Reactive Loads - 2026 consensus??

[Desertdweller]

are you suhr? I thought everyone liked that one

I think it leaves a lot to be desired.

The original Suhr RL is god-tier. It’s what I use on everything. I’ve used the Captor and Captor X before too, and while good their speaker impedance curve is really strange and every time I’ve used it I’ve needed a boatload of EQ on my guitars.

For the Suhr models, the original RL is awesome. The one that has IRs in it - not so much. I bought it and returned it within a week. The best tech term I can use is that it truncates IRs down to around 20 milliseconds, while the Captor X can do 200 ms. What that meant for me is that the stock IRs in it sounded ok, but any other IRs I loaded that I know sound good on their own were absolutely destroyed in the Suhr RL IR. My experience was that every IR I used sounded like it was in a tin can when I put it in that unit. IDK what happened with it, but that unit is not for me.

As someone who likes to tweak mixes, I usually apply IRs in my DAW anyway, so the original Suhr RL that has an awesome impedance curve is absolutely perfect for my needs. Even works really well for capturing amps in the QC too.

 

[Desertdweller]

I’ve been curious about this. I just bought a Suhr (non IR) and it worked so I called it good and haven’t tried anything else.

My only complaint is that it has too much bass. I’d prefer something more like a 1x12 g12h30

I’ve only had the “too much bass” issue with a couple amps. With my Mesa 2:90, I have to keep Deep mode off when using the Suhr RL. Otherwise with my other amps, it’s fine.

 

[Chocol8]

The RL-IR is the same load, better DI output (but needs power) and adds serviceable IR and headphone capabilities. Definitely not my first choice for IR loading or headphone use, but these days I am using a Tonex One for that stuff better than 95% of the time anyway.

Really it's the DI out impedance that MAY make the RL IR worth it over the RL, but keep in mind you then need a wall wart plugged in somewhere.

 

[Whizzinby]

I’ve never had an issue with the Suhr RL and my amps, so I’ve never really bothered looking at anything else.

 

[Dom Mcsweeney]

I think it leaves a lot to be desired.

are you suhr?

(apologies, it was a joke).

 

[Orvillain]

are you suhr?

(apologies, it was a joke).

 

[Dom Mcsweeney]

 

[metropolis_4]

I’ve only had the “too much bass” issue with a couple amps. With my Mesa 2:90, I have to keep Deep mode off when using the Suhr RL. Otherwise with my other amps, it’s fine.

It sounds perfectly acceptable, just a bit bassy for my taste. Personally I’d prefer more mids and less bass. But that’s all down to personal taste.

When I run my JRT 9/15 -> Mic-No-Mo -> Suhr RL I get quite a bit more bass and a little more scooped mids than when I run JRT 9/15 -> Mic-No-Mo -> JRT 9/15 speaker (1x12 g12h30).