I've written about and researched music gear for many years, while also serving as a music director at my local church, in addition to teaching guitar, bass and mentoring young musicians.
For a compact guitar headphone amplifier, the Valeton Rushead Max packs quite a lot of guitar rig essentials. And it does so while maintaining a very accessible price tag.
It lets you choose between the most commonly used amp types: CL (clean tones based on US-made amps), OD (crunchy overdriven tone based on popular UK amps), and DIST (based on modern high-gain amps), and switching between these amp voicings is done on its easy to use streamlined interface.
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Tone shaping is done via the included tone, gain, and level knobs. These tweaks can also accommodate different pickup configurations and types better, allowing you to get good tones regardless of the guitar you use.
On the effects side, it has a switch that lets you choose between 3 essential modulation types, including tremolo, chorus, and flanger.
This headphone guitar amp comes with ambient effects, including delay and reverb, with an option to use both simultaneously. This can be used to add realism to the guitar sound you're hearing through your headphones.
Fender Mustang Micro Headphone Guitar Amp
Other features include aux input and the ability to charge the unit via USB. These are packed in a typical lightweight plastic housing with a fixed plug that directly mounts on your guitar.
Note that Valeton does not have a warranty document available online. After contacting them, they confirmed that the warranty is processed through the seller.
At the core of classic rock tones are old, overdriven tube amps that are often times cranked hard. In my experience, even big amps and guitar processors have difficulty emulating this sound, so I wasn't expecting much from something this small.
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Thankfully, my low expectations were quickly exceeded. The AP2-CR did a nice job of emulating the midrange emphasis and crunchy overdrive flavor commonly associated with classic rock tunes.
I especially love the bite when digging into the strings, making this a fun amp for practicing solos and improvisation. More importantly, I'm pleased there's enough transparency with its overdrive to still sound like myself.
Surprisingly, notes seem to decay organically like tube amps, which is a big plus. Chords sound surprisingly detailed and full, but only in low to mid-gain levels.
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Speaking of gain levels, driving this classic guitar headphone amp up too many results in muddy-sounding chords and fizzy single-note lines. This is unfortunate but understandable, given this unit's price and target market.
The muddy tone is especially noticeable when using single-coil pickups, but thankfully, it's not as muddy when I switch from Strat to Les Paul.
What sets this one apart from other amPlugs is its switchable (color-coded) Mid-Boost Mode. It lets you choose between Mid-boost Off (Green), Mid-boost 1 Lo (Orange), and Mid-boost 2 Hi (Red).
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This feature adds a virtual switchable booster circuit into the unit, emulating many rock guitarists' commonly used boost pedal + amp setup.
This headphone amp is not meant for Vox AC30 style clean tone. But I can get good clean tones by turning the gain knob all the way down in Green mode (Mid-boost Off).
But I prefer the slightly dirty and gritty cleans the Orange and Red modes provide. This mid-boost works really well with my Strat, letting me hear the nuances of my playing better.
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Vox continues to be the go-to brand for guitar headphone amps, thanks to the success of their amPlug line, which is now on its 2nd generation.
The amPlug 2 Blues is among their best offerings, designed to reproduce the famous Tweed amp tone. It gives you great sounding Texas blues style grit straight through headphones. This is quite the feat because blues tones require more clarity and dynamics, which even full size amps struggle to reproduce.
Even if you're not into Blues style, hearing the nuances and details of your playing will help you make more accurate assessments of your skill and make proper adjustments. For this reason, this amPlug works well with other styles, except those requiring heavy gain.
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Speaking of gain, Vox equipped this unit with three selectable voicings: Clean, Crunch, and Lead, which you can cycle through via a single button on the side. It also comes with three chorus types, delay and reverb, although you'll probably use reverb most of the time for blues.
Being a bug-type amplifier, it attaches to your guitar directly via the main plug and is powered by 2 x AAA batteries. The plug is adjustable via a five-notch 180-degree swivel mechanism for better positioning and easier storage. It also helps that amPlugs retain classic aesthetics that are unmistakably Vox.
Regardless of ever-changing musical trends, there's no stopping the popularity of high-gain tones among guitarists. But it's not easy to get good metal tones at lower volumes, even more so when listening via headphone guitar amps.
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This is where the Vox amPlug 2 Metal comes in, a compact bug-type headphone amplifier that provides convincing high-gain tones that sound full even through the small speakers of headphones.
Vox describes the tone as American high-gain, which fits the bill nicely. It has voicing variations via its three mid-scoop options: Mid Cut Off, Mid Cut Lo, and Mid Cut Hi. This gives you flavors that range from flat to V-style scooped sound.
While the tone it provides is not up to the same standards as expensive high-gain tube amps, it is metal-sounding enough for popular guitar player Ola Englund.
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It follows the tried and tested amPlug form factor, with unmistakably Vox cosmetics. It features swivel-capable plugs that make storing the unit and attaching in different positions easier. And it doesn't stray from the streamlined control settings that are found on other amPlug gen 2 units.
Fender secures a spot in this guide by loading the features of their Mustang series amps into the compact Mustang Micro, a bug-type guitar headphone amplifier unit.
What sets this one apart is the use of newer technology, including Bluetooth compatibility (for playing with your favorite audio) and USB-C connectivity for direct recording, essentially making this unit double as a guitar audio interface.
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Having more amp models and effects is another noteworthy advantage of this unit. Like the Mustang amps, it comes with Fender's digital GTX amp and stomp models, with up to 12 amps and 13 effect types to play with. This allows for much more sonic flexibility than the competition offers, albeit at a higher price point.
Even with its size limitation, Fender could still equip this unit with essential controls for tweaking the amp, effects, EQ, and volume.
The plug angle can be adjusted to accommodate different guitars and even basses, and it can also be folded for easier storage.
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Here are top-rated portable guitar effects pedals that are also great for playing through headphones. Although these guitar processors are not as convenient and portable as bug-type headphone amplifiers, they offer tone variety and can be used with a regular amp or with a PA system / audio interface.
They are also known mostly for their quality-to-value ratio, exemplified by the G1X Four, an affordable and compact multi-effects unit with many features.
For its size, this comes with a wide array of features, including 13 amp models, 71 effects, and 90 total presets. That's a lot of room for everything from subtle overdrive use to experimental effects.
Boss Waza Air Wireless Guitar Headphone Amp
Speaking of effects, this unit allows for up to 5 types of effects used simultaneously, which should be more than enough to cover a wide variety of tones and for crafting your own sound. It even comes with a built-in looper.
This real-time, hands-free control option is another important advantage over bug-type units. The downside is the bigger size and the complications of setting up floor space and a cable.
The Boss GT-1 gives you the same COSM DSP technology found in their expensive guitar processors, albeit in a smaller and lighter package.
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By plugging your headphones into this unit, you benefit from a wide selection of Boss effects and amp models, with more buttons and foot control options, while retaining a reasonably portable and compact profile. It even comes with acoustic tone options for use with a pickup-equipped acoustic guitar.
And it's not just about having more tones because the GT-1 is known great tones and good-sounding amp models. This includes high-gain tones that translate well through cans, much like they would through regular speakers.
For its size, this unit gives you quite a lot of footswitches, three in total, and an expression pedal, making the GT-1 a compact all-in-one guitar rig that you can use both on stage and for silent practice.
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For better control, it comes with a backlit LCD display and an array of knobs and buttons. This also makes the GT-1 a great tool for learning about the many different guitar amps and effects without the usual cost and bulk associated with them. Further control is available via the Boss Tone Studio App.
When I played with the GT-1, I was surprised at how light and compact it is, it has a good size-to-weight ratio that beats most of the guitar processors I've tried. Finally, it can run on four AA batteries, which makes
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