"Maybe realism is not what you need, maybe good sound is what you need" GREAT POINT I am fairly new on your channel but what I saw, I really like. You're awesome.
Exactly, sometimes we are caught up in names and brands. A good sound is a good sound. If you want a Fender amp sound, just buy one. Get over the fact that nothing, at the moment, can perfectly recreate the sound and feel of playing an amp, any amp. So just find any combination of gear that gets you out there playing and sounds inspiring, to me that's the end goal.
UAFX Dream is something I can say I will confidently keep for years to come. It held up at many occasions already (standalone and with pedals in front), and I think it will going forward.
The Iridium has been great for me. Feels and sounds like an amp and takes overdrive well. Haven’t really been tempted by anything else. The big thing was getting the Canvas di. Really works well with the Iridium to drive the signal.
The Simplifier is the only thing in this area that does everything I want. Stereo. Balanced outputs. Headphone. Effects loop. Ones that have balanced outputs but no effects loop means I have to have a separate DI box in order to put effects after the “amp”, so the balanced outputs are useless for my use. I only need a cleanish Deluxe and cab sim, though. If I wanted more from my “amp”, the Simplifier might not work for me. But for me, being able to pack all those features in one small box is great.
@@frankfrank7921 I don’t need a DI to go into other pedals. I need guitar → drives → amp-sim → chorus → delay → reverb → DI → PA. What I’m saying is that having a direct out on an amp-sim is useless to me if it doesn’t have an effects loop because I’ll need a separate DI box. But since the Simplifier has both an effects loop and balanced direct outs, I thankfully don’t need a separate DI box. And I can say exactly the same thing replacing “direct out” with “headphone out”. The Simplifier truly simplifies my board. So, I like the idea that the TC AmpWorx have both direct out and headphone out, but in practice-without a effects loop-it might as well not have those features if I were to get one because I’d have to find other DI and headphone solutions because I want to have other pedals after the amp-sim.
I love the UA woodrow. Ive got it and i play with it a lot. One thing mentioned a lot in this video is how good the room emulation is. That is true. One thing you can do with the pedal is bypass the amp simulation and just have the cab sim/room going on. So when looking for other sounds I've found myself playing much cheaper amp sim pedals through the UA cab simulator and room emulation. Sounds amazing and much cheaper that way 😅
Have owned and tried all the fenderish variants…only the UA Dream is good enough. The tone is excellent but, more importantly, the breakup (set on the edge) is just right when you dig in. My suggestion is to always run these with an eq pedal after it to fine tune to the room. I’m also really enjoying the new TC Jims 45 for the Marshall thing. 🎶🎸
So many modelers struggle with DR breakup! UA warmed up the tone so when it breaks up and compresses, it’s not just high end fizz. Good call on the EQ. That was a life changer for me.
Even though I'm not best at tweaking useable tones, the Boss IR-200 feels great, sounds great and takes pedals great! Overdrive, distortion and fuzz all sound great, it's just a matter of what amp model and what IR you choose. Or you do just what I do, turn off the IR, connect it to your interface, and use the Two Notes Wall Of Sound for IR's. Then again, I really don't need limitless options. Plug and play is the best!
Everyone is always complaining about the lack of headphone out on the UA pedals but you can use headphones with a Y-cable from both outputs (2 mono male to stereo female). Not as convenient as just plugging into a dedicated output but the option is there.
TC Electronic has released a firmware upgrade that fine tunes the curve of the gain potentiometer and solves the problem with the early breakup. They have also adjusted the curve of the reverb control which can now be adjusted more finely.
Thanks for this video - great comparison and you did answer the question that people wanted to know - specifically sound vs. versatility vs. price. If someone wanted to just have the most accurate ac30 or deluxe reverb simulation and didn’t care about price then the answer is UA. If they want something that covers multiple amp styles it’s either strymon or walrus audio - and depends if they want higher gain which will determine which route they go there. And for price the tc wins.
Must perfect affirmation since ages. Finally someone told us this: "Sometimes the vintage stuff sounded like that" Sometimes even listen to old records is hard for me: and is for the sound :(
I have the UA dream 65. Very good. However I also have the NUX which Is more like a half price Iridium but with more presets ( so more live options) is excellent. Well worth the money and worth checking out. Really enjoy your demos 👍
I'd probably say the Tech21 SansAmp/Flyrig stuff came before the Iridium and do a really great job of what they do. Although they're more solid state than modelling
Remember that when listening to these comparisons, you are not just listening to the amp simulation quality but the chosen cab sim IRs as well. As a Strymon Iridium proponent, I can say that spending a bit more money on 3rd party IRs from say York Audio can really elevate the tones you get. The UA and TC don't have this option so you better like what they give you. UA has very nice cab sims and they sound great overall. But they are an absurdly stupid design for a modern digital pedal for features and behavior. How does it make sense that the EQ on the Ruby only works on the Brilliant channel? Just because that's how it is on the real amp? Digital allows you to do more than the originals so they could have done something like "turn these to zero for authentic Normal channel" things instead. The stupid BT app stuff just adds unneeded complexity and requires freakin' account registration and internet connection for a pedal! Henning is totally right about "good sound over realism". I also own an Axe-Fx 3 which also does that "warts and all" accuracy (or not, if you want to tweak). But I still like the Strymon just as much, because it's easy to use and doesn't bother you by becoming wooly and nasty.
Tone factor xr ir's are so good!! I found york first and love them but these new tone factor ones rule!! Yes new irs totally changed my iridium. I'm so happy with it!
I get that these boxes do a thing, but for a few extra bones, there is the Hx stomp that has a similar foot print, many great sounding amps and cabs, and tons of effects.
Stomp is great value for money but a fundamentally different device. These are, what you see is what you get, single purpose devices. The Stomp is a menu diving, full signal chain, kitchen sink modeler. These aren’t entirely aimed at the same type of user, or use case.
You had me getting nervous since I purchased my UA Dream 65 (new for $350)…but it is indeed the best sounding and most versatile DR pedal out there. It’s worth the little extra $ over the TC imo… 😉👍
I believe the Atomic Ampli-Firebox (now in its Mark II release) was the first tube amp + IR in a compact pedal form, derived from their bigger AmpliFire unit which dates back to 2015 I think. Cheers…
Spot on review. Absolutely nailed the comparisons and features. Why do you treat these like overdrive pedals, however? If they are amp simulators, why not play them clean and demonstrate how they handle pedals? You could have kept the gain down and raised the output. Why are you afraid to turn down the gain? Really enjoyed this demo either way. Cheers!
Well said, and as always, your candor, sincerity, and nuanced approach are much appreciated. I play only direct into the board so have to use an amp sim. Iridium was my first, and it sounds great and has a lot of versatility. I think the UA Dream '65 is incredible, but the versatility of the ACS1 (and I'm only using the first version) esp. with pedals in front of it, plus its small footprint, carried the day. My desert island piece wouldn't be an amp sim or a traditional amp, but rather Thomas Blug's Amp1 (Mercury edition), which for those not familiar is actually a tube amp. This thing blows my mind and (in my opinion) is even better than these other great pedals, which is a compliment to the Amp1 and not a criticism of the others. Lots of versatility, including an alternate 'lo-fi' mode (gives a wonderful clean tone on this mode). And it feels like what it is: an amp. It loses out to the others in terms of space required (though still fits nicely on my Classic Jr. pedal board - 12.5" x 18") and price. I'm grateful there are options out there that should work for everyone, and gratitude to you for your thoughtful reviews!
Thanks for the comparison and advice, Henning. I'd love to see you trying the new DSM Humboldt Simplifier MKII, it seems those guys made a huge leap from the MKI, and would pretty much fit into this realm. Cheers!
@@nedim_guitar Really? I've never tried one but being analog I'd expect quite the opposite result. A very "organic" feeling and a good matching for pedals.
The DLX sounds great with pedals but it's very twitchy to set up and the absence of presets (plus its myriad controls and switches) make it difficult to use as an "amp in the gigbag". Nevertheless, that's what I own and when they release a MkII of that I'll be very tempted to upgrade.
If you want to run a true stereo rig with 2 different amp sounds then hands down it's the ACS1. Say if you want a Fender clean on your LEFT channel and Marshall or Vox overdrive on the RIGHT channel and do a wet/dry definitely get the ACS1. I believe none of the rest can do that.
For me the IRIDIUM is the best solution: You get 3 amps, 9 cabs, You can load your own IR’s, You can also use it as a preamp without IRs or only the IR without the preamp. You get really clean sounds or really overdriven. Perfect pedal platform, headphone jack, 3 band EQ, 2 channels (fave switch) etc. I had the Dream and the Woodrow, returned it, didn't understand the hype...
@@kcrknpIt’s still only one amp though. Not saying it’s not a good choice but it’s hard to compare to the Iridium which offers more. If you buy all three TC pedals, then the Iridium is the better deal.
@@scottmoreau5630 Who would buy all 3 TC pedals though- a moron? That's the whole point, not having to pay for three amps when you would be happy with one. Just because something works for you- doesn't mean it's the best choice for everyone. Having many choices is not the most important thing to a lot of ppl- like myself. I would much rather have one choice that truly nails it right down to the reverb and trem.- and that's UA without a doubt.
I tried the Iridium, I only liked the Marshall emulation. Great responsiveness though! I opted for the Riverside as preamp and a good IR loader after. I have better tone shaping capabilities in my opinion. It reacts like an amp by design.
Thanks for the great reviews! Keep in mind that the cab-sim can make a huge pereceptional difference between similar pre-amp models. By using non-cab-sim output and going through a IR-loader pedal it is circumvented. Good point on the "room" feature; I agree, as one of the engineers on the ampworx project, "room" is useful for using DI out on vintage amps. Well done UA
THIS^ - I was thinking that with a cheap pedal like the Mooer/Flamma Cab IR pedals, you can definitely simulate this and BONUS, you can do it with a single pedal since either Mooer/Flamma is stereo and can load different IRs in each channel. You can use York IRS and/or Ownhammer stuff and you're golden
IK Tonex do the amp thing for me, has phone out, the amp captures you can get on the communitt are awesome, has 150 presets rhat can be accessed via midi or switches, and a price tag close to the UA units. For me a winner.
I had been looking into these end of last year. By the time I made up my mind, some German bloke going by the name of Henning (who does great demo's) posted a video on some Italian pedal. Got that instead. None of these are ToneX-killers. I know, it's a completely different thing, but it covers this territory too. Or at least you can make it do that. You could even profile these devices. 🤣 I admit I'm only using my own amp profiles 😎 Doggy at the end, doggy at the end! 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰
I went through a lot of options at great expense, this includes Helix, the Axe-FX III, ALL UA pedals, the Iridium, the ACS, the Simplifier... Not one of them did ever inspire me the least. No dynamics (AxeFX), latency and no headroom (UA), sound (Iridium and ACS)... it just was never right. Since a few months I have finally arrived at "my" solution: The Effectrode Blackbird as a pedal platform, the Origin Effects Deluxe61 for Brownface sounds, the Origin Effects Magma57 for tweedy sounds. Perfect, dynamic, zero latency, heaven! They all go into a Boss IR-200 which I use only for loading (York) IRs and the stereo effects loop for wet effects. Then I go into a Walrus Canvas Stereo DI/LI box. This allows me to do virtually anything: LI into audio interface or powered speakers, DI into a mixer, LI into one or two power amps and "real" speakers. Best setup I ever had.
@@clayteasouth it's true but, on the Iridium, I only like the Marshall voicing, I am not overly fond of the Vox, generally speaking, and the Fender amp is not my cup of tea either. I like the Riverside 's gain structure and use all its features, included the hidden ones. My current rationale, when it comes down to Pedalboard real estate, is that either I make full use of a pedal or or it goes.
Yea, gotcha. Real estate prices are really high on pedalboards these days. The TC stuff is priced really well if you want a nice Marshall tone I’ve had a Riverside for some time now and just purchased a used iridium for respectable price. I was using the bigsky cab filter for ages and wanted more options than the 1 IR in Bigsky. Really enjoying the options I have now with many loadable IR’s with or without the amp. I agree with you regarding the iridium Marshall sound. It was a big surprise for me and presently using it the most.
@@clayteasouth not so much the real estate prices, it is my back that is thanking me for downsizing my rig and getting rid of the amplifier. I am getting old. I used to have a huge pedalboard just to have all my purchased pedals together in one place and I have realised that I have been using only few of them for my core sound. Beside few rare gigs where I had to have phaser, flanger and so forth, to cover specific artists with a distinctive sound, the bulk was managed with a couple of overdrives, a great sounding delay with tap tempo and a reverb. Everyone's need is different, I just shared what worked for me.
I work mostly from a clean to edge of breakup base tone, so the $150 Zoom MS50G delivers 90% of tones I could want. Seriously. The one dirty tone I absolutely love but is especially hard to access without actually buying the amp, is the sound of a Fender Tweed Deluxe. So for me, I would go with the UAFX Woodrow to complete my tonal palette. Damned pricey here in Canada though.
Hm ... the H&K Tubemeister comes in my mind when talking about silent recording. It uses a switchable load and a RedBox which is avail in many evolution versions and this was one of the first DI boxes which could handle line signals i.e. pedal signals ... so H&K was one of the early suppliers. Palmer had silent recording devices with a load to accommodate tube amps in the early days. Tech21 is another early supplier providing the SansAmp.
It's tough comparing the ACS1 as there is no serious drive. It's the one I chose because I like my pedals. I definitely dig that UA Ruby - something I haven't tried is to push my ACS1 with my older Tech21 Leads. A lot of it boils down to how much of your playing time you want to compromise with your tweaking time and are you fast at tweaking.
Another gem of a review/comparison from you, both insightful and concisely to the point. Watched it despite having tried/researched almost all of these pedals, myself. Just curious to catch your thoughts on them. In the end, despite my love affair with my UA Audio Golden Reverberator and Del-Verb (on two different boards) and my leaning towards the Dream and/or the Tweed, I ultimately went with a pedal that, though slightly larger, does a heap more, and does it well: The ToneX. Couldn‘t settle with the limitations of any of these, and the TC sound I was hearing just didn‘t cut it. (Too much fizzle in there for my taste.) As an addition to my board, the ToneX gets me to places none of these smaller pedals can, and only costs a wee bit more than most of them. It also lets me futureproof my setup by downloading any of the brilliant captures being made out there. But for just a bit of Fenderesqueness (nice word, eh?), the VS Audio Blackbird (also reviewed by you) also makes a nice case for itself. Sure, it‘s just a sort of overdrive, but it can fake a Fender in a really nice way. Add a cab sim, perhaps, and it makes a great addendum to one‘s pedalboard. Just sayin`.
As always, great video and attention to detail. As I was watching I asked myself how the joyo/harley benton/tech21 stuff would stack up against the solutions you covered? I think a Joyo American Sound plus the Joyo Cab Box would be interesting to look at versus the TC Electronic amp-in-a-box pedals.
If I'm going to replace a £3,000 valve amp and cab I want the best possible sound and feel from my pedal. I don't need midi, headphones, switchable amp emulations etc. So UAFX win hands down. Oh, if only they'd release a Marshall version (JTM45, JCM800, 1959, Bluesbreaker, whatever - I don't care!) - although I can get quite near with the Woodrow and a carefully configured MXR 10 band equaliser.
I was looking for an amp/cab sim pedal to use as a silent practice amp and I went with the NuX NGS-6 Amp Academy. It's not the best at anything besides value--used price is around $150USD and it comes with 12 amp models, and a total of 16 IR slots including the built-in ones (which are ok) and when you use the manager software you get access to some limited effects modeling too. The tones are fine--not going to win any awards but not going to stop you from playing either. I'm happy with it as a practice device.
I got one too for the exact reason, for a quick to setup practice and experiment with pedals solution. There is nothing great about it but there is nothing bad about either aside from the fact that I don't use high gain amp so that cuts my options in half but that's just me.
Absolutely. In my opinion it does not necessarily take drive pedals so well but it very much depends on the amp model you choose on the IR-200. and in fact I don‘t even need drive pedals because the thing already has enough gain for me. Then the two equalizer blocks, the noise gate, reverb and the efx loop built in… perfect! Especially for a bedroom rig. I often play through this box alone and couldn‘t be happier. BTW the Torpedo CAB M+ is also brilliant. Technically maybe a little bit different approach but it still sounds excellent.
Carl Martin Ampster is very amp-like used with a PA. Controls are simple too . I often use mine in conjunction with my Fender amp as an alternative to miking the amp.
Holy Frijole! Not what I expected at all. Each type of amp has a winner in a different pedal The Best Deluxe was the UA, the best Vox was definitely the Strymon, and the best Marshall ... the most fascinating one, was the TC. Wild!!
I know the 2 notes revolt is slightly different, but it is definately notable in this comparison. I started out and bought all 3 UA pedals. I hated them and sold quickly. I then bought the irridium, but I wasnt happy with the sound. Sold it and bought the revolt. Out of the box, the revolt needs a better cab sim and effects...but it is all analog (with a preamp tube) and in the circuit pattern of a bassman (channel 1) JCM (Channel 2) and a Soldano (Channel 3). What I wasnt expecting was how much I loved the 4-cable method. Now I have revolt going into my Fender twin and when I bipass the revolt, I am in the front of that amp for some really great sounds. I have the two notes cab m+ (best cab sim in opinoin) I have that going out of the the attenuator on my amp in case I ever want to play with headphones or record or into the house speakers. All of this while keeping tubes in the setup. No, I don't work for two notes, but they have the best sounding setup for $399 (US).
This video's timing could not be more perfect. Have been trying to put together a rig i can record with that will do double duty for live use while being lightweight and portable. Im into vintage sounds so I think the UA's are the way to go.
I own an Iridium. Used it a great deal. It does not take OD/Distortion pedals really well. I have tried many pedals and excellent guitars with it. Quilter Superblocks often sound better than it depending on the application. Have you tried these pedals with OD pedals pushing them?
Dog tub in the yard! Genius you just saved my bathroom from another assault that ends looking like a yellow Wookiee shaved in there! 😊🐕… you’re lucky Noodle doesn’t shed. Maybe another hair cut for noodle vs Andy gets a haircut vid to see whom leaves a bigger pile of hair after? Maybe do it outside?
Hey, Henning, sehr hilfreiches Video, suche was mit guter simpler CabSim für Chorbegleitung. Der türkise Verstärker/Combo, was ist das? Mike Hermans live damit gesehen, sehr interessant ! Grüße vom Unterfranken, der im Urlaub in Ostfriesland deine letzten 60 Videos nachts schaut
TC Pedal: Can you use both the standard output AND the emulated output at the same time?? if you have true stereo and a pedal baby, the pedal goes in after drives and before effects, one side goes to the PA and the other goes to a clean power amp and cab like the class A/B pedal baby.
1.) When UA came out with their amp pedals I was like “where’s the plexi????” 2.) I think the Boss IR200 gets absolutely neglected in these comparisons. It gives you almost all the amp and cabs of the GT1000 and probably even better latency.
We are talking here about a preamp that tries to model classic amps and how well it does this. Example the TC 65 combo doesnt get there as it breaks up to quick. A lot of comments are about modeller pre amps that have tons of cab sims amd different amp sounds. Thats not what this video is about.
Fantastic video, thank you for being honest, and so in-depth with each pedal. I've just bought the Jim 45, and I like it for what I need, but there are some pedals there that I'd like to get. M
Have you tried the Jims 45 with drive pedals into it? That's my one hold up before buying one, I'd like to hear some real world opinions on how it takes drive pedals.
I would say that the Iridium sounded a little dated, but completely kicks butt with York AudioI Rs. You also have to bring the Mids down on the Iridium to have it in blackface mode, yours seemed to be in the middle (brownface).
might be daft question but are these only for plugging straight to PA, how about if i still want a real cab, will these work plugged into a power amp pedal and then a real cab? or will it just not be very good? i like the idea of having a pedal board AMP solution instead of a big heavy valve/tube amp head but not sure what to get that keeps thing simple and i have pedals
Walrus just updated the ACS1 and rebuilt the amp models with way more gain. Sounds and feels very natural and is basically a new pedal!
"Maybe realism is not what you need, maybe good sound is what you need"
GREAT POINT
I am fairly new on your channel but what I saw, I really like. You're awesome.
Exactly, sometimes we are caught up in names and brands. A good sound is a good sound. If you want a Fender amp sound, just buy one. Get over the fact that nothing, at the moment, can perfectly recreate the sound and feel of playing an amp, any amp. So just find any combination of gear that gets you out there playing and sounds inspiring, to me that's the end goal.
well said
UAFX Dream is something I can say I will confidently keep for years to come. It held up at many occasions already (standalone and with pedals in front), and I think it will going forward.
The Iridium has been great for me. Feels and sounds like an amp and takes overdrive well. Haven’t really been tempted by anything else. The big thing was getting the Canvas di. Really works well with the Iridium to drive the signal.
The Simplifier is the only thing in this area that does everything I want. Stereo. Balanced outputs. Headphone. Effects loop. Ones that have balanced outputs but no effects loop means I have to have a separate DI box in order to put effects after the “amp”, so the balanced outputs are useless for my use. I only need a cleanish Deluxe and cab sim, though. If I wanted more from my “amp”, the Simplifier might not work for me. But for me, being able to pack all those features in one small box is great.
I keep hearing this so I'll ask: why do you need a DI box out of the Amp Sim Pedal to go to other pedals? Why not just go direct?
@@frankfrank7921 I don’t need a DI to go into other pedals. I need guitar → drives → amp-sim → chorus → delay → reverb → DI → PA. What I’m saying is that having a direct out on an amp-sim is useless to me if it doesn’t have an effects loop because I’ll need a separate DI box. But since the Simplifier has both an effects loop and balanced direct outs, I thankfully don’t need a separate DI box. And I can say exactly the same thing replacing “direct out” with “headphone out”. The Simplifier truly simplifies my board. So, I like the idea that the TC AmpWorx have both direct out and headphone out, but in practice-without a effects loop-it might as well not have those features if I were to get one because I’d have to find other DI and headphone solutions because I want to have other pedals after the amp-sim.
I love the UA woodrow. Ive got it and i play with it a lot. One thing mentioned a lot in this video is how good the room emulation is. That is true. One thing you can do with the pedal is bypass the amp simulation and just have the cab sim/room going on. So when looking for other sounds I've found myself playing much cheaper amp sim pedals through the UA cab simulator and room emulation. Sounds amazing and much cheaper that way 😅
I'm intrigued by this!
I have the ACS1 and love it for lot of options - amps, cabs, presets.
Have owned and tried all the fenderish variants…only the UA Dream is good enough. The tone is excellent but, more importantly, the breakup (set on the edge) is just right when you dig in. My suggestion is to always run these with an eq pedal after it to fine tune to the room. I’m also really enjoying the new TC Jims 45 for the Marshall thing. 🎶🎸
So many modelers struggle with DR breakup! UA warmed up the tone so when it breaks up and compresses, it’s not just high end fizz.
Good call on the EQ. That was a life changer for me.
Even though I'm not best at tweaking useable tones, the Boss IR-200 feels great, sounds great and takes pedals great! Overdrive, distortion and fuzz all sound great, it's just a matter of what amp model and what IR you choose. Or you do just what I do, turn off the IR, connect it to your interface, and use the Two Notes Wall Of Sound for IR's.
Then again, I really don't need limitless options. Plug and play is the best!
The first one was the first Tech21 Sansamp back in the early 90's. Still an awesome sounding pedal today.
Everyone is always complaining about the lack of headphone out on the UA pedals but you can use headphones with a Y-cable from both outputs (2 mono male to stereo female). Not as convenient as just plugging into a dedicated output but the option is there.
It would be nice to see Boss IR-200 and NUX Amp Academy pedals included in this comparison. But, this was still really good!
I agree! I have the Boss IR-200 and I've had the Nux Solid Studio, which was good and came before the Amp Academy.
@@nedim_guitarir200..❤
Youy are right, HP why not include the boss IR200 in this contest? Because of the screen?Quatsch
TC Electronic has released a firmware upgrade that fine tunes the curve of the gain potentiometer and solves the problem with the early breakup. They have also adjusted the curve of the reverb control which can now be adjusted more finely.
Thanks for this video - great comparison and you did answer the question that people wanted to know - specifically sound vs. versatility vs. price. If someone wanted to just have the most accurate ac30 or deluxe reverb simulation and didn’t care about price then the answer is UA. If they want something that covers multiple amp styles it’s either strymon or walrus audio - and depends if they want higher gain which will determine which route they go there. And for price the tc wins.
Must perfect affirmation since ages.
Finally someone told us this:
"Sometimes the vintage stuff sounded like that"
Sometimes even listen to old records is hard for me: and is for the sound :(
Iridium sounds great and is extremely versatile. Three amps, switchable irs, headphone output, cab or amp bypass. Still love it.
Boy, Henning wasn't kidding when he said that the UA pedals have the room sound! I hear it especially on the Ruby. Sounds amazing!
I have the UA dream 65. Very good. However I also have the NUX which Is more like a half price Iridium but with more presets ( so more live options) is excellent. Well worth the money and worth checking out. Really enjoy your demos 👍
Which one? (Nux)
@@GunnarLoeb Amp Academy 👍
I know you tried not to but I really felt you said " GET THE UA DREAM 65 "
I'd probably say the Tech21 SansAmp/Flyrig stuff came before the Iridium and do a really great job of what they do. Although they're more solid state than modelling
Remember that when listening to these comparisons, you are not just listening to the amp simulation quality but the chosen cab sim IRs as well. As a Strymon Iridium proponent, I can say that spending a bit more money on 3rd party IRs from say York Audio can really elevate the tones you get. The UA and TC don't have this option so you better like what they give you.
UA has very nice cab sims and they sound great overall. But they are an absurdly stupid design for a modern digital pedal for features and behavior. How does it make sense that the EQ on the Ruby only works on the Brilliant channel? Just because that's how it is on the real amp? Digital allows you to do more than the originals so they could have done something like "turn these to zero for authentic Normal channel" things instead. The stupid BT app stuff just adds unneeded complexity and requires freakin' account registration and internet connection for a pedal!
Henning is totally right about "good sound over realism". I also own an Axe-Fx 3 which also does that "warts and all" accuracy (or not, if you want to tweak). But I still like the Strymon just as much, because it's easy to use and doesn't bother you by becoming wooly and nasty.
Tone factor xr ir's are so good!! I found york first and love them but these new tone factor ones rule!! Yes new irs totally changed my iridium. I'm so happy with it!
Henning this was actually a unique video we needed. Thanks!
I get that these boxes do a thing, but for a few extra bones, there is the Hx stomp that has a similar foot print, many great sounding amps and cabs, and tons of effects.
Stomp is great value for money but a fundamentally different device. These are, what you see is what you get, single purpose devices. The Stomp is a menu diving, full signal chain, kitchen sink modeler. These aren’t entirely aimed at the same type of user, or use case.
You had me getting nervous since I purchased my UA Dream 65 (new for $350)…but it is indeed the best sounding and most versatile DR pedal out there. It’s worth the little extra $ over the TC imo…
😉👍
I believe the Atomic Ampli-Firebox (now in its Mark II release) was the first tube amp + IR in a compact pedal form, derived from their bigger AmpliFire unit which dates back to 2015 I think. Cheers…
Thank you for doing this. Looking forward to more episodes like this.
Spot on review. Absolutely nailed the comparisons and features. Why do you treat these like overdrive pedals, however? If they are amp simulators, why not play them clean and demonstrate how they handle pedals? You could have kept the gain down and raised the output. Why are you afraid to turn down the gain? Really enjoyed this demo either way. Cheers!
Tech 21 was one of the first with Amp pedals
BOSS had a series in 2011. Fender 65, Combo Drive "Vox" and Stack "Marshall".
The spring reverb on the UA Dream is soo good.
Well said, and as always, your candor, sincerity, and nuanced approach are much appreciated. I play only direct into the board so have to use an amp sim. Iridium was my first, and it sounds great and has a lot of versatility. I think the UA Dream '65 is incredible, but the versatility of the ACS1 (and I'm only using the first version) esp. with pedals in front of it, plus its small footprint, carried the day. My desert island piece wouldn't be an amp sim or a traditional amp, but rather Thomas Blug's Amp1 (Mercury edition), which for those not familiar is actually a tube amp. This thing blows my mind and (in my opinion) is even better than these other great pedals, which is a compliment to the Amp1 and not a criticism of the others. Lots of versatility, including an alternate 'lo-fi' mode (gives a wonderful clean tone on this mode). And it feels like what it is: an amp. It loses out to the others in terms of space required (though still fits nicely on my Classic Jr. pedal board - 12.5" x 18") and price. I'm grateful there are options out there that should work for everyone, and gratitude to you for your thoughtful reviews!
Thanks for the comparison and advice, Henning. I'd love to see you trying the new DSM Humboldt Simplifier MKII, it seems those guys made a huge leap from the MKI, and would pretty much fit into this realm. Cheers!
The DLX is a big step forward, but it's still analogue and doesn't sound good with overdrive, distortion or fuzz pedals. Or so I've heard.
@@nedim_guitar Really? I've never tried one but being analog I'd expect quite the opposite result. A very "organic" feeling and a good matching for pedals.
Any experiences with Simplifier MKII?
The DLX sounds great with pedals but it's very twitchy to set up and the absence of presets (plus its myriad controls and switches) make it difficult to use as an "amp in the gigbag". Nevertheless, that's what I own and when they release a MkII of that I'll be very tempted to upgrade.
The dog playing in the water at the end was a nice touch. How cute!
And that’s why I ❤ your reviews Henning.
If you want to run a true stereo rig with 2 different amp sounds then hands down it's the ACS1. Say if you want a Fender clean on your LEFT channel and Marshall or Vox overdrive on the RIGHT channel and do a wet/dry definitely get the ACS1. I believe none of the rest can do that.
For me the IRIDIUM is the best solution: You get 3 amps, 9 cabs, You can load your own IR’s, You can also use it as a preamp without IRs or only the IR without the preamp. You get really clean sounds or really overdriven. Perfect pedal platform, headphone jack, 3 band EQ, 2 channels (fave switch) etc. I had the Dream and the Woodrow, returned it, didn't understand the hype...
I already have an ir loader pedal and just need a preamp so the TC line saves me money.
@@kcrknpIt’s still only one amp though. Not saying it’s not a good choice but it’s hard to compare to the Iridium which offers more. If you buy all three TC pedals, then the Iridium is the better deal.
@@scottmoreau5630 Who would buy all 3 TC pedals though- a moron? That's the whole point, not having to pay for three amps when you would be happy with one. Just because something works for you- doesn't mean it's the best choice for everyone. Having many choices is not the most important thing to a lot of ppl- like myself. I would much rather have one choice that truly nails it right down to the reverb and trem.- and that's UA without a doubt.
@@stoneysdead689 🤦♂️
I tried the Iridium, I only liked the Marshall emulation. Great responsiveness though! I opted for the Riverside as preamp and a good IR loader after. I have better tone shaping capabilities in my opinion. It reacts like an amp by design.
Thanks for the great reviews!
Keep in mind that the cab-sim can make a huge pereceptional difference between similar pre-amp models. By using non-cab-sim output and going through a IR-loader pedal it is circumvented.
Good point on the "room" feature; I agree, as one of the
engineers on the ampworx project, "room" is useful for using DI out on vintage amps. Well done UA
THIS^ - I was thinking that with a cheap pedal like the Mooer/Flamma Cab IR pedals, you can definitely simulate this and BONUS, you can do it with a single pedal since either Mooer/Flamma is stereo and can load different IRs in each channel. You can use York IRS and/or Ownhammer stuff and you're golden
never tried the Walrus Audio, sold the Strymon, returned the TC and kept the UA Dream - curious if we will see an Iridium 2.0 -
Nice to see so many points of view. But the most important and straight forward is " these arn't for metal"! 👍🏻
I think TC released a firmware update which fixes the issue you had with early breakup, it gives it more clean headroom
IK Tonex do the amp thing for me, has phone out, the amp captures you can get on the communitt are awesome, has 150 presets rhat can be accessed via midi or switches, and a price tag close to the UA units. For me a winner.
Simplifier DLX is the way to go for me. Amazing device, great tones.
i sold mine, i did not like it
had the DLX, sold it and went for the Dream/Ruby. Much more expensive, yes. Better tones, LEAGUES better.
@@fireworx_925 would say different, not better.
100% agree. Simplifier DLX is fantastic. Sold my iridium and another bandmate sold his Dream 65 to go Simplifier as well
@@fireworx_925 If they work for you, great! Haven't found a digital device that does it for me to this day.
I had been looking into these end of last year. By the time I made up my mind, some German bloke going by the name of Henning (who does great demo's) posted a video on some Italian pedal. Got that instead. None of these are ToneX-killers. I know, it's a completely different thing, but it covers this territory too. Or at least you can make it do that. You could even profile these devices. 🤣
I admit I'm only using my own amp profiles 😎
Doggy at the end, doggy at the end! 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰
The Iridium not emulating a cranked amp is exactly why I ended up returning mine.
I went through a lot of options at great expense, this includes Helix, the Axe-FX III, ALL UA pedals, the Iridium, the ACS, the Simplifier... Not one of them did ever inspire me the least. No dynamics (AxeFX), latency and no headroom (UA), sound (Iridium and ACS)... it just was never right.
Since a few months I have finally arrived at "my" solution: The Effectrode Blackbird as a pedal platform, the Origin Effects Deluxe61 for Brownface sounds, the Origin Effects Magma57 for tweedy sounds. Perfect, dynamic, zero latency, heaven! They all go into a Boss IR-200 which I use only for loading (York) IRs and the stereo effects loop for wet effects. Then I go into a Walrus Canvas Stereo DI/LI box. This allows me to do virtually anything: LI into audio interface or powered speakers, DI into a mixer, LI into one or two power amps and "real" speakers. Best setup I ever had.
You need to try Tonex Pedal with Amalgam Audio captures and the new Simplifier MKII
@@robertodotes8109 I dont think he does, it seems he likes tubes! lol Tonex is what really got me to pay attention to the digital world though.
I would suggest something else ... a Riverside (used as a pre-amp) plus a TC Impulse as IR with great custom made IRs.
Riverside as preamp into iridium cab IR’s of your choice. Just disengage amp section on iridium. Sounds great!
@@clayteasouth it's true but, on the Iridium, I only like the Marshall voicing, I am not overly fond of the Vox, generally speaking, and the Fender amp is not my cup of tea either. I like the Riverside 's gain structure and use all its features, included the hidden ones. My current rationale, when it comes down to Pedalboard real estate, is that either I make full use of a pedal or or it goes.
Yea, gotcha. Real estate prices are really high on pedalboards these days. The TC stuff is priced really well if you want a nice Marshall tone I’ve had a Riverside for some time now and just purchased a used iridium for respectable price. I was using the bigsky cab filter for ages and wanted more options than the 1 IR in Bigsky. Really enjoying the options I have now with many loadable IR’s with or without the amp. I agree with you regarding the iridium Marshall sound. It was a big surprise for me and presently using it the most.
@@clayteasouth not so much the real estate prices, it is my back that is thanking me for downsizing my rig and getting rid of the amplifier. I am getting old. I used to have a huge pedalboard just to have all my purchased pedals together in one place and I have realised that I have been using only few of them for my core sound. Beside few rare gigs where I had to have phaser, flanger and so forth, to cover specific artists with a distinctive sound, the bulk was managed with a couple of overdrives, a great sounding delay with tap tempo and a reverb. Everyone's need is different, I just shared what worked for me.
I work mostly from a clean to edge of breakup base tone, so the $150 Zoom MS50G delivers 90% of tones I could want. Seriously. The one dirty tone I absolutely love but is especially hard to access without actually buying the amp, is the sound of a Fender Tweed Deluxe. So for me, I would go with the UAFX Woodrow to complete my tonal palette. Damned pricey here in Canada though.
Hope you get it
One of these is an absolute game changer for me and I'm not telling you which one.
I know which one but I'm not telling.
Vox Valvenergy
I wish the UA Dream had a headphones out
That's a bold T-shirt, Henning. But you pulled it off 😊 Great video 👍
Iridium’s “room” effect is worth the price of admission.
ACS1 update has more gain now and it sounds great.
Hm ... the H&K Tubemeister comes in my mind when talking about silent recording. It uses a switchable load and a RedBox which is avail in many evolution versions and this was one of the first DI boxes which could handle line signals i.e. pedal signals ... so H&K was one of the early suppliers. Palmer had silent recording devices with a load to accommodate tube amps in the early days. Tech21 is another early supplier providing the SansAmp.
Damn. I needed this before I spent money on the Strymon yesterday 😢
you have a right to return anything you ordered online
Strymon is still the best buy IMHO
It's tough comparing the ACS1 as there is no serious drive. It's the one I chose because I like my pedals. I definitely dig that UA Ruby - something I haven't tried is to push my ACS1 with my older Tech21 Leads. A lot of it boils down to how much of your playing time you want to compromise with your tweaking time and are you fast at tweaking.
The UA boxes sound great but the TC ones are pretty close and much cheaper. I like Strymon, it does all 3 amps pretty well from a single box.
Another gem of a review/comparison from you, both insightful and concisely to the point. Watched it despite having tried/researched almost all of these pedals, myself. Just curious to catch your thoughts on them. In the end, despite my love affair with my UA Audio Golden Reverberator and Del-Verb (on two different boards) and my leaning towards the Dream and/or the Tweed, I ultimately went with a pedal that, though slightly larger, does a heap more, and does it well: The ToneX. Couldn‘t settle with the limitations of any of these, and the TC sound I was hearing just didn‘t cut it. (Too much fizzle in there for my taste.) As an addition to my board, the ToneX gets me to places none of these smaller pedals can, and only costs a wee bit more than most of them. It also lets me futureproof my setup by downloading any of the brilliant captures being made out there. But for just a bit of Fenderesqueness (nice word, eh?), the VS Audio Blackbird (also reviewed by you) also makes a nice case for itself. Sure, it‘s just a sort of overdrive, but it can fake a Fender in a really nice way. Add a cab sim, perhaps, and it makes a great addendum to one‘s pedalboard. Just sayin`.
This is a really nice Heritage Custom Core!
The sleeper is Sans Amp it's lighter smaller and real analog. the Flying rig is genius.
As always, great video and attention to detail. As I was watching I asked myself how the joyo/harley benton/tech21 stuff would stack up against the solutions you covered? I think a Joyo American Sound plus the Joyo Cab Box would be interesting to look at versus the TC Electronic amp-in-a-box pedals.
Wow, we've come a long way since the GT2 - Tech 21...
dream is the best. the trem on the ruby sounds amazing.
Boss IR-200 has a screen so I guess it’s not Completely in the same category but I think it deserved a mention here.
If I'm going to replace a £3,000 valve amp and cab I want the best possible sound and feel from my pedal. I don't need midi, headphones, switchable amp emulations etc. So UAFX win hands down.
Oh, if only they'd release a Marshall version (JTM45, JCM800, 1959, Bluesbreaker, whatever - I don't care!) - although I can get quite near with the Woodrow and a carefully configured MXR 10 band equaliser.
I was looking for an amp/cab sim pedal to use as a silent practice amp and I went with the NuX NGS-6 Amp Academy. It's not the best at anything besides value--used price is around $150USD and it comes with 12 amp models, and a total of 16 IR slots including the built-in ones (which are ok) and when you use the manager software you get access to some limited effects modeling too. The tones are fine--not going to win any awards but not going to stop you from playing either. I'm happy with it as a practice device.
I got one too for the exact reason, for a quick to setup practice and experiment with pedals solution. There is nothing great about it but there is nothing bad about either aside from the fact that I don't use high gain amp so that cuts my options in half but that's just me.
Stilling on UA to make their Marshall style pedal.
If you want variation go with Boss IR-200
I've had it since it came out, still in love with it. I run my pedal board through it to a Laney FRFR 1-12. Chefs kiss.
And the Boss ir-200?
Absolutely. In my opinion it does not necessarily take drive pedals so well but it very much depends on the amp model you choose on the IR-200. and in fact I don‘t even need drive pedals because the thing already has enough gain for me. Then the two equalizer blocks, the noise gate, reverb and the efx loop built in… perfect! Especially for a bedroom rig. I often play through this box alone and couldn‘t be happier.
BTW the Torpedo CAB M+ is also brilliant. Technically maybe a little bit different approach but it still sounds excellent.
...the Walrus Audio pedal, with the ability to have two simultaneous cabs and amps (L/R) is pretty intriguing.
Carl Martin Ampster is very amp-like used with a PA. Controls are simple too . I often use mine in conjunction with my Fender amp as an alternative to miking the amp.
Holy Frijole! Not what I expected at all. Each type of amp has a winner in a different pedal The Best Deluxe was the UA, the best Vox was definitely the Strymon, and the best Marshall ... the most fascinating one, was the TC. Wild!!
I miss ADA MP 1 in Pedal..this one would be interessting for 80s guys
I know the 2 notes revolt is slightly different, but it is definately notable in this comparison. I started out and bought all 3 UA pedals. I hated them and sold quickly. I then bought the irridium, but I wasnt happy with the sound. Sold it and bought the revolt. Out of the box, the revolt needs a better cab sim and effects...but it is all analog (with a preamp tube) and in the circuit pattern of a bassman (channel 1) JCM (Channel 2) and a Soldano (Channel 3). What I wasnt expecting was how much I loved the 4-cable method. Now I have revolt going into my Fender twin and when I bipass the revolt, I am in the front of that amp for some really great sounds. I have the two notes cab m+ (best cab sim in opinoin) I have that going out of the the attenuator on my amp in case I ever want to play with headphones or record or into the house speakers. All of this while keeping tubes in the setup. No, I don't work for two notes, but they have the best sounding setup for $399 (US).
You hated all 3 UA pedals ? Even the Dream ?? If you don’t mind, what exactly did you not like ?
Dayum great comparison
This video's timing could not be more perfect. Have been trying to put together a rig i can record with that will do double duty for live use while being lightweight and portable. Im into vintage sounds so I think the UA's are the way to go.
lovin the ACS 1
Make sure you get the 2.0 firmware upgrade. It sounds much better , with a lot more drive, it’s like a new pedal
I own an Iridium. Used it a great deal. It does not take OD/Distortion pedals really well. I have tried many pedals and excellent guitars with it. Quilter Superblocks often sound better than it depending on the application. Have you tried these pedals with OD pedals pushing them?
Ok im gonna say id go with the Dream i like that pfffft that they do when ya push em. After sound samples I’m still in dreamland with the UA
Dog tub in the yard! Genius you just saved my bathroom from another assault that ends looking like a yellow Wookiee shaved in there! 😊🐕… you’re lucky Noodle doesn’t shed.
Maybe another hair cut for noodle vs Andy gets a haircut vid to see whom leaves a bigger pile of hair after? Maybe do it outside?
Yep. I leave my helix at home most of the time. The joyo and flamma versions are pretty workable live with frfr cab live
you are always the best bro cheers from Italy
Hey, Henning, sehr hilfreiches Video, suche was mit guter simpler CabSim für Chorbegleitung.
Der türkise Verstärker/Combo, was ist das? Mike Hermans live damit gesehen, sehr interessant !
Grüße vom Unterfranken, der im Urlaub in Ostfriesland deine letzten 60 Videos nachts schaut
TC Pedal: Can you use both the standard output AND the emulated output at the same time?? if you have true stereo and a pedal baby, the pedal goes in after drives and before effects, one side goes to the PA and the other goes to a clean power amp and cab like the class A/B pedal baby.
Perfect video. Excellent job
I have most of these and prefer the Walrus ACS-1. If you like warm clean tones it is the best.
1.) When UA came out with their amp pedals I was like “where’s the plexi????” 2.) I think the Boss IR200 gets absolutely neglected in these comparisons. It gives you almost all the amp and cabs of the GT1000 and probably even better latency.
I'm still wondering if this hardware stuff can compete with some of the best plugin around.. For a bedroom player.
Humm?....Best review so far from my "expérience" with your chanel ! Thx a lot! Cheers!
You need to compare it to a Nux Amp Academy and for that price also compare to a budget multi fx like the Ampero 2 Stomp.
No one talks about the Nux Amp Academy. One of the most feature packed and versatile of all the amp modellers out there.
Serious? I haven’t tried one, but looking for an amp pedal. I like to record one guitar with a DR small cab, and second with a pushed AC or JM.
The UA Dream sounds closest to the original amplifier it's based on
We are talking here about a preamp that tries to model classic amps and how well it does this. Example the TC 65 combo doesnt get there as it breaks up to quick. A lot of comments are about modeller pre amps that have tons of cab sims amd different amp sounds. Thats not what this video is about.
my taste is UAFX and Walrus audio
I got the TC Electronics Jims 800. I love it.
I had a UA Dream and the spring was a little lackluster for me. Maybe I’m just more used to other fake digital springs.
Fantastic video, thank you for being honest, and so in-depth with each pedal. I've just bought the Jim 45, and I like it for what I need, but there are some pedals there that I'd like to get. M
Have you tried the Jims 45 with drive pedals into it? That's my one hold up before buying one, I'd like to hear some real world opinions on how it takes drive pedals.
Nux amp academy is also a good one
NUX Amp Academy rules them all 🔥
I would say that the Iridium sounded a little dated, but completely kicks butt with York AudioI Rs. You also have to bring the Mids down on the Iridium to have it in blackface mode, yours seemed to be in the middle (brownface).
Please review the Simplifier Mark II, great sounding zero watt amp
Watched this in the background of working and the UA’s all made me look up, like which one is that
might be daft question but are these only for plugging straight to PA, how about if i still want a real cab, will these work plugged into a power amp pedal and then a real cab? or will it just not be very good? i like the idea of having a pedal board AMP solution instead of a big heavy valve/tube amp head but not sure what to get that keeps thing simple and i have pedals