Strymon Iridium - ONE YEAR ON - still good? 

Strymon knew 2020 was gonna happen and gave us a great amp for the house.

I still use my Iridium almost every day. I have a nice Matchless sitting unused most of the time. The Iridium sounds great and just makes it so easy to play and record at any hour without disturbing my family. I also have been taking it go gigs and am enjoying playing in Stereo with a quick and simple setup/tear down. It's definitely been the best purchase I've made in the last 2 years.

Really glad to find this channel! Thanks for all you do!

Still using and enjoying my Iridium. I love the simplicity of it. I agree it is really, really important to find the right cab IR for your own tone and style. Also would be amazing to have a spring reverb option instead of the room. Thanks for reporting back on it a year later, great idea!

3:48 starts talking about the Iridium

I was browsing RU-vid looking for videos of the Iridium... and completely forgot that's what I was here for. Your playing is absolutely beautiful. The phrasing, the touch, the tone... Awesome!

Great video man....thanks. Love your channel!

Great point about the variety of cab selection! Totally agree with it and i do hope strymon has such plans!

Thanks for the iridium videos! I just bought one to use for direct recording and I’m excited to get it set up. I already have a bunch of pedals and I’m terrible at navigating digital pedal menus so I hope it’s a good fit.

I agree with all your ideas for updates etc. I think the idea of you tubers doing updates on gear is a great one. I think the problem comes in when they don’t use a product for whatever reason but they have a good relationship with that company saying that they don’t use it could hurt the companies reputation etc. so I think you tubers would shy away from being that honest. I wish that wasn’t the case and it’s why I love your channel. Your honest about what you use and why. It’s very helpful.

Spot on comments about youtubers promoting gear when it comes out and never mentioning it again.

Lovely video. Thank you for the plethora of iridium videos - it’s the reason I bought one!

Mad respect for the doggos; and you are a gem as well❤

I use the Iridium as a "pedal platform amp" on the round setting, with a "high headroom clean sound." In my opinion, it doesn't sound good on it's own but with the RevivalDrive Custom I get amazing results. I also think it is key to have a compressor/boost pedal (with barely any compression) at the beginning of the chain to nail the "feel."

I have to say I really like it; I have a Fender Twin and a Vox AC30HW and despite certain limitations which are normal. Of course, it is a brilliamt sound tank that does in fact make you buy a lot of pedals!😂 Great review and playing as always.👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

6 months into my Iridium. Still love it and use it every day. It's the perfect, close quarters during a pandemic amp sim. When I play out again, I will use it to see what it can do live.

I never liked the round setting until I tried it as a clean machine with pedals and wow, that's the ticket. Also the Chime mode on edge of breakup is really fun. Also David Hislops IRs are really really good. Silver alnicos and greenbacks with the chime model is the vox sound in my head. But Strymon give me a spring reverb already. I don't want to have to buy a flint to go along with it.

. . . thinking more about what would add to the Iridium I come to appreciate even more how subtle and useful each of the three amp models are e.g. - Chime with the "extra past 2 o'clock gain" with treble boost ; - Mid-range control on the Round model to sound like different amps ; - Extra boost on the Punch amp. It reminds me of buying my first real amps and then working with them to explore what they had to offer. I just love being able to reach out and turn a knob while playing and know what it's going to do. Maybe it would be interesting to have maybe three variations on each of styles, a little like the THR10/10c/10x. We could then customize our Iridiums to be entirely our perfect devices. It's different to the Line6 approach. Strymon have been quite bold: They want to make their models so good we won't need anything else. I didn't keep my HX stomp.

Thank you for the informative update. That and all the comments by users saying they're all still using the Iridium after a year have me almost sold.

Iridium is a godsend. Easy to use. Great tones.

Haven't bought an Iridium yet, but I'm super impressed with everything I've heard and prefer the simple interface. I wasted enough time scrolling through menus in the 90's with rack gear. Happy to have just the knobs!

Good to hear that you still dig your Iridium #cleversausage

I still use mine everyday. It's main draws are its convenience and the way it takes (most) pedals. I do have a tendency to get option-fiddly, so the Iridium takes that out of the equation and I know I spend more time playing that I would with a HX Stomp for example. I do run it with a Cali76 Compressor with a fairly low compression level and 50/50 dry/compressed mix - it just seems to help a little bit with the feel. Drive wise I use a DoD Looking Glass which give a lot of flexibility to tone shape before hitting the Iridium (Sometimes with a Blues Driver stacked in there). I then use Reverb (Digitiech Polara) and/or Delay (Digitech Obscura) rather than the inbuilt one which doesn't quite give enough reverb for me. I also sometimes use a Supro Tremolo into the Iridium which has a gain function separate from the tremolo that really helps increase saturation (and treble). The inbuilt reverb I think is aimed more at emulating a room to take some of the edges of a fully dry signal rather than offering a rich characterful reverb. I think for someone with pedals who wants a simple way to use them at home (vai headphones rather than a real amp) or into a DAW via a modelling amp that's easy to use - it hits the spot still.

I’m hoping you’ll be able to pick up the Walrus ACS1 and do some comparisons... I love that you point out the flaws/things that might be annoying depending on what you are trying to accomplish etc

I still have and use my Iridium. The biggest problem I have is, it just works. I don't play with it; it has no flashing lights, it needs no attention. Other pedals like my OD, Delay, Reverb always need tweaking due to me looking with a tone my fingers can't make. My Iridium acts as the base that I build on. If it was more like a real amp, it would need to be much bigger, heavier, hot, needs repairs, and have flashing lights.

I'm still using my Iridium and getting more out of it as time goes by. What I like most is there is the immediacy. I spend my time playing ! [*] The comments you make are spot on. Would be great to have variants on the three amp models thus making the device effectively immortal! I probably wouldn't be too fussed about changing the room reverbs as I quite like the neutral, unobtrusive ambience at this stage in the signal chain. I have fallen into the trap you describe and have a number of lovely pedals complementing the Iridium. What makes the Iridium right for me is it makes me want to play more. Thanks for all the videos, sharing your learning and the most important lesson of all: Get up early in the morning and practice more !!!!!!

Use it all the time now. Sounds so good and no lugging amps around!

I'm planning on replacing my POD Go with the Iridium, mostly due to the sheer simplicity and ease of use. The POD Go sounds great, but I've found over the past several years, I've fallen back in love with real pedals, and fallen out with digital modelling. Just too many options causing option anxiety. The Iridium is just so simple, with real knobs and very versatile.

I still use mine. I have it on a WDW pedal board set up though. So I would use my Helix over the Iridium stand-alone, but the Iridium is awesome on a board that uses specific pedals/routing options that prefer an easy basic modeler type.

I haven‘t barely used a real amp since I have the iridium. With a pedalbaby100 as a poweramp it works great in a loud liveband, with IR it is the perfect live/recordingtool. Still very very happy with my iridium!

Yeah I'm still using the iridium. And I certainly do agree with the sentiment about being careful or you'll end up buying loads of drive pedals. I use mine at the end of a pedal board in place of using an amp. I can use it that way leaving it on for hours without worrying about wearing out valves. I mostly use the punch model, set fairly clean, with an ownhammer 4x12 V30 cab and various drive pedals.

Hey Jonathan, can you tell me about clean and edge-of-breakup tones of Iridium and FM3, how do they compare? I have a dilemma choosing between these units. Does the FM3 feel and sound as real and amp-like to you as the Iridium? Iridium also seems to stand out from the mix in your videos more than other modelers, or that's at least what I keep hearing. It sounds very real to me. Too often FM3 videos and sound clips I find online are drowned in effects. I am really interested in the most basic core amp-sounds and feel of the units.

This video gets an A+ naturally

I want to be able to play like this! Man, I really vibe with this style

I'm a cat guy myself, but I love your dogs. Somehow they remind me my two cat boys!

Hey Johnnathan, do you use usually use headphones with the iridium? Do you ever play it through monitors? I'm also just curious about when you record videos using the iridium, how are you monitoring it there? I have an iridium and you were definitely a big part of that decision. Your tone and style/skill rocks. Great job with that. I'm a little concerned about eventually getting sick of playing through headphones and I'm thinking I wanna play through a monitor at some point to have that amp like feel. Thanks - Bob

It has been the first sim pedal that made me forget I was not playing the real amp. Very realistic and very responsive. Five stars for the company and this review.

Hi, man! Thank you so much for your videos. I'm about to pull the trigger on a Iridium but I have a doubt about recording: is it possible to go from the outputs of the pedal straight into two line in inputs of the interface? Mine is an UA Arrow. Or it would be better to use the Hi-Z input? Or even use a DI box? What is you recording set up? Thanks!

One feature I would like to have seen: The ability to use the stereo outs to send different amps L and R, such as Fender left Marshall right, or blend Vox and Fender, even without stereo, though perhaps that's too complex for Strymon's secondary controls and intentionally minimalist design for the unit. I used it as a portable option a few months ago, but have more or less ditched it and all modelers in lockdown and went back to Ox+amps and just DAW plugins for post-amp modulation and stereo effects. A portable gig option is no longer a real need for my own foreseeable future.

Hey dudes. Short thing: Iridium with passive oractive DI box? Big sky cabfilter DI (without iridium but with sun set) - active or passive DI? Thx.

I had been using an Iridium on an analogue board, went across to a HX Stomp (partly due to making it so accessible and understandable but have circled back to the Iridium mostly because it plays so well with pedals. It simply sounds so good not over processed.

Pulled the trigger on an iridium not more than 15 minutes ago. Trying to put everything on one small board with a stomp and maybe one or two other pedals

I really love the idea of this pedal. But I have read comments by people saying it sounds bad, when plugged in, and recording. That makes no sense, to me. You have a beautiful sound, and love your playing. It's beautiful! Thanks!

I absolutely would like to hear your opinion about the Vox Valenergy Silk Drive. I found a video comparing it to the Iridium. And it sounded pretty sweet!

I would love to hear your thoughts on the Iridium compared to something like the Two Notes Cab M+! I know they are not the same thing, but they cover some similar ground now that the Cab M has a preamp.

What scale are you using? it’s beautiful bro!

Dang John, I just don't understand why you're doing content on YT rather than making albums, with millions in your bank accountS, and selling out large venues. Your sense of musicianship, melody, and harmonizing a melody with either arpeggios/chords/or the melody itself, is simply fantastic. Not to mention your ability to craft great tone and simply how to make ear catching music. I've seen a few of your videos only (don't watch much content on music), but in each, you have blown me away. My 'real' profession is in the visual arts (professor) and many have said similar things to me regarding not having my work hanging around the world, and not shown in history/modern art text books. But, in general, it's only other artists that say that... anyway... (a bit of music background) I had to stop my classical music career short (during music school) due to repetitive strain injuries on both wrists, and can now only play electric guitar necks for an hour or two every couple of days, but I certainly still know how to appreciate great performers when I hear them... most of the time. But i get it, creative fields (music/visual arts/writers) are businesses, and really great talent just slip by (too often) and are ignored, for the most part, by those in charge --under the assumption they would not be 'liked' or 'enjoyed' by enough of the public to make a required amount of money. I mainly only wanted to say that I do hope that one day, you can ditch YT, and that I'll have a chance to buy a ticket to go hear you play here in Seattle.

Do you try to use it before delay/reverb and after overdrive/distortion/boost/compressor... for better results ? Love your videos btw 💪🏽

Hi John! Would be nice to try a jackson audio broken arrow or golden boy in the iridium! Thanks for your videos!

Did you say what your Night Sky settings were? I only watched until the talking part.

I still love the Iridium even though I’m not using it much at the moment. I mainly use it for gigging and I love to use the HX Stomp at home. In my opinion the combo Iridium / HX Stomp is the best thing ever!

Love my iridium, I use a powered cabinet with it and it really makes it feel like a traditional tube amp. Is the fender amp on yours louder than the ac30 and plexi? Mine seems to be

I think different amps etc they would put it on another pedal, I can see them doing different versions with new amps and doing a series. I wish they’d do it how you mentioned where you can switch the amps in and out but they’d likely charge for it

Nice playing what scale is this?

The idea about a different reverb in the Iridium is curious to me. If one wanted something other than a standard spring reverb in their tube amp they added a reverb pedal that had something different. The same kind of applies to the higher gain issue. Even a Marshall plexi doesn’t do modern high gain without adding pedals.

I love the Iridium

I like your solo tone in the demo. Then I read the fine print. I need to get other pedals with it! I could probably use my delays or reverbs for the NightSky. But the Origin Effects pedal is an overdrive that costs as much as the Iridium, and they aren't cheap! The need for the overdrive may be obvious to you but not to a distortion newbie like me. I have Boss overdrives, but how do I know how they sound with the Iridium? Can I get your nice tone with just them and the Iridium? With the Iridium alone? I wish I knew. I'm tired of buying expensive pedals and not getting the tone I want.

I think the Amp sim side is analog.. So I don't think they could update it via software/firmware I think they'll just come up with more Iridium type pedals. For more "boutique" amps or high gain amps.. Maybe after that they'll do full-on amp modeler.

I hope they update it with full standard 5 pin MIDI "In" AND "Out" (I believe you can only go IN now) . The ability to either download different amp models online, (or custom order it with different amps), would put this product, again, at the forefront of Modelling pedals. Those particular 3 amps leave a lot of players out.

To me it is just a matter of changing the room emulation for a spring reverb emulation.

Has strymon ever updated the core functionality of any pedal? I don’t think any updates are coming.

I agree with many points made here, but I seriously hope they don’t over complicate this with more variations of each amp type. This kind of approach is all but too common in today’s digital products, and I’m seriously sick of it. One improvement that I really would like to see is the design of the box. It looks boring and feels way too gimmicky. I’d easily buy two if it comes in a vintage styled box, say, something like the Hudson Electronic Broadcast.

Just ordered an Iridium, let's see how it sounds and feels! What headphones would you recommend for using the Iridium?

I’ve asked Strymon to consider making the amp ON/OFF a software toggle, that could be set as part of a patch in the IR manager, or switched with MIDI CC...so acoustic guitar, violin, cello, and other IRs..and guitar setups with other amps could make use of the pedal. Acoustic instruments can sound great through it...but I’m not going to fumble with power on holding down buttons and a big pop in the output. It would seem simple to implement ...and would seem to grow their market reach...but I’m still waiting.

What I’m going to say might shock you, but WWW is a great film. One of Smith’s best.

Iridium is awsome。

I still use the Iridium every day. I've only used a real amp a couple of times since I got it. I just play through studio monitors.

Please do a comparison with Vox valvenergy

My first experience with it were the harsh high. Easily tackled by adjustment with ir eq.

Clever sausage

I thought this is the final pedal for me to focus practicing guitar but nope I just keep buying new pedal to put together with iridium Please makes more jazz videos(without bringing new gear) to remind me stop messing around with gears do more music

Roxy Music

Um.

No mames

Sry...I actually don't like superfluous digitization any more back to the roots. Crap on the guitar Clean channel on and just play. That constant space feeling only sells unreality. Nor is it a substitute for one's own creativity