Analog cab sim or IR loader?

[vino_buono]

Hopefully I'll be soon getting an Axiom PAE-2 power amp emulator. I am planning to set up a small pedalboard for home practice, with a stompbox preamp which I already have, the PAE-2 power amp emulator, and some type of cab simulation. This latter could be an analog cab sim a la Redbox or similar, or an IR loader. The IR loader has a lot of flexibility, but the analog cab sim is also tempting me in light of having an all analog setup. However, my engineering background is telling me that there's no way that a relatively simple analog circuit can model a cab with the same "accuracy" that an IR can achieve, plus I have a set of IRs I use and like, so that would be a no brainer. But still, analog is analog... this is tempting. What do you say?

 

[TheBigDipper]

I can only speak from my own experience. In general, I don't like IR-based speaker sims. There's always something not quite right (as in unpleasant to hear) at some frequency or other which I don't enjoy. So I've tried a few analogue-based offerings.

I can't say if any of the analogue cab sims I was happy with are accurate replicas of specific speakers, but these ones here were usable and sounded decent to my ears for recording and putting into an "FRFR" or PA. Accurate? Dunno. But dialling in a decent sound wasn't hard.

FlyRig v2
Quilter Superblock US
Simplifier Mk ii
Carl Martin Ampster

I also really like the Neunaber Iconoclast, which is digital, but not IR-based. That didn't seem to have any nasy artefacts, either. Possibly the best of the bunch, TBH.

But everyone has different ears and most people will disagree with me, I'm sure. :-)

 

[laxu]

I can only speak from my own experience. In general, I don't like IR-based speaker sims. There's always something not quite right (as in unpleasant to hear) at some frequency or other which I don't enjoy. So I've tried a few analogue-based offerings.

Totally opposite for me. Analog cab sims, even ones with plenty of filters, are always a much worse facsimile of a real mic compared to IRs that are very close to identical. Analog cab sims to me are good enough for live use, but I wouldn't want to record with them.

There's nothing unpleasant in IRs that you would not hear with the real mic setup used to capture it. Obviously mic positioning etc becomes a deep rabbit hole for finding IRs you like.

I'd always go for IRs over analog cab sims.

 

[EOengineer]

I’ve not found anything more realistic than impulse responses. Happily awaiting whatever that next gen breakthrough will look like but I’m not holding my breath.

 

[QQQ]

Another vote for IR’s.