The Wren and Cuff Two Five 25V is an overdrive pedal whose defining feature is right in its name: it runs on 25 volts instead of the 9 volts most stompboxes use. Wren and Cuff unveiled the Two Five Overdrive in May 2018, and the 25V operation is the whole idea behind the circuit1.
According to the maker, the higher voltage "opens things up considerably, creating an unusually wide dynamic range, more headroom, and more output"2. Delicious Audio reported the same effect at launch, noting the pedal "features an extended dynamic range, more headroom and a lot more output than your regular stompbox"1. Pedal of the Day's reviewer found the 25 volts gave the effect "an extended dynamic range and bigger overall feel"3.
Why 25 volts
Most overdrive pedals run at 9 volts, which caps how much signal the circuit can swing before running out of headroom. The Two Five's 25-volt supply is what sets it apart from a typical overdrive: the extra voltage gives the circuit room to breathe, so the pedal stays more dynamic and more reactive rather than compressing the way a lower-voltage circuit can. Delicious Audio's Paolo De Gregorio put it plainly13:
"25V opens things up considerably, creating an unusually wide dynamic range, more headroom, and more output. You'll reall"1
The maker's own product page for the Two-Five Drive Boost carries the same wording, so the 25-volt claim is consistent between the company and the press that covered it23. Pedal of the Day agreed from the player's side, describing more output and headroom and a bigger overall feel from the 25 volts of power3.
The controls
The Two Five keeps its control set simple: Gain, Volume, a three-band EQ and a Voice toggle13.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Gain | Sweeps from a dirty boost to a crunchy, Marshall-ish drive to a fat, chunky distortion-type sound3 |
| Volume | Gives more output than most players will need, and can push a tube amp into natural overdrive3 |
| Lows / Mids / Highs | Three-band EQ styled like a vintage Fender amp's tone stack, with the knobs interacting as a cohesive tonal unit32 |
| Voice toggle | Alternates between two clipping circuits1 |
The EQ is interactive in the way a vintage amp's tone stack is. Wren and Cuff says the controls are "basically like a vintage Fender amp (although the pedal in no way sounds like a Fender)"2. One example of how the interaction works: turning down the treble not only cuts the higher frequencies, it also raises the lower frequencies a bit1. Delicious Audio described the three-way EQ as allowing extra tone sculpting1.
The Voice switch
The Voice toggle is where the pedal's two personalities live, and it works by swapping the clipping components in the circuit13:
- Down position: two MOSFET transistors used as diodes, plus a germanium diode. Delicious Audio describes this as a rich, saturated gain with a Marshall-like character13.
- Up position: two LEDs used for clipping. This produces a wider dynamic range and less overall saturation, a more open and somewhat cleaner sound that Delicious Audio calls Fender-like, with gain that is more crunchy, cutting and less saturated13.
The op-amp, and a correction worth knowing
The Two Five uses JRC3404 op-amps, which Delicious Audio describes as "a relative of the JRC4558 used in vintage Tube Screamers"1. Pedal of the Day's reviewer noted that with the JRC3404 "you can conjure up classic tube screamer tones as well"3.
There is a wrinkle in the pedal's documented history. The Two Five was originally planned with an LM358 JFET op-amp, and early press releases mentioned it, but Wren and Cuff states plainly that "there are no units that have the LM358, all ended up with the JRC3404"2. Delicious Audio passed the same correction along at launch1.
Some online descriptions of the Two Five still refer to the LM358 op-amp. According to Wren and Cuff, no production units use it; every Two Five was built with the JRC34042.
Output and pushing an amp
The Two Five is also a boost, and its output level is one of its more talked-about traits. Delicious Audio warned132:
"There is a TON of output on tap. A lot. Be careful with this! You can peg the front end of your amp incredibly hard"1
Pedal of the Day found the same thing from the playing side, saying the Volume knob "gives you more than you will (probably) ever need, and easily pushes a nice tube amp" into natural overdrive3. For a player whose overdrive sound comes from driving the amp's front end rather than the pedal alone, that output range is the practical payoff of the 25-volt design.
What reviewers said
The pedal landed well with the press that covered it. Pedal of the Day's August 2018 review called it "today's beast of an overdrive" and concluded3:
"if you need a truly versatile overdrive that isn't lacking in any department"3
The same review noted the yellow enclosure, comparing the pedal to "those striped, buzzing insects"3. Delicious Audio's launch coverage framed the pedal around its 25-volt operation and the interactive Fender-style EQ, and relayed the maker's correction on the op-amp13.
The Two Five 25V sits alongside the standard Wren and Cuff Two Five Overdrive in the maker's range, sharing the same core circuit ideas with the 25-volt operation as the distinguishing feature31.
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Questions
What does the 25V in the Wren and Cuff Two Five name mean?
It refers to the pedal's operating voltage. The Two Five runs at 25 volts rather than the 9 volts most pedals use, and that higher voltage is what gives it more output, more headroom and a wider dynamic range than a regular stompbox, according to the maker and reviewers.
What op-amp does the Two Five 25V use?
It uses JRC3404 op-amps, which Delicious Audio describes as a distant relative of the JRC4558 found in vintage Tube Screamers. The pedal was originally planned with an LM358 JFET op-amp, but Wren and Cuff says no units were built with it, despite some online descriptions still mentioning the LM358.
What does the Voice switch do on the Two Five 25V?
The Voice toggle alternates between two clipping circuits. Toggled down, it uses two MOSFET transistors as diodes plus a germanium diode for a rich, saturated gain. Toggled up, it uses two LEDs, which produce a wider dynamic range and less overall saturation for a more open sound.
Can the Two Five 25V push a tube amp into overdrive?
Yes. Reviewers describe a very high output on tap, with the Volume knob offering more level than most players will ever need. Delicious Audio notes you can drive an amp's front end very hard with it, and Pedal of the Day says it easily pushes a tube amp into natural overdrive.
What color is the Wren and Cuff Two Five 25V?
The enclosure is yellow. Pedal of the Day's reviewer compared the look to a striped, buzzing insect, calling it a yellow monster of an overdrive.
Why does the Wren and Cuff Two Five run at 25V?
The higher voltage is the pedal's core design idea. Running at 25 volts instead of the usual 9 opens the circuit up considerably, creating an unusually wide dynamic range, more headroom and more output, which changes the feel of the overdrive compared with a typical pedal.
Sources (3)
- Wren And Cuff Two Five Overdrive, Delicious Audio, 2018-05-07
- Two-Five Drive Boost, Wren and Cuff
- Wren and Cuff Two Five 25V Overdrive, Pedal of the Day, 2018-08-06
