Boss IR2 vs Pod Express - Which One Is Best?
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- Опубліковано 25 чер 2024
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The Pod Express came out of nowhere for me - here's how it is different to the Boss IR2 - it's obviously got quite a lot in common too...
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Three things I like with IR-2:
1. Mono/stereo loop for patching in mod, delay, and reverb effects after the amp emulation (send/ return).
2. Can load IRs.
3. It was built like a tank...durable and not plastic!
Great demo- I'm sold on the POD..... have to get one. A no brainer to throw in a bag for a quick gig or fly date. If they do an editor that would be the cake. Killer tones and playing John!
I just got the POD Express and I love the clean Princeton amp to use with a pedalboard. I had the IR-2 too but after playing the POD for a few hours I like that Princeton tone better and it actually sounds and feels like my vintage Princeton reverb amp. So that's why I sold my IR-2 today :)
Selling the IR-2 may not be wise. You could have just swapped out the IRs to better ones.
That's a rabbit hole many DON'T want to bother with spending hours and hours trying to find the perfect IR@@joellebrodeur1015
Wise decision indeed ❤❤
Snap!!! Tried swapping out the IRs on the IR2 with York Audio IRs and still wasn’t impressed. The Boss IR2 is currently winging its way through the postal system to a new user. Ordering the Pod today
I have the boss IR 2. I use it with my pedals with practically no latency, using send and return having the stereo output of my delay back in the return I have a complete stereo rig. The sound is amazing (play mostly the twin, tweed and vox sound) and I use it in studio, rehearsal, practice with headphones and in live gig. I have the impression the pod express is only for home use.
I liked the IR 2 tone much better!
The matchless on the pod express might be the selling point for me, best amp in the helix IMO… looper also
Great rundown. Both great options, but I'm glad I'm still on the waiting list at the local retailer for the Boss IR-2. I think it will work well with the rest of my pedal board, especially the effects loop, stereo function, and ability to load IRs. I do wish Boss made some of the settings easier to manage on the pedal itself (like setting output mode, and turning AMP and cab IR on and off).
Thank you for this video and your great work in general, John!! Pod Express with headphones might be great for travelling. Both units sound really good.
They both sound great. The Pod seems to have a bit of a high-end rolloff, so my ear was leaning more towards it, but I'd be happy with either.
I built a mini board with my POD Express. I put a Sonic Cake Volume/Wah pedal first. I go into a small Minotaur boost pedal, then into POD Express. I came out of the POD and put a Mini Universe Reverb. I also have a Boss FS-7 foot switch connected to the POD that’s set to turn the distortion on/off and the delay on/off. I had an extra Boss DR-5 Looper so I added that at the end. By connecting the POD to my computer with the C port, I can record backing track loops to the Boss from UA-cam. Makes it easier to jam to backing tracks without needing the internet. I have a Helix Floor so this is just a little project that is producing killer tones
I actually thought the Boss sounded great. I'm a Helix user, so I wanted to prefer the Pod for some reason. I thought the Boss won here based on what John dialled in.
The boss has higher resolution 36 bit at 96kz.Pod express 24 bit at 48kz. I have the Pod.. its great as an all in one practice tool if it had a drum loop it would be near perfect.
Were you watching a different video? Lol
@mattdylan664 wow thanks. I did not know that😂😂😂
@@mattdylan664 brilliant comment! 😂😂 Almost as insightful as your first👏👏 Luv U ❤️❤️
I’ve gigged with the IR-2 and it’s really great - I run it into a Walrus Canvas and then to FOH. Great build quality as usual from Boss too - you never have to worry…. I did load York IR’s onto a couple of the channels and really like the difference that made. Great piece of kit. I also really dig the headphone jack for practicing at odd hours.
Both sound great, but the Boss IR 2 in my opinion, kicks its ass! And the fact you can load in your own IR🤘😎
This which is why I have the IR-2. It's also less of a toy like the Pod Express. What people will find out is that it is hard to integrate the Line 6 into a pedalboard unlike the IR-2.
Leo Gibson just did a video comparison on these units 2 weeks ago.
Thanks for the comparison! I’ve been looking for something like this to model amps on my board as a pair to my Katana. I didn’t realize that the IR-2 can load IRs! I suppose that makes sense.
I wonder why some people compare IR-2 and Pod Express. Those two products are in different categories. IR-2 is an affordable alternative to Iridium or UA Dream 65 and such. On the other hand, Pod Express is a portable multi-effect pedal, so it should be compared some something similar, something like Mooer Prime S1, Boss GT-1, and Zoom G2 Four.
I think either but the Pod for sure would work as an emergency piece of kit, In case your helix/fractal/tonex/kemper etc... Went down on a GIG. Or even if you were silent stage, a back up unit, Can either go to FOH??? That would be the emergency FACTOR use. They both sounded very good, of Course LOOK WHO is PLAYING!!!
Very different products from my PoV. I have an IR-2 on order to replace the Simplifier on my pedal board. (Although I’m sure the Simplifier will still get plenty of use in recording or putting together ad hoc boards.) And I’m leaning more and more towards also getting a Pod Express to replace my Spark Go on the table next to my sofa. (And even getting the Spark cab and using the Pod Express with it in place of the Spark Go for a quick-and-dirty grab-and-go rig is appealing.)
I was given an IR-2 for Christmas, so as that was out some 3 months ago, you’ve a whole bunch of people who already have them - there’s a market position advantage right there. I don’t really see them a competing products if I’m honest, they just happen to sit at roughly the same price.
For what it’s worth, I had an HX Effects turn up this week, which I’m hooking up to the IR-2 (waiting on a couple of cable and a PSU). I’m predicting some interesting sounds in my very near future, after which, I may look into some IRs.
Excellent video and playing. I would love to see how each unit handles drive pedals while on a clean setting. My Iridium is finicky (or should I say I am) about how it takes various drives. I have ordered an IR-2 to see if that does a better job with a wide variety of drive pedals. This is the one crucial area that I think solid state amps and modelers need improvement. I have many vintage tube amps and they ALL sound great with every drive pedal I own. So far the Quilter Superblock (US and UK) do the best job of this, perhaps because they are analog.
I'd buy the IR-2 because of how practically it could fit within my current setup (the Express really should have shipped with an FX loop), but I did like the tones out of the POD Express through your playing better then your tone from the IR-2. Entirely subjective, and running through the UA-cam compression, etc, but still...even you commented about how bright the IR-2 sounded compared to the POD Express. Fully agree with everything here, and thank you for another video!
I wanted the IR2 when it came out but it disappeared before I had a chance to buy it. I bought the POD as soon as it released.
After playing with the POD, I realized that it cannot easily do slap echo & none of the modulations are to my liking.
I think I'd still stick with the POD though, between an extra footswitch & a JHS Milkman, I can cover plenty of ground (I really like slap echo), & add less to it versus the supplementals for the IR2.
They both seem to sound great, so the next level of scrutiny is pedalboard real estate.
Great vid John, how well do you think the POD would do as an effects until with the amp and cabs turned off with a amp and cab sim pedal before it
The pod does more, but I prefer the boss. Sounds great and better constructed
I think comparing these 2 is not really fair. The BOSS is more utilitarian in terms of using with existing pedals/boards, while the POD is more of a “do lots of stuff” to take the place of various pedals or to be more of a quick way to get tones for practice, recording, or impromptu jam/gig scenarios. Both are great in their respective lanes, but having to choose one or the other isn’t really the headspace......I could see having both for different reasons.
underrated comment and same
Thankyou - Exactly what I was thinking - kinda pointless (again) comparison. I have the BIR-2 coming to "add" to my board :) as I dont need an "all-in-1" box :)
The Boss sounds much better, which is kind of a drag because i just got the POD express.
For my set-up, the Boss IR-2. But the Line 6 unit does look and sound attractive, just a little too fiddly for my taste. I don't want editors or menus or 21 presets (I'm finished with that nonsense), just a simple enough pedal which can form the basis of my board. If the Boss unit could be improved, I'd say add a 3rd channel, so you'd have a 3 channel amp at your feet. Good video as always, sir.
I have the IR-2. It's a simple piece a gear to use and in the room at full band volume, with stock IRs (I don't like them) nobody knows you're ampless. It's better going through an FRFR or amp without the cab sim on.
BOSS BD2 has been my go-to since I bought it in '95, and the Boss IR sounds much more like it than the POD. I also like that you can load 3rd party IRs into it.
(My jury is still out on whether I'd need either of these on my board ... )
Both look cool, and I bet most people would be fine with either, but I’m still rocking my Neuron Gain Intelligence with its included IR 😅 or adding it on a loop into my HX Stomp to save some DSP from amp blocks
Was looking at the Pod Go Express until John did his thing with the IR2. Actually bought a Boss Katana Go yesterday 😁 Man but the IR2 sounded good. Or it could just be John's phenomenal playing 😛
these are neat but probably gonna go with a katana go instead of these now. Nice to have the option to pair with footpedals/midi and also hook up to a cab/PA/poweramp if needed
I have Tonex pedal and tonex one , so for me this Pod express looks more attractive otherwise I'd like the Boss and the F/X loop . to put in a pedal board that being said you don't need an F/X loop with the pod it has plenty and you can add a wah wah or volume in the expression pedal input
the pod seems nice for using as a stand alone with with an FR speaker .you can mix and match the 7 IRs with any of the 7 Amps sometimes
to many choices can waste a lot of time . I have a Headrush pedalboard and those Tonex I'm interested in the Pod for a small stand alone unit and it also has a looper . I can go crazy with IRs with the Tonex pedals . I have considered getting both and returning one . hopefully they'll both get the editing apps.
The Boss IR-2 does have an editor of sorts. Its how you change the IR along with other features. But no its not like an interface like other modelers.
It would be a no brainer to go for the Line6 Pod Express if it had a metal casing, fx loop, IR-load (amps, cabs & reverb) and a software editor. And maybe midi. Guess that are the improvements slash upgrades to be made for the Pod Express 2.0. Two years from now? Like the control section of the Line6. I ecspecially love them Big knobs! At the moment I have the Boss IR-2 in combination with a HX Stomp. Already looking forward for the Line6 Pod Express 2.0. 🙂
I like the Pod Espresso. Great flavor.
Both sound great! I would say the Boss IR2 has more high end. But thats not a good or bad just is.
The new Tonex One kicks out the Boss Ir-2
I was thinking it would be pretty cool if in the future you could swap out different amp models on the Pod Express if you already own a Helix or HX Stomp.
I got the Pod Express yesterday and haven’t sussed out how to play backing tracks through it to jam along to. A simple apple USB cable from iPhone into the USB port doesn’t work. Am I missing something? How do you use it to jam along like you do with an aux input for the Pod Go?
How does the Boss sound direct to FOH through full size mains? Some of these amp in a pedal devices sound too bass heavy through standard mains. I’d love to love to just add the Boss to my very simple pedalboard then to FOH. Think the sound is acceptable for gigs? I’d primarily only run the clean and crunch channels.
Both sound good. For me, the Boss gives something different to my HX Stomp so that appeals. But, the Pod has everything n it to make it a great practice tool so that also appeals. Being honest I don’t need either but should I be stuck for Christmas present ideas either one may go on my list to Santa as apparently a Custom shop Tele is not going to arrive!
With your playing they both sounded great, different rather than one better than the other to my ears.
I don't think there's really much of an overlap in markets. As you said the IR2 would fit nicely on an existing pedalboard but the POD Express does "everything" (to a point). As a practise/mobile tool I think the Pod with a pair of headphones wins. They're both amazing units for the price.
BOSS is a Attenuators/Simulator, and LINE6 is a Multi-effects Pedal. I'm a Katana fan, but looking to try some new tones and size down my practice rig in the living room! I was thinking about looking at TONE-X ONE, but it does not do DELAY so that's a deal breaker for me!
No love for the BOSS Pocket GT?? It's amazing. All the BOSS tones and FX pedals are in it,
It's going to be the POD Express for me, just for the direct tweakability.
El encuentro mas esperado por toda latinoamerica unida
The problem with the Boss sound is lack of dynamics (breath of notes) - it sounds static - notes don't have dynamics and individuality - they sound like zero's and one's - binary - Helix is the opposite, the note definition and distinction is there - so feature wise the Boss may be better, but sound wise the Boss will always lose, generally I don't have such strong opinion on products but when it comes to Boss I do, and I was a Boss fan for a long time, that is until I discovered the world outside Boss and how much better they were.
The Boss is meant to be a platform to build on and not a standalone device. I have one. I do admit I do not like the stock amp IRs in it, at least in headphones. Am I stuck with them? No, it's an IR loader so I can change it.
The Pod Express isn't an IR loader and you are limited to what is programmed on it. You cannot do much outside what Line 6 provides.
I do not think these are anywhere near equal in function. They are geared to different users. The IR-2 sound passable when using an FRFR speaker or through any other type of PA. Maybe even front of amp if you remember to turn off the cab sim.
Also effects loop is on the Boss, Pod X doesn't.
The BOSS reminds me of the POD 2.0. It sounds great!!
Extremely impressed by POD Express. Nice little box!
The main problem (of both) is that you can’t change parameters for presets with an app or editor. Hope it will be possible with future firmware updates.
With an app/editor you can easily recall the name of your presets and the workflow to create them
I liked the solos
Maybe they'll add basic cab controls when they do an editor? So just single cab section of HX edit.
To me, the Boss sounds better, more complex in the high end. You can always turn down the tone knob to darken things.
I agree with your assessment that the L6 skewed darker, but I actually perceived that as being a bit overly nasal. The BOSS felt cleaner overall to me, and certainly more crisp. That's my preference (in this season), so I liked the tone of it better. But also as you said, they're not really comparable since they're such radically different products. The BOSS having IR capabilities means to me it would be way more useful if you're looking for an amp in a box-especially since it has an FX loop. It'd be great if it were stereo amps with split sends for full stereo, but it's also very affordable, so what can you expect? At least stereo in would be nice, but that would probably require full stereo processing and that's probably almost stereo amp loading already. The L6 having all those extra layers makes it a full multi-FX pedal, so it's a totally different animal. The possibility of the editor later would probably sell me if I were looking for a small pedal to add to a rig, despite my preference for the BOSS tone overall. The flexibility would settle my concerns an awful lot, as shootouts aren't how people perceive your tone when you're playing a gig.
Have you tried using the PodExpress into the loop of the IR-2?
Should do a video. And plug straight into a desk straight into a pa
It’d be sweet to be able to assign the left footswitch of the Pod to just switch between 3-4 presets. You’d cut out the need for an external switch
You can do that.
@@SOFTR1CK yeah I think I saw that after the fact lol. Can you assign it to just a few, or does it have to cycle through all 21 presets?
@@JBStreeter the presets are on 3 groups of 7 you can arrange them however though. I usually make each song a preset. I've been using it at open mics
Hello there guys. I'm thinking between these 2 to use one as an effect pedal on my Marshall dsl 5 little tube amp. Could you tell me which one will suit me better on that?
Pod tone is great, the reverb make the sound pop.
I with they would do the pod like the Zoom G1X: screen, menus, patchs, etc. That would canibalise too much their pod go they sell for more.
It's all software inside anyway, they can make all the sound in the cheapest device now, it's all becoming the box, look and marketing.
Agreed the POD Express was darker the Boss IR-2 brighter. I prefer the IR-2 tones slightly over the Express. But IR-2 typically needs all the extra pedals you'd expect (for me that would be 4 bare minimum). I'm a senior in a tiny room with Bias/DAW already and none of my old gear around anymore, but who wants some pedal fun again without getting back into a full pedal suite or a pricey FX unit with LED menus/gazillion presets. POD Express seems a better choice than the IR-2 for me. Besides, if Line 6 want to compete with the IR-2, they'll have to add IR editing eventually.
Boss definitely sounds better to my aging ears
Way better
Boss ir-2 sounded more like a “real” amp for me. Both sounded great, can’t really go wrong with either.
Still Two Notes is the only one that makes power amp sim…
I feel like these things are as similar as they first appear.
Once you look closely enough it should be fairly obvious which one works better for your needs.
Boss katana go since it’s handy and make my practice more efficient now. 😂
I literally just done with my cardio at gym and can continue to noddle with guitar in the lobby now.
I'd probably go with the Boss Katana Go over Both of these. And it's cheaper as the Cherry on top
pod is stereo. bigger sounding. but, boss cuts nicely. stereo effect after boss would be nice, delay and reverb then maybe a doubler effect like tc electronic makes. but, pod has it built in.
oh, boss has left and right out.
Can a review humor us and play a pedalboard through the POD express?
Why not use the Pod Express (for it's effects) inside the IR2's loop for it's Amps/IR's?
At right under $400 it's a hella good mini board
Just get a used HX Stomp for the same price if not a bit less.
True but not menu diving is why you'd consider these solutions I have a stomp LoL and love it
In general I found the Boss IR 2 sounded more pristine, less boxy than the POD Express. I'm not a Line6 POD hater at all, but that was my take, based on my ears.
Had a Boss IR2 for 2 months. I thought it was great at first but
1. It REFUSED to work with reverb and delay pedals in the fx loop (lots of unwanted audio artefacts)
2. To my ears, the tones all sounded a bit flat and didn’t interact well with my guitar tone knobs
3. The channel switching is ANNOYING as you have to remember and recreate previous settings if you use different guitars with different pickups, especially if you set a clean and driven channel. The idea is good though
The dealbreaker was I recently plugged in my old AMplug Blues and got a better Brit Blues tone 🤷♂️
I like the pod express better.
No one amp has what I need. My tastes are very, very simple. Beautiful cleans, low power (10-18 watts tube), reverb, tremolo, magnatone vibrato, delay and Robben Ford/Dumble style overdrive. I'm still looking for my forever rig. 😅
Fractal into a fryette power station in a rack would do that
They are both different products really.. not really a fair comparison. But the pod is 180 usd but 200 GBP in the UK doesn't seem like fair pricing for the POD.
Do either have aux in, midi or stereo ?
No MIDI on both, stereo out on IR-2 (sorry Line 6), no aux in, but I think the USB C on the IR-2 is an aux. I have one but I don't use it as an interface currently.
Casual listen; the Pod sounded marginally better...maybe the Boss/Roland sound has always been a little more steely, and mire EQ-ing is needed to get the smoothness?
You mean which one is better ( good better best)
Idk What about a comparison of the boss with the pod and also the mwave tank g 💥which has an editor, IR's and cost 45-75 bucks😜
boss sounds so much tighter and clearer
I think that the Boss sound better than the Pod, but i prefer the FlyRig 5 V2 ! sad it doesn't have headphone output...
Why not get both and combine them. Its almost as if they were made for one another. Where one lacks the other fills the void and viceversa.
Looks like IR-2 is pedal version of Katana and Pod Express is pedal version of Catalyst
Notes on the back of an envelope :-)
I have the boss. Really like it when I play it with headphone or for recording but I tried it last week into a PA system and it sounded really really bad… don’t know what to do… maybe try it again moving volume and gain knob and PA volume..??😢
It sounds like the problem can be one of two issues. Either gain is not set properly or you're mixing balanced and single ended gear, or possibly both.
Looks to me like they're two very different things.
One is made to work with a pedal board and the other is made to replace a pedal board altogether.
Completely different ends of the spectrum.
So if I understood you correctly,,, I need one of each? Ok!
wheres the noise gate on the Pod
I prefer ir2, but how it compares to tonex one?
I'm going to do a video on this once I have my Boss IR2 back!
don't know why on guitar channels they keep on comparing those two. apart from amps simulations (where they have big differences already) they are pretty much a world apart.
It's not really apples to apples is it? I mean one product is an amp and cabinet simulator with reverb and the other is a scaled down multi effects processor. If you prefer the basic tone of the IR-2 that's great but you still need to go buy at least one other product to get the same functionality. If you prefer the Pod express it's probably because you need an all in one solution with effects and never would have bought the IR-2 in the first place. So why are we comparing them? Why is EVERYONE comparing them? It's like comparing a bullwhip to a firecracker cause sometimes they sound a bit alike.
Loop IRs deal maker.
Brown is a 5150
Every time I consider using an IR-2, I end up telling myself I’d be better off with a gt-1000, which has its own size drawbacks…
I ended up buying the Boss GX100. After getting things dialed in for a few months, I couldn't be happier. I know because I bought the Quad Cortex and ended up returning it. It cost 3 times as much, but didn't sound any better. Just more amps. The reverb was the only thing that was considerably better on the QC. I use an Eventide H90 for anything the GX100 lacks.
This upload schedule seems like it would burn you out. You should space things out more if you want to remain active longer
👍🏿🤘
I don't understand the whole choice debate when you could just buy both 😊
I think the pod express fits my needs best
The ir - 2 sounded more life-like.
I think I’ll get the pod
IMO, on a pedal board the lack of an FX loop isn't a problem for the Pod Express because you can just run your time-based effects after the PE.
Where it makes more of a difference is when you want to record using the units as an interface, or if you want to play through headphones with external pedals.
That’s the thing. Part of why I would get the IR-2 is for recording, so I would definitely want to have my effects included. It’s really designed well to be used with an existing pedalboard. The POD is more an all-in-one with not much consideration for anything else.
Boss sounds thinner, line 6 sounds fatter and more in your face. I like the Line 6.
PE sounds significantly better, IMO. The Boss has an unpleasant and harsh high end that I wasn’t able to dial out when I had one.
All that is missing from the PE is subdivisions for the tap. Though I imagine that will change if they drop an editor.