NAMM 2025: IK Multimedia is continuing its takeover of the amp modeler market by unveiling the TONEX Cab – a new FRFR speaker that positions itself as the ultimate floorboard modeler companion.
It’s fair to say that IK Multimedia has catapulted itself to the very front of the amp modeler arms race in recent years, having slowly but surely amassed an ecosystem of innovative pedals that have changed the face of the digital amp scene.
First, there was the TONEX – which introduced the firm’s celebrated AI-based amp modeling tech – and then there was the TONEX One, which was announced by Reverb as 2024’s best-selling effects pedal, despite arriving halfway through the year.
It’s been a tremendous achievement, going toe-to-toe with companies such as Line 6 and Neural DSP, but now IK Multimedia has taken the initiative in a bid to put some distance between itself and the rest of the pack by dropping a dedicated FRFR speaker.
The TONEX Cab is a lightweight 12” power cab, with audiophile-grade power amps and “advanced DSP control” in order to deliver “the ultimate authentic tone and feel of a real amp”. In practice, that means the TONEX Cab won’t color and influence the tone coming from your modeler – it will let your digital algorithms and IRs shine through unadulterated.
What is perhaps most telling about the marketing surrounding the release, though, is the way IK Multimedia has badged it as the ultimate companion for any modeler user regardless of which brand they’re loyal to.
Indeed, rather than appealing to TONEX users directly, the firm has opened its arms to “any modeler or capture system”, enticing players into the ToneX eco-system and, perhaps, winning them over in the process.
To help the firm do this, the TONEX Cab has an exclusive “Amp Tone” control that “stands apart from any other FRFR in the market today”. Essentially, it allows players to dial in the perfect amount of “real amp feel” depending on what room you’re playing in.
Not only that, it is apparently the most compact 12” power cab on the market, weighs only 28lbs, and offers a programmable three-band EQ, as well as a custom IR loader with eight onboard presets for those digital signal chains that deal exclusively with amp sims.
Finishing touches include a balanced audio output and pre– or post-EQ/IR for cab linking or sending to front of house, MIDI I/Os for preset control, and an Aux In for monitoring and backing track purposes.
It’s a seismic move from IK Multimedia, which is clearly trying to take the opportunity to edge its way in front of Line 6 and Neural DSP as the go-to amp modeler gear supplier for players.
To that end, with the continually growing popularity of amp modelers, don’t be surprised when you see more FRFR cab options hit the market.
Line 6 already has an FRFR to its name, but it doesn’t boast quite the same features as the TONEX Cab, and is a tad more expensive. Fender also partnered its Tone Master Pro with some appropriate FRFRs, but Neural DSP is yet to stretch its wings to speakers. 2025 could yet be another interesting year for modeler fans...
The ToneX Cab is available now for preorder from $699.
Head over to IK Multimedia for more.
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