NanoAmp and Parallax Micro Amps

[unzari]

Originally Posted by tiktok

I've got a NanoAmp and love it, but there's now another amp in that nitch, the Electrosonic Parallax:

Saw the above in another thread here and was wondering if anyone knows anything about these amps?

From the Electrosonic site it looks like you can use the Parallax as a preamp boost into another amp, but according to the NanoAmp Youtube vids, that's a no-no for the Nano.

I'm wondering what's the difference between the two of them.

[kovachian]

If you look at a closer shot of the side you can see a line out jack on the Parallax, next to the speaker jack; the Nano doesn't have a line out.

I coulda swore there's at least a third contender in the micro-amp market, but I can't recall what it is. Or I may just be imagining things, I dunno.

[bobthecanadian]

I don't know about the sound, but DANG, I love the color!

[tiktok]

The NanoAmp is designed to be a very small amp head, so the usual rules about sending the output (intended to drive a speaker) into the input of another amp applies. Even a half-watt can fry the input of another amp. Of course, you can use a standard attenuator (AirBrake, Weber Mass, Hotplate) if you want to step down the output and use the amp as a pre-amp. The Nano also has a built in plastic speaker on the underside if you're craving that mosquito-tone or don't want to carry around a full sized speaker cabinet.

The NanoAmp doesn't have a tone knob, but has three microswitches (two three-position and one two-position) which brighten/darken and fatten/thin the overall sound and also affect the amount of distortion that gets dialed up with the volume knob. It's surprisingly versatile.

I have no experience with the Parallax yet.

[unzari]

Thanks TikTok and Kovachian.

It turns out that one of the Canadian distributors, The Tube Store, is in my town. I might have to go down there and see if they have one for me to check out.

I do most of my playing at home, and it sounds like either the Nano or the Parallax would be ideal for that scenario.

[Slow Reflexes]

Originally Posted by kovachian

...I coulda swore there's at least a third contender in the micro-amp market, but I can't recall what it is. Or I may just be imagining things, I dunno.

Wasn't out yet when this thread came up first... but there's the Rock Block, from Surprise Sound Labs.

And, of course, next month the Vox AC4TVH comes out (switchable down to .25W).