Low Wattage Rocks Out (Vox AC4TV)

Member Name: robertjb

Product:	Vox AC4TV
Date:	31/08/09 (157 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good quality, good price, built-in attenuator, vox overdrive

Disadvantages: Only one channel

I've heard quite a few times that there is no such thing as a good low-wattage valve amp but lately that seems to be changing with amps such as the Blackstar HT-5, Blackheart Little Giant, Orange Tiny Terror and now the Vox AC4 TV. It is based on the old AC4 amplifier but reduced to 5 watts and with some nifty modern features.

Here are the specs:
Controls: Tone, Volume, OP Level (4W, 1W, 1/4 W)
In/Out Jacks: Input, External Speaker Jack (1/4")
Output: 4 Watt RMS 16-Ohm
Speakers: AC4TV 1 x 10" 16-Ohm Celestion VX10 custom speaker;
Valve/Tube Complement: 1 x 12AX7 (pre) / 1 x EL84 (power)
AC4TV Dimensions: 13.78" (W) x 8.46" (D) x 14.76" (H);
AC4TV Weight: 19.84 lbs

As you can see from the spec it has a built in attenuator. So you can select from 4 to 1, to 0.25 watts. This is a great feature which allows you to get valve tones at low volumes. It only has one channel so if you want to get overdrive you need to turn up the volume with humbuckers it usually breaks up at around 5 o'clock. There is a tone control which allows you to choose how bright or dark it sounds. This is my first valve amp and I love it so much already. The clean sound just has so much more quality than my old cube 30X. The only way I can describe it is that it has more presence and just sounds more sparkly. When you crank it you get that unmistakable vox overdrive and it sounds like the amp is roaring when you play chords. This amp is pretty versatile and has enough gain for most things except metal.

I heartily recommend this to anyone looking for a valve amp for bedroom pratice. A lot of people seem to be recommending the Blackstar but I think this is better especially if you don't play metal and even if you do you can get this and a decent overdrive pedal or distortion pedal for cheaper than the Blackstar.A pure bargain

Summary: Anyone looking for a valve amp for bedroom pratice, look no further!