Introduction
The HeadRush MX5 is an ultra-portable multi-effects processor packed with a wide range of realistic amp models, effects, and features to inspire guitarists everywhere. Weighing under 3 pounds, it delivers a robust guitar rig in a compact unit that can fit on even the most crowded pedalboards.
At its core, the MX5 aims to provide studio-quality guitar tones in a gig-ready floor unit. It combines neural-network amp modeling technology with a massive library of effects to replicate iconic guitar sounds. But it also functions as an audio interface, phrase sampler, and looper to enhance practice sessions and live performances.
For guitarists seeking studio-level recording tools in a pedalboard-friendly format, the MX5 hits the sweet spot. Its quad-core processor ensures low latency playing while providing enough horsepower for complex signal chains. The large touchscreen and intuitive workflow make dialing in tones on the fly a breeze.
In this in-depth review, we’ll cover everything about this versatile little unit – from its realistic amp models to its connectivity and expandability. Read on to see if the ultra-portable HeadRush MX5 is the right multi-FX solution for you.
Design and Construction
The HeadRush MX5 packs a ton of functionality into an ultra-compact and sturdy chassis. Weighing in at just 1.5 pounds and measuring only 7.5 x 5.5 x 2 inches, the MX5 is incredibly portable and pedalboard friendly. The durable metal construction ensures it can withstand the rigors of the road and frequent transport.
The large 4.3-inch color touchscreen display makes navigating the interface intuitive and enjoyable. Unlike having to scroll through tiny screens and menus on traditional pedals, the touchscreen lets you easily tap to access parameters and make edits. The high-resolution display is crisp and responsive.
Overall, the MX5 clearly beats other amp modelers in terms of portability. The smart industrial design makes this unit feel like a premium piece of gear, not a toy. Between the compact footprint, sturdy build, and intuitive touchscreen, the MX5 is built for guitarists on the go.
Amp Modeling and Effects
The HeadRush MX5 packs an impressive selection of amp models and cabinet simulations, providing a diverse palette of tones. It comes loaded with models based on classic tube amps like Fender, Marshall, Vox, Mesa Boogie, and others. You’ll also find modern high-gain amps, boutique amps, and solid-state amp classics from Roland, Peavey, and more.
Each amp model is meticulously crafted using HeadRush’s HD modeling technology to capture the unique gain staging, EQ curve, and dynamic response of the real amp. Rather than mere emulations, these models behave and react like their real-world counterparts – from sparkling Fender cleans to high-gain Mesa Boogie saturation.
To complete the amp tones, the MX5 includes a variety of cabinet IRs (impulse responses) to emulate miked guitar cabs. You can choose from mic’d cab IRs of popular guitar cab brands like Marshall, Mesa Boogie, and Orange. The IR library is also expandable, allowing you to load additional third-party cab IRs via the USB connection. This provides flexibility to craft your ideal guitar tones.
Between the extensive amp modeling and cab IR options, guitarists have an incredibly diverse tonal palette right at their fingertips. Whether you need shimmering cleans, crunchy British tones, or modern metal distortion, the MX5 has you covered.
Effects and Processing
The HeadRush MX5 comes loaded with a wide selection of stompbox and studio effects to shape your tone. It offers all the essential effects categories like overdrive, distortion, modulation, delay, reverb, filters, and more.
Some of the many effects include:
- Drives: Overdrive, distortion, fuzz
- Modulation: Chorus, flanger, phaser, tremolo, rotary
- Delay: Digital, analog, tape, reverse, ping pong
- Reverb: Hall, room, plate, spring
- Filter: Wah, auto-wah, envelope filter
- Compressor, noise gate, EQ
Each effect type has multiple models to choose from. For example, the reverb options range from spring and plate emulations to large concert hall reverbs. This gives you a lot of sonic variety.
What sets the MX5 apart is the deep editing capabilities for fine-tuning your effects. You can dial in the perfect tone using parameters like drive, tone, and output level for distortions. The modulation effects allow you to adjust rate, depth, feedback, and more. For delays, you can control time, repeats, tone, and other settings. Even the EQs give you parametric control over the frequency, Q, and gain.
Having this level of tweakability is invaluable when crafting guitar tones. You can sculpt the effects to sit just right in a mix or complement your playing dynamics and style. The hands-on control moves the MX5 beyond a simple preset box. Overall, the effects selection and adjustability combined with realistic amp models give you endless tonal possibilities in a compact unit.
Ease of Use
The HeadRush MX5 features an intuitive touchscreen interface that makes editing and tweaking your tones incredibly easy. Simply tap and drag on the color display to navigate menus, select amps/effects, and adjust parameters. Building custom rigs is as simple as dragging and dropping blocks into your signal chain – start with an amp, add effects like drive, modulation, delay, and reverb, then finish with cab simulation.
One of the standout features of the MX5 is the flexibility it provides in structuring your signal chain. The pedal, amp, and cab blocks can be freely reordered to shape your ideal sound. Want to experiment with putting reverb before distortion? No problem. Prefer to have your cab sim up front to shape your drive tones? Easily accomplished. This open-ended signal routing combined with the hands-on editing is what gives the HeadRush MX5 its versatility.
Overall, the intuitive touchscreen interface makes dialing in inspiring tones incredibly fast and fluid. Whether you want to deep dive into sculpting your perfect sound or just tweak parameters on-the-fly, the MX5 makes the process enjoyable and rewarding. It exemplifies simplicity and flexibility in a compact multi-effects unit.
Audio Quality
The HeadRush MX5 features a high-quality 24-bit/96kHz audio interface that delivers pristine sound quality whether you’re recording direct or just jamming. The processing is all done at 32-bit floating point, but the balanced outputs provide 24-bit resolution to capture all the dynamics and texture of your playing.
More importantly, the MX5 utilizes a powerful quad-core processor, so there’s no noticeable latency or delay when monitoring your guitar signal. This is crucial for playing in time and getting the best feel, especially when recording. Latency can really throw off your timing, but the MX5’s near-zero latency means you can track confidently through your computer without lag or phase issues.
Some guitarists may not think much about audio specs, but the combination of 24-bit/96kHz resolution and low latency is what gives the MX5 its responsive, organic playing experience. Your dynamics are accurately translated and you can trust what you’re hearing whether practicing, gigging, or tracking in the studio.
Connectivity and I/O
The HeadRush MX5 offers all the essential inputs and outputs to integrate with your guitar rig and recording setup. It has a 1/4" input to connect your guitar, as well as a 1/4" aux input if you want to jam along with tracks from a phone or mp3 player. There’s also an XLR mic input with phantom power, allowing you to connect a microphone for vocals or acoustic instruments.
On the output side, you get a balanced XLR output in addition to the 1/4" left and right outputs. The balanced XLR is great for running long cable runs to a mixing console without picking up noise or interference. There’s also a 1/4" headphone jack with its own dedicated volume control, perfect for quiet practice sessions.
For recording purposes, the MX5 has a USB port that allows you to connect directly to a computer and record into your DAW. The USB connectivity makes it easy to capture your tones and effects directly into the recording software. And when connected via USB, the MX5 becomes a plug-and-play audio interface.
The USB port also allows you to import and export IRs as well as loops for the looper. And it enables you to update the firmware on the MX5 to the latest version, ensuring you always have access to the newest amp models, effects, and features. Overall, the connectivity options provide a lot of flexibility for integrating the MX5 into both live and studio settings.
Expression Pedal
The HeadRush MX5 comes equipped with an onboard expression pedal, providing hands-free control over various parameters in real time. The sturdy metal expression allows for smooth and precise manipulation, making it easy to apply expressive wah effects, control volume swells, tweak delay/reverb mix levels, and more.
Simply assign the expression pedal to any knob or parameter you want using the intuitive touchscreen interface. You can even set the pedal to control multiple parameters at once, like having the toe position adjust wah while the overall pedal movement controls delay mix. This opens up creative options for morphing your tone on the fly.
The expression pedal is smoothly integrated into the MX5’s workflow. It can be assigned per preset, so each rig can have the pedal controlling different parameters. You can also set min/max value limits and taper response curves to tailor how the pedal behaves. Whether you want subtle nuance or extreme parameter sweeps, the pedal is up to the task.
For live playing, the expression pedal is a powerful creative tool on the MX5. You can sculpt your tone in ways that would normally require external pedals. It allows you to emulate classic pedal effects or craft entirely new soundscapes, all without taking your hands off the guitar. The hands-on control over parameters makes your guitar and the MX5 feel like a natural extension of your musical expression.
Overall, the built-in expression pedal is a major asset of the HeadRush MX5. It provides intuitive real-time control right out of the box, letting you shape your tones on the fly. For an ultra-portable unit, having this level of expression at your feet is invaluable.
Looperboard and Phrase Sampler
One of the standout features of the HeadRush MX5 is the dedicated looper and phrase sampler functionality. The MX5 has onboard controls specifically for looper operation, making it easy to record, playback, overdub, and manipulate loops during practice or live performance.
The looper can record up to 60 seconds of audio in CD-quality WAV format. Loop lengths can be set anywhere from 1-60 seconds. Once a loop is recorded, additional layers and overdubs can be added on top with the dedicated Record, Play, Once, and Overdub buttons. There are also half-speed and reverse controls for getting creative with your loops.
Finished loops can be exported via USB connection to use in other devices and DAW recording software. The MX5 also allows importing of WAV loops created elsewhere.
Beyond standard looping, the MX5 also functions as a phrase sampler. This allows you to sample specific riffs, chords, or musical passages and assign them to the footswitches. You can then trigger and manipulate them in real-time like an instrument. The phrase sampler presets sync to your project tempo for seamless integration into live playing or productions.
With its well-designed looper workflow and phrase sampling capabilities, the MX5 provides guitarists with inspiring tools for practice, songwriting, and performance. The integration with the amp/cab models and effects also unlocks creative possibilities. Overall, these features make the MX5 much more than just a standard multi-effects unit.
Firmware Updates and Community
HeadRush is committed to continually improving the MX5 through ongoing firmware updates. Since its release, there have already been several major updates adding new amp models, effects, and features. Users can easily install firmware updates via the USB port to take advantage of the latest additions.
Some highlights from recent firmware updates include:
- Additional cab models, including recognizable vintage models like the Marshall 1960A and Mesa/Boogie rectifier cabs
- New effects including ring modulator, auto wah, and synth octaver
- Looper enhancements like reverse and half-speed playback
- Expanded MIDI implementation for better DAW integration
One of the major benefits of the MX5 is the active HeadRush user community. On forums like TheGearPage and Reddit, owners share preset patches, tips and tricks, and constructive feedback. The HeadRush team closely monitors user discussions to identify opportunities for improvement. Users can also submit feature requests and report bugs directly to HeadRush.
This engaged community ensures the MX5 will continue improving over time. Owners can look forward to new amps and effects tailored to user requests and critiques. Considering its portable size and affordable price, the MX5 packs an incredible amount of expandability via the endless firmware update potential.