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Vox AC15HTVH
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Mark Twang Mark Twang

« I love it »

Published on 11/03/09 at 06:50
Value For Money : Excellent
Tube amp of 15 watts.
EF86 channel, reissue of the original circuit in the 1950s.
Top Boost channel with 3 12AX7, reissue of the 1960 circuit.
Two speaker outputs, impedance switch 8 or 16 ohms.
No effects, no reverb, no effects loop, no master volume.
For each channel, two inputs, one of which is attenuated (-6dB).
Purist bias is justified (no master volume to respect the grain of the original amp) but could suffer some sprains (an effects loop would have been welcome).

UTILIZATION

Amp plug & play. No real settings, but many configuration options:
- Canal EF86: volume / gain (plus it&#39;s stronger, it&#39;s crunch), a brightness selector 3 positions (off, 1 = current brightness AC30 CC, 2 = original brightness), a switch 2 positions Bass Shift (off, on), 2-position selector mode lamp operation preamp (pentode = normal behavior; triode = less gain and volume).
- Top Boost channel: a volume / gain, parametric EQ active in two bands (acute, severe).
- Masters: a top cut (to cut the treble), a mode selector lamp operating power (= 15W pentode, triode = 7.5 W). The manual does help in the grip of the device. We obtain immediately the Vox, the legend. We like it or not, but this amp does exactly what it is supposed to do. ATTENTION: this should be placed as a single channel amp because it is not expected that one can switch from one channel to another in-game AB Box A is not a good option because if we rule a channel clear, the other saturated the difference in volume is too high.

NOTE: it can bridge the two channels to play mix the two sounds
- It plugs into the entrance of the channel Hi EF86
- It connects the input Low EF86 channel at the entrance of the channel Hi Top Boost
- One dose mixing with the volume of each channel.

USE TYPE:
- The amp is adjusted depending on the guitar (Low Input / Hi, volume, pentode / triode ...) to get the typical breakup Vox.
- It cleared up the sound by turning down the volume of the guitar.
- It is saturated with a Treble Booster (Rangemaster type) or an OD that responds well to the amp, which is not obvious because this amp is very difficult.

TIPS:
- You can use a clean boost pedal set "backwards" to mitigate the signal will activate a clean sound of great purity, and if the pedal is buffered (I use an Xotic RC Booster) without loss of sharp contrast to what one gets by lowering the volume of the guitar (treble bleed effect).
- You can also play on the power output (7.5 / 15 W) to achieve match the intensity of a clear, that of a saturated sound. Must then play for 15W clear, bring the amp in 7.5 W for the full. It requires manipulations that are reserved rather a time-out between two pieces.

SOUNDS

- Sound Vox is a clear, bright and slamming a breakup inimitable creamy typical saturation. I use it with a Telecaster, but this amp also magnifying the Les Paul, Rickenbacker and Gretsch and others.
- To gain the pedals, I like the result obtained with the Fulltone OCD but I get nothing usable with Tube Screamer. The best sound reproduction is achieved by boosting the signal of the amp: clean boost, mid boost, treble boost ... the treble boosters are recommended. It appears that the RAT works well.
- Attention, he plays hard ... VERY loud! Not sure that members of your group appreciate the amount necessary to reach saturation, even in mode 7.5 watts! At 15 watts, it squarely covers a JCM 800 100 Watts!

OVERALL OPINION

Most
Sound Vox ... right. The bass shift to clean low mode Pentode / triode to stay in one volume humanly bearable. Construction Handwired: worn components are easily changed. The excellent value for money. The vintage look sublime. The well-built chassis, which is easily removed from the casing with a neat hardware (it changes wood screws sunk into barbarism in the base of Vox CC). Lamps preamp available directly behind the rear panel. Excellent amp for stage or studio.
The -
Sound Vox ... only.
Construction Handwired: attention to the risks of dry welds that cause failure.
The installation of the Tolex is not without flaws.
To access the power tubes, remove the chassis.
Amp VERY difficult with pedals gain. The massive scale that saturates: it is not an amp for home.

CONCLUSION:
- This amp is a warning for players ready to give up the comfort of the master volume, effects loop, the tremolo built ... Roots is an amp.
- Despite all that, this amp is for me a no-fault: its many defects (inherent in its design) contribute to its incredible acoustics. I was very pleased with the series of Vox Heritage CC but the series raises the bar a notch above. I play it for 2 years as a group. This choice I would do without hesitation.

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