Strymon Iridium

121
FEBRUARY 2020 GUITARIST
Tech Spec
ORIGIN: USA
TYPE: Amp modeller
and IR cab pedal
FEATURES: Selectable true
or buffered bypass,
AMPS: Fender Deluxe Reverb,
Vox AC30TB, Marshall Plexi
(Super Lead model number 1959)
CABS: 1x12 Fender Deluxe Reverb,
1x12 Fender Blues Junior, 2x10
Fender Vibrolux, 2x12 Vox AC30-6
open back fawn, 1x12 Custom cab
w/ Celestion Blue AlNiCo, 4x12
Mesa/Boogie Half-Back, 4x12
Marshall w/ Celestion G12M-25s,
2x12 Custom cab w/ Celestion
Vintage 30s, 8x12 Marshall
w/ Celestion T652s
CONTROLS: Drive, Level, Bass,
Middle, Treble, Room, Amp selector
switch, Cab selector switch,
Audio input selector switch, On
footswitch, Favorite footswitch
CONNECTIONS: Standard input,
standard outputs (L, R),
EXP/MIDI, USB, stereo minijack
headphone ouput
POWER: Supplied 9V DC
adaptor, 500mA
DIMENSIONS: 102 (w) x 114 (d)
x 44mm (h)
9
The second amp, Chime, is a Vox AC30
Top Boost with a mid control that works
just like the original’s Tone Cut for top end
roll-off. The full gain range of the original
amp is reproduced but the upper reaches
of the gain knob adds a bit extra with the
cab choice (including a Mesa 4x12) adding
more versatility.
Punch is based on a 100-watt Marshall
Super Lead – the classic ‘Plexi’ model.
While a Plexi at full whack sounds
glorious, it only goes so far, so Strymon has
added extra whomp after two o’clock on
the Gain knob, getting towards high gain.
If you need more, the Iridium takes drive
pedals really well.
While all of the amps/cabs sound classily
authentic anyway, you can open the whole
sound up to whatever degree you need
with the sense of realistic space provided
by the room reverb.
VERDICT
This pedal is all about the provision of
the three most classic amp flavours with
a minimum of fuss. Unlike the Kemper,
Helix and Fractal’s Axe-Fx where you can
navigate the menus for a massive choice of
models, the Iridium is sharply focused: it
has exactly what’s necessary and no more.
There’s a simplicity and ease of use that
has massive appeal. You could simply
use it as a tabletop recording tool to
instantly give you the sound of a great
amp recorded at a decent working volume
with professional mics in a nice-sounding
room (without the need for amp, mic
or room). Alternatively, you could take
advantage of its form factor and integrate
it into your pedalboard, turning that ’board
into a full rig for headphone practice, for
gigging direct into the sound system if you
prefer not to use an amp or can’t travel
with one, or maybe as a belt-and-braces
backup ready for use if your amp goes
down. Strymon has identified a need that
guitarists didn’t know they had – and has
filled it brilliantly.
PROS Pedalboard-friendly form factor;
three classic amp sounds expertly rendered;
choice of highly realistic cabinets; IR loading;
MIDI control; onboard Favorite preset
CONS Needs a high-current (500mA)
supply, so may necessitate an upgrade
to your power distributor if you don’t want
to use the supplied adaptor
01. AMP & CAB
SWITCHES
Choose your amp with the
three-way Amp toggle switch
and then choose from one of
three matching cabinets (A, B
or C) with the Cab switch
02. USB
USB can be used to load IR
fi les (via the free Strymon
Impulse Manager software)
and for fi rmware updates when
connected to a computer
03. AUDIO INPUT
SELECTOR
You can set this for standard
mono, full stereo in/out
(TRS jack needed for input) or
Sum, where a stereo input is
summed to a mono output
04. FAV FOOTSWITCH
As with other Strymon pedals,
the Favorite switch recalls
a stored favourite setting,
including all knobs and
switches. To store a setting
you press and hold it until the
Fav LED blinks
05. ROOM
This controls the level of
natural room ambience
by combining 256ms
impulse responses of real
rooms with algorithmic
reverb for extended decay.
Small, Medium and Large
rooms are selectable
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GIT455.peds_strymon.indd 121 17/12/2019 13:03