Positive Grid Spark opinions

[Mboogie7]

Any one have one of these? What are your thoughts?

It looks pretty cool and the reviews of read seem quite favorable but am curious to see what the fine folks of SSO think.

 

[Meeotch]

I picked one up for $225 as a preorder and am happy with it. It makes decent tones for practice and doubles as a nice bluetooth speaker. The app is quite handy too. Overall I like it better than the THR10X, and would say for the money it is a fine tool. Inspiring? Not especially but small, light, and convenient yes.

 

[Flappydoodle]

I simply wouldn't give Positive Grid any more, based on principle

They strike me as quite a scummy, greedy company

The hardware unit may be pretty cool, but there are tons of practice amps out there already. If it were me, I'd go for one made by a company which actual expertise and history in amp making.

 

[maccayoung]

Their preorder system was an absolute shambles. But as for the amp itself I really like it.

 

[Meeotch]

I will cut them some slack for preorder delays due to COVID, but they will always be a budget brand to me. In this particular instance, I wanted something to replace my THR10X that also sounded better as a BT speaker. This filled that niche. The new Yamaha practice amps are overpriced and look like shit. I also played a Fender amp in this price range that sucked horribly. This gets the job done and like I said, I'm happy with it. The app works well and offers a decent amount of tonal options. It gets me to practice more, and if you go in with basic expectations I don't think you can do better for the money.

 

[Mountainman]

I have had one for a couple of months now. The order shipped within a week and it arrived within the timeframe they said it would. I think it sounds good, especially for the money. The presets are absolutely garbage, I would expect to spend some time tweaking it. The bluetooth speaker functionality works well too, though sometimes getting the bluetooth volume and my guitar volume to a point where one does not drown out the other can be a slight pain.

Where the amp really shines imo is as a practice bass amp. I can get a good tone in my apartment without bothering the neighbors. I have not tried recording with it, but I plan on doing that soon. Overall, I think it's a good amp for what it does as a practice amp.

 

[Nanker Phelge]

Bumping this.

What do people think of these? I'm reading good reviews, but it seems like reliability is an issue.

Also, people seem to have issues with the company.

Any thoughts?

 

[Yul Brynner]

Their YouTube ads interrupting my video browsing put me off them.

 

[MrWulf]

Positive Grid put more money into influencers than the actual tech.

My pedalboard sounds better than anything Positive Grid has put out

 

[HeHasTheJazzHands]

Positive Grid put more money into influencers than the actual tech.

My pedalboard sounds better than anything Positive Grid has put out

I agree with the former but that's basicAlly almost any new company coming out it seems. most of the money seems to go to social media marketing than it does R&D

 

[Emperoff]

Bumping this.

What do people think of these? I'm reading good reviews, but it seems like reliability is an issue.

Also, people seem to have issues with the company.

Any thoughts?

I recall reading someone opening it up after it failed and finding that it was built like absolute garbage with very low quality componentes.

You'll probably better off putting that money into a Yamaha THR series if you need a practice amp. A friend got one and he's super happy with it.

 

[Wiltonauer]

I wanted to talk about the original Spark 40, but it doesn’t look like there’s been much talk about it on SSO in the last three years. Maybe Instagram would be the place to go with this topic? I just got one, and it’s… interesting. I’d been using a Spark Go as a headphone amp for a while, and I wanted to be able to use the same app on a bigger amp, and it’s on sale with a deal on the gig bag, so why not?

After hanging out here for a bit, I get the impression that most of us (1) own at least one amp that’s vastly better than the Spark, and (2) have a lot more experience with amps at different price levels than the average social media user who buys their first amp and immediately goes online and gives it a five-star review because, well, it’s the best amp they’ve ever owned, isn’t it?

It’s the Bose Wave Radio of practice amps, no? Anybody still using one in 2024? If so, how are you using it? If you don’t use it anymore, what changed?

Also, is the hardware on the original about due for a refresh or what?

 

[MatrixClaw]

Hell of a Necro bump, but... I bought one of these for my dad as a Father's Day present last year and I thought it sounded great. Amp is dead silent, which was super weird - I thought it was off at first. Bluetooth is easy to setup and it's way louder than expected. Those tiny speakers can put out lots of low-end, too. He plays mostly classic rock and blues through it and digs it. I was impressed with the metal tones for such a tiny amp. There's a lot to do on it and the app is well-integrated. I've thought about buying myself one several times because I enjoyed it so much, but I already own 5 other amps so it's not like I NEED it...

 

[Wiltonauer]

Hell of a Necro bump, but... I bought one of these for my dad as a Father's Day present last year and I thought it sounded great. Amp is dead silent, which was super weird - I thought it was off at first. Bluetooth is easy to setup and it's way louder than expected. Those tiny speakers can put out lots of low-end, too. He plays mostly classic rock and blues through it and digs it. I was impressed with the metal tones for such a tiny amp. There's a lot to do on it and the app is well-integrated. I've thought about buying myself one several times because I enjoyed it so much, but I already own 5 other amps so it's not like I NEED it...

NEED’s got nothin’ to do with it! It’s a fun amp. I think it needs a Mk. II, though. The Spark Go, which is newer, has a few options that the older 40 doesn’t, like stereo/mono mode switching for the headphone/line out, a set of global purpose-oriented EQ presets, and a “high-Z” input level pad for high-output pickups. I suspect these features are implemented in the hardware and cannot be added via firmware update.

Also, when you see a 40 with the grille off, it doesn’t look very impressive. The Go looks suitably high tech, with its little driver, tiny passive radiator, and what looks like a bass reflex port. Everything is tidy and just so. The 40 doesn’t look as slick behind the grille, and I’m not surprised that I couldn’t find an official photo of one with it off.

Sorry for the necromancy. At my age, time works differently, and three years seems like a few months.

 

[AussieTerry]

I got the Mini last year and i love it as a practice tool to have around toddlers, they'll be outside running around like crazy and i'll be out there thrashing on my Charvel.

 

[Wiltonauer]

I got the Mini last year and i love it as a practice tool to have around toddlers, they'll be outside running around like crazy and i'll be out there thrashing on my Charvel.

How do you like the Mini? It seems like a viable product considering the rechargeable Go is gnat-sized and the much more capable 40 needs a laptop charger to run. Right now the price to buy a Mini new is tough to swallow, given that the 40 is $40 more. It must still be selling well at that price.

 

[complex-barb.0t]

I use a spark go as a practice travel amp. I would say their high gain modeling is fairly garbage. It does not compress like a real saturated amp would. Enough so it's sorta distracting when playing. Tapping feels awful on it. But for just practice it's fine. It will be meh, but will work.

If you don't give a crap about effects a Tonex One plugged into a bluetooth speaker that has no lag for the Aux jack will sound and feel a lot better. But this is not as handy as picking up the Spark mini/go.

 

[Wiltonauer]

I use a spark go as a practice travel amp. I would say their high gain modeling is fairly garbage. It does not compress like a real saturated amp would. Enough so it's sorta distracting when playing. Tapping feels awful on it. But for just practice it's fine. It will be meh, but will work.

I can’t stand playing guitar through the Go unless I’m using headphones. I use semi-open AKG K240 MkII around-the-ear headphones. Strangely, bass guitar sounds decent through the Go speaker — maybe because it simply passes on trying to reproduce the fundamentals and you’re pretty much just hearing harmonics.

 

[complex-barb.0t]

I can’t stand playing guitar through the Go unless I’m using headphones. I use semi-open AKG K240 MkII around-the-ear headphones. Strangely, bass guitar sounds decent through the Go speaker — maybe because it simply passes on trying to reproduce the fundamentals and you’re pretty much just hearing harmonics.

Yeah at this point the modeling on the Spark line of amps is rather antiquated. There sadly is no real "modern" desktop (or mini) amp that is on the level of Tonex/QC/Helix modeling wise.

 

[Wiltonauer]

Yeah at this point the modeling on the Spark line of amps is rather antiquated. There sadly is no real "modern" desktop (or mini) amp that is on the level of Tonex/QC/Helix modeling wise.

As a practice amp, it’s still pretty sweet. Modeling is definitely where it’s at, in many ways. Even if it’s not cutting edge, a decent modeling amp is way more useful than most traditional amps in the same price range.

Still, I think you’re exactly right that small amps like this tend to be lower-end offerings that don’t get the latest modeling tech. They might get the prettiest-looking app and some fancy learning tools, but only because those are selling points for the target market.

For an amp to incorporate the best modeling, it would have to be in a package with broad appeal, and that’s hard to do with an expensive, full-size amp head or combo. People spending a lot on an amp seem to want something very distinctive, not something that tries to be everything or that is so nondescript that it lacks all semblance of character. On the other hand, I don’t think most people seeking out the latest and best modeling want to be tied into a cumbersome form factor or a particular aesthetic.

Further, the companies with the iconic amps tend to want to keep them that way. I doubt Mesa/Boogie is going to come out with a digital amp with simulations of all their greatest hits and build it and price it like a Mark or a Recto. So the game is mostly left to the specialists in digital amps who have no legacy of amplifier-oriented branding to borrow from, either for good or bad. I suppose Fender comes as close as anyone to doing both, but as you can see with the Tone Master Pro, even they aren’t keen yet to sink their full premier modeling platform into an actual amp just yet.