Vox AV30 (A Modelling TUBE Amp?)

[@MrPolevaulter]

Check out more amp reviews here: kzbin.info/aero/PLNaLwTdlpQNHNo5bubVjV1OW04gkqU8rM Check out some of my music here: kzbin.info/aero/PLNaLwTdlpQNHKlg8ALZfM3AINC20WMp8s

[@connortripp9304]

InstaBlaster.

[@maksinuz]

Hello, thanks for all the useful reviews. I happen to own both the VT20X and the AV15 (and an older AD15VT year 2007). They are 2 completely different products. The VT20X is a digital modelling amp (VET) + valvetronic technology using a preamp tube. The AV series amps are completely analog (escluding the 3 digital effects): each preamp section is a different analog circuit that tries to emulate popular amplifiers. The VTX series is more versatile: it has a lot of effects, including noise reduction for hot amps, and it work best if you connect the amp ti a computer when creating your own sounds. I didn't like the stock speaker so i changed with a Celestion 8-15 and now I love it. I can get very nice tones including YJM marshalls+rat-dist and RB AC30+trb-booster. The AV is more like a traditional amp (btw the AV15 is single channel / single tube). No overdrive/booster, no noise reductor. I didn't change the speaker (I thought I had to) in it because imo it sound much better than the one in the VT20X. My first impression is that it responds more naturally to picking/fingers. It is very dynamic. It offers more bite turning up the gain control. I don't like the modulation effect (I never use chorus anyway). I cannot get a delay time longer than 0.5 secs (this I really hate). The reverb is good enough for me for practicing. I tried the amp with custom made boosters (both germanium and silicon transistors) and with the dod250 (the first yeallow reissue) and I was able to get decent RB and YJM tones. In my opinion the AV shines in break-up/crunchy tones. But you must not expect a faithful reproduction of other amps, just nice tones. Just dial the knobs until you find your own :-)...and do not expect a traditional "tube" amp color. The result is nice to my ears, but consider that the saturation of power amps is emulatd using a preamp tube + analog circuitery. It costs 20 EURs more than the VT20X, but considering that I had to change the speaker at the end it actually costed me 15 EUR less. I believe that digital modelling is more cost effective than using analog circuits. I like them both for different reasons. Compared them my old VOX AD15VT (with a Jensen speaker replacing the stock speaker) sound louder and hase more presence. It also weighs a bit more: 10kg compared to about 7kg for the newer models. cheers

[@MrPolevaulter]

Cool bananas 😊

[@kleptoliapennyfeather6078]

Seeing a lot of comparisons in the comments between the Vox VTX series and this AV series. They VTX is digital modeling with low plate voltage tube pre. The AV is analogue circuitry with low plate voltage tube pre and post behavior. The actual output amp is analogue, I believe. There is a significant distinction between the 2, in my opinion. I’ve owned both, and the AV30 is far superior, in my opinion. I finally got my hands on one of these recently and I really like it. It’s a great amp. I don’t compare the models to what they are “supposed” to be. I simply judge them by the sound I can get. I like the way it sounds. The Hi-Gain models are a little too furry unless you switch off the fat, bias, and reactor switches.

[@GabrielNacu]

After demoing, borrowing and owning many of these modelling - amps for practice and teaching, I have given up on the "Which one is better..." ; just pick one guys and girls and PRACTICE YO ASSES OFF! Much love Elmo - Gabe

[@MrPolevaulter]

Spot on. Stop worrying about gear and play.

[@GabrielNacu]

@@MrPolevaulter Thanks man! :)

[@leonardomorenoshannon6124]

Shitty sounding stuff can be frustrating

[@GabrielNacu]

@@leonardomorenoshannon6124 Indeed! Its a minefield really with the amount of choice a beginner has to pick from these days.

[@cruddygamer1524]

Thanks for the review! My AD30VT isn't quite what I want and seems to be on the fritz as of today (of course since I'm getting back to learning for the first time in 10 yrs) and the AV30 looked appealing. Seen other videos on it and am still considering one, but I'd watch your videos just for the fun of it. You're a great player and your random moments of insanity are quite entertaining 😂

[@MrPolevaulter]

Thanks 😊

[@DavidRavenMoon]

I had a Vox VT-80+ for a while. That was a great sounding amp. Except for the smaller cab, I A/B’d it with an AC-15 and they were very close sounding. The built in effects were very good. It used a 12AX7 tube between the preamp and power amp to give some tube squish.

[@hoosierdaddy2308]

Good review sir. I used to have a 2 x 12 Vox like this I got in a trade. It just quit working one day. It was ok. It was like 80 watts. It would push some air. I only had like one sound I really liked out of it, but I did like that one pretty good. It responded well to my playing of I was able to get loud enough. Thanks man. Take care brother!

[@MrPolevaulter]

Thanks!

[@kwujez]

I really enjoy see for the First Time someone Who tell Is honest opinion about an amp. Thanks thanks thanks

[@MrPolevaulter]

And thank you :)

[@ltvddvtl]

Here is the thing though. Honest or not it's only his opinion. He like everybody else has a bias. There are many who give this amp a brilliant review too. So they are not being honest? I think for what they are this Vox is excellent. Way better than the VT series and give you way more than an AC in features, while not sounding that much worse, if at all. This amp actually gives you features hard to find on another tube amp. From things like aux and headphones, to 2 very flexible channels, master volume and other things which makes it great for the home and still lets you gig. And to compare this to the Tube15, I wouldn't want a Tube15 not even if you gave me for free. Then compare this Vox combo to a much more expensive head, which needs "more stuff" just to spit out a sound, makes zero sense! So honest or not, I'm not sure it is a good review. For example metal heads would hate this amp. It's not made for that. It wouldn't matter if they were giving their honest opinion. The opinion would be dead on arrival because of their bias. If I was looking for a tube amp (this is not a hybrid amp) with the features the Vox has, it is hard to beat. It sounds good too!

[@robertclinger7351]

A few of the settings are pretty good IF you spend a little time tweaking. Then you can save the setting. Variable master volume makes it a good practice amp...if you tweak.

[@mrjoesguitar]

That's the only other amp I own besides my Cube 80XL. When it came out in 2016 there was no Harley Benton 15 or I'd have gotten that instead. ELMO HAS RUINED ALL MY SEEDS TODAY!!! 🎸🤘😭🤘🎸

[@MrPolevaulter]

Haha :D

[@jerrygarce]

"This guy " has a good french pronunciation !

[@kevinfuller9959]

I have to disagree, I have owned this amp for quite awhile now and for the price it is a great little amp! Everytime I bring out for a gig or jam session I always get coplemented on how good it sounds! Cheers!

[@MrPolevaulter]

Fair enough.

[@ltvddvtl]

It IS a great amp! I know somebody who gigs it for blues and jazz and sounds great.

[@Frenchmelodymaker]

Well, that’s my amp and I love it, but I really enjoyed your video. You know, when you can test and compare with pricey stuff the cheap one will sound bad. That’s a fact. But as you said, for the price it’s ok. Keep going dude !!!

[@MrPolevaulter]

Thanks! And yeah, it will be different for different people. Gear is subjective stuff :)

[@Frenchmelodymaker]

@@MrPolevaulter, your french accent was pretty decent ! Cheers from France

[@perpetualapathyofficial]

finally 13:36 you go to another part :))

[@merwinjm]

Wait, so you found that a $700 (2023 pricing) Peavy 6505 mini head through a Marshall cab was better than a $300 combo with a 10" speaker? You don't say! It's probably more realistic to compare it to a peer or at least plug it into a 12" external cabinet. Or just say that you don't care for the amp. It's discontinued, so the market probably agreed.

[@RickMichaelis63]

Thanks for another awesome video Elmo!!!🎸🎶❤️

[@MrPolevaulter]

My pleasure!!

[@dannops]

Spend a little more and get the AC4C1-12. Love mine and great for practicing.

[@agusg.t.8950]

He has an ac10 can’t you see?

[@dannops]

@@agusg.t.8950 Comment was not to ELMO as he stated he also has tried an AC4. That is just my suggestion to someone considering a purchase of the AV30.

[@MrPolevaulter]

Yeah, that's a good little amp.

[@DerpRulesAll]

It sounds like an only halfway decent solid state amplifier. I prefer the sounds of both the Orange Crush and the Blackstar Debut amps, and there's no 'half tube' thing going on.

[@kevindoyle5094]

I have a Fender Super Champ xd with a pair of 6L6’s and a 12xa7. It has 16 different voicings it’s called modeling tube amp. I do like it, but it doesn’t take pedals well at all. 🤘🏻

[@MrPolevaulter]

Cool. Well, apart from not taking pedals.

[@KevinSparksatx]

It doesn't take pedals well because the preamp is solid state/digital. The 12ax7 is just a phase inverter.

[@tornoonavi3290]

Muy buen video Brother, un guitarrista de México 🇲🇽 lo recomienda pero como que no me late a mi para comprarlo y lo que dices es más que obvio en lo que me abia fijado, gracias , quiero un valvular pequeño para casa , me podrías recomendar alguno?, muy buen video , éxito y saludos desde México 🇲🇽 🤘

[@JN-qj9gf]

I wonder how much the 10 inch speaker is letting it down

[@MrPolevaulter]

Probably a bit.

[@contactolequotidien8492]

Hey great video! I would like to ask what amp should I buy I’m starting to upgrade cause I feel like I topped my cheap setup and I’m willing to spend a bit more but nothing crazy something good enough for demos and home recording, Im Starting to use pedals, and I tried this at a music store along an ori5c and a vox vt40x and this one I liked the clean better, also I was looking at the MT20, but I’m completely lost and opinions are divided

[@MrPolevaulter]

Personally I'd recommend the Harley Benton Tube15.

[@pierref.1294]

Fact is... your french pronunciation is excellent. Vous ne manquez jamais de m'impressionner !

[@MrPolevaulter]

Merci beaucoup :)

[@earthsteward9]

Would it get better once the speaker in broken in a bit?

[@MrPolevaulter]

Probably a bit, but nothing major I'd guess.

[@zipchtkdn7804]

Best amp

[@zackd6168]

Would you ever do the marshal mg50gfx?

[@MrPolevaulter]

Maybe at some point.

[@zackd6168]

@Luke is it that bad?

[@dannygraham5898]

Like most combo amps, you lose the 10 inch speaker when you plug into the external speaker jack, correct?

[@MrPolevaulter]

Dunno.

[@joeblue-f27]

Hello Elmo... I also want a VOX AV-30 or something new, but I can't buy a new one because my vt20 is still going strong. I don't know if I should be happy about it or not... it's complicated... (^ω^)... (lol)...

[@rickie330]

Hahahaha! Accents brilliant! Legend Elmo, as always!

[@MrPolevaulter]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@RoiRex]

Hi do you know an amp in the same range of price but more mélodic for the malmsteen overdrive style ? Thanks :)

[@MrPolevaulter]

Harley Benton Tube15 with a good overdrive.

[@sim715]

hei Elmo Olen uskollinen ranskalainen tilaajasi. Voitko auttaa minua? Pelaan 401 ltd: llä EMG: n kanssa. Etsin pientä laatuvahvistinta metallin soittamiseen. onko sinulla idea minusta ??? kiitos paljon videoistasi ... olet ainoa yt: ssä, joka ei myy jotain ja osta materiaalia. Simon

[@MrPolevaulter]

Merci beaucoup Simon. I'm not sure. The idCore seemed to have some good metal sounds.

[@kmichaelp4508]

Good review pal. And I’m glad to hear you compare it to the “Katana”!!!! Even though it wasn’t much of a comparison. Now... how does it compare to the Code?

[@RapttorX]

lets not go there, nothing compares to the Code

[@kmichaelp4508]

@@RapttorX , oh! You like the Code too🤐

[@RapttorX]

@@kmichaelp4508 no, i mean its so bad in its category that nothing deserved to be compared with it

[@kmichaelp4508]

@@RapttorX tounge in cheek my friend. I’m just waiting for the third episode of giving it a try!🤐

[@RapttorX]

@@kmichaelp4508 no, pls stop ...its already dead :)

[@KennyLarvitz]

Ton français est mortel !! ;))) killer accent ! I like it

[@MrPolevaulter]

Haha :D Merci beucoup :)

[@DamienSawyer]

Ok. I LOLd at Strangelove.

[@JJ-nq3ll]

Not perfect but Fun! 🎸🎸

[@MagisterTuomo]

I was a big fan of VOX 20 years ago. My local guitarstore back when I recently had moved to Gothenburg had this one 30w beast of an amp with all the trimmings. I used to play that f*cker each time I visited that particular store. This one? Not for me. Sounded a bit unbalanced. Granted I listened to the video through the speakers on my telly. I'd still go for my Laney when going big and get another micro cube for practice. As always a potent review, Elmo haters gonna hate, potatoes gonna potate Karjalainen. #potentpotables

[@MrPolevaulter]

Yeah, it was a bit uninspiring. Nice nickname again :D

[@stephanematis]

So of those muffled tones were very odd. I think the only sound that was palatable to my ears was the VOX "emulations". They were "ok".

[@MrPolevaulter]

Yeah, I was thinking something along those lines.

[@Owen_plays_music1049]

What's the best between this one and the VT40X ?

[@MrPolevaulter]

Haven't tried the VT40X.

[@ltvddvtl]

This for sure! To top this you need an AC. But then you lose some features of course. Depends on what you need.

[@brainsmoothy]

well their with Krog now so...

[@sduos-ws6ov]

OMG!

[@skylarmobis4681]

is vox av30 a tube amp??

[@MrPolevaulter]

Hybrid.

[@ltvddvtl]

@@MrPolevaulter Nope. It's not hybrid. Unless you understand hybrid different than I do. Hybrids have either a tube preamp or a tube power amp, not both. This has tubes for both. But has an additional solid state amp at the end for the power. But it doesn't change the sound of the tubes. This is a full tube amp for the sound. The power is done to make it affordable obviously. But it doesn't color the sound at all.

[@hairnation68]

I had a VTX40 and sold it for a Katana which I still have and pull out some. These seem bad compared to the last ones which had awful cheap cabinets.

[@kagenotatsumaki]

My condolences. I have a Vox VTX20 and a Katana MK2 50 and if I had to choose one I'd ditch the Katana in less than a heart beat lol XD

[@ultrakool]

1:27 Dr Strangelove? 😆

[@MrPolevaulter]

Yeah 😀

[@nt-hd5fo]

Hit like for the german nerd voice talking about the 12ax7 at the beginning 😂😂😂lmfaooo the accents always on point. The Bugera Finnish one was p good too haha.

[@MrPolevaulter]

😀

[@ukaszukasz7059]

Looks very good but sounds dull

[@MrPolevaulter]

I didn't really like the looks either :D

[@RapttorX]

Vox likes to stick tubes in any digital amp (for some reason).

[@MrPolevaulter]

Weird.

[@indybingyi]

But isn't that a good thing tho?

[@RapttorX]

@@indybingyi well tubes are good when they interact with other high power electrical parts ...they dont do much interacting with a microcontroller

[@indybingyi]

@@RapttorX they look cool tho

[@RapttorX]

@@indybingyi thats what the marketing department also thinks

[@jvanb231]

Huh -- An amp that can make the Riverside sound awful. I enjoyed the video if not the gear.

[@MrPolevaulter]

Cheers :)

[@jvanb231]

@Luke Sound is subjective andI guess that's why we have so many choices. I'm glad you found that part redeeming, it just wasn't working for me and I love the riverside though I don't own on yet. Cheers!

[@vfamily2406]

Plastic and synthetic. I totally agree.

[@MrPolevaulter]

Yep.

[@xctwowheels1973]

Ton français est bon!

[@MrPolevaulter]

Merci beaucoup :)

[@Dan_Ranger]

Was it modelling a toilet roll tube?

[@MrPolevaulter]

Haha :D

[@ivanmontalvez7337]

Carpet sound, crap quality inside, tipically Vox

[@machine-madedog5059]

Seems punchier than some other modeling amps.. but that’s really not saying very much.

[@MrPolevaulter]

Yeah.

[@oncameramastery]

Not exactly a new idea vox, I've got an 8 year old Peavey Vypyr 60 Tube which has an analogue modeling preamp with a pair of 6l6 output tubes! I think Vox's marketing people need to do more research! 😂

[@MrPolevaulter]

Haha :D

[@voxpathfinder15r]

With the Vox, you have a tube in the preamp and power amp which makes it different

[@oncameramastery]

@@voxpathfinder15r the peaveys got a preamp one as well.

[@martijn_yt]

This amp does not have a tube power amp (likely a class D power amp). The tube is used to emulate the characteristics of a tube powrramp :)

[@kleptoliapennyfeather6078]

Vypyr is digital modeling.

[@brainsmoothy]

if this is 300 new and a used-like new AC-10 is 400...um...