Two Notes Torpedo Captor X+: review and Captor X comparison

The Two Notes Torpedo Captor X+ is the next step in the Captor X line for players who want to keep using a real amplifier — particularly a tube amp — while recording or feeding a PA without relying on a miked physical cabinet every time.

The useful question is not whether it “sounds better” in the abstract. It is what the X+ actually adds over Captor X and whether those additions change your recording workflow. The short answer: the main upgrades are true stereo processing, expanded routing, Virtual Load Shaper and USB-C. The core functions — reactive load box, attenuation, cabinet simulation and IR loading — were already central to Captor X.

This is therefore a technical review based on published specifications, the manual and independent testing, not a claimed Muviber hands-on test. We do not invent studio experiences or listening impressions that were not actually measured.

Captor X+ at a glance

Two Notes sells Captor X+ in 8-ohm and 16-ohm versions, each rated for a maximum of 100W RMS. The attenuator keeps the same three fixed positions:

• 0 dB, with attenuation bypassed;
• -20 dB;
• -38 dB.

The digital section operates at 24-bit / 96 kHz with 32-bit floating-point internal processing. Two Notes specifies a minimum latency of 1.27 ms from Speaker Input to the XLR outputs.

The system ships with 32 DynIR cabinets, 8 microphones per cabinet, 12 room simulations, 128 preset locations, and an IR loader that can run two IRs at once. Third-party IR storage reaches 512 slots with 20 ms IRs; longer IRs consume more memory.

Those figures immediately correct two weak claims often repeated around the product: it is not limited to roughly fifteen custom IR slots, and normal processing latency is not an unspecified “few milliseconds.” Two Notes publishes concrete numbers.

Captor X vs Captor X+: what actually changes

The important point is that Captor X+ is not a firmware upgrade for Captor X. Two Notes states that the products run different firmware architectures and the X+ feature set cannot practically be delivered to existing Captor X hardware as an update.

Preset migration does work in the useful direction for upgraders: presets created on Captor X can be loaded into Captor X+ through Torpedo Remote. X+ presets are not backwards-compatible because they can reference parameters that do not exist on the older unit.

True Stereo is where the upgrade becomes interesting

The most substantial recording addition is the True Stereo DynIR Engine.

In Stereo mode you can use two virtual microphones — or two static IRs — and position and pan them independently across the stereo field. This is not simply a mono signal copied to two outputs: the two channels can function as separate components of the cabinet simulation.

In Dual Mono, each XLR output can receive its own microphone or IR channel with a more independent processing chain. Two Notes documents per-channel mic EQ, Enhancer, reverb and Output EQ according to the selected routing.

For real-amp recording this enables practical workflows such as:

• two different interpretations of the same amplifier on separate tracks;
• a processed signal plus a drier alternative;
• different feeds for an interface and monitoring system;
• a stereo image created without simply duplicating the take in the DAW.

Guitar World also identified the true-stereo implementation as the strongest reason to see X+ as a meaningful upgrade over Captor X.

Virtual Load Shaper: what it does and what it does not do

The Virtual Load Shaper is the other major X+-only feature.

Two Notes describes it as a post-load system that applies impedance-response curves to the direct signal, allowing you to reshape the tonal response after the hardware load stage. You can use stock curves or create a custom response with parameters including resonance and presence.

There is an important limitation: Virtual Load Shaper affects the XLR and headphone feeds, not the physical cabinet connected to Speaker Out.

It therefore does not electrically change the way the amplifier interacts with the hardware load while feeding a connected cabinet. It is a direct-path tone-shaping tool for interface, PA and headphone workflows.

For more context on load boxes, IRs and cabinet simulation, Muviber's guide to IR loaders and cab sims explains where each stage sits in a direct rig.

Silent real-amp recording

The core connection remains straightforward:

amplifier speaker output → Captor X+ Speaker Input → XLR to audio interface.

With no cabinet connected to Speaker Out, the load box supplies the required load for the amplifier and enables silent recording. DynIR or static IR processing can then be applied before the signal reaches the interface.

Dual Mono can also be configured so one output carries the processed Torpedo signal while the other carries a dry amplifier signal, giving you more flexibility later in the mix.

If your workflow also includes recording a clean guitar DI and sending it back through hardware later, Muviber's home-studio reamping guide covers the other half of that workflow.

Is latency really a problem?

The older version of this article was too categorical here.

Two Notes specifies a minimum latency of 1.27 ms from Speaker Input to the Left/Right outputs. That figure does not support a blanket claim that normal Captor X+ monitoring has problematic latency.

One feature deliberately creates a larger timing offset: Twin Tracker generates a second virtual performance with timing and attack differences, and its Tightness setting can introduce up to 70 ms of offset. That is a creative double-tracking effect, not the base processing latency.

The manual specifically notes that listening only to the right XLR output while Twin Tracker is active with a large timing offset can produce obvious delay. It is therefore important to distinguish system latency from intentional Twin Tracker delay.

The IR loader is far less limited than it first appears

Captor X+ works with both Two Notes DynIR cabinets and third-party static IRs.

Capacity depends on the selected IR length:

A preset can use up to two static IRs, one in slot A and one in slot B, with independent level, phase and — where routing allows — pan controls.

That makes the claim that Captor X+ only stores “15 custom IRs” inaccurate. Management is handled through Torpedo Remote, and the unit must be registered to a Two Notes account before third-party IRs can be imported or removed.

The real limitations: fixed attenuation and fixed impedance

Captor X+ is highly flexible on the digital side, but much less granular as an analog attenuator.

You get only three settings: 0, -20 and -38 dB. It is not a continuously variable attenuator and does not provide a long series of intermediate steps. If you need to fine-tune the exact relationship between power-amp level and cabinet loudness, this is a genuine limitation.

Impedance is also not switchable. You buy either the 8-ohm or 16-ohm version and must match it correctly to the amplifier's speaker output.

Maximum admissible power is 100W RMS. Two Notes also specifies proper speaker cables between the amplifier, Captor X+ and any connected cabinet. A tube amplifier must never be powered without a suitable load.

Those purchase constraints matter more than vague claims about “digital feel.”

Should Captor X owners upgrade?

Yes, if True Stereo, the expanded Dual Mono workflow or Virtual Load Shaper will actually be used. Those functions change how you can build two tracks, two feeds or a stereo image around one amplifier.

Yes, if you want the newer firmware platform and USB-C while retaining the ability to migrate Captor X presets.

Not necessarily if Captor X is mainly your load box, attenuator and single cabinet-simulation device. For those core tasks the previous model remains close in capability, and Two Notes explicitly says Captor X remains supported.

Probably not if you only need an inexpensive way to reduce amp volume. You are also paying for DynIR, IR loading, routing, effects and software integration; a simpler attenuator may be the more rational tool if those features will go unused.

If you are deciding between keeping a real amplifier plus load box and moving to a fully digital setup, Muviber's compact direct-rig buyer's guide provides the wider comparison.

Price: compare it with Captor X, not the basic Captor

At the time of verification, Two Notes' US store lists Captor X+ at $599.99 in both 8-ohm and 16-ohm versions. Guitar World listed launch pricing of $599.99 / £479 / €549.

Those are time-specific references, not universal European or used-market prices.

More importantly, the correct comparison is Captor X, not the simpler Torpedo Captor. The basic Captor is a more stripped-down load-box/attenuator product; Captor X and X+ integrate the broader DynIR/IR, routing and software-control platform.

Conclusion

Captor X+ makes the most sense for a specific kind of player: someone who wants to keep recording a real amplifier but expects the direct path to offer the flexibility normally associated with a digital rig.

Upgrading from Captor X is not mandatory. Reactive loading, attenuation, DynIR and IR loading were already there. The reasons to move are True Stereo, more advanced Dual Mono routing, Virtual Load Shaper, the new firmware platform and USB-C.

For straightforward mono recording, Captor X remains competitive. For creating two genuinely differentiated feeds from the same amp, building more sophisticated routing and shaping what reaches the DAW or PA with greater independence, X+ is a substantial step forward.

Sources

Specifications, IR memory, routing, attenuation and Virtual Load Shaper behavior were checked against the official Torpedo Captor X+ manual. Differences from Captor X and the lack of a firmware upgrade path are documented by Two Notes support. Current price and hardware specifications were checked on the official Two Notes store. For an independent editorial perspective, we also consulted Guitar World's Captor X+ review.