Vox Adio Air GT Review

Looking for a practice amp with wireless playback to upgrade from your first one?
Trust me, we’ve all been there, and I know that the last thing you want is to end up with something that’s overpriced but offers less value than its competitors. You would obviously want something with a richer selection of tones and effects, right?

It’s very important to know what you are getting into before actually diving headfirst into what could momentarily seem like an unpassable offer.
In this short review, we take a look at how the Vox Adio Air GT amp model compares to the Yamaha THR10 so you can walk out with some knowledge on the topic. Let’s get started!

Review of Vox Adio Air GT Modeling Amplifier

Too lazy to read the full review? Here’s the quick summary!

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What We Think

The Vox Adio Air GT is a fantastic performing amp that suits small-large venues while being portable enough for convenient transport during practice.

Flaunting tons of onboard effects, 3 band EQ controls, and lots of options to customize your sound, this multi-purpose Adio amp is ideal for any guitarist regardless of their playing experience.

Features

• Built-in tuner
• Full 3-band EQ
• Noise reduction
• Vox Virtual Element Technology
• 8 Memory banks and wide range of effects

How is the brand Vox with amps?

Over the years, Vox has built a good reputation by putting out quality amps with excellent features.

There was the Valvetronix that had poor circuitry, low quality, poor tone, and was basically a gimmick, and some players still hate Vox for marketing it as a tube amp unit when in reality, it didn’t sound nearly as good.

The brand has redeemed itself with excellent amps since. The Nutube technology (based on Vacuum fluorescent display) on MV50 is cutting-edge and most players prefer this amp over similar ones in the price range. Presently, Vox offers a massive selection of amplifier models in all budget ranges.

This amp that we’re going to review is one of the more quality-sounding amp models that is known for a startling sense of control. The ease of playing through your favorite device and the capability to use it as a single unit for various uses make it very powerful.

Size

Though the Vox Adio Air has a compact size and a portable cabinet design, it delivers ample power and punches to cut through a loud mix.

It’s pretty small so you won’t have to worry about it taking up maximum space in your room.

Aesthetics

Vox Adio Air isn’t probably the most stylish amp model out there because of the odd cabinet design, and personally, I am not much into the aesthetics Vox has opted to go for here.

There’s always the debate about whether you should go for gear that looks cute versus gear that offers better value. An ideal world would be where we could have both, and companies do put out quality amps that look stunning but price them super high more often than not. So, I prefer to stick to amps that do the job even if they may not look cool.

The sophisticated slant-body design on the stereo speakers offers fantastic bass reflex efficiency which you will instantly notice upon hearing.

You may have noticed that this amp doesn’t have cables. You can easily use wireless playback to play songs from external devices via the amp as well.

Features of the Vox Adio Air GT Amplifier

The Vox Adio Air amp is a cool piece of gear that can be powered by an 18 V AC power adapter or 8 AA batteries. The battery operation is pretty efficient and consumes very little energy so it can last for up to 8 hours on continuous operation.

There is 50W output on this via 2*3-inch speakers that are super loud. It’s loud enough for most venues and since you could easily annoy your neighbors with this, I hope you don’t!
The instrument input is a quarter-inch input and seems to be well-fitted. Aux input is 1/8th inch or 3.5mm, and there’s also a 3.5 mm headphone out. The amp also has a USB port for you to connect to your computer.

The input jack on the headphone port is of standard size, so you won’t need to bother getting an adapter that fits.

One thing that I like very much about this amp is that, unlike some amps that have a single channel only, this one is equipped with dual Bluetooth channels. There is a speaker channel dedicated to audio playback via the amp model and a MIDI channel that lets you switch between amp settings as well as FX knob effects with the Vox Tone Room app. Having access to the software makes changing the effects on the Vox modeling amp super convenient.

The Adio Air amplifier also has excellent circuit design leading to very high-quality effect types. In short, you can easily connect your devices as well as connect to the Vox Tone Room app, and both of these are excellent premium features that serve players quite well. You can also use the Librarian app for desktop/ mobile devices that lets you shape your tone.

On to the fun part!

The Vox Air amp has 2 separate FX controls that each have a couple of effects. FX1 has a chorus, flanger, phaser, and tremolo effects, while FX2 has Analogue delay, Tape echo, Spring reverb, and Hall reverb.

What you need to keep in mind is that you can only have one from each FX active at a time. You could use something like chorus and Analogue delay effects at the same time but you cannot use chorus and flanger at the same time. I don’t think that’s too limiting as the available options do provide unique blending options.

There are knobs for FX1 and FX2 that control the amount of chosen effects such as speed and mix. You could also call it the bleed of one FX into another, and you also get the tap tempo feature for FX2 effects.

The Vox Adio Air GT has also got a built-in tuning function which comes in really handy if you somehow forgot to bring your tuner on stage. Also saves you some time during the tuning process as it’s super intuitive to get used to.

If you press and hold the Tap button for 1 second, it will take you to the standard tuning which is E A D G B E. Holding the tap button for two seconds will take you to half-down tuning mode which is D# G# C# F# A# D#. There are other ways to get your guitar tuned down by a half step, but this method is super easy.

The Vox Adio Air also has a full 3-band EQ that I am very fond of. Many modeling amps get rid of the mid-level controls to keep the prices low. Personally, I don’t like that as guitar sits in the mid-frequency range, and omitting the mid-controls makes no sense at all.

The amp also features 8 programmable effects banks to store settings that you can dial up later.
Like any other amp in the market, it’s got volume, gain, and instrument controls; instrument control also acts as a volume control by reducing the signal. I really like that it’s got a separate volume control so it doesn’t mess up the volumes you set earlier. You could use the other controls to adjust the volume during the day and control the loudness at night with just the instrument control.

There is a wide button that makes the pure, analog-quality sound nicer; pressing and holding the button gives you options to reduce noise from the amplifier’s stereo output.

You get remote control via the app, and doing so also gives you access to additional controls such as mid boost and low cut controls, presence knob, tone, and noise reduction.

The Vox Adio Air doesn’t sound like the guitar amp simulator that some other brands seem to sound like. It’s also good for bass guitars, so you can try bass playing if you are into that. Even if you don’t, you can always help out your bass player by letting him practice on your amp!

There is also Bluetooth playback, so you can use apps similar to Chordbot Lite to play along with backing tracks. I’ve done a quick review of this free app in my list of must-have accessories for beginners if you want to know what this app is all about.

You can also choose from a clean tone for fingerstyle or a distorted powerful sound that would suit rock and metal.

The Vox amp is capable of smooth sound on acoustic as well as high-gain sounds. Not many types of amp models can offer this type of versatility for both acoustic and electric worlds. stereo playback with high-quality stereo effects

What you can expect to find for the price, and the edge of Vox over similar amps?

You can expect a wide stereo sound and a virtual surround sound image that almost instantly captivates you.

The Vox AX30 amp sound is hard to model, and even Vox has struggled to do it properly in the past. MV50 ac is the best modeling amp to have done it perfectly to date. Though the Vox Adio Air GT has tried to recreate the iconic AC30 amp model, it does have some imperfections.

In a similar price range, the competitor Vox Adio Air faces is the fantastic Yamaha THR 10. The THR 10 looks nicer and the tuner feels easier to use as well. But, Adio Air GT has got its edge too. Here’s how:

Bluetooth

The Vox Adio Air has got wireless connectivity that makes playback easier. You don’t need to worry about cables dangling around and you can use your phone for audio playback or remote editing of amp settings.

Standard 1/8 headphone jack input

Some amps have a quarter-inch headphone jack input that cannot be directly used. You would need an adapter to use the standard headphones. The Adio Air has standard 1/8 headphone jack input which is nice.

More memory banks

Compared to the 5 memory banks that the Yamaha THR 10 has, Adio Air GT has 8 programmable banks. More banks mean that you get to save more presets for use during a live situation.

Versatility

The Vox amp offers tons of features, so you are all set for many genres. If you wanted a THR 10, you would need three separate models THR10, THR10C, and THR10X so you don’t miss out on all of their features but with the Vox, you just need one.

The enhanced listening experience is partly why this amp is favored over its competitors in the market. It’s enjoyable enough for personal enjoyment and professional enough for gigs.

The Vox amp offers proprietary Virtual element technology which is responsible for the amp sounding as good as it does. You also get to use additional capabilities via software integration if you use the Librarian software. It’s fit for modeling software as it’s very easy to understand and use.

Speaking of additional capabilities, the Vox Tone Room software also allows 12 more amp styles if you are using it with the Vox Adio Air GT amp.

The Virtual Element Technology on this helps tremendously with an enhanced sense of spatiality. If you get the amp, you can experience independent spaces where you feel a certain way toward your favorite music.

The adjustable audio EQ settings and the modified cabinet structure to reduce any parallel surfaces to get rid of unwanted cabinet resonance have gotten rid of unwanted noise from the amp. It just hits a sweet spot when it comes to internal resonances and muffling unwanted vibrations.

You don’t need to do an acoustical analysis to hear that the Vox Adio Air GT sounds much different from other brands thanks to the smooth widening and virtual surround technology. The amp makes an enjoyable acoustic space in the area around you which is super nice.

After some time of continuous operation, you will find that your ears are much more adapted to listening to the subtleties in tone. You can also hear the Blackface signature vibrato channel. The cool thing is, you get the experience of playing through costly boutique amps at just a fraction of the price.

The Vox Adio Air does have a standard headphone output jack, so you can easily use it as a headphone amp. Very handy for rocking out at night!

You also get an AC power adapter that works as a supply via the power supply.

As far as the requirements for making good music are concerned, the Vox Adio Air unit hits all the marks with excellent sound density. It delivers the output power it promises and features a wide variety of effects and settings you can use to get the amp output sound you want.

How does the Vox amplifier sound?

The Vox amp also has Twin Reverb that I really love to hear on the tracks I play. 50W of power pushing is more than enough for most of our needs, really!

Having 11 built-in amp models and tons of effects on the compact amp eliminates the need for a separate guitar pedal like a spring reverb or fancy drive pedals, so that’s nice too. The types of effects on this may seem like a lot to you but trust me, you get used to the sounds (and names!) of these very quickly.

You may be thinking that the Vox Adio Air GT is just a guitar amp and has muddy bass notes. And you would be very wrong!

Vox Adio Air GT offers plenty of power so you can piss off your neighbor who is constantly flying his drone to annoy you. It’s good to know that you have that kind of power output even if you aren’t going to be using it any time.

The modeling amp doubles as a powerful bass amp and the bass reflex structure further helps the low end get crisp and tight. If you want to have multiple effects with a super awesome-sounding mic and instruments, the lavish multi-channel audio speaker setup will certainly help.

Closing Thoughts

Having a fantastic amp is an easy way to get used to the variety of guitar sounds that can be used in any incredible playing. The variety of amp sounds from the Vox Adio Air GT is very well suited to full-range sound reproduction.

Whether you want a clean sound or want powerful and high-quality sound for aggressive genres, the Adio Air amp has got you covered. The versatility and high-voltage power amp capability mean that you can use it in a variety of situations, and it will sound super professional.

FAQ

What styles of music is the Vox Adio Air GT suitable for?

The Vox Air amp offers incredible versatility when it comes to the music player function as well as amp sounds thanks to the high sound quality of audio speakers. You can just plug in your phone to play your favorite music to learn the nuances in the record, or just use it for playback of music that can act as background music for you.

Music players also like using the Vox Adio Air GT amplifier for anything from plain country to jazz and metal. So, you will be fine regardless of what genre you wish to play on it since the amp has built-in distortion algorithms as well.

Is the Vox Adio Air amp good for jam sessions?

As a full-fledged performing amp with high performance that also fits in a small space, the amp is more than ideal for any jam sessions with your favorite guitar. The amp also provides the ultimate listening experience even if you are only jamming with yourself.

The batteries on this last up to eight hours on a continuous operation which also makes it suited for plug-n-play style jamming.