Open Box Friedman IR-X Dual-Tube Preamp DI+IR Dual-Channel 12AX7 Tubes Effects Pedal Level 1 Black

I got this for medical purposes, because I'm unable to lug around heads and cabs atm. Using it for simplified home recording and I couldn't be happier with the way it sounds. Exactly like having my Friedman head/cab mic'd up with an SM57. Default cab sims are great, and with 3 switchable per channel it's almost like a 6 channel preamp. My only knock is that some functions are only available thru the editing software, but honestly the thump/presence is kinda set it and forget it anyway. I'm really enjoying another great Friedman product.

Take your big giant Tube amp which you love. Squish it! You have this box! Finally. I have the perfect tone without a bunch of silly menus.

I returned this. I really was fully prepared to be blown away. I figured even without plugging any pedals in front, or in the effects loop, I thought I would be wowed. But honestly I was not. Of course the pro guys like PThorn and MNeisen, etc. are monster players and gear savvy, and let's face it - they can make anything sound good. I've got a Marshall DSL40 through a Two Notes Captor X and I really love both the clean/crunch and the Lead 1 channel. I drive it (and/or boost it) with a Golden Boy and have reverb and delay in the loop. It really sounds great (I used to hate it before the Captor X). So I figured I needed to hook up some pedals to the IR-X to give it a fair chance. It sounds way better that way, of course. I think the Golden Boy boost sounds better than the IR-X boost (but to be fair, I didn't try tweaking the IR-X boost). But at this point, the IR-X doesn't sound noticably better than my DSL40. I know folks will chastise me for saying that, but that's what I'm hearing. The Friedman should be superior to the DSL40, right? Some other little things. It seems the knobs turn way too easily. I barely touched one while turning the adjacent knob, and it went way off from where I had it. That's kind of frustrating. Also I would like to see 2 outputs, one of them XLR. Apparently we can bypass IR with a long press of the channel 1 footswitch, but I would prefer an IR bypass switch I can look at and tell which way it is set. The MIDI was going to be icing on the cake, so I'm kind of bummed. I did not try the 4 cable method, but if it ended up giving me 2 more channels, that sound pretty much that same as the DSL-40, not seeing a lot of value there. I'm going to try the Two Notes ReVolt. I've heard some folks say it falls short of the IR-X. But maybe it will work better for me. Since I do already have the Captor X after the DSL-40 power amp, I have some quality cab sims available that I already love, so I don't care that the ReVolt doesn't have cab sims. I got one on Amazon for $319 used (like new condition) and it should be here tomorrow. #sweepstakes

I've been running this pre-amp into the effects return of my EVH. Sounds and feels fantastic! Great Friedman tone and real tube feel in a small and relatively cheap product. Will be getting a dedicated pedal sized power amp for it shortly for a very portable rig. Haven't tried home recording with IRs yet but will do shortly

Used in un-plugged cover band all types rock, direct to PA, clean channel Funk, Reggae, Blues, dirty channel Rock 70's, 80's, 90's on up, blends very well with acoustic guitarist and percussion, tried a few amp sim pedals definitely the best, only 2 basic channels but with pickup selector and coil taps tons of sounds!

Pros: Legit Plexi tones on the first channel. It's more stock, not hot rodded, but I like that there's still dynamics and touch sensitivity, but don't expect very much gain. Similar to a real Plexi, you have to adjust the EQ as the gain is increased. The second channel is typical Friedman BE tones. I like keeping the gain down to keep it more focused. The boost volume and gain control is a very nice feature; really takes away the dependence for additional overdrives. The EQ is stellar without any odd surprises. I really appreciate having the IRs built in, and love the amp-like interface, though you do have the ability to use the software for additional tweaking and there's MIDI control, if you have that kind of setup. Cons: It doesn't have an XLR out, so I had to get an adapter. The tight switch just makes things too thin sounding to my ears. Overall, a perfect solution for a backup amp. Will it replace my Pink Taco II or Small Box? No. Does it sound/feel better than any other amp-in-a-pedal solution? Yes! The next best I have is the Two Notes ReVolt, which is really,, really good, but I think the IR-X has better tones; plus, you really need the CAB M+ with the ReVolt; the analog cab sim doesn't sound nearly as good as the IRs do.