BOSS IR-200

The Boss IR-200 is a pedal-based amp simulator and impulse response loader: it replaces a guitar or bass amp and cabinet with a stompbox that feeds a mixing desk, audio interface or headphones. It sits in Boss's 200 series, in the same double-footswitch format as the rest of that line, and Boss pitches it as "the most advanced compact amp/IR solution available"¹. It was announced in September 2021 alongside the SY-200 synthesizer and reached US stores in January 2022 at $399.99².

Inside are amp models, a large library of cabinet impulse responses (IRs, the captured responses of real speaker cabinets and microphones), ambience effects and a USB audio interface. It is a fully digital design, running 32-bit AD/DA conversion, 32-bit floating-point processing and a 96 kHz sampling rate³. Delicious Audio described it as a comprehensive stereo device for performing, rehearsing and recording without carrying a real amp and cabinets⁴.

Amp types, cabinet IRs and ambience

The IR-200 carries eight guitar amp types and three bass amp types⁴. Premier Guitar's reviewer characterized the guitar side as eight core amp models including Fender, Marshall, Vox, Bogner and Roland homages⁶. Each amp type has its own gain, bass, mid and treble controls for dialing in core sounds quickly³.

The bass amp types include:

Bass players also get dedicated bass cabinet IRs, including an 8x10 Ampeg 810E (closed back), a 2x15 Boss original (closed back) and a 1x18 SWR Big Ben with two rear bass reflex ports³. Performer Mag's Chris Devine, reviewing it in February 2022, found the bass side fully worked out:

The cabinet library holds 144 Boss and 10 Celestion Digital impulse responses¹. Premier Guitar's review counted 244 cab and mic IRs in total, including captures nodding to Shure, Royer, AKG, Sennheiser and Neumann microphones⁶. Two IRs can run simultaneously in mono or stereo¹, and beyond the cabs there are three ambience types, Room, Studio and Hall³, which Premier Guitar listed as three reverbs: hall, studio and room⁶.

For players comparing it with other amp and cab simulators, the IR-200's differentiators are its bass amp coverage, its 128 user IR slots and its deep connectivity. Boss's own buying guide notes that both the IR-200 and the smaller IR-2 can function as standalone preamps or as IR cabs with loadable IRs, or combined for a complete amp and cab simulation, and that both include an effects loop for placing time-based effects like delay and reverb⁸. Rivals in the same space include the Walrus Audio Mako Series MKII ACS1, the Universal Audio OX Stomp and the Strymon Iridium; Guitar.com's review of the Walrus ACS1 MkII noted the IR-200 as a newer rival with cab models galore, priced at £329 in the UK⁹. More options are covered on the speaker simulation pedals page.

The controls and footswitches

The pedal shares its size with the other Boss 200 series units and carries two footswitches⁷. In its stock mode they scroll up and down through the presets, but because the unit is deeply configurable they can be assigned to other functions such as solo/boost or EQ⁷. Guitar World's launch report described them as two independent footswitches used for bypassing and preset recalling¹⁰.

Editing happens through what Performer Mag called a large display screen that is easy to navigate⁷, and Premier Guitar's reviewer agreed on the overall experience:

The two onboard footswitches scroll up and down through the 128 memories in stock mode, and they can be assigned to other functions such as solo/boost or EQ⁷. External footswitches or an expression pedal can control a variety of functions, and the IR-200 also supports control via TRS MIDI¹⁴.

The core sound-shaping parameters are Gain, Level, Bass, Middle and Treble¹, and there are two global EQs, selectable as parametric or graphic¹. A noise suppressor is built in, with threshold and release settings reached through a short button and knob sequence on any preset; Premier Guitar's reviewer felt the factory noise-suppressor settings were a bit stringent, which could work against the feeling of realness, but noted they can be tweaked⁶.

External control is extensive. Footswitches or an expression pedal can be plugged in to control a variety of functions³, and the unit supports TRS MIDI for deeper integration³¹. Premier Guitar summed up the connectivity as stereo, MIDI, effects loop, USB, headphone, aux input and footswitch/expression pedal connections⁶.

Around the back of the signal chain, the IR-200 also works as a studio tool. Its USB port is an audio interface for recording and playback with music software on Mac, iOS and Windows¹, and there is a stereo aux input for jam tracks or backing music from a phone, mixer or another audio device³. Through headphones you can play in normal stereo or switch in a surround effect for a more immersive experience⁴.

History and firmware versions

Boss announced the IR-200 and the SY-200 together on September 16, 2021, with both pedals slated for January 2022². The IR-200 entered the 200 series as the Amp & IR Cabinet pedal¹⁰⁴¹¹, and Boss has kept it current with system software updates since launch.

Driver software at version 1.0.0 is available for Windows 10/11 and for macOS, covering macOS 10.15 and later including Big Sur 11.x, Monterey 12.x and Ventura 13.x¹²¹³¹⁴. Bespoke desktop software handles IR loading and backup management¹; Premier Guitar noted the IR loader software is available for Windows and iOS⁶, while Boss's page and Delicious Audio describe loading up to 128 mono or 64 stereo WAV IRs from your personal collection³⁴.

What reviewers said

Premier Guitar reviewed the IR-200 in September 2023, testing it with a Schecter Ultra III guitar, an Audient iD44 interface, KRK Rokit7 G4 monitors and Beyerdynamic DT 880 Pro headphones⁶. Their demo recordings, made with the guitar's TV Jones Magna'Tron bridge pickup straight into the IR-200 and then into the interface with no EQ, compression or added effects, included a Bogner Überschall amp model with an IR of a Vintage 30-loaded 4x12 miked with a Royer, an SM57 and a Sennheiser⁶. Their verdict on the interface was positive, with the caveat on the factory noise-suppressor settings noted above⁶.

Performer Mag's Chris Devine reviewed it earlier, in February 2022, praising the large display, the assignable footswitches and the bass DI capabilities⁷. Guitar Pedal X, covering the Universal Audio OX Stomp in October 2023, noted in passing that the Boss IR-200 was then available for as little as $349⁵, a drop from its $399.99 launch price².

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