Vox AC15C1 and AC15HW1 comparison
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- Опубліковано 28 січ 2025
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In this video, I review and compare these two excellent Vox AC15 amps: the AC15C1 custom, and the AC15HW1 hand-wired.
Products in this video:
I am not sponsored- these are just my recommendations based on personal experience. I may earn a small commission if you purchase via the links below.
AC15C1 Custom - amzn.to/3VfQREZ
AC15HW1 hand-wired - amzn.to/3Lqc0sL
Celestion Greenback G12M - amzn.to/3mSuett
StarTouch A/B/Y pedal (no longer available. Try this one from Morley instead: amzn.to/3H7o2oj
Full disclosure: I work for Korg R&D which is the parent company of VOX
Dude, you do the best A/B demos! Thank you so much for the time you surely put into these videos!
This is about as good a comparison video as it's possible to make! Many thanks!
I noticed that the master was down on both amps, which is no good because I think the wide open power amp has a lot to do with the Vox sound.
Finally, someone who knows how to do an A/B test! Thank you, well done!
You can really hear the HW show its worth when you drive the power section more. That is when the cost-conscious components show THEIR "worth." Excellent demo!
I owned a Vox AC30C2 last year and had a lot of trouble with the bass on it. It was always either way too bright or just flat out muddy. When you showed the versitily with the EQ knobs that's what sold me on the hand wired. Thanks so much dude!
Awesome comparison video! It's a really solid comparison of both the amps together. One of the best I've seen.
I have a C1 and the HW sounds "fuller" in tone. Not sure it is twice as good as the C1 as indicated by the price difference.
Very good to see a reviewer demonstrating the equipment characteristics rather than playing interminable solos to show off their guitar playing "ability".
If you dime the master on the C1 and turn down the channel volumes, you'll get much more clean headroom. That's my favorite way to run my C1.
Thanks for the best review ever. Your review is better than most, if not all store reviews. Again thanks!
What are all these "clubs" you guys are playing at where a 15 watt amp isn't loud enough..? I've gigged with a danelectro honeytone. Then again, I've never played a serious gig where we weren't miked.
Put your damn amp on an amp stand if you can't hear yourself enough...
True . Only time I had a problem was playing a warehouse party one time. In a big empty warehouse with no mic to mic through the PA . And honestly it still sounded pretty good just no headroom whatsover
AC15s are literally backlined at so many legit venues tbh
@@justiceforall6412 Well said.
@@CriticsConfession Wad you mean? Just askin'.
@@mimoochodom2684 What do you mean what do I mean? It's perfectly clear lol
thx for the review and the effort. Been looking to know whats the diff, and I can hear the diff now. Cheers!
Very thoughtful review
I can remember gigging at our city hall with just a Squier Tele, a Frontline Chorus and a Pignose 7-11 stood on a beer crate, unmiked.
Never had so many people tell me that was the best they ever heard me
thank you! definitely a very good comparison, I can hear the difference clearly.
10yrs later, still a good demo. The HW seems brighter with much better note clarity.
The bright switch is on for the HW. It sounds much better with it off. Turning it off is akin to clipping the bright cap on the C1.
@@zachmatchem7618 similar but not quite. I believe it’s emulating a different version of the normal channel
great stuff. im a big Vox fan, bout time you gave us a new vid - keep em coming.
Thank you for taking time to respond!
It is a compromise - I love the dry stratty Buddy Guy tone but still want to hit a bit of hotter and warmer rock and roll/hard rock tone when I need it. I decided to buy the C1 mainly due to the price.
thanks for the demo once again!
Terrific demo John. Really helpful. Well done and thanks for posting. All the best, Geoff
I have both of these, except my hand wired has the Alnico blue. It is the best amp I’ve ever played through. The sound is perfect.
The handwired is better than the black one?
@@BrettKnows yes and it will be around still making noise when you are long gone. The pcb will be a cabinet at most in 20 years
@@dingusfuzzklonnkt2755 Leaf falling in the 😊tropical forest analogy?
I finally got a chance to play the Handwired and WOW! If you have an AC15C1 and want to improve the tone I made a few videos on how-to mod it on my channel.
The differences are glaring. Hand wired is a completely different amp. Larger birch Plywood cabinet more low end. Sweeter overall tone. Worth the extra $.
its the favorite of my amps. by far my best studio amp. also takes pedals well. that is often overlooked. my germanium OCD overdrive is perfect, as is my Morley volume & wah.
The HW sounds way more articulate to my ears, but liked both :)
lol at the pedal moving due to the vibrations at 9:40 great demo man! :)
I'm a big fan of the AC15 now! I can't wait till it arrives at my door this week!
Fast forward to 2:41. You're welcome...
Finally a highly intelligent and well thought out review. I hate reviews where a guy just stands there and plays no narration...
In the video the HW wins to my ears but in person, honestly, I like the C1. Has more bite and more compression which is more to my taste. To each their own, both are fantastic amps.
+devinjaybee Totally agree. The C1 is really the better sounding amp between the two. HW corksniffers not withstanding.
The game changer for the HW is you can jump the channels together (top boost and Normal). That is a VERY SPECIAL sound that you can’t get otherwise. The 90s Korg era 6TBs could do this as well as the original 6TBs.
People, a good rule of thumb is... if you're good... an amp will sound good, kinda like how SRV or Derek Trucks could plug into a battery operated Pignose and slay us all. The C1 is a fantastic amp for the money. IMHO it's far better than all other amps in the same price range (genre specific music/amp considered). It has awesome cleans and great overdrive ! Plus verb and trem... that might not be a deal breaker, but nice to have. Point is... if you need the HW1 to sleep better at night, then by all means shell out the extra cash. I say, anyone who picks up the C1 will be very pleased.
jrenner325 totally agree I have owned both and again bought another C1 for normal home use there is very little to choose from either, if you are a serious gigging recording musician go for the HW Version otherwise save some money and buy the C1its a fantastic amp which I have gigged on a number of occasions put the saving to more gear or a few lessons because as you say it’s more in the hands than the amp
Oh I let the HW go for a Firebird 🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸
Here's everyone's answer to everything. buy the AC15C1! its a killer sounding amp, I've owned one for 6 years and its never let me down! for more than 100 gigs I have not once wished I had a "so called" better amp. it has not crapped out, broken down, fallen apart or performed at anything less than 100%. put some NOS tubes in it, crank the hell out of it and PLAY. it sounds like a Vox because it IS a Vox. the PCB vs Turret Board PTP debate is irrelevant. they don't last any longer (still waiting for the PCB amps that came out in the 70's to magically stop working). they don't sound any different. easier to repair?? I'm still waiting for the 5 PCB amps I've owned over the last 30 years to NEED to be repaired!
the AC15C1 is the best value amp on the market. probably why its been Vox biggest seller since the 60's. don't believe me? email Vox directly and ask them.
Both sound very fine. Thanks for the vid.
Have you got the bright switch engaged on the normal channel of the hand wired in this video? If looks like it's switched to on
Has the guy who made this video disappeared?
I've screen shotted shots of the normal channel on the HW in this video and it definitely looks like you've got that bright switch engaged on the normal channel
I own a C1. The HW1 sounds brighter/more articulate here, and the C1 sounds muddy. However I think that’s because of the way the C1 is dialed in. Turning the knobs on both amps to the same settings might sound like an “even” test, but is it? I think you can adjust the C1 and make it sound even closer to the HW1. I’ve never played both amps together so I can’t say which is better. The HW1 cost twice that of a C1. But does it sound twice as good? I'm sticking with the C1 for now : )
Thanks a lot, that was extremely helpful.
Well, in fact it was not, as I'm thinking now of selling my C1 and look for a HW1 - that's were the money goes...
Here's everyone's answer to everything: save your money for a few months and buy an amp that will be better for years- buy the hand-wired version.
I've A/Bd both the 15 and 30 regular (with Alnico Blues) and hand-wired (with blues) versions. It's not even close. The standard amps sound much smaller, more plastic/cardboard, in comparison to the "hand-wired" amps, which have a much more full, rich, warm sound.
And while the greenbacks sound a lot better than the speakers they're replacing, the Alnico Blue makes more sense as it does have cleaner and fuller tone. They have master volume, so you can get the amp's overdrive if you really want it, or use a nice pedal. Speaker overdrive was never my thing, (as opposed to pre/power amp OD) and it limits how loud you can play clean. I'd rather have the better speaker.. if i was sticking with the regular ACs and not hand-wired.
Go with the AC15 Hand-wired. I've been playing shows for years, and if it's a smaller venue, the 15 will be fine. If it's a larger place.. they ALWAYS mic the amps anyway and tell you to turn the amp down due to stage volume muddying up the mix. The whole "larger amp for larger clubs" isn't really true.. at least in my experience. The Alnico Blue gives u a little more clean tone, so you CAN play clean louder with the AC15 if you want to.
The AC30 is a literal pain to carry around. Yea it's cool to have a super loud amp, but you'll quickly realize how painstaking and unnecessary it is to carry such a beast around, from the house to somehow getting it in the car... being careful not to break any tubes.. gently lifting it out, somehow lugging it into the venue, up the steps, onto the stage.. playing your gig and then doing the same thing all over again. Go with the AC15 Hand-wired. GREAT Tone, enough clean/OD volume, won't break the bank, won't break your back.
Yeah I have the AC30C2X and as much as I love it, it's too damn heavy. I can't bring it to band practices and I don't gig with it because I don't want anything to happen to it. At my house I rarely get a chance to push the amp even to half power.
Were I to see my amp and a 15 watt hand wired with blues side by side, I'd take the hand wired.
Don't get me wrong, I *LOVE* this amp, just its weight puts a damper on any hopes that I can regularly tote it around.
Charles Seper While I agree with you about the headroom, it's simply not correct to say that this 15w amp isn't loud enough. The AC15 can be insanely loud. I've gigged with it for a couple years in a loud rock cover band, and rarely went over 50% on the master volume. As for the headroom, the channel configuration on the AC15 doesn't lend itself well to having both a high-headroom clean channel and a crunch channel. To have the levels reasonably balanced between the two channels they either both end up cleanish, or both end up crunchy. I'm now gigging with a Blackstar Stage 60 2x12 which is completely overkill- way too loud and too heavy- but it has a really flexible 3-channel configuration that I like and sounds great.
Charles Seper I've gigged with a 13 watt amp for a long time, and my sound guy FAR prefers it to the 40 watt amp I USED to have!! (he actually was STILL telling me to turn down on occasion!) If it's a big gig and I need to hear more, he throws a little extra guitar into just MY monitor mix (same for the bass player on the other side of the stage, who sometimes has some of my guitar in HIS monitor mix, as well.) I guess if you have a cheap P/A or monitor system with only a single mix you might need a bigger amp...but, frankly, if you're a pro and playing bigger clubs, you ought to have separate monitor mixes for everyone anyway... a good board with separate AUX sends for everyone is actually CHEAPER (and easier on your ears and back) than buying a bigger amp....just sayin'
Charles Seper - An AC15 up around noon on the volume is VERY loud. I've played in several rock bands where this amp (with an alnico blue @ 100db - with the 97db greenback it is a much softer amp in volume) is more than loud enough for just about any venue (always mic'd outdoors). AC30s will peel paint off walls. I have a 64" that I can only use with a transparent dirt pedal to play anywhere but large venues or outdoors. I don't know if you are playing with Metallica or Godsmack, but for all practical purposes unless a lot of headroom is needed I wouldn't drive someone to a louder amp. In real terms, the AC30 is only 1/3 "louder" than the AC15 (3DB).
You guys must be crazy loud, which is okay of course :) With an efficient speaker my Morgan AC20 did great on the warped tour Ernie Ball stage a few years back through a 2x12 with alnico blues (22 watts RMS). Power scaling worked great to 50% at smaller venues and a 1x12 cab (same speaker). Full on 4 piece rock band. Very dynamic drummer though, so that may have helped. The other guitarist in the band struggled to find the sweet spot in many clubs with his 50 watt VHT and 4x12 cabinet. Moving to a 2x12 with less efficient speakers (e.g., G12M-65 at 97db vs V30 at 100db) makes a huge difference in getting to your amps sweet spot at a lower overall volume while maintaining headroom. My point, the speaker choice makes a huge difference.
I'm sure many need the clean headroom if you want sparkling cleans with humbuckers (Pro or Twin Reverb, or dual rect, etc.). The only reason I'm mentioning this is that 9 out of 10 bands I see today are too loud to enjoy, especially at indoor venues.
Appreciated this video quite a lot! As others mentioned, more clarity with the hand-wired. But it wouldn't surprise me if the resistors & caps were hand-selected with closer to spec tolerances on the HW version. I did not read this below, but the volume of space inside the cabinets is substantially different. More space makes for more open, less boxy. And the quality of the wood used also makes an audible difference from what I understand. Having a tube rectifier makes a difference as well. Makes me wonder if a truer test of hand-wiring vs circuit board would be identical cabs & speakers, both tube rectifiers, and both having identical specs for all resistors & caps. Oh yeah, and both with same types of tubes. Chances are there'd be little to no appreciable difference. I do love a hand-wired amp though ...
This is a tough comparison because they are different amps. The only thing the same are the speakers. I bought a mint AC15HW with a Gold installed, and it's just awesome. Loud even at 1/2 power, but it's big and heavy. For home use an AC4HW would be better, and it could be miked if needed. I agree with those who say a 15 can be gigged with, and really, any amp should go through a sound system if possible.
How are you playing John Mayer - New Light 6 years before it came out?
imho the handwired is a little overated. my c1 is pretty nice for $600. but owning older amps id say that the #1 reason to buy the handwired is for the tube rectifier. it makes an insane difference on the feel and the bouncyness to the sound due to a tube natural sagg in voltage thus making the amps sound affected by the power sagg. the c1 lacks sagg. so to compensate an eq pedal or nos tubes and even a speaker should be added to get the most out of it
nice demo, deffinately more clarity & brightness with the handwired :)
The HW sounded like it had more definition especially when things were a bit more cranked.
Excellent demo. Actually, I was looking for this demo exactly. Now I don't feel the need to go upgrade to an HW1. Thanks for saving me a bunch of money.
Thanx John, nice job.
All guitar amplifier reviews should be done in exactly in this way.
The biggest selling point is that the hand wired one is easily repaired and could last for 50 or more years.
The c1 is very difficult to repair.
Large Coke handwired
Large Coke no I’m not talking sound, handwired amps are easy to repair printed circuit boards are not usually your better off buying a new amp depending on the cost of the amp
The Black one is a killer I have both the ac15 and ac30 in that design and I was lucky enough to try them against the handwired, which imo, has less features than the C1
Go in the blues!!!
In your experience, is the hw really worth it?
i have a chance to buy a ac15 hw1x or a ac15c1x. The hw1x is literally 2 times the price of the c1x, is it really worth that money? i would miss the verb also
I had both amps in person they sound 95% the same I am no cork sniffer but the difference is so inconsequential to me if anything is just the box size difference I sold the handwired and got me a used tone king Metropolitan beautiful sounding amp!!
nice! Well done, that HW sounds so good!
Great video!! Thanks a lot for the comparison, it's almost exactly what I was looking for. I'd love to hear lead tones with just the bridge and neck pickups of a Stratocaster, I believe intermediate positions "hurt" the sound of these amps a bit...just my opinion. Thanks again for your time and great demoing.
Nice comparison video! thumb up. Hope your grandma didn't care about using her living room. lol
When you are a real guitar fanatic you don't choose your furniture, you choose your guitars and amps
Would a AC15 be enough for small gigs/playing with a drummer in a studio?
cheers
yes definetely dont worry
I play mine with an Eminence Wizard, which is rated at 102 db, and I can be obnoxiously loud if I need to.
The best new AC15 you can get. Can definitely hear the better clarity in the examples. Plus it will last a lifetime
This was really well done I thought. Nice quick comparisons. I really want an el84 tube amp. Between one of these and an orange I cannot make up which direction I want to go
Love my ac15c2 best amp I’ve ever owned by a country mile
I honestly can't tell a huge difference in sound between the c2 n HW. not sure if its the sound quality of the video. Maybe the difference in construction of each amp is what sets the apart... any thoughts?
+G Murphy
I think it is the soundquality of your stereo.
There are worlds between those two.
Ok the distorted Tunes are not recorded well.
If you compare them in real life, there will be no question, which one to go for....
Mann spricht deutsch , of course the HW must be a better amp, but the ac15c1 is enough to have good sounds..., the HW would be better for a great player that can have some special needs, but if it's only for playing at home at low volume like in the video even a vox ac4 would be enough..., at low volume the C1 or HW will be near equal... I have a vox nt15c1 and it's perfect for playing at home and having power to play with a band...(it has the vox clean-crunch + great full overdrive and it's a "light" amp while powerful...)
The tone isn't as bad as people are saying... turning up the volume would help, but good enough to get the idea of how each amp reacts. Anyway, handwired version sounds WAY better than the C1 on the Normal channel, but the C1 seems to sound *slightly* better, or at least nearly the same (whichever one may prefer), on the Top Boost channel. Considering I think most people would be using the Top Boost channel.. yeah.
Hey John - I think you said that the standby isn't really needed on the HW because it's got a tube rectifier. I'm just wondering what you mean by that. I know that the C1 has a solid state rectifier, but I'm not sure I understand the difference that makes in using the standby switch.
I highly recommend that speaker! Delicious sounds!
heck yes! johnplantez is back! thank you for the new viddddddddddddd
I've been running my C1 thru an Avatar 2x12 closed back cab with Vintage 30s. Honestly for a big rock sound it really doesn't get much better. The C1 I would say has more of a modern sound vs. a traditional Vox sound. (not in a bad way though).
Great demo, John!
I wonder if I can achieve a more trebly HW-like sound on a C1 with a treble booster.
A C1 would do for gigging but since I'll be in the studio and I'm getting more and more picky about tone... definitely the HW. Excellent demo.
Just wondering do you have the bright switch on or off on the hw?
The bright switch was on. I never turn it off, ever.
hello, good comparison
is possible to use a Delay or verb with AC15HW1? the sound is ok or do you think he needed a loop fx?
This was an excellent and really useful comparison, so many thanks. I think the handwired version is the way to go. If nothing else, it's just easier to repair over the long run but I do think the video reveals a difference in sound that appeals. Cheers.
Thank-you, that was a very useful demo. To my ears the HW sounds more responsive to pick attack etc. Is that due to the tube rectifier? Nice amp :)
By the way, a good high-end treble boost pedal really activates these amps, because they do get kind of muddy without them. It really brings out definition that is still very creamy.
I've heard that replacing the tubes in the standard AC15 and also putting a blue back Celestion in it makes them sound every bit as good as the hand wired and on top of that you still also keep the reverb and tremolo
Dave Kuhn But what if you upgraded the tubes and speaker on the HW also...Apples to apples is the name of the comparison game
The C1 sound is pinched in comparison to the hand-wired for sure. I'd use either one though and be happy. The Ac15HW, at least the one that we used to have at the studio was quite microphonic and picked up external vibrations fairly easily.
Thanks a lot, Do you use delay in the hot mode too?
I have a night Train 50 and I'm thinking to pick up a Ac30HW head, but I'm worried because with NT50n when i use the girth channel is impossible to use delay on input
are they really as big as the dimensions listed on the vox website? (the Vox handwired)
@kissrocks45 Was it the C1 that you tried the Blue in or the HW?
Thanks for the fantastic comparison! Even though they both have the Greenback speaker, I thought listening to your comparison the C1 had a creamier distortion with more mids than the W1. I have the AC15C1 Greenback and the AC15H1TV with Celestion Blue speaker. I would like to have a master volume in my H1TV. To light it up it has to be cranked LOUD! Although with the Blue The H1TV has massive VOX chime for days.
Is the Vox 15 good loud enough for gigs?
TR yes
Willing to bet a lot of those tonal difference just come down to the difference in the cab itself and the difference in the size of the space in which the sound is able to resonate. Just a guess, but I figure they knew hand wiring it probably wouldn't make a huge discernible difference to the actual ear, so they made it a bigger cabinet so the lows can resonate better and it would sound fuller and more expensive.
I need to stop watching these video's....now I want both. Good demo, from what i was hearing, the HW1 is a bit brighter, but those EQ knobs seem to make more of a difference on it than on the C1. Will be adding the HW1 to my collection soon...
GREAT information, THANK YOU. THUMBS UP.
the ac15hw1 is a real beauty
Hi John, thanks for the great comparison. I'm thinking of getting a C1 as it's great value with loads of features...but I can get a AC4hw for similar money. I will only ever play at home, for fun (large room though) so would the C1 be too loud? Would the 4 be better for me? Thanks.
The AC4 is plenty-loud, but it will have less clean headroom (so it'll get crunchy sooner) than the AC15. Similarly the AC15 has less clean headroom than the AC30...
Thanks for the reply. After tons of research, I've narrowed it down to theses two for some reason. I'm still not sure lol
Both sound good. Seems like the build of HW would be easier for an amp tech to work on and perhaps give the amp a longer life.
It will literally last your entire life. The pcb sounds good but if you play loud 3 to 5 years before things start falling apart and melting.
can someone answer me this?? doesnt the C1 have a footswitch that allows you to switch channels between clean and the gain???
I'm thoroughly confused
To switch between the two channels on an AC15/30, you need an AB box (wire guitar to input of the box, and then two cables out from the box to the two amp channel inputs). An ABY box will even allow you to play into both channels simultaneously.
+Pauly Stax - I think I'm pretty good with homonyms. :) What did I miss?
+John Cooper lol i responded to the wrong post LOLOLOL sry dude! haha
With tubed amps, you really have to crank up the volume to get the tubes going and get a great crunch out of them. That being said, an AC15C1 isn't going to drown out the band when you crank it up. At the same time, you won't be drowned out if your amp has a microphone. Even if you do not have a mic, it will still sound amazing with smaller gigs (50-100 people).
how does the c1 take pedals? it has no effects loop... i mean some distortion chorus and wah wah
The thick PCB boards used by boutique amp manufacturers do sound equally as good. The cheap PCBs used by vox, fender etc will always burn or bring you problems over time. They are pricy but worth it down the line.
The HW1 sounds better but I'm attributing that to the higher-quality cabinet and matched tubes.
Mr. Meems , that and hand-wiring with a tube rectifier. The HW also has a 1/2 power switch.
nice as always. thanks
they both sound like they are filtered or that the top is surppressed in some way , I think the speakers are less than opened up or clarity is muffled. Have you listened to the play back and reset the chocked top end
Very good demo. do you think it applys to the 4watt amps?
The black one is warmer... how much?
Is the small difference in tone really worth an extra $700?
I agree that the comparison was well done. Thanks for taking the time. Obvious differences although in some settings they were pretty close. I was disappointed in that I really never heard the Vox clean that I expected. It seems that both amps have virtually no clean headroom. Old school AC30's got incredibly loud before you got a hint of breakup. 15W to 30W is only 3db difference in SPL. Neither would work for me.
rom661 6:19 & 7:44
rom661 While it is true going from 15 to 30 watts is only a 3dB difference - what you have to remember is that the AC 30 was a twin while the AC 15 was a single speaker amp. And doubling speaker cone configuration is good for another 3dB increase as well. So the AC 30 was really in total 6 dB louder than the AC30. And if the volume difference still isn't remarkable to you - doubling wattage really goes a long way to increasing clean headroom, more than a noticeable volume change.
The HW had more volume. Do you think that the cabinet size might have contributed to that?
had more headroom
I own the AC15HX1X which has the Alnico Blue. One of my best amps. The tone is amazing.
They both sound pretty similar. I do like the hand wired circuit with all those components nicely lined up, but I also like the built in reverb and tremolo, what to do? I know one is cheaper and does more. Yep that’s a simple choice.
@DieByTheDrop also you can A/B/Y (blend) the two channels together to get a whole new sound to the vox, it's were the amp really comes alive :)
Don't the AC15HW1 (hand wired) come with Celestion Blue speaker??
AC15HW1 has the Celestion G12M greenback. AC15HW1X has the Celestion Alnico Blue, for $200 more.
Personally I prefer the tremolo on the C1 to the hot/cool feature on the HW1.
The HW comes with a footswitch and amp cover, btw. The C1 comes with neither.
So John, if you could only have one of these amps, which would you choose, and why?
FWIW - I love the fawn finish on the HWs.
Swap the Greenback out of the C1 with a WGS Blackhawk and you have a great AC15 amp with loads of clarity from low to cranked
They are just different. Where the HW wins for me is “repair’ability”. Easier to work on and repair which makes it a much better investment imo
It's also more reliable since there is less crap that can go wrong.