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Post by GuitarZ on Jun 16, 2023 10:12:34 GMT -7
I wanted to find an easy to carry backup and something to take to a headphones-only jam that I sometimes do with friends. I'm a fan.
I took it to my three-piece Rockin' Blues band rehearsal and ran it through the PA and monitors. It has a very good feel. I gravitated towards its Vox amp.
I will also tell you that it has some very good & efficient engineering within. It comes with nine speaker IRs. I was scratching my head as to how one might access them when there are only three speaker cab selections. I popped open the manual and realized they spread the nine across the three amps. I wanted a greenback, plugged the pedal into my computer, moved its greenback to the Vox amp and then loaded two Celestion IRs that I had bought to the Vox amp also. Dang! Great Sound!
Does it beat my Z? No. My Ghia provides a more complex tone and the articulation wins hands down whether cranking my guitar or being more subtle. Plus, I realized that when doing a three-piece rockin' blues thing, there's a certain mojo created using a standard amp/open-back cab that creates a larger sound field if that makes sense.
So, all-in-all, it's a good box. Definitely read the manual as it has some easy to set adjustments that aren't obvious. It's sound is more polished than my Z. But, I love the rawness of my Z. I'm happy to know I have a very easy to carry spare. Cool!
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Post by steiner on Jun 16, 2023 13:57:46 GMT -7
I've been watching these for some time now. Like yourself, I'm an OX fan. The Strymon gear calls to me. I feel that I will own one eventually, using IRs beats buying SO MANY speakers! It's good to read you're pleased. Congrats!
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Post by JeffG on Jun 28, 2023 12:17:37 GMT -7
I use my Iridium for home headphone practice and I really like it. Best sounding headphone rig I've had by far, and I've tried a few things over the years!
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Post by driventone on Dec 13, 2023 7:44:00 GMT -7
I tried an Iridium with headphones and I really liked it. I did notice that there was a fair bit of 60-cycle hum, even with a humbucker. Apparently, the AC adapter isn’t grounded.
I read that Strymon advised if you’re playing with headphones, try running a cable from the output of the Iridium to the input jack of an amp that’s turned off, but plugged into the wall (that way it is grounded).
Do any of you Iridium owners have issues with hum? Have you tried the “use an amp as a ground” trick?
I’m trying to decide between the Iridium and the Boss IR-2 for headphone jamming. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Boss has the same issue. Probably not a deal breaker either way.
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Post by GuitarZ on Dec 13, 2023 12:55:07 GMT -7
Do any of you Iridium owners have issues with hum? Have you tried the “use an amp as a ground” trick? I haven't plugged mine in recently. I don't recall any hum issues. I have used it directly into headphones and into my computer interface. I'll have to jack in over the next day or so to recheck. Hmmm.
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Post by GuitarZ on Dec 16, 2023 9:35:22 GMT -7
Do any of you Iridium owners have issues with hum? driventone - I grabbed my Iridium this morning and plugged it in with headphones. I tried my Strat with Kinman noiseless pickups and then my P90 Les Paul. I did hear some hum. My Les Paul's hum was much louder as expected. I then swapped over to my Ghia/UA Ox setup. My takeaway is that the hum through the Iridium is about the same vs my Ghia. No more. No less. My house definitely generates some hum which is why I have the Kinman's on the Strat. The Iridium did have some noticeable high end noise/hiss vs the Ghia/UA Ox setup. It hit me that I'm used to playing in my little studio room with headphones courtesy of the UA Ox. Do you have any other hookup with headphones? It might even be the difference between playing an amp with speakers vs now popping in the headphones. Anyway, that's my take. Hopefully, it's somewhat helpful. Oh. One other note: It seemed that if my Strat was close to the Iridium, the hum picked up.
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Post by driventone on Dec 17, 2023 18:52:43 GMT -7
Thank you GuitarZ that helps a lot. I only played the Iridium at a Sam Ash, and I’m thinking it was probably a mix of bad power, fluorescent lights, and also the adapter they handed me (it wasn’t the Strymon one). I bet if I play it at home it will be better. I’m pretty well settled on either this or the IR-2. I like that the IR-2 has an effects loop and costs less, but I was very impressed with the Iridium. I’m waiting until I get a chance to try an IR-2 and then I’ll pick one of these up. Thanks again! Ryan
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Post by GuitarZ on Dec 18, 2023 8:53:55 GMT -7
The IR-2 looks pretty cool. The key for me is that the box uses speaker IRs which the IR-2 does. EQ circuits don't do a good job emulating the response of a speaker (in my opinion). The IRs do.
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Post by tkjrmiller on Dec 20, 2023 9:32:31 GMT -7
I used the iridium as my back up amp, and as my “duo gig” amp for the last few years. On the Band gig, my main amp is a Z Wreck.
I just got the UAFX Ruby. In my opinion, it blows the doors off the iridium. I sold my iridium immediately.
The amp modelers are getting scary good. I am a diehard, old-school analog/tube amp player, but I am rethinking my entire life.…
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Post by GuitarZ on Dec 20, 2023 10:57:03 GMT -7
I just got the UAFX Ruby. In my opinion, it blows the doors off the iridium. I sold my iridium immediately. The amp modelers are getting scary good. I am a diehard, old-school analog/tube amp player, but I am rethinking my entire life.… Rut Row! Complicating the decision making process with another choice. I'm a fan of UA stuff. The price point looks pretty good too.
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