Digital amplifier / amp sim

Selection

  • Line6 Pod Express

    Votes: 10 76.9%

  • Ampero Mini

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Tonex One

    Votes: 1 7.7%

  • Nux Amp Academy

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Nux MG-30

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Nux Mighty Space

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Positive Grid Spark

    Votes: 2 15.4%
  • Total voters
    13
K

kubilaydem

Newbie
Messages
9
Hello friends

I took a break from guitar for many years. Now I want to buy a little equipment and start again. My goal is to practice and make recordings.

I am undecided between a few pieces of equipment. If I don't buy an amp I will also buy a studio monitor (3.5 inch paar).

The options I'm considering
1- Line6 Pod Express
2- Ampero Mini
3- Tonex One
4- Nux Amp Academy
5- Nux MG-30
6- Nux Mighty Space
7- Positive Grid Spark

Which of these would be good to choose in terms of price/performance? I am also open to other suggestions.

Have a nice day
 
Do you have an audio interface for recordings? You'll need one anyway, so you either have to buy it separately or buy a modeler coming with an interface. On the other hand, if you were just playing in front of your computer, you could as well purchase an interface only and let the computer do all the amp stuff via plugins.
 
There is no audio interface. Most of the products I'm thinking of buying have this feature. Plugin side is also on my mind but I'm in favor of an easy solution (plug and play).
 
Effects or no effects is the question. Tonex is top notch for amp sounds but not an effects solution.
250 will get you a pedal but not really an all in one.
500 can get you into the helix ecosystem
 
dean701 said:
Effects or no effects is the question. Tonex is top notch for amp sounds but not an effects solution.
250 will get you a pedal but not really an all in one.
500 can get you into the helix ecosystem
Click to expand...
I like to use only very basic effects like reverb and delay.
 
Which one? I've heard good things about Katana. I was particularly attracted to “katana go” but it seems to be no longer available.
 
Wait for a month or so, and get the Spark 2.

There's literally is not a better practice amp made
.
thing is battery powered, sounds great at lower volumes, and has an insane amount of features geared toward practicing.

It's also an audio interface for recording, and the software is comically good for something in that price range.

If you ever decide to gig with the thing, it can be done, but that's not what those amps are really designed for. Even with the spark powered cab, the footswitch is bluetooth, so there is latency when switching the channels that will effect live performance. It's absolutely a desktop amp imo.

If you plan on gigging down the road, I would go with a Boss Katana, which also has an audio interface built into it to record. I have a Katana and a Spark 40. In my opinion , the spark is hands down a better tool for everything other than gigging. The katana is a headache to tinker with compared to the Spark. I can build a decent tone on the spark through the app in under a minute.
 
It’s really hard to make a recommendation in that price range, because there are quite a few things available but many of them will not be entirely enjoyable to use. The best deal in the world is still money wasted if it’s something you don’t like. Of the options listed, the only ones I would seriously consider for myself are the Pod Express or the ToneX One, but the ToneX One doesn’t have any effects.
 
You'd definitely get more bang for the buck, better sound & performance and more flexibility with an affordable audio interface und plugins, compared to a cheap modeler without a dedicated audio interface. Boss Katana is also a recommendable option.

Apart from the Line 6 POD Express, I would not recommend any of the devices you listed.
 
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I'd say in that price point among the ones you're looking at, L6 Express will get you furthest probably.
Some other options to consider:
  • Boss IR-2
  • L6 HX One - I'm quite sure you can find one used ~250-300USD - this will blow all above out of the water.
  • I meant the HX Stomp, but that's way above 500USD..

If you'd prefer a real amp, just get the Katana 50 MK2. I don't recommend the MK1, since it doesn't have a power amp input - really good thing to have once you get some preamp pedals or a cheap multi-fx unit later on.
 
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bigmenace said:
I'd say in that price point among the ones you're looking at, L6 Express will get you furthest probably.
Some other options to consider:
  • Boss IR-2
  • L6 HX One - I'm quite sure you can find one used ~250-300USD - this will blow all above out of the water.
Click to expand...
HX One is not an amp modeler, just an FX unit.
 
Out of the mentioned ones, I'd possibly go for the Pod Express, but that's simply because I like having direct, editor-free access to things.
 
gy1900s said:
Wait for a month or so, and get the Spark 2.

There's literally is not a better practice amp made
.
thing is battery powered, sounds great at lower volumes, and has an insane amount of features geared toward practicing.

It's also an audio interface for recording, and the software is comically good for something in that price range.

If you ever decide to gig with the thing, it can be done, but that's not what those amps are really designed for. Even with the spark powered cab, the footswitch is bluetooth, so there is latency when switching the channels that will effect live performance. It's absolutely a desktop amp imo.

If you plan on gigging down the road, I would go with a Boss Katana, which also has an audio interface built into it to record. I have a Katana and a Spark 40. In my opinion , the spark is hands down a better tool for everything other than gigging. The katana is a headache to tinker with compared to the Spark. I can build a decent tone on the spark through the app in under a minute.
Click to expand...
I dont plan gigging. What do you think about Spark 40, should i wait for Spark 2 really? I can found used Spark 40 for 160 - 180 usd.
likitlikeyoulikeit said:
I would just get a mk2 50 watt combo used. It has plenty of options to make someone happy.

You can find them all over used for like 150usd
Click to expand...
Yes i heard good things about Katana series. I don't really want a big amp sitting on the floor, otherwise I'm sure it's a very good amp. My primary goal is to be able to solve it on the table, but Katana is still on my mind.
Frodebro said:
It’s really hard to make a recommendation in that price range, because there are quite a few things available but many of them will not be entirely enjoyable to use. The best deal in the world is still money wasted if it’s something you don’t like. Of the options listed, the only ones I would seriously consider for myself are the Pod Express or the ToneX One, but the ToneX One doesn’t have any effects.
Click to expand...
I didn't know there were no effects on Tonex One. This information enlightened me. I guess I'll have to eliminate Tonex One from the list. An all-in-one solution suits me better.
TheTrueZoltan! said:
You'd definitely get more bang for the buck, better sound & performance and more flexibility with an affordable audio interface und plugins, compared to a cheap modeler without a dedicated audio interface. Boss Katana is also a recommendable option.

Apart from the Line 6 POD Express, I would not recommend any of the devices you listed.
Click to expand...
I can afford a Scarlett (solo) series sound card and a Presonus Eris 3.5 studio monitor. Can I get efficiency by using free plugins in this way?

My previous experiments with plugins didn't make me very happy. I guess you need to set the input signal correctly when using plugins.
bigmenace said:
I'd say in that price point among the ones you're looking at, L6 Express will get you furthest probably.
Some other options to consider:
  • Boss IR-2
  • L6 HX One - I'm quite sure you can find one used ~250-300USD - this will blow all above out of the water.
  • I meant the HX Stomp, but that's way above 500USD..

If you'd prefer a real amp, just get the Katana 50 MK2. I don't recommend the MK1, since it doesn't have a power amp input - really good thing to have once you get some preamp pedals or a cheap multi-fx unit later on.
Click to expand...
Sascha Franck said:
Out of the mentioned ones, I'd possibly go for the Pod Express, but that's simply because I like having direct, editor-free access to things.
Click to expand...
Would it work well to take the audio output from Pod Express directly to the studio monitor without a sound card? I can afford Presonus Eris 3.5 model monitors.
 
kubilaydem said:
[…] I can afford a Scarlett (solo) series sound card and a Presonus Eris 3.5 studio monitor. Can I get efficiency by using free plugins in this way? […]
Click to expand...
I don‘t know about free plugins, but if you look at Knobcloud or KVR you can get 2nd hand licenses for Neural DSP plugins pretty cheap. With a Scarlett interface just turn the input level all the way down - et voilà.
 
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