Positive Grid Spark 40. A look inside!
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 ม.ค. 2022
- A great practice tool.
No suprises with the build quality etc for the price.
Made in China obviously.
Interesting empty Sub section on the PCB.
No name speakers sadly but could be swapped out.
A fairly reasonable bluetooth speaker.
Good app with many features.
And now a Windows firmware updater that makes things very easy to update.
Well worth £200
Longevitiy I am not so sure about..... - วิทยาศาสตร์และเทคโนโลยี
Tip for replacing woodscrews or self-tappers into wood or plastics.
Run them backwards with a Light pressure until they 'drop' into the previously cut 'threads' in the material.
I have had the Spark 40 for a year now. I am really happy with it as it does the job I bought it for: namely, it can play very nice tones at very low volume. That means I can play late in the evening when my wife is trying to go to sleep and she is fine with the volume. My other amps seem to go from no sound to glass shattering. Before getting the Spark I was toying with the idea of putting a gearing mechanism to my other amp's volume knob. Additionally, my amp sounds like crap at that low of a volume and even my other modeling amp sounds poor at a low volume, which I can only reach by employing a micrometer.
My complaints about the Spark are few. The two major ones are: 1) headphone output has reverb turned on for everything. Even if I deactivate every pedal and amp, the headphone jack is unusable. Everything is wet like I am playing in a church. That includes any Bluetooth or internal AUX sounds.
2) The other problem is the reliance on an app. If you have an amp from the 70s or 80s, it's going to be working fine for centuries, given proper care and parts availability. An app based amp like the Spark cannot guarantee that longevity. Fortunately, I have a couple of very old iPads I can use (I even have an iPad 1, the very first one and it still works fine as a photo album or Kindle). The Spark is going to be a doorstop at some point, or at least a much diminished tool once the hardware is left behind by the software.
I really wish they had made a PC app for it, as that is going to give it more longevity.
However, given the price and my specific use, it's the best amp I could have bought.
I got'em too, in my opinion the speakers are really good!!!
Much bunch of resurcres of power they hve, and crystal clear sound and very loud!
TH-cam's search engine continues to amaze. 'Positive grid spark teardown' brought me here. The word teardown is not in the video, the description, or the comments.
It's always cool to click on a video about one of my hobbies and my other hobbies are hanging out in the background. 😁
I think the compact size is awesome but I do believe that there are certain characteristics you get with a physically larger speaker. Don’t get me wrong, amp modeling and speaker technology have come a long way(Badcat,Blackstar, Yamaha), but driving some decent wattage through a 12” speakers has its own “feel”.
Will they add a sub speaker option at some point?
Thanks. Based on another TH-cam video, I got a battery for mine. At this point I mounted it externally with velcro and it is working well.
The front grid buzz when played I removed and now sounds good. Any suggestions on how to mount it avoiding vibrations? Is it only esthetic or does it something to the sound?
Very surprised it buzzes. Try adding more velcro.
I came across 7 of these for $2 each the problem was it did not have the main board (control panel). I passed them up but does anyone know if these boards are for sell anywhere? The manufacturer does not sell them.
Great review, thanks a lot! Could you do the same with the Spark Mini?
Spark needs to design 2x10 and or 2x12 amp for multiple instruments keep up the good work 😊
Thanks for this video. I am using my Spark now as my main live rig amp. Those who complain about too much bass are just clueless how to properly use the app to dial in whatever tone they want. The 8 band graphic eq makes dialing in your preferred bass response as simple as it gets! I am running this through my Fryette Power Station 50w tube amplifier into my custom built made 2x12 Celestion 75w cab. The tones I am getting absolutely blow my mind and I have owned or played through most all of the "Big Boys" and they simply don't compare! I'll be making a video of my rig and demo my tones soon! My only complaint is the ultra cheap 1/8" headphone output jack I use to run into my Fryette. I was looking for a video like this to see if I could install a 1/4" high quality jack on the back and tie into the headphone output. It looks like there is plenty of space to add the jack but wondering if you can say how easy it might be to figure out where to tie in to the headphone output?
Is the note fruit better than the substance?
I wanted to use my Spark live. A comment above says the headphone output is always washed out with reverb however you set the preset, have you found that? Seems a bit strange to me. I can't try it as I'm abroad at the moment & the Spark is at home....
@@Durnyful Not true. The signal from headphine out is exactly how you set the parameters for the patch you're using. I need to make my video. You wouldn't believe the tone I'm getting. Volume would fill a small to mid concert hall!
@STRYKER PRODUCTIONS Thanks for the reply. That's what I expected! I'm trying to find a stereo to mono cable with resistors to connect to a powered monitor. The only one i can find is in the US & I'm in the UK! I have the wireless footswitch so it's perfect for 4 sounds live.
@@strykerproductions3554 Thanks
If you have a GO, can you take it apart to see what kind of battery it uses. Positive Grid won't answer my question. I want to know if the battery is accessible so that it can be replaced when it fails, maybe years later.
Do you think its possible to change the vinyl wrap with a custom tolex cover?
Sure, if you can get the old covering off without destroying the surface or it all falling apart.
Can a line out be added to add a second powered speaker?
Quite possibly but I haven't studied the circuitry to say for sure.
Not complaining because I don't plan on using it live, but I dont think it put's out a real 40 watts. actually Not even close. I have a 5 watt T5 Bugera that is way louder. One thing I would recomend on this style amp is putting a pair of stereo low impedance line level outputs (since it seems to already have impulse responses) they could capture signal before the headphone amp. this would make it easy to run through a PA. It would also be convenient for recording when you don't want to use it's onboard USB.
No fuse?
Interesting to see inside. I sold my Spark within a couple of weeks of getting it, it sounded to dark for my tastes, I couldn't get it to sound bright. It's all personal taste. It is good for the money if you like the tones.
You get any Sound you want of of this thing! When Sound it to dark, crank up the treble!!!
It is fully customizeable!
I agree with you though after a firmware upgrade an EQ pedal was added and I can now get very bright tones from mine. Very sweet tones from my strat in the neck/middle pickup combo. I have thought about putting an EQ pedal in front of the Spark.
@@timanderson5723 that's good. I know there was a few people on forums and reviews saying it was a little dark sounding so it's nice they responded. I do like the bias amp software on my PC. Maybe I will look again at the Spark. I actually made a tiny profit selling mine as they were so in demand at the time and I bought it on the early pre-release discount.
@@silotwenty
The Firmware Update is Important!
I think this little Amp Sounds Like a 100 Watts Marshall reduced to 1 Watts Amp ...with a Reducer tool!
Unbelievable rich tube Sound!
I have seen people commenting that blocking the bass reflex port (the hole between the two speakers) gets rid of excessive bass
Yo tengo un problema con el mío y es que de repente las bocinas dejan de emitir sonido y luego de pronto se vuelven a escuchar... Cabe mencionar que el Spark sigue encendido cuando éso sucede. Con los audífonos no pasa éso, funciona perfectamente 🤷🏽♂️
Why did you buy it for? Do you play guitar or just have a amp? I would have done anything for one of those when I was younger and yes I play guitar and I own a spark 40. Best amp I've ever owned for what it is. A practice Amp.
Hi I use this with a Telecaster when I am booted out of the house, normally use a Rahbek and a Helix LT in the house.
This used to be the greatest practice amp. of all time. Then suddenly after two years it started cutting the sound (of the Bluetooth streaming music, or from the guitar jack plugged in). After ten minutes of jamming it starts cutting (30-60 seconds of total mute) then comes back on. After five minutes it does the exact same thing etc. etc.
Making it a very heavy and somewhat expensive paper-weight. Avoid buying
Cant stand mine, volume is very patchy whilst playing through it (not just whilst changing tones), ive just brought the Katana air EX, and ditching the spark 40, if i get time i may have a look at the electronics but no, it had great potential but didnt live up to the hype.
Hope you like lots of bass.
If you don't then use the included eq pedal like everyone else is doing. Too much bass is a problem of the past.
@@kkjhn41 what if you want a balanced sound, *and* to be able to use modulation?
@@KeithMilner I'm not sure what you mean, the Spark app has multiple modulation pedals as well as an EQ pedal as I said for giving you the sound you want. What is it that you think would prevent getting a balanced sound or being able to use modulation?
@@kkjhn41 that’s new for us folks that bought early, I just realized they added EQ pedal now it is useful to me
i think the spark was made with more heavy riffage in mind,,, i can literally play my bass through it,,, lol... i got mine before there was even an eq for it, it does sound better now for some clean tones, but they still didn't put it in the right place, it should be at the front of the line, then you could still play with your mods... frustrating...
b.t.w. that middle hole is supposed to be a subwoofer, you can probably tape it over if you want less bass...
I have only seen people put ither non guitar speakers in there. I dont think there are many guitar speakers that sizei have a go and just have not bothered to link it up as i donr have a computer and u gotta be super close ti see much anyways
£200? That's only $227. I just bought one two weeks ago for $280!
Yep, currently £199 in the UK
uk.positivegrid.com/products/spark
@@Trevs-Shed It figures... I could have bought a Boss Katana 50 MKII for $200 on sales the same day I bought the Spark. And that looks more like what I had in mind. Lesson learned. Do your homework first, _before you buy anything!_
seen them for $200 on ebay
I just bought it for ¥44000, or $300 USD ;-; couldn't find any used around
Man! Fiber board cabinet material instead of birch plywood? Velcro? REALLY?! Then they used glue to attach the tolex? Nails to mount the positive grid logo badge?
How is a speaker with no brand name gonna sound good? Not possible! Then they had the nerve to put this dang thing together using screws instead of staples? Sheesh!!!
What is this world coming to?
What were they thinking
Depressing video.
Pmsl
1:16 "i'm not expecting anything too brilliant it's, uh, made in China". Really?
Needs output Jack. Waste of money as a practice amp.
I'm confused. Is it a waste of money unless it's a practice amp? What do you need an output jack for? It's for your desk top
What do you mean? It is a practive amp, what do you need an output jack for? Assuming you mean for speaker cabs? Otherwise it can record on pc etc
Headphone out can work as an output jack. Unfortunately that turns off the speakers ... it would be nice to be able to bypass that either as an option via software or just a hardware mod on the plug (depending on how it is built now). The Spark Mini has an option in the app to change the headphone out from headphone to line out level. Strange this is not an option on the Spark 40.