Vox Valvetronix

VOX VALVETRONIX VT40X £238
The Brit amp co revamps an old favourite
VOX VALVETRONIX VT40X
REVIEW
VOX
introduced its
Valvetronix amps
way back in 2001, and they’re still
going strong today, outlasting
most of the modelling amp
competition along the way. There’s
no real secret to this; they sound
superb – and while they aren’t the
cheapest, the sounds and build
quality more than compensate for
that. After such a long time,
however, it was clearly time for a
refresh, which has given us the
newer, better VTX series.
The 40-watt 1x10 VT40X has a
restyled sealed cabinet, with a
clever bass refl ex design to
enhance the 10-inch driver’s bass
response. Inside the chassis, there’s
a new digital signal processor that,
along with other components,
takes advantage of 15 years of
technological progress to offer
more realistic sounds than ever
before. This is where Vox has
leveraged the considerable digital
expertise of parent company Korg,
using its VET (Virtual Element
Technology) modelling system to
simulate each amp down to the
last component, changing gain
structure, tone network, operating
class and bias, all in real time.
On the surface, the VT40X’s
control panel looks quite similar to
the old Valvetronix amps, but with
some new features, most notably
the class and bias buttons. These
allow selection of class A or class
AB, as well as shifting the bias
voltage from normal to either cold
or hot modes. Both buttons change
the VT40X’s dynamic response,
affecting the Valve Reactor circuit,
which uses a real 12AX7 valve to
provide more realistic valve-driven
tone and response. While the
preamp is digital, this digitally
controlled analogue part of the
The sounds have improved,
with more focus and detail
FEATURES
SOUND QUALITY
VALUE FOR MONEY
BUILD QUALITY
PLAYABILITY
OVERALL RATING
SUMMARY
amp adds signifi cant warmth and
dynamics, which is still diffi cult to
capture in the digital domain.
The VT40X’s sounds have really
improved with more focus and
detail. The Vox models are
uncannily realistic, especially the
AC30TB, which captures the
original’s class A grind and vocal
solo voice. Other old favourites
such as Boutique OD (based on the
a Dumble) and Double Rectifi er
have more dynamic range, with a
sweeter, more detailed top-end
that comes almost uncomfortably
close to the real thing. The effects
are equally impressive, with a
choice of 12 onboard modulations,
delays, reverbs, overdrives and
distortions, as well as a handy
noise reduction.
But the fun doesn’t end with
what you get out of the box; Vox’s
Tone Room editor software allows
in-depth editing of parameters,
adds extra models and effects and
lets you save personal favourites
offl ine, in addition to the eight
patches you can store on the amp
itself. You can also sample other
user patches, which can be a great
help for newbies.
All in all, there’s no doubt: the
new VT40X and its stablemates
have extra added zing in many
departments, making them even
more desirable, and ensuring that
the Valvetronix line remains at the
top of the amp modelling hill for
many more years to come.
Nick Guppy
88 JANUARY 2016
TYPE: Digital/analogue/valve hybrid
modelling combo
OUTPUT: 40W
SPEAKER: 1x10” Vox Special Design
CONTROLS: Amp model select, gain,
treble, middle, bass, volume, power
level; preset mode switch, 3x effects
select button, 2x effects value edit,
bank select, 4x channel select, tap
button, bias shift, class select
SOCKETS: Input, aux in, headphones
out, footswitch (optional) in, USB
WEIGHT: 9.5kg
DIMENSIONS: [HxWxD]
404 x 462 x 225mm
CONTACT: Vox Amplification
01908 304600 www.voxamps.com
AT A GLANCE
BIAS & CLASS
THE new Bias and Class buttons
operate to vary the VT40X’s
dynamic response and add
crossover distortion, along with
other subtle nuance effects
MODELS
THE familiar amp
model selector
switch accesses 11
different amp sims
(up to 20 using the
Tone Room editor
software). The
amp actually
reconfi gures itself
for each setting
IN AND OUT
YOU can plug in external
sources using the aux in
jack; the headphones
socket also doubles as a
recording output and
interfaces with any mixer
TGR275.gear_vox.indd 88 11/30/15 5:32 PM