Thoughts on Speaker IRs

**Spook410** · 02-03-2026, 04:40 PM

There are quite a few choices when it comes to speaker Impulse Response's (IR's. Some you pay for. Some are free. Then there are the ones that come built into amp modelers from the factory. Some offer a lot of variation like type of microphone, mic position, and various mixes. Some are a simple Shure 57 in a conventional spot. Anyway, thought I would make a few comments based on my experience while soliciting inputs from others who have headed down this rabbit hole.

My needs are pretty modest. The amp model is some flavor of clean tweed or BF Fender. The IR's can run from 8" to 12" speakers in 1, 2, and 4 speaker cabinets. So, some thoughts..

IR's matter quite a bit for close listening and recording. Less so for stage where nuance and detail are often lost. Sounding good always matters but sounding great may not be worth another 50lbs of gear.
In general, 3rd party IR's you pay for are better than what comes on the modeler. Strymon provided IR's are kind of awful. Mooer is adequate. JOYO pretty good.
York Engineering IR's are the best I've tried though my experience is pretty limited. It's easy to run up a bill trying IR's. I've spent time with their 4X10 tweed, 2X10 Vibrolux, and 1X12 Deluxe RVB. Some are too muddy. Some are too bright. Some are just right.
Usually I'll choose IR's with ribbon mic's. Or a mix of a ribbon with something like a U47. But you have to flip through them and listen. Mic and placement can sound quite different for a given cab.
All other variables still apply. Guitar, pick, reverb, strings, attack, pickup, and fidelity of the Full Range Flat Response (FRFR). And the mood your ears are in that day.

So, would be interested in what others have found particularly with some of the free 3rd party IR's out there. Free IR's I've tried from Celestion and Ownhammer weren't great but I'm not that much a green back fan to start with.

And yea, I know this is a niche in this forum but with sub-$100 neural amp modelers (NAM files) the tech keeps getting better. Lighter, more maintainable, and cheaper. We're not far off from a battery powered single pedal combined with a 12 pound 8" powered FRFR doing everything you would want to do.

**starjasmine** · 02-03-2026, 09:33 PM

Manufacturer says you can load any IR

**Jim Soloway** · 02-04-2026, 02:33 PM

I started using IR's 5 years ago. I mostly use them with software, so I can't really comment on using them with amps, modelers or pedals. That being said ...

I found the amount of choice available with IR's to be seriously overwhelming. The rabbit hole was way too deep to be even remotely productive. Like a lot of technology, there can be a huge benefit from a small amount of effort but it can also be a very short path to diminishing returns. Ultimately I chose a handful of IR's that got me to the general vicinity of what feels like home to me and I keep using those over and over.

In the software realm, the choice or the IR loader app and its settings can make as much difference as the choice of IR's. My favorite is an older version of Pulse by Lancaster Audio. It's easy to use, offers some powerful tools and the choice between, mono, dual mono and stereo provides dramatically different results, each suitable for different applications. The newer version of Pulse provides a very different environment with more powerful analytical tools but with those tools comes more effort and requires a deeper dive. Perhaps now that I'm between projects I'll give it a more honest try but it's hard to get past the inertia that comes from having a solutions that works.

**Lenfliegel** · 02-12-2026, 08:56 PM

Agree that York IRs are great sounding. I didn’t keep going down the rabbit holes after trying those out!

**Stefan Eff** · 02-13-2026, 08:15 AM

Yorks are great, but I really love the Celestion original IR‘s

**Alter** · 02-13-2026, 10:04 AM

If you 're into that, sooner or later someone gives you a few hundreds IRs to check out or use. Waaay too many options. They are great for direct recording, but still, to my ears, come short of the real thing. I prefer analog cab simulations along with analog amp sims, especially for live use.

There are players that are really obsessed and spend an enormous amount of time picking out differences etc. Last time i did that was when i got a Tonex One and was given a huge library of tones and IRs. I think these days even with just a basic understanding of how to use them, it is difficult to find something bad sounding because the tech is really powerful. It has always been a constant cycle for me, i get another digital device, use it, then miss my amps, go back to them, .. then miss the practicality of digital..

I started the last summer hotel gigging period with a multi effect and FRFR and finished it with a few pedals and a pro junior

I think the same might happen this year haha..

**Stefan Eff** · 02-13-2026, 10:31 AM

I agree totally with @Alter: way too many options and that‘s not good. It absorbs so much time.

If you found something that sounds the way you want it, congratulations, your search is over! And if there is something new- try it, but if it’s not significant better than your stuff and it doesn‘t get you in a heartbeat leave it. Don‘t waste your time.

I‘ve switched completely to digital a year ago because I‘ve finally found the tone I was looking for (in dozens of tube amps and for three decades). I never looked back. And everything new I‘ve tried in the meantime didn‘t even came close so far. That is good because I‘ve got a lot more time for just playing my guitars.

**Jx30510** · 02-14-2026, 03:03 AM

I don't even try this technology and stay with my amps because I know in advance it's going to absorb way too much energy from me rather than focusing on playing. I'm kind of "OCD" with my tone (I love tweaking pedals and stuff) and spend hours just setting up my Stratocasters trem.. so I suspect all the IR, Cab, modelling is going to drive me nuts.
I'm very tempted by the Quad Cortex, but I don't get the capture thing, since to capture a lot of amps, you gotta have a lotta amps? I'm very interested nonetheless, but it kind of scares me for my mental health

**Rodney Gene** · 02-14-2026, 03:25 PM

Originally Posted by Alter

I prefer analog cab simulations along with analog amp sims, especially for live use.

I 100% agree. I think if you go down the IR deep dives with digital over a period of years, at some point you might find (on a practical/pragmatic 'sounds right' level) the fixed filters of an analog cab sim are the most predictable and easy to use.

I use just about everything and have for years, and I am daily playing through my AXEFX III for daily wood-shedding and ideas - I have worked out excellent presets for each guitar I own over the years and I only need a few - but for live use, a great DI with a basic cab sim is my preference.

**JazzerEU** · 02-16-2026, 07:34 AM

I like to use IRs as I have a multi effects pedal that lets me load them onto it. They work great for the sound I’m going for, a clean crunch/edge of breakup tone for chord solos and chord melody where I can dig in for more dirt and back off for cleaner tones with my right hand. I use Audacity to cut the IRs to 10ms so I have less latency and it cleans up the overdrive from my Joyo British sound quite a bit. I’m quite content with this IR Cab pedal + Joyo British Sound setup to where if I ever gigged, I’d be pretty comfortable just using the PA system and a monitor.

**Spook410** · 02-16-2026, 09:04 PM

Originally Posted by JazzerEU

I like to use IRs as I have a multi effects pedal that lets me load them onto it. They work great for the sound I’m going for, a clean crunch/edge of breakup tone for chord solos and chord melody where I can dig in for more dirt and back off for cleaner tones with my right hand. I use Audacity to cut the IRs to 10ms so I have less latency and it cleans up the overdrive from my Joyo British sound quite a bit. I’m quite content with this IR Cab pedal + Joyo British Sound setup to where if I ever gigged, I’d be pretty comfortable just using the PA system and a monitor.

While I'm going for a very clean slightly acoustic tone I'm doing something similar. I'm running a Joyo American for a preamp with a Joyo Cab Modeler for the IR's. Cab modeler has all the EQ and other bits. Factory IR's aren't bad but loading it with York IR's is better. Running into an Acus 350 which is fairly high fidelity for an FRFR.