Mega Reactive Load DEATHMATCH

[MirrorProfiles]

4 different amps, 4 different cabs, 4 different load boxes.

Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier + Mesa OS Cab + 4 loads
Friedman BE100 + EVH 412 cab(G12EVH Greenbacks) + 4 loads
Bogner Uberschall + Mesa Boogie Traditional cab (V30's) + 4 loads
Peavey 5150 + Marshall 1960TV + 4 loads.

Same IR used for each amp, I matched the IR to the cab used for each example.

Yes, I could adjust settings for each load box, but the goal here is to see which load box responds most like a range of cabs with different amps.

The winner for me is:

Spoiler

real cabs

 

[Orvillain]

The driftwood sounds really naff. Not even subjectively in my opinion. There's something off with their design there. Even my £50 DIY loadbox sounds better than that.

The Suhr sounds really good. The react sounds just as good too, but a slightly different flavour.

The Fryette sits in the middle. I don't hate it, but I don't love it. It changes the tonality of the amp A FUCK LOT. And you just don't do that to a Dual Recto.

 

[James Freeman]

Compared to the reference cabs; React IR slightly darker, Suhr RL slightly brighter, the other two are out of spec.
For silent recording or playing React or Suhr sound great to me ear, with Suhr pulling slightly ahead impo due to form factor, simplicity, and it being passive.

 

[MirrorProfiles]

Compared to the reference cabs; React IR slightly darker, Suhr RL slightly brighter, the other two are out of spec.
For silent recording or playing React or Suhr sound great to me ear, with Suhr pulling slightly ahead impo due to form factor, simplicity, and it being passive.

Yep.

Although both load boxes don’t quite have the same resonant bass peak, the real cabs just chug a little harder.

Fryette I think is more designed to be used with its own poweramp, I think the curves would probably end up more accurate once you set the presence and depth and are driving a cab with it. For quiet playing, that one really sounds and feels great, it’s basically cheating having a LOUD non-MV Marshall at conversation level with an fx loop. But yeah, not ideal as just a load.

React has some benefits over Suhr too (despite the crappy barrel connector power supply). The built in IR loader is excellent (includes some ownhammer stuff as well as reverbs). Also has HP output, digital and analogue I/O, and the attenuator (while not as good as the Fryette method) does the job. £ for £ it probably offers the most, while still sounding good.

I do think a slightly too bright load box is preferable than a slightly too dark. It’s easier/less destructive to turn the presence down a little than to turn it abnormally high. Rectifier really takes no prisoners if the load is taking out too much top end.

Suhr is ultimately my favourite here, but I think the React IR (or Red7 which seemingly is very similar) make a good tag team with it.

 

[James Freeman]

I do think a slightly too bright load box is preferable than a slightly too dark. It’s easier/less destructive to turn the presence down a little than to turn it abnormally high. Rectifier really takes no prisoners if the load is taking out too much top end.

My thoughts too.
No negative feedback lets the impedance curve dictate the tone, up to +15dB of boost at 15kHz from resistive flat at 400Hz.

 

[JiveTurkey]

Dumb pleb cries in Driftturd

 

[MirrorProfiles]

GRAPH TIME (correction curves to match the real impedance interaction)

Mesa Poweramp+Oversized cab

BE Poweramp + EVH Cab:

Uber Poweramp + Mesa Trad cab:

5150 Power amp + 1960TV Cab:

And finally, I averaged the curve for each load box and put them against each other:

I think there is probably more than meets the eye here, but overall, Suhr measures and sounds closest to me. React IR measures well and sounds close, although clearly without the low end resonance.

Driftwood clearly has the low end resonance too low, so its correction curves are cutting lower and boosting more higher. I'm actually curious how different a resistive load would look for the top end because it needs quite a lot more top end to match the response of these cabs.

OK, WHEN DO I GET LAID

 

[Orvillain]

OK, WHEN DO I GET LAID

ON MY WAY

 

[MirrorProfiles]

ON MY WAY

 

[yeky83]

TLDR cus preoccupied atm, but the Fryette emulates more of a 1x12 cab while the Suhr does more of a 4x12. So the comparison is going to be skewed when compared against a certain cab vs. another.

 

[MirrorProfiles]

the Fryette emulates more of a 1x12 cab while the Suhr does more of a 4x12

Hmm, what makes you think the Fryette is based on a 1x12?

 

[yeky83]

Hmm, what makes you think the Fryette is based on a 1x12?

Cus I measured it. Also Fryette made a pissy reply saying as much, seemingly offended that I dared to make and post measurements.

 

[Orvillain]

Cus I measured it. Also Fryette made a pissy reply saying as much, seemingly offended that I dared to make and post measurements.

got a link??

1x12's are fail.

 

[2dor]

got a link??

1x12's are fail.

Interesting. Ed plotted the response of my Engl 1x12 cab alongside my Mesa 2x12, Suhr RL and Red Seven Amp Central and the curve of the 1x12 ENGL cab wasn't too far off from the Mesa 2x12

 

[yeky83]

got a link??

1x12's are fail.

Eh, I like my 1x12s.

Here:

How well does it reactive load?

I would ignore his posts. He's been doing this for years and got banned from the Fractal forum for repeated attempts of proof by assertion on this and other topics. :/ Dude is arguing with John Suhr and Jim Kelley. Enough said.

www.thegearpage.net

“That being that everyone doesn't necessarily want 412GB behavior.”
And a bunch of unnecessary “you did it wrong” cranky comments that I respond to a few posts later cus I didn’t do it wrong… and then he doesn’t respond back.

He might’ve been implying it emulates a 2x12 maybe instead of a 1x12, I forget and I’m halfway across the world from my cave of manhood to compare with my cab measurements.

 

[SillyOctpuss]

View attachment 14134

Vic Reeves and Belinda Carlisle in the same gif

 

[aivoryuk]

to my ears my choices in order of preferences of the load boxes would be
Fryette - seems quite open to me
Suhr - snice mid range but with sizzle on the top
React - has a bit of a boxy midrange
Driftwood - yeah not good to me