Now, I like the darkness of the AC30, but the sound of the AC15 might cut through the mix easier in a band context and it clearly sounds more clear in Little Wing. Thank you for not playing the typical blues licks, don't know why everyone just play blues or heavy metal in reviews. The last chords are a real key to notice differences between the amps.
Both are just amazing. Id close my eyes and pick one and be equally happy with the result of which one i get. I have a Vox PF15 which is awesome. I like the ac15 prob from being already used to the tone of a 15watt Vox
I would love to have both, but the AC30 would be for home use only, always in the same room.. over the same carpet.. through the years... even after the house is sold and played by its new owners
I run wet/dry with an ac15 and with a fender 410 deville and man what a combination. I get the chime on my wet effects and the punch from the fender on my dry.
Excellent sound review. Thanks. Seems it comes down to needing a concert hall amp or not. You can almost feel the power in reserve for the 30. I definitely think this has convinced me to buy the AC15C2 for my needs.
They're both great, but the AC15 sounds tighter, which could be a good thing, depending on your situation. After watching this video, I think I might get an AC15c2 and swap one of the speakers out for a Celestion Blue. That might be a killer combination.
Very heavy both unfortunately.. The 10 is light but doesn't sound the same. Head 30 or 15 and cab are a nice choice. At least you separate the weight into 2 parts.
AC15C2 Hands down. better definition - smoother tone nice bass. C2 has much better bottom end with the 2x12 larger sound, I have the AC15CC1 cool-demo...
You are right on the bigger bottom end, more power = tighter bottom end, I would love to get an AC30TB but can't deal with the weight of carrying it to shows. I have a Marshall 1936 2x12 with plexi lead 50w much lighter due to two separate pieces when I need that extra to 11 thing.... LOL ...
I like the 30, seems like you get more midrange harmonics and the upper mids are less harsh. I'm assuming with an attenuator you can get it to sound like a 15 if wanted and get the best of both worlds?
You may be able to do that. I haven't had great experiences with attenuators. I've tried a couple, but never liked the result. Would be interesting to compare with different settings & trying to get the same sound out of both, which wasn't really what I was doing here. For example, maybe running the master volume high & channel volume lower on the 15 could get closer into AC30 territory. I don't have either amp any longer, so I couldn't try it at this point. I got rid of the 30 and kept the 15 for a while...now days I have the AC10....lower wattages just work better for me, but I do still love the sound of an AC30!
Glad it was helpful. My main hope was that some people would be wanting to decide which to buy between these two & maybe this would help them make an educated decision. Thanks for your comment!
Flametopology I sold the ac30 & kept the ac15 and upgraded the speakers to alnico blues. They both covered a lot of the same ground but I like the lower power output rating better in the end... and 15 watts is still more than enough.
Flametopology yes it does, with room to spare. You only lose something like 6 DB of volume when you cut your power rating in half. So it's still plenty loud, but you get that crunchy break up tone without pushing the volume as high.
Given the AC30 takes three men in their 20's to lift it ,I would go for the AC15 which is more than enough volume to keep up with the loudest drummer. Unfortunately due to the youtube compression, this comparison playing those chords was lost into cyberspace for eternity and beyond...
Same mic? Same settings true A/B.... If so the AC 15 is brighter, and breaks up nice. Not gaining much in db between 15&30w just headroom. I’d take the 15 with an e tension cab.
Apart from clean headroom, what are some other differences you've noticed in the two? I'm curious because I'm looking to get an AC15C2 to replace the 30C2 I had.
The biggest difference is headroom. They're exactly the same size, and the 15c2 might be a few lbs lighter in weight. I liked the 15 best, so I sold my 30 and kept the 15. A bit lighter weight, the right amount of headroom for the volumes I was gigging and playing at, lower cost, more manageable volumes, fewer tubes to burn through...all reasons I preferred the 15. One thing you can do on the 30 thought that you can't with the 15 is jump the channels. I never really do that personally since I use a ton of pedals that give me the versatility I need, but it can be a cool way to get more sounds (especially if you put a delay or something between the 2 channels), and some people really dig it. So there's that.
rockinfreakappotomus great thank you for the info! And tonally? There’s more of a bass response in the 30? And how about the way they take pedals? Thanks again, I’m just curious because I loved my 30 but I wouldn’t mind sacrificing some clean headroom for lesser weight and cost if they sound and play the same haha.
That's my audio interface. I set the buffer size as low as I can for minimal latency, but as my computer has gotten older it sometimes can't deal with it, and occasionally it will do that. I probably should have just set a larger buffer on this recording since I didn't really need to monitor anything and having a larger buffer eliminates the problem, but I mostly set it up and leave it one way...laziness I guess.
It is a bit louder, but it's not like its twice as loud or anything. I'm not an expert, but volume/loudness perception curves are logarithmic, so somewhere in there is an explanation of why. The 15 does break up earlier than the 30, but for me was still too loud to be practical. I like them both, but I've since gotten rid of both and downsized to an AC10 for my Vox style sounds, and I like it better honestly. I gig the AC10 along side a Princeton in a dual amp setup and actually get the volume of both up to a respectable place on the dial that lets the amp breath a bit without being obnoxiously loud. With the bigger Vox amps, I had to act like a safe cracker trying to find the perfect spot on the volume dials way down low to keep the overall levels under control. The 15 was better than the 30 for that, but both were still too loud for me. The AC10 works better for me than either the AC30 or AC15 ever did, and sounds great to my ears.
The 15 sounds thinner and more shrill top end. The 30, even thru my cell phone just has more "girth"...and girth is good. Let there be girth! Tell me I'm wrong bc I really want less tubes to fiddle with. 😁
Depends on how you dial in the channel & the master volumes...also on how loud your stage volume is going to be, but short answer is yes you can get a broken up sound at a volume suitable for most any gig.
Um, those are just pics I took of the amps when i was doing a speaker swap. I wasn't actually playing them face down on the carpet with the backs off and speakers unplugged for the recording parts.
Maybe. Their rigs were different enough and vox was in a different enough place during their respective heydays, so I'm not sure their choice was about them specifically not liking the Vox sound. I certainly wouldn't know for sure...maybe some of their surviving techs and friends would. Those guys were both amazing and I pretty much love everything they played. I'm obviously not going do their tunes justice, but I'll bet you one thing...if you could bring them back and they made a record on my rig, you'd love it just as much as them playing their own gear. Also, if I made a record on their rigs, you'd probably skip it. There are a lot of pieces to the puzzle. Plenty of great players built their sound on Vox amps, and plenty of great players didn't, but I personally reckon that what we really love about them is the way they played rather than the gear they played. Imagine if SRV & Hendrix had used Vox...us guitar players would all be buying up ACs for triple the price and telling our friends how we can nail that tone, and the rest of the world would continue to not even notice a difference.
Finally a review with good quality audio and no "over talking". THANK YOU
The AC15C2 has less headroom and a bit more grit, and I like that! The AC30C2 has an effects loop, and that's nice.
Now, I like the darkness of the AC30, but the sound of the AC15 might cut through the mix easier in a band context and it clearly sounds more clear in Little Wing.
Thank you for not playing the typical blues licks, don't know why everyone just play blues or heavy metal in reviews. The last chords are a real key to notice differences between the amps.
Both are just amazing. Id close my eyes and pick one and be equally happy with the result of which one i get. I have a Vox PF15 which is awesome. I like the ac15 prob from being already used to the tone of a 15watt Vox
I would love to have both, but the AC30 would be for home use only, always in the same room.. over the same carpet.. through the years... even after the house is sold and played by its new owners
Because of its weight?
@@fatamorgana4318 Exactly
Nice playing and sounds. Thanks for posting.
I have the AC15C2 and it is a hefty beast with sweet tones and squashy overdrive
Is it good for gigging
@mikewilliams115 If you can case it and carry it, fine.
I used to use JCM800 and other amps of similar wright but with castors and flight case.
I run wet/dry with an ac15 and with a fender 410 deville and man what a combination. I get the chime on my wet effects and the punch from the fender on my dry.
Excellent and very helpful comparison! Lots of people waiting for this!
Excellent sound review. Thanks. Seems it comes down to needing a concert hall amp or not. You can almost feel the power in reserve for the 30. I definitely think this has convinced me to buy the AC15C2 for my needs.
Great comparison mate
Thanks!
They're both great, but the AC15 sounds tighter, which could be a good thing, depending on your situation. After watching this video, I think I might get an AC15c2 and swap one of the speakers out for a Celestion Blue. That might be a killer combination.
Both sounding great amps it’s just the matter of which one is gonna break your back faster. The AC30- 79lbs or AC10- 48 lbs..
Very heavy both unfortunately.. The 10 is light but doesn't sound the same. Head 30 or 15 and cab are a nice choice. At least you separate the weight into 2 parts.
Hard to say. Lean toward the AC30 but they’re both awesome. I have to decide because I just picked one of these over fenders.
Sloppy playing? That's character my friend! Nice job and comparison!
Got some Libertines vibes in the Biginning :D Fucking love it
Thanks m8, great review, I liked the 30 for most of it but I'm wondering how loud you had these amps turned up?
AC15C2 Hands down. better definition - smoother tone nice bass. C2 has much better bottom end with the 2x12 larger sound, I have the AC15CC1 cool-demo...
+Gene Calarco Same observation here, except that I like the more bottom end in the Vox AC30. Each to their own I suppose :P
You are right on the bigger bottom end, more power = tighter bottom end, I would love to get an AC30TB but can't deal with the weight of carrying it to shows. I have a Marshall 1936 2x12 with plexi lead 50w much lighter due to two separate pieces when I need that extra to 11 thing.... LOL ...
+Gene Calarco True, that's my only concern right now with the Vox. Probably the only downside to it is the weight though xP
I like the 30, seems like you get more midrange harmonics and the upper mids are less harsh. I'm assuming with an attenuator you can get it to sound like a 15 if wanted and get the best of both worlds?
You may be able to do that. I haven't had great experiences with attenuators. I've tried a couple, but never liked the result. Would be interesting to compare with different settings & trying to get the same sound out of both, which wasn't really what I was doing here. For example, maybe running the master volume high & channel volume lower on the 15 could get closer into AC30 territory. I don't have either amp any longer, so I couldn't try it at this point. I got rid of the 30 and kept the 15 for a while...now days I have the AC10....lower wattages just work better for me, but I do still love the sound of an AC30!
rockinfreakappotomus yea I agree that would be interesting to do. Anyway, great vid and playing! Thanks!!
Thanks, very helpful. Plus, your playing was delightful :)
Glad it was helpful. My main hope was that some people would be wanting to decide which to buy between these two & maybe this would help them make an educated decision. Thanks for your comment!
rockinfreakappotomus Since you played them both, which amp did you like better?
Flametopology I sold the ac30 & kept the ac15 and upgraded the speakers to alnico blues. They both covered a lot of the same ground but I like the lower power output rating better in the end... and 15 watts is still more than enough.
Does the 2x12 15w cover a Drummer?
Flametopology yes it does, with room to spare. You only lose something like 6 DB of volume when you cut your power rating in half. So it's still plenty loud, but you get that crunchy break up tone without pushing the volume as high.
Given the AC30 takes three men in their 20's to lift it ,I would go for the AC15 which is more than enough volume to keep up with the loudest drummer.
Unfortunately due to the youtube compression, this comparison playing those chords was lost into cyberspace for eternity and beyond...
And I thought that I didn't need a VOX! I prefer the 15, but the 30 has an effects loop...decisions, decisions.
maybe get an attenuator for the 30 so you have the best of both worlds?
I Like the AC15!
Is the AC15 a tad lighter? Or I'm guessing they both have the same weight?
I don't recall for certain, but the specs are most likely online still. If it is lighter i don't think it would be by much.
La diferencia de headroom existe. Y si estas al frente de los amps también se nota la diferencia.
Same mic? Same settings true A/B.... If so the AC 15 is brighter, and breaks up nice. Not gaining much in db between 15&30w just headroom. I’d take the 15 with an e tension cab.
When you were playing the Fulldrive2 were the amps clean or one the edge of beakup?
Apart from clean headroom, what are some other differences you've noticed in the two? I'm curious because I'm looking to get an AC15C2 to replace the 30C2 I had.
The biggest difference is headroom. They're exactly the same size, and the 15c2 might be a few lbs lighter in weight. I liked the 15 best, so I sold my 30 and kept the 15. A bit lighter weight, the right amount of headroom for the volumes I was gigging and playing at, lower cost, more manageable volumes, fewer tubes to burn through...all reasons I preferred the 15. One thing you can do on the 30 thought that you can't with the 15 is jump the channels. I never really do that personally since I use a ton of pedals that give me the versatility I need, but it can be a cool way to get more sounds (especially if you put a delay or something between the 2 channels), and some people really dig it. So there's that.
rockinfreakappotomus great thank you for the info! And tonally? There’s more of a bass response in the 30? And how about the way they take pedals? Thanks again, I’m just curious because I loved my 30 but I wouldn’t mind sacrificing some clean headroom for lesser weight and cost if they sound and play the same haha.
What was that crackle at 1:54?
That's my audio interface. I set the buffer size as low as I can for minimal latency, but as my computer has gotten older it sometimes can't deal with it, and occasionally it will do that. I probably should have just set a larger buffer on this recording since I didn't really need to monitor anything and having a larger buffer eliminates the problem, but I mostly set it up and leave it one way...laziness I guess.
very good!! What are the settings of the first song? Which guitar?
RHCP!: >
is the AC30 much louder at all or slightly even?? Is the breakup much earlier on the 15 ?
It is a bit louder, but it's not like its twice as loud or anything. I'm not an expert, but volume/loudness perception curves are logarithmic, so somewhere in there is an explanation of why.
The 15 does break up earlier than the 30, but for me was still too loud to be practical. I like them both, but I've since gotten rid of both and downsized to an AC10 for my Vox style sounds, and I like it better honestly.
I gig the AC10 along side a Princeton in a dual amp setup and actually get the volume of both up to a respectable place on the dial that lets the amp breath a bit without being obnoxiously loud. With the bigger Vox amps, I had to act like a safe cracker trying to find the perfect spot on the volume dials way down low to keep the overall levels under control. The 15 was better than the 30 for that, but both were still too loud for me. The AC10 works better for me than either the AC30 or AC15 ever did, and sounds great to my ears.
The 15 sounds thinner and more shrill top end. The 30, even thru my cell phone just has more "girth"...and girth is good.
Let there be girth! Tell me I'm wrong bc I really want less tubes to fiddle with. 😁
The 15 sounds nicer here but how loud is it? Will the 15 break up at stage volumes?
Depends on how you dial in the channel & the master volumes...also on how loud your stage volume is going to be, but short answer is yes you can get a broken up sound at a volume suitable for most any gig.
I have the 15 twin and it has become my favorite amp out of some pretty nice amps I have
Bravo 👏
Sooo why is one speaker unplugged on the AC15 C2.......that destroys the comparison!
Um, those are just pics I took of the amps when i was doing a speaker swap. I wasn't actually playing them face down on the carpet with the backs off and speakers unplugged for the recording parts.
rockinfreakappotomus funny
One speaker unplugged? If you look better both are unplugged (or you think speaker can work with only one wire connected).
ac30c2 nice :| ac15c2 nicer ;)
i dig the 15 more. my one real question is this... little wing by handrix or srv?
I can butcher either version equally as badly. I like em both.
remember ....butches have chops !!
hendrix
PLaying Little Wing on this exposes why SRV and Jimi didn't choose VOX.
Maybe. Their rigs were different enough and vox was in a different enough place during their respective heydays, so I'm not sure their choice was about them specifically not liking the Vox sound. I certainly wouldn't know for sure...maybe some of their surviving techs and friends would.
Those guys were both amazing and I pretty much love everything they played. I'm obviously not going do their tunes justice, but I'll bet you one thing...if you could bring them back and they made a record on my rig, you'd love it just as much as them playing their own gear. Also, if I made a record on their rigs, you'd probably skip it. There are a lot of pieces to the puzzle.
Plenty of great players built their sound on Vox amps, and plenty of great players didn't, but I personally reckon that what we really love about them is the way they played rather than the gear they played. Imagine if SRV & Hendrix had used Vox...us guitar players would all be buying up ACs for triple the price and telling our friends how we can nail that tone, and the rest of the world would continue to not even notice a difference.
Why?
@@DS-yg4qs I don't know, disregard my comment. Vox made some great stuff.
Same size?
Yes. Same cabinet, so exactly the same size.