In 1982, Tom Scholz—visionary guitarist and founder of pioneering hard rock band Boston—designed and released the Rockman X100 headphone amp through his electronics company Scholz Research & Development (SR&D). But it was more than just a headphone amp—with recording console connectivity and several tone tweaking features and built-in effects, the X100 became the secret weapon in the studio that would go on to define the polished, chorus-laden sound of 1980s arena rock.

The MXR Rockman X100 Analog Tone Processor revives the signature sonic character of that headphone amp in stompbox form. Aided by veteran MXR engineer and SR&D alum Bob Cedro, the MXR design team captured the same crystalline cleans, crunchy harmonics, and shimmering modulation as the original. With the same four tonal presets, carefully calibrated compression, and bucket-brigade chorusing, this all-analog recreation also features both mono and stereo modes and optional external mode switching for an enhanced user experience.

RE-COMPRESSED

A key component of the original X100’s sound was a complex compression circuit for keeping the signal clear whether clean or dirty. The MXR Rockman X100 Analog Tone Processor comes equipped with the same circuit, tuned for a slow release on clean modes and a fast release on dirty modes. The overall amount of compression is tied to the Input Gain level—more input gain means more compression.