The VOX MV50 has an all-analog pre-amp circuit with Nutube, a revolutionary new vacuum tube that produces authentic tube tone in a fraction of the size. Using this incredible new technology, VOX’s engineers were able to create a true, miniature tube amplifier.
Aside from Nutube, the VOX MV50’s pre-amp circuit includes a staggering number of analogue components that faithfully reproduce the dynamic character of a traditional tube amp. A dependable and efficient Class D power amp designed specifically for the MV50 is paired with this innovative pre-amp circuit. This power amp has been designed to respond to the nuances of your guitar and, of course, your technique, with everything from warm, natural cleans to dynamic overdrives.
It was far more than I had anticipated. I understand that this newer tube technology has taken a long time to develop, so I thought this new product based on it would be beneficial. I’m happy to report that it lives up to the hype and that Vox did an excellent job with it.
I saw that it would be lacking in features, so I went with the clean version in the hopes of building a very small pedal platform. All you needed was a pedal board and speakers.
I was expecting this to come across as rather ordinary but I’m happy to say that has passed, This sounds fantastic. Excellent punch – super clean but lush, RICH! Often, being articulate comes at the expense of being lush and rich and the other way around but not at all in this case.
The bass and treble controls provide an incredible amount of meaningful adjustment. I was blown away by the subtlety of the sound sculpting and how good everything was. When not playing, it is completely silent.
It has few controls, but they are effective. As previously stated, the bass and treble are excellent. Also, I’ve only used the cabinet selection as far as it goes, but I can tell you that the power amp output voicing is excellent. The entire amp appears to be very well orchestrated and tuned between the provided features to provide a great overall experience. Very well done, and you will not regret your purchase.
I was even more convinced after inserting pedals into it, simply wonderful! The end result is that I’m far happier than I expected to be because this newer output power amp technology works. With an 8ohm 12″ speaker, it produces a very believable 25W of volume while being palm-sized and weighing almost nothing. And the device remained cool to the touch, which is quite impressive.
The power attenuator selector on this clean version allows for more sound sculpting between the preamp and output. The front-panel volume control then keeps your sound at the desired volume. The cabinet’s selector is flat and deep. I’ve only tried deep until now. And it’s been so good that I haven’t bothered checking the flat.
The only disadvantage in VOX MV50 that I can think of is that all of the selectors are on the back, and the last selector is power. The power plug for the separate power supply is on the back, next to the power selector, so at least the power selector is fairly easy to feel/find. The other oddity is the output gauge on the front, which appears to be nothing more than a very large and fancy power indicator where most amps would just have the LED. It’s not obnoxious and lets you know when the amp is turned on. At this point, I truly believe that if I were to lose this amplifier, I would rush to replace it. That’s how good it is.