User reviews: Behringer V-Amp 2

03/16/11

Hatsubai's review "Decent POD alternative"

The V-Amp 2 was Behringer's version of the infamous Line 6 POD. It has very similar features to the original POD, but it's not quite as versatile. Going through all the features would take awhile, so I'll just hit some of the highlights -- It features your typical inputs/outputs, MIDI, headphone jack and comes in a little carry case.

Utilization

They didn't do too bad for a POD clone. You can make a decent rig out of this with the right power amp and cabinet. The MIDI also allows you to easily switch between various presets you have set up. The effects are average and not too programmable. The knobs feel alright, and the way the lights light up is a decent gimmick. However, I can't help but feel that this product is inferior to the POD. The way it feels and acts... It just seems to be lacking in features.

Sound Quality

The sounds on this aren't bad. Cleans are pretty decent, the mid gains are kinda pathetic, the rhythm tones aren't too bad and the lead tones are actually good. If you're looking for a smooth sounding lead tone, this can actually do a pretty good job. The first Scar Symmetry album had Behringer V-Amp Pro leads, and this little device gets quite close to those. I just wish it had more programmable features.

Overall Opinion

If you're looking for an alternative to the POD and don't feel like spending a lot of money, this device is worth looking into. The lead tones were surprisingly good, and the clean tones are pretty decent. Mid gain and rhythm tones are lacking, but the device is pretty cheap on the used market. Reliability is definitely a concern, however. Mine died for no reason, and I always take care of my gear. The device always felt cheap to begin with, but that's somewhat standard for most of Behringer's products.

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11/06/08

Audiofanzine FR's review

Characteristics

(Originally written by Gratt'oche/translated from Audiofanzine FR)

Small analog multi-effect entirely made of plastic shaped after a Les Paul...

It produces most of the common effects: delay, distortion and amp simulations.

You can edit and save the effects. The connections are very simple: Guitar input, headphone output, aux input, L/R outputs, footswitch and Midi in/out.

Utilization

The user's manual is ok but you won't need it to edit your sounds if you've already used similar effect units. The edition is somewhat tedious because it has only a 2-digit display, making it just as hard as on every other multieffect with such a display. After a while, you'll get used to it. However the LED rings around the controls are a very good idea...

Sound Quality

Regarding sounds, and considering its price tag, I wasn't expecting anything extraordinary... But I never thought... Nothing is really believable.

It's not as bad with headphones, but don't expect to use it for recordings because it won't enhance your playing...

Overall Opinion

I bought it a couple of years ago but it hasn't come out of its lovely bag that often. It was a second-hand impulse buy. Why didn't I stay in bed that day...?

Though, it can be helpful, for its price...

I regret ever buying it... Very unsuitable for rehearsal and concert, and it will certainly do no better in the studio. I recommend you to avoid it. It was ok when it came out, but now it's totally obsolete.

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01/29/04

MGR/Chum N.'s review "Behringer V-Amp 2"

I originally wanted to get a J-Station after borrowing a friend's unit. They were on sale for $99 on the internet. Bythe time I decided to buy it I couldn't find it!

I was looking for a modestly priced effects unit to use at home and for occasional gigs. Another friend mentioned that he had tried out the V-Amp 2 and liked it. I played the unit and thought it sounded transparent and clean - something I was looking for. I didn't especially like the guitar shape because it looks more like a toy or a gadget for a little kid. But the price ($129.95 plus tax) and the sound persuaded me to get it. I wasn't disappointed.

You can pay a lot of money for effects, so price was important to me. I wanted to get as much bang for my buck as possible. The cost of this unit was a plus. The unit has a wide range of pre-programmed sounds with names that sort of identify the nature of the sound. This is handy to get you familiar with the range of possibilities. You can alter and tweak any of these presets easily. There are many different amp sounds and a lot of effects (read the specs for details) The unit gives you tremendous flexibility. I also appreciate how quiet this unit is. My unit has 25 banks with 5 presets on each bank. You can find a sound on any bank and transfer that sound(preset) to any other bank easily. Simply find the sound then tap to the bank and preset button you want and hold down that preset button for about two seconds. That\'s all there is to it. You can then set up a bank of five different effects for the gig your playing. The footswitch allows you to select any of the 5 presets on one bank. You can also bypass the amps and just use the effects. The reverb is good and quite flexible

I do not like having to unplug the unit at the wall outlet. No on-off switch. I\'m thinking I will get a power strip to plug it into and switch that off and on.

I probably would rather have a footswitch to stomp directly to the sound I want rather than the up-down footswitch. The unit does not have any harmonizing effects.

The basic unit is fairly solid and seems durable but be careful with the knobs. I accidentally broke one. The shaft of the knob is hollow plastic! I repaired it by carving a small wooden dowel to fit inside the two parts of the plastic shaft and glued it back with a tiny amount of gorilla glue. Works fine now. So be careful with those knobs!

If you appreciate quality effects at a very reasonable price I think you could be quite happy with this unit. It will provide many hours of fun with a bunch of amp sounds and effects. If you are hard on equipment you might want a more durable unit you can kick around a little more.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

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01/09/04

MGR/Happy with my V-AMP 2's review "Behringer V-AMP 2"

I bought it at Guitar Center for $130.00. I've been in the market for a high quality tube amp but the prices were way out of reach so I decided to look into amp modelers. I checked out the Line 6 POD and was impressed but then I found the Behringer V-amp on the web. I was really impressed with the features and the price, so I went to Guitar Center and tried one out. I was hooked!

The flexibility, the quality, the price, the included foot switch and carrying case which the POD doesn\'t include, but mostly the tone. It really does have all the sounds I need and then some.

No on/off switch which I\'ve learned to live with.

Even though the unit has a plastic case, I feel it\'s well built and sturdy enough to gig with.

I\'ve been familiar with Behringer products for some time and know that they make good quality products. The V-AMP 2 is just another testiment to their high standards. I would recommend it anyone. In fact, My bass player liked mine so much, he went out and bought the Bass V-AMP.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

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12/28/03

MGR/The Finch's review "Behringer V-Amp 2"

£89 from www.studiospares.com

The Behringer V-Amp 2 has swiftly become a necessity in my PC orientated studio as it\'s features fulfil all of my needs when recording guitar directly into my computer.

Most importantly it provides very realistic amp sounds and speaker simulation. It also eliminates the dreaded \'flatness\' from PC recorded audio signals and works wonderfully as a DI or pre-amp into a soundcard.

It\'s signal processing and audio effects are of such high quality (24bit) that I\'m still surprised it cost just 89 quid. With additional features such as a chromatic tuner, MIDI interface (you can download the software from it\'s official site www.v-amp.com) a free foot controller and much, much more it\'s fair to say that I feel totally spoiled by Behringer

It\'s amazing how versatile this piece of equipment is in the studio and I urge any serious musician to buy one immediately. I\'ve produced many professional recordings with it and for it\'s price, you can\'t go wrong.

If you\'re purchasing the Behringer V-Amp 2 as a means of plugging it into your existing amp at band practice, convinced that it\'ll somehow instantly convert your battered equipment into a professional sounding rig then you\'re gonna be disappointed.

The Behringer V-Amp should not be approached the way you would one of your standard guitar effect pedals either as it\'s totally wasted in that area. It\'s more suited for a recording musician and if you\'re not \'that type\' of guitarist then chances are you wont enjoy this device.

The slight delay when operating the foot pedal is nothing really to cry about but that and the lack of a power switch make the V-Amp lose a coolness point.

Like most amp modelers the V-Amp is shaped like a guitar which bugged me at first but hey, it fits neatly \'ontop\' of other things which I suppose is what it was designed for.

It\'s very durable and tough but naturally it\'s an electronic device and wasn\'t made to be thrown around rooms and stuff.

I\'m confident that it\'s solid construction will keep it safe from me on a bad day.

This is an essential, \'must have\' device for PC guitarists and in my opinion officially rivals it\'s more expensive counterparts.

Bottom line, it\'s cheap, sounds awesome and does the job, what more could you want?

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

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11/09/03

MGR/Thomas's review "Behringer V-amp2"

I bought it from a music store in Finland, because I needed it for recording demos. It was new and its price was 170 .

The modelled amps doesn\'t sound perfect, but at least for me they are enough good. Effects are enough good for me also. With lots of modelled amps and effects it offers great varity of different sounds, which probably are suitable at least considering the price.

I play mostly rock and pop, maybe some blues, and even metal at times. V-amp2 offers credible sounds for all those styles. I\'m pretty pleased with its sounds.

It takes a little bit work to learn to use it well, and because I\'m lazy, it is almost too much. Using single effect boxes would be much easier, because they have only one function with each knob.

The lack of power switch is also a bit of a nuisance, but there is quite simple resolution for that problem.

The device is well constructed so it probably won\'t break right away. The quality otherwise is pretty good too.

It isn\'t perfect, but it gets pretty close, so it is worth buying, if you need something like this for making demos for example. It is also great for practising.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

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08/05/03

MGR/Doug's review "Behringer V-AMP 2"

Paid too much, $160

I only use this device for the effects and the tuner, so pertaining to those I like it.

The Amp simulation is horrible. If Behringer would have just focused on good tone instead of so many useless Amp simulations they would have a better product. The absolute worst thing about this device is that the footswitch takes like 3 days to respond and bank over to the next preset. That makes the V AMP completely useless for me. I play in a metal band and just cant have 2 seconds of silence every time I need to switch presets, I need a device that will switch channels within milliseconds, and do so seamlessly. I believe that their is a better footswitch on the market that may respond faster being as it would use the midi port, but I am not about to put any more money towards this device. I also work as a recording engineer and my opinion is that the device is pretty much useless in the studio with the exception of the effects and tuner. I think I am going to purchase what my lead guitarist has: A Rocktron Chamelion, more money but oh well ya get what ya pay for. BUYER BEWARE

Good construction but what good is that if the Amp sims sound crappy and the footswitch is slow?

If you're a beginning guitarist who wants a cool toy from mommy and daddy for xmas, put this on your wishlist. BUT if you are a serious guitarist, in a band, or involved in any studio recording... STAY AWAY.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

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05/13/03

MGR/Thomas Wright's review "Behringer V-Amp 2"

I purchased this unit via a good local dealer in my area of London. I paid £100 which seemed like a good price for all the amp sounds I was supposedly going to have coming through my speakers.

On this unit, there are not many great things about it but I must say that it is designed well and easy to operate. The effects are quite good. E.G - Delay, Echo and Phaser.

When I first got this unit, I was very excited to hear the sounds it gave me after 6 months of a very bad practice amp. Won't mention any names <cough> Park <cough>. However by the end of the evening, I was missing something and I didn't know what it was. After months of trying to make myself like it, I have got increasingly annoyed with it's thin, digital and cold sounds.

There are about 2 or 3 amp models that are usable. Furthurmore, the sampling rate is 31khz!! Now, excuse me if I'm wrong but CD is 44.1 and that's the least people record in these days. I got very confused as to the fact that they didn't bother to put a power switch on the unit so the only way one is going to turn it off is by getting up and going to the wall socket.

I recommend this to someone who has got neighbours that just won't tolerate the noise level of a good amp. Also to someone who knows that they are going as far as demo's only. Please, if you have spent all your cash on mixers, guitars, mics etc. Please don't talk yourself into buying the unit because it's cheap.

The construction seems to be well thought out.

It's quite typical for Behringer to make a unit look like the best one around by it's fancy packaging and looks but what you get when you run your audio through it, make sure you place many cushions behind you so you don't faint with pure terror at the bad quality. This applies to mostly all it's equipment. I have sold this and will soon be moving on to a Marshall AVT275 Valvestate amp which will absolutely kick this thing up in to space.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

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05/04/03

MGR/HM's review "Behringer V-Amp 2"

Havent bought it yet.

But I have had one on trial for several days.

I have done many hours of testing it and comparing it to my Pod thru a whole range of guitars!!

I will buy one next week!

Firstly I read the review by Andy The Tone Freak saying it had the worst sound he had ever heard.

Now I am pretty old, I have played thru Fenders,Marshalls...you name it...I was a guitar cult figure in the 70s and very well known in the country I grew up in, grew up playing hendrix style and blues and later hard rock...so I have had lots of experience.

Andy...unfortunately has his head totally up his arse.

I really think he probably didn't check this unit out at properly at all...does he know how to work a noise gate?

I am fussy I have a really good recording studio with Joe Meeks, Valve mics and so on and I love this unit.

So Lets get down to it.

Comparing this to the Pod...its much more versatile than the Pod (not the XT...I wont be buying one of those) but the Pod 2, it sounds every bit as good and often better.

With a bit of tweaking you can get sooo many sounds...I LOVE IT!!!

I am seeling my Pod, Line 6 stuff is OVERPRICED!!! to the max..forget it, buy a Behringer.

Nothing really

Its a bit more plasticy than the Pod...but it looks and feels more hi tech.

Love the lights display and ergonmics.

Dont listen to bullshit..use your ears.

Line 6 stuff is not better than the Behringer even though it costs five times more.

The V-Amp is a great unti and I love it, it is very usefull and much more versatile than the original Pod.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

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03/30/03

MGR/Pete the Broke Metal Head's review "Behringer V- amp 2"

Bought at Texas Music Emporium (in texas) for $130.

All of its functions are performed well. It is extremely versatile and can run from the most warm and moody clean to the exteme in razor sharp heavy metal distortion (which is exactly what I bout it for). It also spits out a decent crunch for a dynamic blues sound. Then there are the effects which are not as dynamic as I would have hoped but are pointless to me since I dont use any anyway.

The intent for me was to replace my my array of 2 cheezy sounding distortion pedals, hardly a task for the v-amp 2; what I got was many very nice sounding versions of insane distortion, and in that arena the POD can't touch it. This thing can really play metal!

Most importantly you cant beat the price.

It does not accomplish the number one thing it claims to do: make accurate models of various amps and speaker cabinets. I can say that none of the amps that are on its list sound like the origian, or even close; and the speaker simulation leans the sound in the direction of the cabinet but the overall effect just waters down the sound, forcing me to turn it off and leaving me with an overly sharp tone.

However, this piercing tone can be equalized into a much smoother and extremely badass tone, especially if you are playing through big cabinets with thier own characteristic sound shape.

For example when recording with my computer or practicing with my 10 watt crate, I turn on the hi gain setting and use a 4 12 cab sim. When live I use 2 4-12 cabs and no speaker sim. Speaker sim on top of actual speakers sound very very bad. I would say for the ideal recording just mic your cabs.

Also the footswitch that comes with the unit is very slow to respond, and switching on the unit in general causes skitzofrenic

blasts of guitar nonsense untill the preset is loaded.

For whatever reason they shaped this thing like a telecaster-les paul mutant. I dont know why, its really silly. Plus dont drop it, its plastic and has some weight.

The interface is very simple and intuitive, i figued out 90% of the operation in the store without any instruction. You can dial in whatever you want in seconds. Plus all of the dials are analog with LEDs as pointers which makes for exelent on the fly tweaks, except for one dial, the master volume(good idea).

This is one sexy econo-unit. The cost to function ratio is much higher than anything else on the market. Most importantly it just sounds very nice, no matter what sound you are going for.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

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Behringer V-Amp 2

Behringer V-Amp 2 user reviews ( 7/10) - 53 user reviews