Comparison Video between AC-15HW and AC15-VR!!!

[honeyiscool]

I had a nice bonus check to play with this December, so I got myself a couple of new toys. I got the hybrid AC-15 VR to be my new gigging amp, and I got the AC-15 HW to be the amp that I baby. Now that I've had some time with them, I thought I'd make a comparison video.

After messing around with different "upgrades," I settled on a Celestion G12 Century Vintage and a Sovtek 12AX7 for the AC15-VR. Not only does that combination sound good, it brings the amp down to a mere 35 pounds! The AC-15HW1X is completely stock, with the stock Ruby tubes and Celestion Alnico Blue.

Since the goal of my amps is to play my own music on, I decided to pick three of my songs to demo, all with different levels of gain, and since the only high-gain song I could think of was that one J-rock song I learned the other day, I chose that song to demo the higher gain settings. No pedals were used.

Sparkle: VR (0:00), HW (0:48)
Crackle: VR (1:44), HW (2:31)
Singing: VR (3:21), HW (4:38)
Driving: VR (5:55), HW (7:05)

Mic is an Audio-Technica Pro 37 small diaphragm condenser, about a foot away, aimed straight at the middle of the cone. No EQ, compression, or effects applied.

Listening back, I think the two are so different that I can't really prefer one over the other, I like them both. The HW has the sparkle, but the VR actually has a very pleasing crunch in the Normal channel that I love. HW is somewhat louder, but I can't really see volume being an issue. The setting I see myself using the most on stage is the "Singing" setting from above, and at that VR is actually amazing. It's got great sustain and presence, I love the way it accents the pick.

But I love the way the HW sounds in that last clip... I think that clip fully justifies the price of the amp. It might be more to do with the AlNiCo Blue than the amp, but whatever it is, I love it. The natural compression is stunning, and the amp sounds SMOOTH, has a ton of treble yet never gets harsh.

[bjcarl]

Video isn't working for me...?

[honeyiscool]

Yeah, I uploaded it to the wrong account, so I have to re-upload it. Please come back in an hour, it'll be working then.

[billybilly]

video coming up as removed?

Edit: I'll check back later.

[cratz2]

The VR sounds pretty good. I know that very often a recording doesn't present the entire picture but I preferred the recorded tone from the VR on both the 'Sparkle' and 'Crackle' portions of your video.

I only briefly played the VR at Sweetwater for a half hour or so. I already had two Voxes so I wasn't checking it out with any sort of intent to purchase but yeah... I quite liked the 'Normal' tones I got out of it... within a certain volume range, anyway.

You definitely bring a certain vibe and energy to your playing.

[honeyiscool]

Thanks! When it comes to recording, I think it might be that the VR has better sound right in front of the cone because it's a closed back cabinet. I somewhat wish the VR was open back so it sounded better in the room, but really, it sounds fine as it is, has good bass, good projection, and plus, it's easier to dial in a recorded sound. Moreover, for the HW, the Alnico Blue is still probably in the process of breaking in and is very bright. It sounds bright, but it definitely does not sound QUITE so bright in the room.

Yeah, listening back to these, the HW cleans are a little difficult to digest. I mean, they sound glorious (and very 60s!) in the room, but I have a feeling the open cabinet gives me a room sound that is not quite the same thing as the cone sound, so I have to watch out for that. I might mic that HW amp slightly off center, or maybe use a dynamic instead of my usual condenser. I prefer using a condenser to get all the information a speaker puts out, but the Alnico almost puts out too much tone. Or I could play with the Tone Cut knob until I find the right mix. Normally I love the highs on an amp but when recorded, the AC-15HW1X definitely pushes the limits of what I can stand. Definitely with all the tones I captured today, the VR tones would definitely find it easier to blend into a mix.

I guess thanks to the Alnico, the HW1's heavy distortion sound is a winner. The Top Boost tones w/ the Hot switch on, I love those tones. That could go right into a song as it is and I'd be completely happy with that sound. With the two single coils in series, I feel like I get a very Brian May-esque sound.

[cratz2]

I hear ya... I had the H1TV version of the AC15 with the Celestion. I tried a couple Blue Dogs with it as well as trying the Celestion in my CC1. I could live with all of them and certainly love what the Blue can do but to my ears, the recent Celestion Blues are brighter than the Blues of yesterdecade. (I think I just coined a word!) I preferred the Blue Dogs for a number of types of tones and esp when I could really unwind the AC15 to loud-ish gig levels. But man... that Celestion... in the H1TV, on the EF86 channel... at a certain volume level, it just sounds... MAN! Outstanding! It was about 2:00 on my particular amp with a strat with Duncan Antiquities or Fender CS54s. You read about 'bloom' and man... at that point, it just bloomed.

Having said that, I can almost always get a tone I enjoy out of any tube Vox amp I've ever played through. It's just that some take more coaxing than others.

[cratz2]

I hear ya... I had the H1TV version of the AC15 with the Celestion. I tried a couple Blue Dogs with it as well as trying the Celestion in my CC1. I could live with all of them and certainly love what the Blue can do but to my ears, the recent Celestion Blues are brighter than the Blues of yesterdecade. (I think I just coined a word!) I preferred the Blue Dogs for a number of types of tones and esp when I could really unwind the AC15 to loud-ish gig levels. But man... that Celestion... in the H1TV, on the EF86 channel... at a certain volume level, it just sounds... MAN! Outstanding! It was about 2:00 on my particular amp with a strat with Duncan Antiquities or Fender CS54s. You read about 'bloom' and man... at that point, it just bloomed.

Having said that, I can almost always get a tone I enjoy out of any tube Vox amp I've ever played through. It's just that some take more coaxing than others.

[billybilly]

Honey, your handwired amp is the bomb. I liked it better on every setting. I guess you get what you pay for. It just sounds sweet and defined all at once.

[megawzrd]

The VR does sound pretty good.

It does seem the HW with the fresh Blue needs to break in a bit, I would crank that thing whenever possible and recompare in a few months. I run a bassman circuit 1x10 combo split into a avatar 1x12 cab with a blue. OMG the toanz. Sometimes I miss that vox sparkle though.

That HW custom you got has given me gas.

[bjcarl]

Maybe it's just the recording but both sound very sweet...I think the VR may actually sound a little "richer" if that makes any sense..?

[honeyiscool]

Originally Posted by cratz2

I hear ya... I had the H1TV version of the AC15 with the Celestion. I tried a couple Blue Dogs with it as well as trying the Celestion in my CC1. I could live with all of them and certainly love what the Blue can do but to my ears, the recent Celestion Blues are brighter than the Blues of yesterdecade. (I think I just coined a word!) I preferred the Blue Dogs for a number of types of tones and esp when I could really unwind the AC15 to loud-ish gig levels. But man... that Celestion... in the H1TV, on the EF86 channel... at a certain volume level, it just sounds... MAN! Outstanding! It was about 2:00 on my particular amp with a strat with Duncan Antiquities or Fender CS54s. You read about 'bloom' and man... at that point, it just bloomed.

Having said that, I can almost always get a tone I enjoy out of any tube Vox amp I've ever played through. It's just that some take more coaxing than others.

I think I enjoy every Vox amp I've ever played through, except the AD30VT, but to be fair, the tube in that was dying, so that's not fair. But yeah, the H1TV sounded like an interesting amp, but the HW1 seems like they made the amp everyone wanted. But the thick mode in the TB channel gives it an added dimension, the Night Train also has that switch and I actually like it a lot. It's like an instant amount of silly gain.

Originally Posted by billybilly

Honey, your handwired amp is the bomb. I liked it better on every setting. I guess you get what you pay for. It just sounds sweet and defined all at once.

Thank you! I think if you want the traditional Vox qualities, the HW nails it. To me, VR is a great sound, but it's not exactly that.

Originally Posted by megawzrd

It does seem the HW with the fresh Blue needs to break in a bit, I would crank that thing whenever possible and recompare in a few months. I run a bassman circuit 1x10 combo split into a avatar 1x12 cab with a blue. OMG the toanz. Sometimes I miss that vox sparkle though.

That HW custom you got has given me gas.

I'll try my best! I think the Century Vintage needs to break in a bit, too. When I was first hitting some of the distorted notes, the amp definitely needed to ease into it a little bit. I can imagine that over time, that speaker will loosen up as well, too.

Originally Posted by bjcarl

Maybe it's just the recording but both sound very sweet...I think the VR may actually sound a little "richer" if that makes any sense..?

It definitely has a nice "rich" sound, I agree. And the bass response is certainly better, and that is despite the fact that I was actually cutting bass on the VR in some of the settings.

Overall, I'm glad that this comparison has done two things for me. First, it's confirmed that the HW1X is a very sweet sounding amp and the amp that I wanted. With that amp, I wanted the traditional Vox sound and I feel like I've got it, and then there's the thick creamy sound which I didn't really think I was going to enjoy that much but I do, so really, recording it has justified the price for me. But secondly, I'm glad to see that the VR doesn't embarrass itself. In fact, it has other strengths and qualities that the HW1X doesn't have, either, but at the things HW1X does well, the VR is actually a pretty capable backup. I mean, my band basically plays at dive bars 90% of the time. The VR will be more than adequate at those.

It's quite thrilling when I listen back to these tracks and they sound no worse than guitars I normally hear on recordings. Better, in a lot of ways, since it hasn't been treated and processed to hell like so many guitar tones these days. And definitely better than the "British Combo" setting on GarageBand.

[soundcreation]

Originally Posted by billybilly

Honey, your handwired amp is the bomb. I liked it better on every setting. I guess you get what you pay for. It just sounds sweet and defined all at once.

Yep. And I don't even think it's close.

Don't like that VR at all. (no offense). Very shrill pronounced highs on all the clip save the last one where it was very muddy.

The HW's tone was much much "rounder" with balanced smooth frequencies. I understand what you were saying about the "sparkle" mic'ing/open back thing...the sound on the HW is a bit "muted" in terms of audio, but it's pretty easy (to me anyway) to tell that's just a mic'ing issue as the roundness of the tone is still much more apparent than the VR.

Control your cat honey!

[honeyiscool]

One does not control a cat. Cat controls me.

[kayd_mon]

Thanks for those clips! I liked the VR better for "Sparkle," I thought they were equal for "Crackle," and I thought the HW did better for "Singing" and "Driving." Nice playing, too. This clip makes me want to check out a VR.

[GAS Man]

HW'd

[Mesa/Kramer]

The VR had much more Punch and depth to it.
The HW sounded thin and weak everytime against the VR.

[soundcreation]

Originally Posted by honeyiscool

One does not control a cat. Cat controls me.

two words....

choke chain...

[cratz2]

I Lloyd those threads. I liked listening and comparing but beyond that, I enjoy seeing how people completely disagree on what they heard.

[Lonnie99]

I have a hard time with HICs videos because he plays things I've never heard/don't like. Odd stuff for an old dude like me.

[wagdog]

Hate to say this, but I like the VR better in those clips. I'm sure in person those amps sound quite a bit different, so it's hard to tell w/a youtube vid.

[wagdog]

Hate to say this, but I like the VR better in those clips. I'm sure in person those amps sound quite a bit different, so it's hard to tell w/a youtube vid.

[Marc G]

to my ears the HW has the better attack and over all tone in the first three set ups and sounds like it was far more responsive to your playing... I think both amps didn't do that super pushed sound that great, but it might different in the room as you suggested... that being said, I can see the VR cutting a gig for sure depending on the stuff you're playing.... how does it take pedals?

[jrockbridge]

If you want the AC-15HW to sound great when recorded, crank it up loud. Pure tube amps do not sound great at lower volumes. It's just not their thing. The master volume is useful for playing the amp at lower volumes but should NOT be used when recording. If you absolutely must be able to record at lower volumes, get a quality attenuator. For example, the Dr Z Airbrake is more transparent than most. Even so, you'll get better results without using an attenuator and without using the master volume.

I'm sure the AC15-VR is great amp even at low volumes. That's part of the point of that type of design, it works well at lower volumes.

[honeyiscool]

Originally Posted by cratz2

I Lloyd those threads. I liked listening and comparing but beyond that, I enjoy seeing how people completely disagree on what they heard.

I think it's interesting, too, the range of people's opinions. Some people say VR is no good, some people say the HW is no good, some love the VR, some love the HW, etc., I think at the very least, I have two very different amps with two very different flavors, even though they do live in the same Vox ballpark.

Originally Posted by Lonnie99

I have a hard time with HICs videos because he plays things I've never heard/don't like. Odd stuff for an old dude like me.

That's funny to me. I play pretty straightforward pop music, I draw a lot from the late 50s and early 60s. It's why I love Voxes so much, you might be the first person ever to suggest that I play old people unfriendly music.

Originally Posted by jrockbridge

If you want the AC-15HW to sound great when recorded, crank it up loud. Pure tube amps do not sound great at lower volumes. It's just not their thing. The master volume is useful for playing the amp at lower volumes but should NOT be used when recording. If you absolutely must be able to record at lower volumes, get a quality attenuator. For example, the Dr Z Airbrake is more transparent than most. Even so, you'll get better results without using an attenuator and without using the master volume.

I'm sure the AC15-VR is great amp even at low volumes. That's part of the point of that type of design, it works well at lower volumes.

The HW needs to be cranked up to where the Alnico speaker is getting pushed a bit, I agree. Which isn't all the way cranked, but it's a pretty decent volume. I did try to reach at least that level for these recordings. I had the Master bypassed for a while but it was overloading the mic, hah. Given that I was reaching 80% or so of the input channel on my mic with the gain at zero, I think it was still pretty loud. I think I need a pad for these condensers.