Vox ValvetronixXL vs. Line 6 Valve

The Valvetronix XL is relatively new and (I think) is tweeked for high-gain stuff. I saw one in a local store but didn't play it as that's not my thing.

I did play the Spider Valve and found to my surprise that I liked it quite a bit. I actively hated the Spider 2 and 3 as cheesy sounding junk. There's a long thread on the Spider Valve in the Amps forum if you want others opinions.

 

i don't know about the new ones, but the old advt series sounded good while the line &^*%&^^ sounds awful to my ears

 

I've never played the Valvetronix XL line, but the previous Valvetronix line was awesome. Looking at the specs on the XL I'm a little skeptical. It looks like they combined a lot of the modeled effects into one switch. I'm not sure how it will work if you want to combine effects. The older model has separate banks for "stomp box" effects, modulation, delay and reverb and they can be combined. There are also 32 available channels for storing presets on the old model so once you dial in settings you like for amp model, eq, effects, etc you can save it and recall it with a single button. It looks like the XL has fewer channels. The tuner built into the older model is a big plus too. The new one doesn't seem to have that.

Sound quality is top notch on the Valvetronix, especially considering how inexpensive they are. It's not going to sound exactly like a Marshall, AC30 or any of the other amps it's designed to model (it does come pretty close), but it's great for for nearly endless flexibility and getting your own unique tone. I wouldn't expect the quality to be any lower on the XL, but it's definitely got far fewer features. I'd be looking to get an AD120VT head or combo rather than the XL. You might even still be able to find a new one since it was only discontinued recently. Used, they're selling for about the same as the XL and sometimes less. I saw one on craigslist for $350 a couple weeks ago.

I've got the AD120VTH with Mesa speakers and it was probably my best gear decision. I've got some cool gear from PRS guitars to boutique effects and various amps- tubes and solid state, but the Vox is my baby. It's been great for getting virtually unlimited tone varieties from Brit pop to country to absolute crunch. It's perfect for trying out a lot of different sounds on a budget and very convenient for gigging. I get tons of compliments on it every time I take it out.

Another very cool feature that the XL also has is the ability to adjust the wattage. At home I set it to 2 watts so I can still overdrive the tube and not peel the paint off the walls. The full 120 watts is enough to wake the dead. There's no way you could go wrong with a Valvetronix. People usually don't expect much from them, but trust me when I say this amp is a dark horse.

I've only played Line 6 in the store. It was one of their higher end modelling amps- maybe a Vetta II. I was less than impressed. The ergonomics were a little dubious and I just don't think it sounds nearly as good as the Vox. There is a Line 6 that has a cool feature where you can combine 2 amp models and 2 cabs to simulate playing through 2 amps at the same time. That's sounds pretty nifty, but I've never tried it.

Anyway, that's my 2 cents.

 

I personally like the Valvetronix Line. I agree with JM4 that the older stuff was more versatile and sounded better. It had more dynamic feel to it than the Line6 stuff I played.

Now the XL you're talking about I think only has 2 channels, so you're limited there. For me personally I would get the SpiderValve then.

EP

 

I had a line 6 spider and a valvetronix AD60VT for backups. I thought the Vox was much better.