best for me when I'm playing them.
> 
> Iridium looks cool. I like the feature set a lot, though the lack of a loop is a head-scratcher. If it sounds great, I think it would be well worth the price to get that form factor.



With a boost (with tone control) and an EQ pedal in the loop, any high gain amp can be made to sound like any other.

Its all just stacked distortion stages and EQ. Thats all it is.


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## Deadpool_25 (Nov 26, 2019)

sharedEQ said:


> 5150 Is not a distinct tone. It is a family of high gain tones. You couldn't pick a 5150 out of a lineup of other high gain amps, or mid gain amps with boost pedals.
> 
> A 5150 is an "idea" that an amp shouldn't need a boost pedal to be completely saturated.



I get the point you're trying to make, but a Peavey 5150 is a specific amp model that I've found to have a tone that I prefer when a/b'ing with other amps (in person...I'm not talking about recorded tones).

Regardless, the point remains...so far, the Iridium/Invective seems to be a pairing that hits all _my_ targets. /shrug


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## sharedEQ (Nov 26, 2019)

Deadpool_25 said:


> I get the point you're trying to make, but a Peavey 5150 is a specific amp model that I've found to have a tone that I prefer when a/b'ing with other amps (in person...I'm not talking about recorded tones).
> 
> Regardless, the point remains...so far, the Iridium/Invective seems to be a pairing that hits all _my_ targets. /shrug



I went down that path. I predict in six months you will be flipping gear to try something new.

You have ordered a switcher so you can switch between the pedal and the amp. You have a switcher, a pedal, and an amp.

I think you know that if you want the 5150 sound (and every other sound under the sun), all you need is a 5150 in the loop of a Helix/FX3. It will do it better and easier.

Sell the invective and iridium, return the switcher, get a real 5150 for $500, and with the remaining $2000, get an Axe FX3 to run 4cm.

All the extra invective features are redundant when you build a rig around a multifx.

I guarantee once you have that setup, you wont be flipping gear.


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## Deadpool_25 (Nov 26, 2019)

Perhaps some incorrect assumptions there. I had an Axe FX II. It sounded excellent, I just didn’t “connect” with it. At the end I was running it through a Matrix power amp and a pair of Mesa 2x12 cabs. It was pretty beastly but it while playing it, I just didn’t have _that_ feeling. 

I’ve had the ES-8 on the shelf for months. Same with the Morningstar ML5 (two of those actually). I’ve had the Invective for like a year I think.

You’re saying I could get “what I’m looking for easier” but I think I’ve already said this does what I’m looking for (part of what I love is there are no menus to scroll through). It’s a simple rig that, as far as I can tell, does exactly what I want it to. 

Additionally, I had a block letter 5150 that I bought just to a/b with the Invective. When I found how to dial in the Invective to sound like the 5150 (high post gain) I sold the 5150.

I can’t see how going through the hassle of selling some gear and and going back down a road I ultimately found less satisfying is “easier”.

As for your guarantee that I’ll be flipping gear and trying something new...well...yeah. That’s not exactly a bold prediction. Why do you think I pay attention to the gear and equipment forum?


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## sharedEQ (Nov 26, 2019)

My suggestion was an fx3 into the 5150 power amp and 4cm with a guitar cab.

You could run any preamp in the fx into the power amp. The fx 3 preamps sound just like the real preamps. You would have many more choices live, but also something that can record direct.

I guess money is not an issue for you, I was looking at it from a cost,efficiency, versatility, and end result standpoint.


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## Deadpool_25 (Nov 28, 2019)

sharedEQ said:


> My suggestion was an fx3 into the 5150 power amp and 4cm with a guitar cab.
> 
> You could run any preamp in the fx into the power amp. The fx 3 preamps sound just like the real preamps. You would have many more choices live, but also something that can record direct.
> 
> I guess money is not an issue for you, I was looking at it from a cost,efficiency, versatility, and end result standpoint.



Yeah you’re not way off base. While the Axe FX 3 is not in the discussion at all for me, the FM3 was a possibility. The way I’d use it is running its preamps into my amp FX loop. 

When I had the Axe FX 2 there were a ton of great amp models but the ones I really liked included the 5150, HBE, Plexi (forget which), and a couple of the clean models.

This Iridium setup gives me all the flavors I want and is super simple. I don’t think the setup cost more. It seems at least as efficient if not more so. In terms of pure versatility there’s no question the Axe FX would have the most—it basically does everything. But the way I use my gear, and with my preference for avoiding menus as much as possible, I think this current setup is the clear winner for me.


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## sharedEQ (Nov 29, 2019)

How many rounds of AD/DA conversion is the signal going through? At least two? I think the strymon pedals are digital. 

This is why I prefer all-in-one MFX. Just one (or two if 4cm) rounds of conversion.

Conversion quality is not necessarily the issue (for me), but added latency. Go through a couple digital devices and it sounds less immediate.


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## Deadpool_25 (Nov 30, 2019)

The Iridium is the only conversion actually. The other Strymon pedals are analog dry-through though. If I play through headphones there would be one more. I’m not sure what the actual latency is but it’s imperceptible. Strymon is considered top-shelf for good reason.


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## sharedEQ (Nov 30, 2019)

Deadpool_25 said:


> The Iridium is the only conversion actually. The other Strymon pedals are analog dry-through though. If I play through headphones there would be one more. I’m not sure what the actual latency is but it’s imperceptible. Strymon is considered top-shelf for good reason.




I think with one or two rounds of conversion its imperceptible. If a round of conversion and processing takes 1.5-2ms, it would take three or more rounds to sense it, imo. 

But IMO, still something to be avoided at all costs.


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## McBrain (Dec 3, 2019)

I just ordered one of these. Can't wait to hear it through my Powercab 112 Plus.

One thing I find a bit weird, is that the power amp emulation is tied to the preamp emulation in the amp section of the pedal. So even if you select the Cab Bypass mode, you will still have the power amp emulation running, resulting in emulated + real power amp when plugged into the fx return of an amp. I haven't heard anyone complain about it yet, so I guess it's not a problem. Anywho ... I will be running it through my Powercab, so not really an issue for me.


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## Deadpool_25 (Dec 3, 2019)

McBrain said:


> I just ordered one of these. Can't wait to hear it through my Powercab 112 Plus.
> 
> One thing I find a bit weird, is that the power amp emulation is tied to the preamp emulation in the amp section of the pedal. So even if you select the Cab Bypass mode, you will still have the power amp emulation running, resulting in emulated + real power amp when plugged into the fx return of an amp. I haven't heard anyone complain about it yet, so I guess it's not a problem. Anywho ... I will be running it through my Powercab, so not really an issue for me.



Ha. Just saw your post on the other site. Yeah it hasn't been an issue at all.


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## Backsnack (Dec 3, 2019)

sharedEQ said:


> I think with one or two rounds of conversion its imperceptible. If a round of conversion and processing takes 1.5-2ms, it would take three or more rounds to sense it, imo.
> 
> But IMO, still something to be avoided at all costs.


Have you actually tested this theory? I think you're operating under some faulty assumptions regarding the perception of digital signal processing.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latency_(audio)
*Live signal processing*

Individual digital audio devices can be designed with a fixed overall latency from input to output or they can have a total latency that fluctuates with changes to internal processing architecture. In the latter design, engaging additional functions adds latency.

*Latency in digital audio equipment is most noticeable when a singer's voice is transmitted through their microphone,* through digital audio mixing, processing and routing paths, then sent to their own ears via in ear monitors or headphones. In this case, the singer's vocal sound is conducted to their own ear through the bones of the head, then through the digital pathway to their ears a few milliseconds later.[_citation needed_] *In one study listeners found latency greater than 15ms to be noticeable*.[18]

*Latency for other musical activity such as playing a guitar does not have the same critical concern. Ten milliseconds of latency isn't as noticeable to a listener who is not hearing his or her own voice.*[18]


*Live performance audio*
Latency in live performance occurs naturally from the time it takes sound to transmit through air. It takes sound about 3 milliseconds to travel 1 meter. Small amounts of latency occur between performers depending on how they are spaced from each other and from stage monitors if these are used. This creates a practical limit to how far apart the artists in a group can be from one another. Stage monitoring extends that limit, as sound travels close to the speed of light through the cables that connect stage monitors.

Performers, particularly in large spaces, will also hear reverberation, or echo of their music, as the sound that projects from stage bounces off of walls and structures, and returns with latency and distortion. A primary purpose of stage monitoring is to provide artists with more primary sound so that they are not thrown by the latency of these reverberations.


In more realistic examples, Pete Thorn made a video of his entire touring setup which consisted of a giant pedalboard filled with multiple digital pedals. By your assumptions, he'd be hearing noticeable latency, but he specifically points out that he doesn't.


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## sharedEQ (Dec 3, 2019)

Raise buffer size on audio interface. You can perceive latency above around 5-6ms round trip. Above 10ms it is annoying. Above 20ms you don't want to play.


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## Deadpool_25 (Jan 2, 2020)

Was messing around pedal swapping and testing high gain stuff. I learned that the Chime amp has a lot of gain. With the Sunset adding just a touch more, it’s surprisingly chuggy.


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## gunch (Jan 3, 2020)

Starting to wonder about input filtering a lead channel vs gain boosting a good clean/crunch amp


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## Deadpool_25 (Jan 3, 2020)

gunch said:


> Starting to wonder about input filtering a lead channel vs gain boosting a good clean/crunch amp



Hm?


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## c7spheres (Feb 24, 2020)

So Leon Todd put a video up. He's goes through a bunch of stuff like low gain, high gain, stock and other IR's, TUbe screamer in front etc. Pretty good demo for this.


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## Rocktoe (Feb 26, 2020)

Damn, I wish they'd make a high gain version. Iridium seems like a cool piece of gear for sure.


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## AndiKravljaca (Feb 26, 2020)

Can I just say...



Deadpool_25 said:


> I went ahead and picked this thing up. Another one of my impulse purchases.





Deadpool_25 said:


> Another one of my impulse purchases.





Deadpool_25 said:


> impulse purchases.



Huehue?


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## Carl Kolchak (Feb 26, 2020)

Deadpool_25 said:


> View attachment 74738
> I went ahead and picked this thing up. Another one of my impulse purchases. I’m using it for a somewhat specialized purpose though. I’m bypassing the cab sims and running it through my Invective’s FX loop....



Have you found the Marshall channel to be lacking in the low end? I remember seeing a comparison vid on YT where someone A/B'd a Plexi head to the Iridium, and the Plexi just had so much more usable lows while the Iridium sounded noticeably flatter.


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## Deadpool_25 (Feb 29, 2020)

Carl Kolchak said:


> Have you found the Marshall channel to be lacking in the low end? I remember seeing a comparison vid on YT where someone A/B'd a Plexi head to the Iridium, and the Plexi just had so much more usable lows while the Iridium sounded noticeably flatter.



It doesn’t seem to lack much to me but I’m running it through the FX loop of a tube amp and through a real cab. YMMV. 

And I’m not actually using it right now. I’m back to using just the amps.


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## ryanougrad (Apr 16, 2020)

Can this do Marshall JMP tones? Similar to this (obviously with pedals)


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## BurningRome (Feb 14, 2021)

Bringing back an old post to highlight a few things based on my opinion.

The Iridium I've determined are for guys that want to have their other guitar pedals. Like for me, I feel there are pedals that do other effects better than what you can get from the Helix, Kemper, headrush or other all in one boxes. That's the target market I believe. I'm one of them. 

The next thing, this can do metal but true high gain modern metal will require a boost or OD in front of it. I use my Boss SD1 as a clean boost, volume up 100% and no added gain from the pedal. It does the job when ran through the Marshall setting. Note, the Vox setting actually has more of a modern metal sound to it. Another key component to getting more "metal" is switching out the IR's to other options, it's free and easy.

I'm a Fryette guy and have gone through about 10 over the last few years, along with the Rivera, Marshall and Orange stuff and they're all fantastic but till I can get in a room with a band it makes no sense to run that. So I'm using the Iridium through a Headrush 108 powered speaker and it's so stupid loud that I can say if you're a guy that lug's a guitar combo to practice and shows this def is the better option. The headrush weighs less than 20 lbs and in my opinion sounds better than any 1x10 or 1x12 combo you're going to lug around and this will probably be tremendously louder. I find the Iridium to sound natural, not fake. 

Obviously I wish it had tones I wanted more specifically like a Fryette Deliverance on tap but I wanted small to fit on my existing board and that would cost me less than $400 after tax + the Headrush which total cost me $531 total. No complaints on tone.


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## Deadpool_25 (Feb 14, 2021)

BurningRome said:


> Bringing back an old post to highlight a few things based on my opinion.
> 
> The Iridium I've determined are for guys that want to have their other guitar pedals. Like for me, I feel there are pedals that do other effects better than what you can get from the Helix, Kemper, headrush or other all in one boxes. That's the target market I believe. I'm one of them.
> 
> ...


 
That Headrush 108 has me intrigued. I’ve never really gotten along with FRFR solutions (aside from studio monitors—do those count?). 

It’s interesting you mention the Vox having a more modern metal sound. That’s exactly what I found and it surprised me. 

My Iridium is on the shelf and maybe I should go ahead and sell it, but it’s definitely an excellent unit.


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## BurningRome (Feb 15, 2021)

I would think Studio monitors with the Iridium would be pretty close to comparing with a standard FRFR speaker. I think the Headrush 108 is worth a shot, they're such low cost on the used market. I'd def try it and they seem to sell super quick too if you decide to sell.

The 108 is two channel with independent volume for each. Right now I'm running a Boss OC5 through one channel to simulate bass, the OC5 adds a lot more dynamic and fun during song writing.

The other reason pursued the Headrush is that I broke my back in Dec so moving around a 4x12 or even a 50-100W Amp maybe a real issue if the healing process doesn't play out like it should. So for now this set up is fantastic since I'm unable to get together to jam due to covid/back stuff.


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