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Vox Ac4

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Hey, I made my first demo using an AC4 in 1979. I expect they're more expensive now.
 
It looks like Vox is jumping on the Valve Junior/Blackheart bandwagon. The orignal AC4 used an EF86 preamp tube and a 12AX7. The output tube was an EL84 and it had an EZ80 tube rectifier. I believe the 12AX7 was for tremolo. The EF86 would have been a voltage amplifier/preamp to drive the EL84.

Looks like a cool amp, but I wonder how much different it is going to sound vs. a VJ or BH amp.

tung
 
Vox Ac4tv

GAS!!! :poke: :poke:

Oh, the top of the ampf has the following from left to right.....input jack, tone, volume and varied power (4, 1 and 1/4 watt) knob and on/off switch.

What I like about this amp........10" Celestion speaker.....a bigger speaker (over the 5-8" speakers) seems to be better tone.......the power attenuator negates the need for a headphone jack which ALL (save one, the Peavey Royal 8) tube amps don't have.....it has a line out to hook onto a larger cab........small and lightweight (20 lbs), therfore very portable!!

GAS!!!
 
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OK, maybe this is a stupid question...but why is there never reverb on a smaller (tube) amp such as this one (or maybe there is and I don't know it)?
 
Vox Ac4tv

As to why NO reverb.........well, to keep costs down for one.......a reverb tank takes up room and the idea with these little tube amps is to be as small and lightweight as possible....and lastly, with the plethora of multi-effect pedals/processors around, the manufacturers probably figure (in conjunction with points 1 and 2 above) that players will get their reverb from those units.

I could care less about the reverb as I have an RPS-250 for that. Give me either a headphone jack or a power attenuator with a tube amp. Give me a line out that I can use to hook up to an ext cab if I want to gig or jam with others. Small and lightweight rules the day. Tubey sweetness in a lil package.
 
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piebaldpython said:
As to why NO reverb.........well, to keep costs down for one.......a reverb tank takes up room and the idea with these little tube amps is to be as small and lightweight as possible....and lastly, with the plethora of multi-effect pedals/processors around, the manufacturers probably figure (in conjunction with points 1 and 2 above) that players will get their reverb from those units.
Click to expand...

Python pretty much hit the nail on the head. These modern low-watt amps are the decendents of student and practice amps. They were meant to be inexpensive for beginners. Adding reverb entails a tank as Python said and also the supporting tube circuitry which includes at leas 1 or 2 extra tubes and a power transformer that can handle the extra current draw. This also makes the amp more complex, and heavier. Ultimately it makes the amp more expensive to manufacture. This takes money out of the pockets of the execs at the top.

tung
 
So, a question for you amp aficionados, what is your take on this amp as its primary use as a bedroom amp? Not being knowledgeable in the amp area, I was wondering if this amp takes some of the Vjr mods into the design? I was wondering the same about the Night Train, but I will post that in the appropriate thread.
 
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It's purely conjecture at this point, but I'd guess that it is aimed at the bedroom crowd. It does have the 1w and quarter watt settings.

My guess is that it is voiced like a Vox: chimey with a medium amount of breakup when pushed.

tung


just strum said:
So, a question for you amp aficionados, what is your take on this amp as its primary use as a bedroom amp? Not being knowledgeable in the map area, I was wondering if this amp takes some of the Vjr mods into the design? I was wondering the same about the Night Train, but I will post that in the appropriate thread.
Click to expand...
 
Vox Ac4tv

OK Strum........here ya go.......take what I say with a grain of salt because I'm not a player, not an amp tech.....that being said.......per your question of being "bedroom" amp.

The Vox AC4TV most certainly is as it is a max of 4 tube watts with an attentuator down to !/4 watt.....The Night Train is just a head, 15W with a pentode/triode switch down to 7 watts......so emulating the Blackheart Little Giant with it's 3/5W pentode switch.

My question.....is an attentuator better than pentode/triode switching? Which gives better "true" sound? From what I've read, while most like the Blackheart Little Giant, they are less than thrilled with the triode switch, some saying that it seems to robs the tone. Attenuator amps don't seem to suffer that same criticism. Hence my thought that you get better "bedroom" music with the AC4TV than the Night Train.

The AC4TV has a 10" Speaker which many seem to think is the "break-even" point for speaker size. If the Celestion is no good, just switch to a Rajin" Cajun as all of the Fender Super Champ XD owners just gush about.

Re speakers....as Andy said in another post....if it's strictly for "bedroom" playing, do you need stage quality speakers?? Isn't the idea just to make really nice music with something that is sized (wattage wise) for the room?

My gut says that anything over 5 tube watts might be a bit large for a bedroom (unless you play Pro Sports and then your bedroom is larger than most of our houses :D ). If higher wattage tube amps could faithfully give "good" sound at LOW volumes, there wouldn't be a need for low watt amps and Attenuators, right?

Also, if an amp has a headphone jack, that is a big help.

My $02, but I think the AC4TV combo amp seems perfect for "bedroom" playing. The Night Train sounds great, but it's just a head and so you need a cab and it just goes on and on and on.

Serious GAS over in Philly for the AC4TV, Peavey Royal 8, Firefly and Little Lanilei (1/4 watt tube amp).
 
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Python brings up some good points here:

piebaldpython said:
OK Strum........here ya go.......take what I say with a grain of salt because I'm not a player, not an amp tech.....that being said.......per your question of being "bedroom" amp.
Click to expand...

Well, that puts you way ahead of me, I'm not even a player. I'm just a hacker who has experimented with tube circuits enough to know a little bit.

piebaldpython said:
My question.....is an attentuator better than pentode/triode switching? Which gives better "true" sound? From what I've read, while most like the Blackheart Little Giant, they are less than thrilled with the triode switch, some saying that it seems to robs the tone. Attenuator amps don't seem to suffer that same criticism. Hence my thought that you get better "bedroom" music with the AC4TV than the Night Train.
Click to expand...

I never use the 3w triode setting on my BH head. In fact, I hate triode switches. They don't cut the volume that much and they always sound like there is a blanket over the amp. For my money attenuation is better. But attenuation has limits too. Too much and the amp sounds lifeless. A lot of the cranked tone that most players want to emulate is the amp pushing lots of power through speakers, which are moving a lot of air. You don't get this with attenuation.

piebaldpython said:
The AC4TV has a 10" Speaker which many seem to think is the "break-even" point for speaker size. If the Celestion is no good, just switch to a Rajin" Cajun as all of the Fender Super Champ XD owners just gush about.
Click to expand...

I wish amp manufacturers would put at least a 10" speaker in all their amps. I've never heard a smaller speaker that I thought sounded good. Most of the 6" and 8" speakers are only there to save cost and make noise.

piebaldpython said:
Re speakers....as Andy said in another post....if it's strictly for "bedroom" playing, do you need stage quality speakers?? Isn't the idea just to make really nice music with something that is sized (wattage wise) for the room?
Click to expand...

I think the worse the amp sounds, the less likely it is to be played. Having a good-sounding speaker is just as important to practice as it is to performing.

piebaldpython said:
My gut says that anything over 5 tube watts might be a bit large for a bedroom (unless you play Pro Sports and then your bedroom is larger than most of our houses :D ). If higher wattage tube amps could faithfully give "good" sound at LOW volumes, there wouldn't be a need for low watt amps and Attenuators, right?
Click to expand...

5W in a small room is deafening when you crank it up.

piebaldpython said:
Also, if an amp has a headphone jack, that is a big help.
Click to expand...

IMHO, the best headphone amps are the modeler/emulators, like the Digitech RP series. Headphones are basically hifi speakers, so unless there is frequency compensation circuitry built into the amp, the headphone out on a tube amp doesn't sound that good.

piebaldpython said:
My $02, but I think the AC4TV combo amp seems perfect for "bedroom" playing. The Night Train sounds great, but it's just a head and so you need a cab and it just goes on and on and on.

Serious GAS over in Philly for the AC4TV, Peavey Royal 8, Firefly and Little Lanilei (1/4 watt tube amp).
Click to expand...

I'm a big fan of head amps. I have a couple of speaker cabs that I can plug my various heads into, and it works fine for me.

There are lots of cool, little, low watt amp right now. I'm glad manufacturers are jumping in the bandwagon.

tung
 
Lots of good points there, Tung. As you say, 5w is far too loud for a small room or jamming with the stereo. I've played small gigs with a Fender Champ (no drums of course). A Princeton or a Blues Junior allow more headroom for clean tones. I've mentioned elsewhere that I once recorded (live, no close miking) with an old VOX AC4 (I'm still looking for that cassette, Tot!).

Triode switches suck, use a smaller amp for lower volumes or, if you need overdrive, use a pedal. So many of the "classic" tones we all long for come from a driving power amp and speaker. Preamp gain doesn't get it. The best way to get that at low volumes is to use a modeller IMO. Low volume playing will always be a bit of a compromise.

I can't see me replacing my VOX DA5 with a low-watt tube amp any time in the future. A 1/2 watt (1/4 power switch position) modelling amp with useful effects is much more like it for practice. About the only time I used the DA5 at full power was playing behind a singer at an open mic night. No, I didn't have to mike it up.
 
Ac4tv

Thanks for the education guys! :D My git room has so much furniture in it that there is no room for a cab. :D so, it's gotta be small or bust for me.
 
Kazz.......I'll be more than happy to talk to your wife and explain that this lil Vox tube 4W amp is the perfect "bedroom" amp for setting the "right" mood (in part meaning that is isn't TOO loud). :D
 
Vox

I considered getting one of these Vox bedroom type recording amps but an incredible chance to get a brand new Peavey JSX Mini Colossal intervened, which I was able to get for 175 US at a place closing out Peavey equip.

The JSX Mini Colossal is a five watt tube amp with a vintage tremolo and sounds incredible. It is usually quite expensive, like five hundred dollars. I lucked out.

It has an eight inch Weber speaker in it that sounds surprisingly good and has essentially two channels with the boost switch but is true class A. There is an extension speaker jack switchable to 4, 8, or 16 ohms and additionally a really good attenuator on the back. This amp is incredible for a bedroom amp and has an xlr direct out for recording, loop, etc. Very well built amp. Made in Meridian, Mississippi.

If you can spend the extra money I would consider it, try it out; the bloom when you incrementally increase picking force drives the amp into progressively greater distortion in a beautiful way. Very responsive and does this on the clean setting as well. Takes pedals very well. I play it every night.

I have yet to compare it to my Little Giant.

Duffy

Hope this gives you another option to consider, although quite steep in price. I got an astounding deal. Otherwise I would have waited to try the Vox.
 

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