Vox mv50 AC real amp or toy?

[MilwMark]

As an aside, I learned about them when I was grabbing my DRRI from the local shop. One of the power tubes was rattly and I had it less than 6 weeks so he replaced them and biased it for me (N/C).

Anyhoo, he's always used tube amps and favors BF/SF Fenders. And pointed to the MV50 clean and said he had bench-tested it and couldn't make it sound bad. Like me, he'll keep his Fender combos as his main, but grab one as a backup.

 

[pcampbell]

I'm glad to see this thread and plan to follow it. I've been watching some demo videos and have been intrigued by the little box that might have so much possibility. Kind of waiting to see how things go over a few months as user reports come in and see if a consensus emerges.

 

[jgwcaster]

Thanks for all the input. I am leaning seriously towards the mv50ac.

Pcambell, thanks, yeah I might wait a little too, I wish there was more time lapsed to see and read about user experiences. I am waiting for the anti-nutubers to come out and say why these are terrible.

I currently have a voxac4tv, thoughts on this being different enough to give it a shot or is the mv50ac more of the same?

 

[pcampbell]

Thanks for all the input. I am leaning seriously towards the mv50ac.

Pcambell, thanks, yeah I might wait a little too, I wish there was more time lapsed to see and read about user experiences. I am waiting for the anti-nutubers to come out and say why these are terrible.

I currently have a voxac4tv, thoughts on this being different enough to give it a shot or is the mv50ac more of the same?

I can't say much about the ac4. A friend of mine had one and traded it up to an ac10. I borrowed his ac10 and that led me to get my ac10. I definitely like my ac10 (10 watts tube and 10 inch speaker), but I can envision the MV50 working out as an "improvement" in some ways over the ac10 combo. Not much to carry (except a speaker cabinet, of course) and probably no more worries about a tube going out at the wrong time.

 

[FerruleCat]

Well, I just got notice this afternoon that my order has shipped. Stoked!

 

[jgwcaster]

Okay can I complicate things by asking would you rather a vox mv50ac with 8" cab or orange micro terror with 8" cab?

 

[Ira7]

50 watts of tube power at 4ohm for $200? How can you go wrong!

I got my eye on the Clean version.

 

[LGOberean]

50 watts of tube power at 4ohm for $200? How can you go wrong!

I got my eye on the Clean version.

Yeah, in my experience, sometimes "to good to be true" can still actually be true.

As for the Clean model, I lean toward the AC, but probably a good 80-90% of what I'd play through it would be clean, or with just a hint of hair. I want that AC30/EL84 thing for some of what I'd play, but it's gotta do clean well. Maybe I should give the Clean version another look. I wonder if the Clean can be made to sound like the AC?

Okay can I complicate things by asking would you rather a vox mv50ac with 8" cab or orange micro terror with 8" cab?

Me, I'd go for the Vox. But then I'm really GASing on the MV50 right now.

Orange does crunch/dirt really well, but they're not known for their cleans. And as I just said, I'd be doing mostly cleans with that little thing. Admittedly, I've never owned an Orange. I've test-driven a few, and my son-in-law has an OR15 head going into a PPC112 cab. One of my granddaughters has a Crush 12. That's the extent of my experience with Orange amps.

 

[Ira7]

Yeah, in my experience, sometimes "to good to be true" can still actually be true.

As for the Clean model, I lean toward the AC, but probably a good 80-90% of what I'd play through it would be clean, or with just a hint of hair. I want that AC30/EL84 thing for some of what I'd play, but it's gotta do clean well. Maybe I should give the Clean version another look. I wonder if the Clean can be made to sound like the AC?



Me, I'd go for the Vox. But then I'm really GASing on the MV50 right now.

Orange does crunch/dirt really well, but they're not known for their cleans. And as I just said, I'd be doing mostly cleans with that little thing. Admittedly, I've never owned an Orange. I've test-driven a few, and my son-in-law has an OR15 head going into a PPC112 cab. One of my granddaughters has a Crush 12. That's the extent of my experience with Orange amps.

I'm mostly clean like you, so I'm also thinking about doing some power CL searching looking for a cab with 4ohm.

They're hard to come by in my neck of the woods, but 4s aren't in much demand either.

So 50 watts of tube clean for gigging? Count me in.

 

[jgwcaster]

Is it really 50 tube watts or some sort of hybrid 50 watts? 15 tube watts and 15 solid state waters are very different. (I get that with an 8 ohm cab it's 25 watts, but I think you know what I mean)

 

[cbh5150]

Not full tube - NuTube pre; Class D post.

Sounded pretty tubey when I played one, though

 

[FerruleCat]

Okay can I complicate things by asking would you rather a vox mv50ac with 8" cab or orange micro terror with 8" cab?

For what I do, definitely the MV50. The Orange MT is loud, ballsy, well-built and cool looking, but it's pretty warm and thick in the EQ department. You're not going to get sparkle out of it. But it has its place in the micro head pantheon, for sure.

 

[codamedia]

50 watts of tube power at 4ohm for $200? How can you go wrong!

Class D Power, not Tube power.
NuTube technology makes it sound/respond like a tube amp... jury is out!

Class D power is the cheapest on the market, and relatively new. Personally, I was not impressed with the durability (or lack of) with the early offerings, but like all things - it is getting more reliable as designs get tweaked. Cutting out was mentioned earlier in this thread though... that's one the complaints I had.

I embrace technology, this does look promising. But I'm still staying at arms length.

 

[jgwcaster]

I am very excited about these amps and nutubes in general but perhaps I should wait to see time tells us about the mv50 series. I am curious what vox will offer next with nutubes.

 

[cntry666]

I had the rock version, unfortunately not loud enough over my drummer but not a toy. I'd like the AC version for recording though.

 

[mRtINY]

I played my AC voiced unit last night at a rehearsal. I got it for an upcoming business trip (the THR10 is a bit big to fly the shuttle with...).

It was great with my 2x6.5 cab. It sounded a lot like an AC30 with a bit more bass (cab is ported). It wasn't a loud rehearsal, but I was happy with my master volume at about 35-40%.

If it had a reverb, it'd be perfect for all kinds of things.....

 

[FerruleCat]

MV50 AC came today. Quick thoughts:

Sounds very good. Sounds better loud.

Loud enough for any reasonable rehearsal, even at 8 ohms. I wouldn't want to carry a big room with it, but it should handle a stage or a small room no problem. I'm nearing completion of my 4-ohm 2-10 cab, which should be something else.

Gain below 10 o'clock will get you pretty good cleans. AC hair is the main attraction, but it's at least a 1.7-trick pony. Cranked gain gets you into distortion (as I define it).

Is it tube-like? I'll say yes. It felt a good deal like my Peavey Classic 50. It's hard to describe, but the notes developed in an organic way - clear and punchy, but with some harmonic butter. Responds well to guitar volume changes. I would love to see a more extensively developed Nutube implementation. I'm sure we will; this seems like a prime contender for "the next big thing."

Two minor dings:

1) It seems to have a set amount of mids, with the tone working high mids and highs. In a mix, though, you'd be glad the mids were there. The EQ is well-enough thought out for a one-knob approach... but it is a one-knob approach. Don't expect a big low end.

2) I noticed a small amount of wiggle in the volume knob; I know folks usually associate that with a PCB-mounted pot. Doesn't seem dodgy, just not as nicely solid as the others. I'll remember to go easy on it.

All in all, this is a great little amp, especially for those who already have cabs. It might have an unusual visual aesthetic, but it's got some legitimate mojo under the hood.

 

[paratus]

the notes developed in an organic way - clear and punchy, but with some harmonic butter.

I need to get some of this!

GREAT description.

 

[FerruleCat]

I need to get some of this!

GREAT description.

Thanks. I'm sure there are people whose reference for tube tone is based on high-end amps that the MV50 won't touch. But it definitely avoids the sterility that plagues many solid-state amps. I was pleasantly surprised.

I now have three Class-D amps: The Vox MV50 AC, the Quilter 101 Mini, and the Orange Micro Terror. All are small; all are loud and punchy (especially the Quilter), but none perfectly nails the EQ section -- which seems to fall victim to the "shrink it" impulse. If Vox put the MV50 AC and Clean circuits in the same box to make a 2-channel amp, added a proper three-band EQ (maybe with a parametric mid shaper too), went with more conservative styling, bumped up the power to 80-100 watts, and sold it at $399, it would kill other amps left and right.

 

[FerruleCat]

My MV50 rig is taking shape. This is my home-built 2-10 cab with Eminence Ragin' Cajuns. It's wired at 4 ohms to get the full 50 watts from the head.

I still need to finish the panels in back and wire up the jack plate, but a temporary hookup last night gave good results. The speakers are voiced nicely for the amp. The highest I got the volume was about 10 o'clock, and that was too loud for the house. No problems with cutouts, but it was not a real road test.

I will wire a switch to toggle the second speaker, in case I ever need to run it as an 8 ohm 1-10.

I'm digging this format; it's a nice size and sounds pretty good (though I am using my Tech 21 Leeds for extra EQ control).