As the name suggests, the new Suhr Reactive Load I.R. adds impulse response technology to the original Reactive Load! It comes preloaded with 16 Suhr speaker cabinet impulse responses captured by Celestion. Reactive Load I.R. is an open system, so you can load 3rd party impulse responses via the USB port. Connect your tube amp and headphones to the Reactive Load I.R. You’ll hear the I.R. processed signal through the headphones, and if you want to jam along with tracks, no problem. Connect any stereo 1/8″ audio source to the AUX IN connection on the Reactive Load I.R. and you’ll hear the I.R. processed signal along with your backing tracks through the headphones. Pre-loaded with authentic Suhr cabinets. Included Speaker Impulse Responses Badger 1x12 - Celestion Vintage 30 Bella 1x12 - Celestion V-Type PT 2x12 - Celestion Creamback Hedgehog 2x12 - Celestion G12-65 Suhr 4x12 - Celestion Greenback Suhr 4x12 - Celestion Vintage 30 Wait a second! What the heck does "reactive load" mean? What makes this different than the others? Great question! As you know, with tube amps your tone is far superior to transistor or solid state amps. Tube circuitry requires a speaker not only to make sound (that part is obvious) but to also provide resistance (also known as a "load") to the output stage of the amp. When you place something in the path between the output stage and a speaker in order to capture the signal, you have to provide some kind of load for the tube amp to create the dynamics and warmth they're known for. Without this load on the amp, they sound sterile and thin. This is why most direct outputs on amps sound like absolute garbage. Now, with that said, there are a couple different types of loads you can put on a tube amp. There's resistive and reactive. Resistive is what you typically find in the more economical attenuators and cab simulators. They work decently. They provide the necessary load (rated in ohms, e.g. 8Ω) to make the tube amp operate properly. HOWEVER, and this is a big however, they do not mimic a speaker precisely. As a speaker's voice coil moves, it's resistance varies slightly and that does indeed cause a tube amp's circuit to react differently. The tone is a little different with a speaker than it is with a straight, unwavering resistance load. This is where a reactive load comes into play. With a reactive load, the resistance varies in the way a speaker varies, causing the tone and feel to be much more precise. This technology is more expensive to create, thus reactive load attenuators, cab simulators, and DI's are always more expensive. It's one of those "you get what you pay for" moments. You want the best? You'll have to pay a little more for a Reactive Load. Specifications: Dimensions: 8.8" (W) x 8.9" (D) x 3.6" (H) Weight: 6.7lb
