Spark 2 Amp: Should Existing Owners Upgrade?

Spark 2 Amp: Should Existing Owners Upgrade?

My Spark 40 amp has been sitting on a shelf as a glorified bluetooth speaker because I like how the Yamaha THR sounds more. Is the Spark 2 a worthwhile upgrade for existing owners?

I focus on sound quality and recording and test both via USB, mic'd with an SM57 and my Focusrite Clarett as well as the Spark 2 line out so you can decide if the sound quality is better.

00:00 - intro
00:44 - feature differences
03:18 - recording comparisons
04:51 - clean tones & effects
05:44 - crunch tones (no effects)
08:28 - phone audio test
09:00 - Soundshed?
09:56 - should you upgrade?
12:20 - wrap-up

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[nicolasdomovoy]

Good review! I was looking for such a comparison. Already got Spark 2 :)

[RomainG]

Yes you should upgrade, sounds are not a little bit better, it is night and day, another level. 50 w vs 40w, yep, louder means more details and fine tuning, Line out ? Yes 100% another reason to upgrade if you play at home and record yourself or even if you want to connect it to a mixer, I think you forgot to mention that you can use it wit the optional battery, gives you the same freedom than with the Mini and the Go, looper is definitely a plus, there are two (one simple and another with drums but yes you will need the switch pedal but that is great one highly customizable) and because it is in fact a software there will be some improvements and upgrades where with the Xsonic Ulooper ... Well you'll need to buy the new pedal when it will come out... The level of improvements justify the upgrade, when you play the spark 2 you just can't play the spark 1 anymore ... And I have them all... Have fun ! 🤘😉

[LRHutch]

Great video man. I just got my Spark 2 in last Friday. Its my first Positive Grid gear. So I've been tinkering with it. The features are pretty good over all. The thi g with all digital modlers is the presence is terrible especially when you use mid to high gain amps. It sounds like a barrel or broken glass dropped on a steel floor. The EQ can compensate for it. The app is pretty good except I can't find out how to delete some of the files that I downloaded from the cloud. Some people have been posting you get 39 amp models and so many effects, actually you get 36 amps and several effects but you have to pay for the rest. 50 watts not really it's more like 12.5 per channel. My 30 watt Tweed blows it away. It's a little over rated and over priced. But over all it does sound great.

[vampirelogic]

I recently got a Headrush MX5 and mostly play with headphones or directly into Logic. Haven't touched my spark much since for playing. However, a few weeks ago i randomly hooked up my phone via bluetooth and use it almost daily as a speaker while working. For that use, its probably the best bluetooth speaker i have ever had. Also, for the looper, I have a boss rc505 and with a simple headphone to trs cable splitter, i was able to loop while keeping sounds from the software intact while playing. So i really have no reason to upgrade. However, just because i don't have a reason, doesn't mean I won't at some point 😂. The right black Friday deal could always sway me

[stefanocardinale]

did you do a THR vs Spark 2 comparison? I cannot find it, i would love to see one since there is none on YouTube yet!

[paulcavaliere]

Thanks for the video. Was thinking of upgrading my Spark 40 to Spark 2 for sound quality alone. Then I thought maybe just upgrade to the Yamaha THR30. In your opinion based on sound quality alone is it worth the upgrade to the THR30 instead of the Spark 2? Thanks 🇨🇦

[bJamester]

Does anyone have experience with Spark 2 vs. Boss Katana Air EX?

[ssm]

I got good and inspiring tones from the Spark 40 only when I ran the THR line out into it.... just couldn't like a device that tries to do everything and fails miserably in everything. This time they try to do even more and forgot to fix what didn't work before. Come on!

So waiting for the next iteration of the THRs ....

[JohnnySilverhand-ku]

No😢 with software as 300£ x 3 packs... I'll bought a true tube Amp with a tonex.. And it's the same price

[viniciussouza]

It's still boomy . They never addressed this weird low end from the speakers