Vox Amplug 2 Bass

The amp is very easy to use and gives great sound. The possibility to plug a phone in to play along with a song is awesome too. I remember sticking earbuds in my ears and wearing headphones over them to play along with a song.

But, it's not a replacement for an amp simply because it runs on batteries, if it were rechargeable it would be perfect as an amp imo. There are also two modes (red light) that I think sound a bit weak, but that could just be my bass. The green light mode works really well. The knobs for adjusting tone and volume are not labelled very clearly so you will accidentally turn off the volume while wanting to change the tone.

All complaints aside, this does exactly what I need it to and I use it 100% of the time whenever I play at home. The negatives below are more nitpicks than dealbreakers.

So on the positive side, there's a surprisingly broad range of beats to choose from and the basic sound that comes through from the high gain setting is more than adequate. It's super handy for playing along with audio tracks through the aux cable, and the battery life is quite good.

On the other hand, the thing is constructed from quite cheap-feeling plastic and none of it feels particularly sturdy. You need to be quite careful when plugging in and using it, which the instructions themselves mention, due to the possibility of snapping something. I also find the medium and low gain setting to be pointless, as even at full volume these are barely audible through my headphones.

That said, I am still totally happy with the purchase and will continue to use this thing very regularly, so if you're looking for a super compact home practice solution on a budget look no further.

First the good: It has a decent bass sound for armchair (or anywhere else) practise. It also doesn't distort anywhere near as badly as other cheaper "bass" headphone amps. The 9 different drum rhythms, each with adustable tempo and volume are really useful to get your timing tight. The jack plug can be rotated to fit your own bass more comfortably. Battery life is reasonable - I reckon you get about 4 hours out of it. And finally - a dumb one, I know - it looks really cute with the VOX amp styling. The bad: Contruction feels lightweight and flimsy - some reviewers online complained that the jack was easy to snap off (so I have just been careful). Battery life is OK, but why couldn't VOX just make the unit rechargeable like other headphone amps, e.g Valeton? Replacing batteries is an inconvenient, expensive and environmentally unsound practise. That said, I use it all the time and would recommend it - to the extent that I bought a second one for my son in South Africa.

I've used the first generation Amplugs for a long time, and I've been happy with them. Ok, the weak plastic build quality is a slight turnoff, but I think the price properly reflects this.

The new version has lots of new features, of which the turning plug is the biggest improbement. It now fits in a smaller pocket, and the plug seems better protected during transportation. (Of course, this could turn out to be a structural weak point, but time will tell.)

It's quite hissing with the higher gain settings, but the lower settings is enough for a clean sound on a passive bass. This is a practice amp, but without the hiss, it could be used for recording, as it sounds great otherwise.

The integrated drum tracks is a fun addition that might be of use for someone. I don't use them myself, but I can't understand why they didn't include a simple click as one of the tracks. I'd have more use for that than all the other tracks together.