The Easy Listening is an all-analog amp simulator and headphone amp from EarthQuaker Devices, built as a mini pedal that sits at the end of your pedalboard. Instead of modeling amps with digital processing, its preamp and cabinet simulation are analog circuits voiced after one specific amp: a Fender Deluxe12. It launched in July 2025 at a street price of $993.
EarthQuaker Devices describes the internal voicing plainly:
"Internally, it's meticulously voiced to capture the soul of one of our favorite classic American guitar amps, a '65 Deluxe"1
The company's blog, written by Matt Clouston, goes further and names the circuit: the AB763 Deluxe Reverb, adding that the pedal also works as a preamp in front of a recording interface4.
What it does to your sound
The Easy Listening replaces the amp and cab in your signal chain. You plug your pedalboard into it and go straight to headphones, a mixer or front of house, which makes it a silent-practice and direct-to-desk tool rather than a drive pedal2. EarthQuaker Devices says its finely tuned preamp circuitry and analog cabinet simulation deliver "a big, lush sound with high headroom and low noise"1.
Pedal of the Day's review described the character in more detail, attributing to the all-analog circuitry "a more immediate feel with rich low-end resonance, slightly scooped mids, and that crystalline top end chime"3. That review also put dirt pedals in front of it, running a Wren and Cuff J Mascis Garbage Face fuzz and an EarthQuaker Devices Gary through the sim, and concluded it handled them "with ease, and brilliantly"3.
One knob, no menus
The control surface is a single knob that sets the output level35. There is no adjustable EQ, as EarthQuaker's own blog puts it4, and no screens to navigate. Pedal of the Day summed up the philosophy:
"No menu diving, no IR loading, and nothing else getting in-between you and your tone."3
Matt Clouston's blog post on the EarthQuaker site makes the same point from the maker's side, calling it an amp modeler that "lets you sound like yourself for less than a hundred bucks. No menu diving, no little computer whose memory can corrupt"4.
MusicRadar's reviewer, Timothy Johnson, framed the pedal's appeal for players worn out by feature-heavy modelers, calling it "the perfect antidote to players who don't want an amp simulator jam-packed full of tech," doing away with distractions so you can focus on playing5.
All analog, zero latency
The whole signal path is analog. Guitar Pedal X reported at launch that the mini pedal has "an all-analog circuit"2, and EarthQuaker Devices states the pedal delivers zero latency analog cabinet simulation with no digital artifacts1. For a player, that means no analog-to-digital conversion, no loading of impulse response files, and no processing delay between pick attack and sound. The trade-off is fixed voicing: you get the one '65 Deluxe-flavored sound, and if you want a different amp you reach for a different pedal.
The Stereo Easy Listening
EarthQuaker Devices positions the stereo version as usable either "as a standalone analog alternative to digital modeling, or to inject some analog character into a digital modeling setup"6. It shares the original's analog, zero-latency approach6.
Where it sits among amp simulators
Most amp and cabinet simulators on the market are digital: units like the Strymon Iridium, the Walrus Audio Mako Series MKII ACS1 and the BOSS IR-200 use impulse responses and menus to offer many amp and cab choices. The Easy Listening takes the opposite approach: one amp, one cab, one knob, all analog. Players comparing it against other speaker simulation pedals are effectively choosing between that simplicity and the flexibility of digital modeling.
Videos
Pete Thorn
EarthQuakerDevices
Pedal of the Day and EarthQuakerDevices
Questions
Does the Easy Listening have any digital processing or latency?
No. The circuit is all analog, and EarthQuaker Devices describes it as delivering zero latency with no harsh digital artifacts. The cabinet simulation is analog too, so there is no digital conversion anywhere in the signal path. Reviewers noted this gives a more immediate feel than digital amp modelers.
Does the Easy Listening need an IR loader or menus?
No. There is no menu diving and no IR loading, and no adjustable EQ either. The amp and cabinet voicing is fixed at the factory, so the only control is the output level knob. It is designed for players who want to plug in and play without navigating screens.
What amp is the Easy Listening voiced after?
It is voiced after a 1965 Fender Deluxe, one of the classic American guitar amps. EarthQuaker Devices says it is meticulously voiced internally to capture the soul of that amp, and the company's own blog describes it as capturing the tone of the AB763 Deluxe Reverb.
How many knobs does the Easy Listening have?
One. The single Master Volume knob controls the output level, and that is the only control on the pedal. Everything else, including the amp voicing and the analog cabinet simulation, is preset at the factory.
What is the difference between the Easy Listening and the Stereo Easy Listening?
The original Easy Listening is a mini pedal with one knob and a mono signal path. The Stereo Easy Listening, announced in September 2026, is a larger stereo version with an AUX input, an active 3-band EQ and stereo XLR outputs, built on customer feedback asking for more features. It is priced at $249 against $99 for the mini.
Sources (6)
- Easy Listening Analog Amp Simulator, EarthQuaker Devices
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2025-07-16
- EarthQuaker Devices Easy Listening Analog Amp Simulator, Pedal of the Day, 2025-07-26
- An Amp Sim that Captures the Soul of the Semi-Disputed "King of Amps", EarthQuaker Devices, 2025-10-07
- “With no smartphone app, no IR loader, and just a single knob for control, it does away with all the distractions”: Earthquaker Devices Easy Listening review, MusicRadar, 2025-08-08
- Stereo Easy Listening Analog Amp Simulator, EarthQuaker Devices
