Hi! I hope you don’t mind giving some advice on buying a desktop amp. I’m talking basically about those amp sims with full range mini-speakers. I’ve been playing for years, but I’ve been using amp sims. I’ve previously owned tube amps, but found them inconvenient for practicing and always ended up playing unplugged. I also tried vox amPlug, which was better, but I also dislike having headphones on while playing. So I primarily want a desktop amp that would inspire me to play more.
I’ve looked at various ones online (I don’t really have an opportunity to try them live), which makes a decision very hard.
My list so far:
- Yamaha THR30
- Positive Grid Spark 40
- Hotone Pulze
- Nux mighty space
I also don’t have great PC speakers, so maybe I could also use it as general speaker there. Do you have experience on any of those? Some others? Any advice?
Thanks!
Edit:
Ordered a Nux Mighty Space, it could take a week or two before it arrives. I’ll post an update once I get it. Thanks everyone!
I have the Spark 40, and absolutely love it. It allows me to change settings ridiculously easily, and sounds great pretty much across the gamut. It is in my mind the perfect practice amp for a living room, or bedroom setup.
It also allows you to wire directly to your pc to use as an audio interface. I have not used the others on your list, but in my mind at least it’s hard to go wrong with the spark.
Lastly, it is bluetooth compatible, and I use it as my primary Bluetooth speaker when listening to Spotify from my phone.
It’s the cheapest from the list, and doesn’t appear to lack in versatility/features. The only thing I notice is it’s not a 24bit interface, but I don’t know if it bothers me. I already have a separate audio interface for when/if I record. And to be honest, while I plan on recording, I’ve recorded like one or two demos in the past 10 years.