The Neunaber Iconoclast Speaker Emulator is a pedal that stands in for a guitar speaker cabinet. MusicRadar, covering its unveiling at NAMM 2017, described it as a stereo parametric speaker sim that "dynamically shape[s] your tone" in the same way a speaker cabinet would1. Where a player would normally rely on a mic'd cab for their recorded or direct sound, the Iconoclast provides that shaping in a pedalboard-friendly box, and it sits among other speaker simulation pedals.
Its headline feature is a direct output that MusicRadar said delivers "consistent amp tone at any volume and in nearly any setting"1. For a player running an amp head or preamp into a PA or an audio interface, that means the cab voicing does not shift as the volume changes.
Controls and connections
The pedal's controls follow the parametric approach MusicRadar described. The low control adjusts the virtual cabinet type and size, letting a player move between the low-end character of different virtual cabs1.
On the back panel, the Iconoclast keeps stereo inputs and outputs that deliver balanced or unbalanced connections, so it can feed anything from a pedalboard amp setup to a mixing desk or interface1.
Power
The unit is powered by standard 9V or 12V pedal power supplies1, so it slots into a normal pedalboard power setup without special adapters.
Release and context
Neunaber unveiled the Iconoclast at NAMM 2017, with preorders open at $249 ahead of a mid-February release1. It arrived in the same NAMM season as cab simulator pedals from Atomic Amps and DigiTech, each taking a different approach to the same problem of getting a cab-like direct sound from a pedalboard.
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Questions
What does the Neunaber Iconoclast do?
It is a speaker emulator pedal that dynamically shapes your tone in the same way a speaker cabinet would. MusicRadar described it as a stereo parametric speaker sim, and it delivers a direct output intended to give consistent amp tone at any volume and in nearly any setting, which makes it useful for playing direct or recording without a mic'd cabinet.
How is the Iconoclast powered?
The unit runs on standard 9V or 12V pedal power supplies, so it fits into a typical pedalboard power setup without special adapters.
