Positive Grid Spark, Mini v 40 v Go opinions

mark123

I have owned all 3 over the year  but sold the 40 to get the mini as loads of reviews said it's the best sounding of the 3 and with portability no cables etc .

To start the  Go sounded the poorest to me as i expected but as a headphone amp it was great but it would easily fall off a table etc with headphones on so that went.

 I liked the sound of the 40 but the mains cable and portability and sounding a little bassy even with the stuffing the bass hole fix so that went .

Using that money i purchased the mini and i think it sounds boxy and 1 dimensional and tinny .

So the question is am i doing something wrong in the settings ? Any tips ? I also think all of them  sounds better with single coils ala tele/strat , my Vintage Lemon drop sounds crap through it , i thought the amp would be designed for any guitar or yet again am i doing something wrong in the settings ?

Or should i have kept the 40 and put up with the cables transformer and a little bit more bass on the sounds ? .

TheMarlin

There are tips in this following thread about settings tweaks that improve the sound. 

https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/263858/tried-this-digital-lark/p2

I heard one, and thought it sounded like a mosquito in a tin can, so bought the Nux Mighty Lite BT MK2 as a travel amp instead. 

Not expecting a boutique 1x12 valve experience from it, but if it’s anything like the excellent Nux Mighty Plug Pro, I’ll be a very happy man 

ditchboy

Did you have the 40 before they added an eq pedal into the fx? 

ditchboy

Sorry just re-read that. If you’ve owned it this year then yes you have. I didn’t find it too bassy once you use that pedal. 

pt22

I don't totally agree about the Mini, but I may have lowered expectations. It's in my office, on a shelf with a wireless receiver, and I use it solely for playing when I have 10 mins in between meetings (or during boring ones). It's not mean to fill the room or be immersive, just a practice tool with some decent sounding presets I've downloaded from others. I purchased the Jimi presets and I found them to be a ton of fun. 

It's not as "full" as my old Yamaha THR10ii, but the app is way better to use and I find the addition of a preset library to be immeasurably more fun. 

TheMarlin

Of all the practice amps I’ve heard, the Fender GT40 sounded the best 
but somehow it have me option blindness, and I spent more time mucking about with cab models and pedal placement than actually playing it. 

I built 100 presets, which all sounded similar.  Tweedy or blackface with reverb and delay, or 70’s rock/punk. 

With the Nix Mighty Plug Pro, you can do all that, but I found I just set the 7 presets, and left it. Once done, no further tweaking.  Thats a good thing  

I might yet get the Spark Mini or Go, but think
tbe Nux Mighty Lite MK2 will do the trick just nicely. 

noisepolluter

I deliberated for a while on the various offerings and ended up with Yamaha THR30ii with wireless transmitter. Totally happy with it and would recommend, especially if you use the editor app. Also serves as a respectable bluetooth speaker in its own right. 

mark123

I wasn't expecting stereo surround sound but just something better than what i am hearing , especially after the amount of people saying how it was better than the 40..not to my ears.

normula1

I bought the Go to annoy the neighbours in the back garden if we ever get any sunshine.
 It's not too bad through headphones using P90s / Humbuckers, less so for me with a Strat.
Playing through the speaker though, I find it to be very tiring on the ear after not too much time at all even at low volume.

mark123

normula1 said:

I bought the Go to annoy the neighbours in the back garden if we ever get any sunshine.
 It's not too bad through headphones using P90s / Humbuckers, less so for me with a Strat.
Playing through the speaker though, I find it to be very tiring on the ear after not too much time at all even at low volume.

I thought that about the Go when i owned it .

For me the Go is really a headphone amp ,you hit the nail on the head with tiring on the ear after a little bit time when using the speaker.

TheMarlin

The Nux Mighty Lite BT MK2 arrived today. 

Sounds WAY better than the positive grid mini. 

Cracking little thing, running with the iPad app and backing tracks. Cracking practice tool.  Huge tonal flexibility available on tap. 

And, makes an excellent Bluetooth speaker too!
delighted with it. 

bobblehat

As mentioned above ,if your playing through the speaker then the EQ pedal makes a huge difference.

menamestom

I think the Mini sounds great.  One of the best purchases I've made.

For relatively low volume playing I find it sounds far bigger than it is.   I replaced a Helix Stomp XL though monitors with mine and don't feel I'm missing anything.

mark123

menamestom said:

I think the Mini sounds great.  One of the best purchases I've made.

For relatively low volume playing I find it sounds far bigger than it is.   I replaced a Helix Stomp XL though monitors with mine and don't feel I'm missing anything.

Very varied opinions,  any tips on your settings ?.
Do you do your own amp/fx settings ? or get them off the library ? 
What volume are you playing at ? 

I'm a bit underwhelmed with mine a.t.m .
( Spark mini)