The Darkglass Electronics Element is a pedal-sized headphone amplifier and speaker simulator, or cab sim, made by Darkglass. Darkglass positions it for practicing, performing and recording, and says it is fully compatible with bass guitars, guitars, or any kind of instrument1. Its loudspeaker simulations are based on impulse responses, which RockBoard's PedalPedia says convey a particularly natural playing feel2.
The Element is a cab sim and DI in one unit2. Darkglass's loudspeaker simulations are based on impulse responses, which the maker says convey a particularly natural playing feel2.
What it is and what it does
The Element is a cabsim headphone amp: it takes your instrument, applies cabinet simulation, and sends it to headphones, a PA, an interface or a power amp. Guitar.com described it at launch as "a pedal-sized audio cab-sim box that offers cabinet simulations, extensive I/O and a clean, futuristic look"3. RockBoard's PedalPedia calls it a practical headphone amplifier for guitarists and bassists, with high-quality loudspeaker simulations based on impulse responses2.
The onboard cabinet simulations can be replaced or extended: the USB-C connection allows you to load your own impulse responses2. That puts it in the same family of IR-based cab sims as the Two Notes Torpedo C.A.B. M, the MOOER Radar and the NUX Solid Studio, all covered elsewhere on this site in speaker simulation pedals.
Controls are handled by the three touch sliders rather than conventional potentiometers. Guitar World highlighted "the Element sports a very cool knob-less design with three fully-tactile slider potentiometers with positioning LEDs"4, and RockBoard notes the intuitive operation via touch sensors as a highlight2.
Connections: inputs and outputs
The Element's rear panel is unusually flexible for a pedal-sized unit. Its two 6.3 mm jacks can serve two different jobs depending on how you use the box1:
| Connection | What it does |
|---|---|
| Two 6.3 mm jacks | Usable as balanced/unbalanced instrument input and output, or as amplifier input and speaker (through) output1 |
| 3.5 mm aux input | Line or headphone-level input from a laptop, keyboard, mixer or similar source1 |
| Bluetooth | Audio playback for backing tracks1 |
| Two 3.5 mm headphone outputs | Headphone monitoring for two listeners51 |
| Balanced XLR output | With ground lift, for a mic preamp, PA system, mixing console or audio interface16 |
| USB-C | Loading your own impulse responses, plus audio routing62 |
Over USB, the Element sends and receives audio in fixed channels. The inputs from the Element are: Input 1, the processed signal; Input 2, the unprocessed raw signal; Input 3, aux left plus Bluetooth left; Input 4, aux right plus Bluetooth right. The outputs to the Element are: Outputs 1 to 4, headphones 1 and 2 left and right; Outputs 5 and 6, XLR out mix (mono)6.
Using it with an amplifier
The Element can sit between an amp head and a speaker cabinet, but the power rating matters. If the amplifier's output is a maximum of 100 Watts, the Element can be connected between the amplifier and the speaker cabinet, using its Amp In and Speaker Out connections6.
For anything bigger, the manual takes a different route: the Element is built to work with amplifiers with a maximum output of 900 Watts, and Darkglass advises connecting it after the speaker cabinet, from the cabinet's parallel output connector, into the Amp In input6.
If you are using a Darkglass amplifier with a class D power amp, the manual says you can connect the amplifier straight to the Element without a speaker cabinet or external load6.
Power
The Element runs on a 9 to 12 V DC power supply with a center negative 2.1/5.5 mm barrel plug7. Current draw is listed at 250 mA2.
Darkglass warns that unregulated power supplies and/or higher voltages may result in suboptimal noise performance and even damage the unit, voiding the warranty5.
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Questions
Can the Darkglass Element load my own impulse responses?
Yes. The Element's USB-C connection lets you load your own impulse responses, so you are not limited to the onboard cabinet simulations. Darkglass describes its loudspeaker simulations as impulse-response based, and the USB-C port is the route for adding your own.
Is the Darkglass Element analog or digital?
Darkglass lists the Element's circuit type as analog. Its loudspeaker simulations are based on impulse responses, which the maker says convey a particularly natural playing feel. The unit is controlled by touch sensors rather than conventional knobs.
What power supply does the Darkglass Element need?
A 9 to 12 V DC power supply with a center negative 2.1/5.5 mm barrel plug. Current draw is listed at 250 mA. Darkglass warns that unregulated supplies or higher voltages can cause poor noise performance and even damage the unit, voiding the warranty.
Does the Darkglass Element have an XLR output?
Yes. It has a balanced XLR output with a ground lift, intended for connecting to a microphone preamp, PA system, mixing console or audio interface. The manual also routes the XLR output over USB as a mono mix.
Can I plug a phone or other audio into the Element?
Yes, two ways. There is a 3.5 mm aux input for line or headphone-level sources such as a laptop, keyboard or mixer, and Bluetooth audio playback for backing tracks from a phone. Both aux and Bluetooth appear as left and right channels over USB.
Sources (7)
- Element Cabsim Headphone Amp, Darkglass
- Element by Darkglass Electronics, RockBoard (PedalPedia), 2026
- Darkglass unveils the Element pedal-sized headphone amp and cab-sim box, Guitar.com, 2020-07-03
- Darkglass's Element aims to conjure cab sim magic with the touch of a finger, Guitar World, 2020-07-06
- Element Manual, Darkglass
- Element Manual, Darkglass
- Element Cabsim Headphone Amp, Darkglass
