New Friedman IR-X preamp

[KingsXJJ]

Have you tried your SC20H send into the return of the IRX for direct recording? Might be worth checking out before you return it.

I haven’t but thanks for the suggestion. I’m looking for an item that stands on on it’s besides effects. The unit, as pristine as it gets, is on reverb.com at the Tone I/O shop. It’ll sell but if one of you is interested and wants details just PM me. The reseller is top rated and his description will be professionally spot on. Price will be market based and fair.

 

[KingsXJJ]

What I meant is that if you play your marshall amp into the return of the IRX, you will know if its the IRX preamp or the power/cab sim that you don't like. If you don't like the power amp sim, the IRJ probably has the same back end.

I'm gonna get rid of the IRX too. I might exchange it for an Engl E530 preamp, or get one of those Crab amps from Ukraine.

Thanks. Pretty certain it’s in the preamp section and not the poweramp sim. I think the power section is generic and not the preamp.
I’m way less finicky about poweramp adds and more focused on the voicing, gain, boost, tones and feel of the preamp. I’d really like to hear the perceptions of drivers experienced with both. I’ve decided the IR-X isn’t for me. Low pass fix or not. Trying to determine if the IR-J is better suited for what I’d like or if this entire product line is a pass for me. I’m working on a deal for a J currently but was hoping someone in the know might grace me with their thoughts.

 

[KingsXJJ]

IR-J on the way. Was able to secure a discount. I’m hoping it has a nice DI sound of a boosted Plexi and JCM800.

Two of my personal favorite tones. I’ll report my experience.

Merry Christmas to Everyone!

 

[Frodebro]

I really need to pull my own IR-X out of the drawer and dig into it a bit more deeply. It was an impulse buy (see what I did there), and ultimately I realized that it didn’t bring anything new or different to that table that my FM9 can’t already do.

 

[GuitarBilly74]

Today I tested the IR-X from its send into my Ironheart 60h return and it was very underwhelming as preamps go. It has one sound, with two levels of gain. Eq doesn't do much. Very underwhelming.

I think the "friedman sound" comes from the digital back end. Without that.. its really nothing. Its 100% a direct recording device.

Even just having a send is almost false advertizing. Whatever it is, is not a BE100 preamp. I'm 100% decided in no uncertain terms that this is getting returned. Its just a fancy DI box.

Merry christmas.

That's incorrect though. The pedals are the front end of the amps, it's not a generic preamp with digital emulation. I'm out with family for Christmas but I'll make a clip of the IR-D into the FX return of one of my amps. The amp's tone is definitely there.

That said, I'm surprised you hadn't returned it yet, since you didn't gel with it from the start.

 

[Frodebro]

I've done alot of testing today. First day I haven't had to work in ages.

I would be shocked if you got anything out of the IR-X that could approach the FM9. Its not even a full preamp. It has one sound with some very passive eq knobs. Its not too dark into the return of the amp, but its just a generic preamp sound. It only sounds good direct and even then it's pretty limited.

I'm going to get a new tube head and supplement it with standalone pedals for the sounds it doesn't have, and a Suhr RL IR for direct recording.

That’s pretty much what I found, but it’s not completely useless. I was able to get very useable sounds out of each channel, so I kept it figuring that I would incorporate it into a board at some point.

 

[Frodebro]

Direct or into an amp?

The idea was into the loop return of an amp. But I’m nuts, because I already have multiple ways to do that. I guess it’s just a way of keeping my mind busy when I’ve had a bad day. Quitting drinking does that to you, you find all kinds of ways to keep your mind busy.

 

[Frodebro]

It does a thing. It responds to volume knob. It has moderate crunchy gain level. A passive eq. Its bare bones. I think you might get better result with the Friedman model in the FM9, but I haven't used the fractal models so maybe the pedal has a vibe you aren't getting.

But I'm not conviced it has any mojo. A Jims800 pedal might work just as well.

The Friedman models in the Fractal clobber the IR-X in my opinion. Touch sensitivity is there, but there is far more control over the tonal shaping of it, particularly when you start digging into the power amp parameters.

 

[Frodebro]

I'm starting to think the one I have is defective.

SD-1 into Ironheart sounds brilliant. Just using SD-1 into IR-X channel 2, without the boost, and with just moderate noon settings on the SD-1, it sounds like the circuit is overloading, like it can't handle the level or something. Sounds like complete ass. Like dull muted clipping.

With the IRX channel 2 w/ boost on, the SD1 plays well enough but still doesn't sound good. Thats why I was shocked it sounded like ass with the SD-1 three weeks ago. I've never heard an amp sound like ass with the sd1. Like it can't handle the level coming from the SD-1, but when I lower the volume output from the sd-1, it starts to sound anemic.

Why does this sound like ass?? The sd-1 is causing some nasty dark clipping like the circuit can't handle it. The harder I play, the worse it sounds like ass. When I lower the volume on the sd-1 it sounds anemic. The send going directly to my amps return.

View attachment 35146

I have an SD-1 kicking around somewhere, I’ll dig it out and see what I come up with. I’ll run it into the return of one of my amps to try to replicate your chain as closely as possible.

Stay tuned…

 

[Frodebro]

I'm using a superstrat with Evolution bridge pickup.

Okay, that one’s fairly high output. I have an Ibanez with a higher output PU in the bridge and similar frequency response to the Evolution, I’ll use it. But I just have to remember which box the SD-1 is in, I haven’t had it out in a long time.

 

[GuitarBilly74]

I posted a video of the SD1 boosting an IR-D a few pages ago. It works fine. The IR-X is the same way.
You might need new tubes.

 

[Frodebro]

I posted a video of the SD1 boosting an IR-D a few pages ago. It works fine. The IR-X is the same way.
You might need new tubes.

I suspect I’ll find the same thing, mine worked as expected with a Tube Screamer. But I’ll give it a shot just for the sake of another test result.

 

[GuitarBilly74]

Nothing wrong with your settings. Try a new pair of 12ax7s. It's a tube preamp after all and the symptoms you are describing sound like it could be a bad tube

 

[KingsXJJ]

Just like to add that unless it’s poorly written or inaccurate altogether, the IR-X manual seems to indicate the tone stack is active.
BMT controls either add or take away. Passive tone stacks don’t do that. It maybe post or pre gain however and pre gain can seem passive.

https://friedmanamplification.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Friedman_IRX-Manual-v2.2-Web.pdf

Personally I think a lot of assumptions about the engineering behind it are just that. I’m not defending others feelings or supporting them, I’m just going by the info available and my personal experience with Friedman products. On the one hand, I can agree a BE-100 head offers a more complex tone. A preamp DI solution doesn’t fully replicate the head connected to a cab. I feel however, it gets closer than a simple BE pedal. My largest issues lie in the still being done work within the digital realm and the feel of the unit. Repeating myself but presence and thump as well as the low pass parameters need continuously variable settings including off and the introduction of sag with similar settings. I believe, after my experience with it, the BE pedals, head and a JJ JR head, these would make this unit more satisfying.

Of course if that iconic Friedman tone isn’t suited for you and subsequently the IR-X/ tone isn’t for you.. these changes won’t mean squat. I know I like the tones the IR-J purports to offer and they appeal to me in this form factor and designed use case. It’ll either deliver or it won’t. I believe enough in Dave to give it a low risk shot. Hearing what I do from the IR-D users and their reports, it’s certainly possible.

I’ve been around long enough to hear the comparisons of original Marshall rawness and Friedman’s polish to know that both have a place and fans of the differences.

 

[KingsXJJ]

If you need affordable preamp tubes in anything Marshall, I’d recommend Tung Sol as a start.

 

[JiveTurkey]

The Stealth clean is unremarkable. If you want aggression and saturation; its got it. Certainly.

 

[KingsXJJ]

Honestly, my sound is an SD1 pedal into whatever amp. This is the first time it doesn't sound good.

Could just be a bad preamp tube. But I absolutely DO think the lopass and direct filters sound wayy to dark.

The IR-J might be a better fit, but I can usually get all the aggression I need by goosing the treble on the SD1.

I like the SD-1 in to plenty of amps too. But I also like similar pedals in that use case, it usually boils down to how the amp takes them. That can vary considerably IMO. I prefer Plumes in to the SC20H for example. But using a singular $50 pedal to determine whether an amp is good or not seems a bit backwards to me. One of the reason the IR-X didn’t suit me was because I felt the boost in it was too hot and needed to be turned down a bit (side knob) to be what I had hoped for. By that time it was almost not performing the job.

I’m hoping that by targeting another boost type I enjoy the J will get me there. The additional side knob parameters as well as the TS style boost may get it there. Additional boost options, digital or not, might be the clincher for these devices.

 

[KingsXJJ]

My ironheart is a good amp, but it is dry and needs a boost for lead. And its still not as good as a 5150 for saturated lead guitar.

If I get a 5150, the IRX would be more useful for all the in between tones. I was thinking the regular version for a more versatile channel 2.

The Ironheart offerings were always very dry for me. I had high hopes on the Laney Studio based on the feature set but in the end it was too dry and sterile. Sold the studio and a bigger head for that very reason.

 

[KingsXJJ]

The IR-X boost is just another series gain setting. It doesn't add any more gain (distortion) stages, it just increases the gain level in the first stage.

IOW, it is just a clean boost and doesnt do what a TS or SD1 does.

I really like the IRX boost because it just lets you have two separate gain settings for the channel. If I'm adding distortion it will be with a pedal.

I don’t really use those types of pedals for adding distortion. Just for added gain and filtering (tone shaping) clipping/distortion is kept minimal. I think that succinctly describes the differences in approach and results.

 

[JasonE]

That's incorrect though. The pedals are the front end of the amps, it's not a generic preamp with digital emulation. I'm out with family for Christmas but I'll make a clip of the IR-D into the FX return of one of my amps. The amp's tone is definitely there.

That said, I'm surprised you hadn't returned it yet, since you didn't gel with it from the start.

I have the IR-D too. I also have a Twin Sister amp. The amp's tone is there in the IR-D. I have run it right into a PA cabinet on a stand in my room where the amp is and it does sound like the amp. I love how simple of a solution it is that has the tone I get from the amp. I did load some different IRs into it to have some variation in it. It is much simpler than using one of my modelers and gives me the sounds I use most.