New VOX MV50 range

Axe_meister

Very nice looking and sounding amps from what I've heard so far.
But lacking in a couple of features.
e.g. FX-Loop which would given them the ability to slave two of them together (e.g. a clean amp and a dirty amp)
with which you could then power some stereo speakers.
Could make for a very versitile and compact rig.

Sassafras

Can you not do that with the line-out?

Axe_meister

Not if you want time based effects after the two different pre-amps.
Say you have the MV50 Clean and the MV50 Rock. 
I'd want to A/B my signal going in, then loop out to my modulation/time based effects and then return in
stereo to the power amp section of both amps.

monquixote

You could always run a pair of them after a chorus or something. 

From what I've heard they aren't all that loud.

Axe_meister

monquixote said:

You could always run a pair of them after a chorus or something. 

From what I've heard they aren't all that loud.

But I like my chorus/delay after OD. Not in front of a crunchy amp.

monquixote

Axe_meister said:

monquixote said:

You could always run a pair of them after a chorus or something. 

From what I've heard they aren't all that loud.

But I like my chorus/delay after OD. Not in front of a crunchy amp.

That means you are defective rather than the amp

HAL9000

I like the that by using the NuTube technology that Vox have managed to make a small lightweight 'valve' amp. Unfortunately (in my opinion) the inclusion of the VU meter combined with the lack of an FX loop and full EQ make this a novelty amp rather than a serious bit of kit.

IMHO Vox should put the NuTube technology into something that looks like a traditional Vox amp. If it happens to be a combo then use a neodymium speaker and produce a proper amp that can actually be carried up a flight of stairs.

digitalscream

Obligatory polarising demo...



I do find it somewhat mystifying that they've made a tiny little amp that only develops its full power into a 4 ohm load, which - in the guitar world - is generally only found in big, unwieldy 4x12" cabs. To me, it seems far more sensible to have them put the full 50W into an 8 ohm load, and ~25W into a 16 ohm.

Also...I'm a bit annoyed with the whole "proprietary power supply" thing. I mean...I understand why the NuTube thing is proprietary (shame though it is), but isn't that enough without the anti-consumer approach of custom power supplies?

ICBM

I suspect it's actually a completely generic power supply, but I would need to see the spec and the connector to know for sure.

Of course this is the 'cheat' to get such a small but powerful amp... half of it is outboard. Conventional amps have the power supply built in.

digitalscream

ICBM said:

I suspect it's actually a completely generic power supply, but I would need to see the spec and the connector to know for sure.

Of course this is the 'cheat' to get such a small but powerful amp... half of it is outboard. Conventional amps have the power supply built in.

Well...high-end laptop power supplies can easily put out 95W+, which I'd imagine would be sufficient for these things - and they're actually not that big. It wouldn't have killed them to make it a touch bigger. Perhaps a heat problem...?

I suppose the flip side is that a good use for these is to put it on your pedalboard, at which point mounting the power supply underneath and saving space up top kinda makes sense.

simonk

That handle is still annoying me.

ICBM

digitalscream said:

Well...high-end laptop power supplies can easily put out 95W+, which I'd imagine would be sufficient for these things - and they're actually not that big.

My guess is that's exactly what it is - depending on the connector.

digitalscream

ICBM said:

digitalscream said:

Well...high-end laptop power supplies can easily put out 95W+, which I'd imagine would be sufficient for these things - and they're actually not that big.

My guess is that's exactly what it is - depending on the connector.

Subjectively, it looks a lot like an old Dell laptop connector to me...19V sounds about right, too.

olafgarten

I have a tiny Acer Laptop PSU that puts out 2.37A at 19V, the MV50 only needs 3.43A, so I can't imagine the PSU would be much bigger.

digitalscream

olafgarten said:

I have a tiny Acer Laptop PSU that puts out 2.37A at 19V, the MV50 only needs 3.43A, so I can't imagine the PSU would be much bigger.

Yep, just found an HP PSU lying around - 19V @ 4.74A. Seems like an easy win, that...as long as the connector's not some horrible just-slightly-non-standard thing.

Fortheloveofguitar

digitalscream said:

olafgarten said:

I have a tiny Acer Laptop PSU that puts out 2.37A at 19V, the MV50 only needs 3.43A, so I can't imagine the PSU would be much bigger.

Yep, just found an HP PSU lying around - 19V @ 4.74A. Seems like an easy win, that...as long as the connector's not some horrible just-slightly-non-standard thing.

That seems to be Blackstar's trick on the ID Core range and others

They have a custom made barrel plug that you can't get anywhere else so have to pay through the nose for the official power supply 

digitalscream

Fortheloveofguitar said:

digitalscream said:

olafgarten said:

I have a tiny Acer Laptop PSU that puts out 2.37A at 19V, the MV50 only needs 3.43A, so I can't imagine the PSU would be much bigger.

Yep, just found an HP PSU lying around - 19V @ 4.74A. Seems like an easy win, that...as long as the connector's not some horrible just-slightly-non-standard thing.

That seems to be Blackstar's trick on the ID Core range and others

They have a custom made barrel plug that you can't get anywhere else so have to pay through the nose for the official power supply 

Simple solution to this is to make your own adaptor by cutting the connector off the official power supply and using something more standard on the other end, then grabbing a couple of laptop PSUs and splicing the corresponding standard connector onto them. Job done - quick, easy swaps at gig-time if your PSU dies.