Guitarjon
Well-Known Member
Got my Victory Super Kraken VX100 last week. I've wanted a full-tube Kraken for quite a while. I also have the V4 guitar amp which is really cool but I just prefer tube power amps for recording. This Super Kraken surely delivers with its 100w rating. The funny thing is that it's sort of "lunchbox sized" (not as small as something like a Tiny Terror) but it's still 100w. It's also pretty heavy still haha, so portable in terms of size, yes, but not as light as a micro terror 
This amp has some sweet features like the preamp focus, which essentially functions like a tube screamer. Cutting some lows and boosting mids. The poweramp focus is basically a pre-set depth/resonance control. I love it when amps have these sort of features built-in. I don't play live atm but the midi control can be super handy for playing on stage obviously. The power scaling is good too. On the 30w setting I could get some good bedroom-esque levels!
The tones: let's start with the clean channel. It's not amazing to be honest. I mean, it's fine, but it's not as scooped or sparkly as some other cleans and it also breaks up pretty easily. It may require some extra pedals to get some really good cleans out of the amp but it's still a great addition to this amp. The crunch tones on the gain I channel are really really nice. With the preamp focus off this setting reminds me somewhat of my DSL 50. Nice and fat driven tones with a loose low-end. However with the preamp and/or power amp bass focus controls you can make this mode sound more like a Friedman.
Gain II is where all the high-gain magic is at. HUGE thunderous but very tight lows, so great for metal and extended range guitars. And again, the preamp focus can really help to make low tunings more tight and clear. The mids are very strong and it just sounds huge in a mix.
This amp doesn't have a presence control which is a shame. Sometimes I find myself missing it but it's not a big deal. I could always use either my Amptweaker depth finder or an EQ in the loop.
Here's my review with 6 soundclips (6 different guitars, 6 to 8-string) in case you're interested:
This amp has some sweet features like the preamp focus, which essentially functions like a tube screamer. Cutting some lows and boosting mids. The poweramp focus is basically a pre-set depth/resonance control. I love it when amps have these sort of features built-in. I don't play live atm but the midi control can be super handy for playing on stage obviously. The power scaling is good too. On the 30w setting I could get some good bedroom-esque levels!
The tones: let's start with the clean channel. It's not amazing to be honest. I mean, it's fine, but it's not as scooped or sparkly as some other cleans and it also breaks up pretty easily. It may require some extra pedals to get some really good cleans out of the amp but it's still a great addition to this amp. The crunch tones on the gain I channel are really really nice. With the preamp focus off this setting reminds me somewhat of my DSL 50. Nice and fat driven tones with a loose low-end. However with the preamp and/or power amp bass focus controls you can make this mode sound more like a Friedman.
Gain II is where all the high-gain magic is at. HUGE thunderous but very tight lows, so great for metal and extended range guitars. And again, the preamp focus can really help to make low tunings more tight and clear. The mids are very strong and it just sounds huge in a mix.
This amp doesn't have a presence control which is a shame. Sometimes I find myself missing it but it's not a big deal. I could always use either my Amptweaker depth finder or an EQ in the loop.
Here's my review with 6 soundclips (6 different guitars, 6 to 8-string) in case you're interested:
