I have the Astro 20 but it's been really hard trying to dial in a tone that I am really excited about. I use a regular amp, No IRs.. I think my REVV g3 pedal is what i need to make things more punchy and clear... Your demo on the G3 was incredible, GREAT GREAT sounds you had and AWESOME intro song... so very good!!
Great demo, enjoyed being able to listen to the amp cover many genres and on different guitars too. Couldn't agree more regarding how a 'real' amp feels to a player and how it inspires you to play better. Plug ins and modellers are pretty damn amazing these days but they don't give anything back to your fingers... if you know what I mean...
Hey Kris! Not using IR's? What speaker do you recommend is the best to get a 80's rock heavy rhythms and lead with this head. I have a 212 vertical cab, I'm gonna replace the speakers with using the red channel with punch but depth. Thanks
How much are you Eqing the D.I. out of the amp externally in your DAW? I have this amp and the I.R.'s are BOOMY and have ZERO clarity. I am going direct frokm the amp into my Univerasl Audio Apollo 16 and even ean it through my Vintech x73i with the same result. I Eq'ed the life out of the signal to get it to work. Did you have the same observation?
Seems like an amazing and usable amp,. My Question with a 20 watt amp is, will it be loud enough to play with a Rockband? 20 watts might not have enough headroom
If you are putting a mic in front of the amp and have a floor monitor/wedge or in ear monitors then it should be loud enough. I play with a very loud drummer and my volume is on ten-to with a 30 watt amp and 2x12 speaker cab. Any more seems to be too much for most venues including larger corporate events.
Hey Kris, cool video, I've had the OX BOX for over a year now and I'm more than happy with it, I got the Freyette Power Station six months ago. 'm a Marshall player and hardly know anything else, my main amp for over 10 years has been the JVM 410H,, for me one of the best amps in the world. But now my question is, for which purpose would you recommend the OX Box or the Power Station? I play both and enjoy listening to my beloved 2x 12 Bogner Cabinet every now and then. Cheers David
I sold my Ox box and kept my Powerstation. I think it comes down to what you want, the Ox is the best recording device, but it's attentuation isn't that amazing. The Powerstation is the best attenuator in my opinion, and I also use it sometimes with my tonex into the powerstation to a cab. Of course the Powerstation has DI out, so you could also sell the Ox and get that new UA pedal that has all the IR's inside. That way you have the best attenuation and the cabs from the Ox. But it really depends on what you want to do most with it I think. Recording or attenuating.
Idk about powerstation but I use my ox for silent practice with headphones which sounds fantastic and I use for recording any of my tube amps and works great those are the only 2 ways I use it. It's not a great attenuator but it does work a little lol
@Dezenaamisnietbeschikbaar it's not a great attenuator compared to others on the market, there's no fine control. It has 5 levels of preset attenuation and that's all you get, I don't use it for that, I love it for the other features I already mentioned though and wouldn't sell it unless something crazy comes out someday that can beat it.
How this Soldano Astro-20 watts compare with the EVH 5150iii 50 watts? Next question: in a live gig at a medium-size pub with a loud drummer and NO mic on my speakers, could this Soldano Astro-20 watts keep up with a loud drummer in terms of volume?
I play with a loud drummer and have an amp going through a 2x12 cab. I can set my amp from 15-20-30 watts and never have it past ten-to. BUT, I always use a monitor or in ears. However, if I was to turn the volume to quarter past I can easily hear myself, but it is generally too loud on stage to the point where it spills over the mix out front. In my opinion you'd be ok if volume was up I think.
I am disappointed Kris. You haven't used all your guitars in this video 🤣 Where is the sparkly HB or the P90 loaded blue one. Great video as usual and this amp seems awesome. It reminds me of the PT15 in a way but with more tonal options ? I just looked at Pete Thorn's review of the amp and I was lost in all the possibilities of this little monster. But always a great sound.
Haha, I actually feel bad for not using a P90 guitar. 😅 Well, except for the PJD with the neck P90 but I think I only went for the bridge humbucker on that one. Ups. 😆
Hey Chris, lovley Review, good versaility of that amp and foremost honest!! May show your used pedal settings for all the geeks out there😁 beste bradwurschrd grüßle (BBG🤣)
Dude really? Its written in the title, its mentioned several times within the video..... here once more, hope you're able to use google :D SOLDANO ASTRO 20 Its Soldanos newest amp wich is something special because for several years there were only the SLO 100 and SLO30 (the flagships for several thousand $$). So thats something new with the "old" sound and modern features :)
I like this concept because yoi don’t need a cabinet, a load box, mics and to pay an engineer to professionally mic it up. You can plug in and use IRs made by people who know what they’re doing and just focus on turning the knobs and playing.
I finally got to play one today and I gotta say....no. I was using a really nicely set up ESP with great pickups and even with that, I was just "meh" about it. I'm sure it'll record nicely, but just being in the room with it, I was surprisingly underwhelmed. I preferred the Bogner 3534 and my Grandmeister 40 significantly more. I'm thinking maybe it's a headroom thing, 20 watts is just too squishy feeling for my taste.
I have this and the Bogner 3534 50 Watt, and I don't know... They're both so good. I like the Bogner blue channel better than about anything, but the cleans more on the astro and the astro feels more versatile and modern.
@@frankhubner3019 Verstehe. Nein, mein Kanal ist komplett unabhängig von meiner Arbeit bei Thomann. Der andere Amp gehört Thomann (soweit ich weiss), sowas darf niemand einfach mal nach Hause mitnehmen. 😅 Das finde ich richtig und ich will mein Kanal eh komplett unabhängig haben. My channel, my rules, my struggle. 😆 Ciao, danke für‘s Zuschauen. 🙌
I saw the price first before I knew anything about it and was like damn. But once I saw Soldano's video about what it can do then I was like ok it's worth that.
@@DanielBrophyMusic ... yep.... the transformer(s) is the #1 reason in the price difference. It's probably a tiny one and the sound with a real cab will be thin and crap.
No that’s incorrect the slo30 and 100 are PCB too though very high quality and with full size caps etc only the pots are handwired to the board. Cheapest pcb amps have cheap pots directly mounted to a pcb among other compromises. The Astro is probably sub assembled in china and put together by BAD that would explain the price. The internals of the Astro appears to be of equal quality. There’s a TH-cam somewhere showing it.
well I think pride of ownership counts for something at least - if you look at your amp and feel good about what you bought you’re probably going to play better…or think you are playing better! But I do think robust construction adds up to a better sounding amp if the design itself is good.
I think the ENGL fireball 25 really set the standard for lunchbox amps. If it doesn't have a built in gate, attenuator, and full sized tubes. Then I don't want it.
😅 Well, it’s only out for a day but everyone seems to love it and a ton of people are asking questions and wanna see comparisons (for example with the SLO 30).
Dude, I need this amp! Is it true bypass? Does it have a sweet spot? Is it transgender friendly? Nonbinary? Can it get Eddy's "Smells like teen spirit" tone? Asking for a friend
À dinausor like Mike Soldano was able to deliver a genuinely modern piece of gear with MIDI... Which your UAFX pedals you use with still seems unable to deliver. Which is the only reason why none of them are on my pedalboard neither my home studio. And considering they are a highly digital company they should be ashamed. 😤 That had to be said. Anyway, this Soldano seems not far from the ideal amp!! 🤩
I have the Astro 20 but it's been really hard trying to dial in a tone that I am really excited about. I use a regular amp, No IRs.. I think my REVV g3 pedal is what i need to make things more punchy and clear... Your demo on the G3 was incredible, GREAT GREAT sounds you had and AWESOME intro song... so very good!!
Super cool how you have a different approach in your videos about hyped gear!
Everyone does a video, you do it kinda different.
Go on like this!
Aww man, thank you so much! I try to keep things interesting for both you watching and me making my videos. 😅
You're making it sounds super great Kris! Great vid!
Love the demo. Thx for that. Have mine and use it live w a V30 cab. Now really excited about adding the IR’s to front of house as well.
Great playing. Super useful review. Thx for sharing.
Such a pleasant review and presenter - just sit back, grab a coffee and chill - great video
Got this a month ago , it’s the sound in my head . I love this amp 🎸😎
Great job. This really shows the flexibility of this amp.
@@anthonycosta2662 Thanks a lot!
fantastic playing and demo
Great idea and format for this video. Just subbed.
Much appreciated! 🙏
I’m really impressed with the blues rock and clean with pedals tones. It sounded very “alive”
Great demo, enjoyed being able to listen to the amp cover many genres and on different guitars too. Couldn't agree more regarding how a 'real' amp feels to a player and how it inspires you to play better. Plug ins and modellers are pretty damn amazing these days but they don't give anything back to your fingers... if you know what I mean...
Rite
Great video ! Got one on order !
Nice job Kris! Nice job Soldano!
If I had the money it would be a hard decision to get this or the Orange or30
I’m trying to find out, does the emulated cab/IR signal incorporate the power tubes (reactive load), or is it only the preamp going into the IR?
From what I understand it is preamp only into poweramp sim and IR.
Hey Kris! Not using IR's? What speaker do you recommend is the best to get a 80's rock heavy rhythms and lead with this head. I have a 212 vertical cab, I'm gonna replace the speakers with using the red channel with punch but depth. Thanks
Best review!!! Cheers from Perú
Thanks a lot man! 🙏
Does the USB work as an audio source for direct recording or does it require plugging the XLR into an audio interface?
XLR into interface
Answer: Yes.
It’s a slightly chewier SLO with a better clean channel and modern features built in. Home run.
How much are you Eqing the D.I. out of the amp externally in your DAW? I have this amp and the I.R.'s are BOOMY and have ZERO clarity. I am going direct frokm the amp into my Univerasl Audio Apollo 16 and even ean it through my Vintech x73i with the same result. I Eq'ed the life out of the signal to get it to work. Did you have the same observation?
Try a different IR?
Sounds awesome!! I just wish the presets would save gain & EQ settings.
I guess that would require motorized pots, which would be expensive and more likely to break.
The non factory IR is one of Leon Todd's.
Seems like an amazing and usable amp,. My Question with a 20 watt amp is, will it be loud enough to play with a Rockband? 20 watts might not have enough headroom
For clean tone it might not be enough headroom (it will probably start to overdrive). The drive channels will be loud enough though.
If you are putting a mic in front of the amp and have a floor monitor/wedge or in ear monitors then it should be loud enough. I play with a very loud drummer and my volume is on ten-to with a 30 watt amp and 2x12 speaker cab. Any more seems to be too much for most venues including larger corporate events.
great amp, great playing
Thanks a lot!
great review. would you say the Astro 20 can get the SLO sound?
It does: th-cam.com/video/m7_jOps-bn0/w-d-xo.htmlsi=-4AtKxdyq2wVCX6F
Hey Kris, cool video, I've had the OX BOX for over a year now and I'm more than happy with it, I got the Freyette Power Station six months ago. 'm a Marshall player and hardly know anything else, my main amp for over 10 years has been the JVM 410H,, for me one of the best amps in the world. But now my question is, for which purpose would you recommend the OX Box or the Power Station? I play both and enjoy listening to my beloved 2x 12 Bogner Cabinet every now and then.
Cheers David
I sold my Ox box and kept my Powerstation. I think it comes down to what you want, the Ox is the best recording device, but it's attentuation isn't that amazing. The Powerstation is the best attenuator in my opinion, and I also use it sometimes with my tonex into the powerstation to a cab. Of course the Powerstation has DI out, so you could also sell the Ox and get that new UA pedal that has all the IR's inside. That way you have the best attenuation and the cabs from the Ox. But it really depends on what you want to do most with it I think. Recording or attenuating.
Idk about powerstation but I use my ox for silent practice with headphones which sounds fantastic and I use for recording any of my tube amps and works great those are the only 2 ways I use it. It's not a great attenuator but it does work a little lol
@@HVACRTECH-83 oh it’s still a great attenuator!! You can’t really go wrong with the Ox if you want both.
@Dezenaamisnietbeschikbaar it's not a great attenuator compared to others on the market, there's no fine control. It has 5 levels of preset attenuation and that's all you get, I don't use it for that, I love it for the other features I already mentioned though and wouldn't sell it unless something crazy comes out someday that can beat it.
How this Soldano Astro-20 watts compare with the EVH 5150iii 50 watts?
Next question: in a live gig at a medium-size pub with a loud drummer and NO mic on my speakers, could this Soldano Astro-20 watts keep up with a loud drummer in terms of volume?
I play with a loud drummer and have an amp going through a 2x12 cab. I can set my amp from 15-20-30 watts and never have it past ten-to. BUT, I always use a monitor or in ears. However, if I was to turn the volume to quarter past I can easily hear myself, but it is generally too loud on stage to the point where it spills over the mix out front. In my opinion you'd be ok if volume was up I think.
It’s probably worth every penny!…. I still haven’t got 2K to drop on an amp!. ;(
You had me at ASTRO 🤘🏽
Seriously i played a astoverb some 20 years ago with a lucky 13 412 cab OMG it sounded phenomenal. Im still chasing that sweet sweet saturation.
Dream amp stuff
I am disappointed Kris. You haven't used all your guitars in this video 🤣 Where is the sparkly HB or the P90 loaded blue one.
Great video as usual and this amp seems awesome. It reminds me of the PT15 in a way but with more tonal options ? I just looked at Pete Thorn's review of the amp and I was lost in all the possibilities of this little monster. But always a great sound.
Haha, I actually feel bad for not using a P90 guitar. 😅 Well, except for the PJD with the neck P90 but I think I only went for the bridge humbucker on that one. Ups. 😆
Just checked it, I DID use the P90 for clean and crunch. 😅 What a relief.
@@KrisBarocsi Yes but not the kit project ... But it was a since we haven't seen the PJD also, so that's good 🙂
Hey Chris, lovley Review, good versaility of that amp and foremost honest!! May show your used pedal settings for all the geeks out there😁 beste bradwurschrd grüßle (BBG🤣)
Whats this amp? I havent seen everyone and their mom feature this the last couple days.
Dude really? Its written in the title, its mentioned several times within the video..... here once more, hope you're able to use google :D
SOLDANO ASTRO 20
Its Soldanos newest amp wich is something special because for several years there were only the SLO 100 and SLO30 (the flagships for several thousand $$). So thats something new with the "old" sound and modern features :)
I like this concept because yoi don’t need a cabinet, a load box, mics and to pay an engineer to professionally mic it up. You can plug in and use IRs made by people who know what they’re doing and just focus on turning the knobs and playing.
I finally got to play one today and I gotta say....no. I was using a really nicely set up ESP with great pickups and even with that, I was just "meh" about it. I'm sure it'll record nicely, but just being in the room with it, I was surprisingly underwhelmed. I preferred the Bogner 3534 and my Grandmeister 40 significantly more. I'm thinking maybe it's a headroom thing, 20 watts is just too squishy feeling for my taste.
I have this and the Bogner 3534 50 Watt, and I don't know... They're both so good. I like the Bogner blue channel better than about anything, but the cleans more on the astro and the astro feels more versatile and modern.
Ist das eigentlich derselbe Amp von gestern Morgen, den du mit Guillaume probiert hast?
Es mag lustig klingen, aber nein. Dieser Amp kam vom Vertrieb und ging direkt zurück. Wieso? Weil in diesem ein IR nicht „factory preset“ ist?
@@KrisBarocsi Nein, weil ich dachte dass du den für deinen Review verwenden dürftest.
@@frankhubner3019 Verstehe. Nein, mein Kanal ist komplett unabhängig von meiner Arbeit bei Thomann. Der andere Amp gehört Thomann (soweit ich weiss), sowas darf niemand einfach mal nach Hause mitnehmen. 😅 Das finde ich richtig und ich will mein Kanal eh komplett unabhängig haben. My channel, my rules, my struggle. 😆 Ciao, danke für‘s Zuschauen. 🙌
This amp make your sound great man
Thanks so much! It's truly an amazing amp.
Yes
Hello my friend .well for 2 grando is alot .but again its a soldano for life.🙏⚘⚘🔥🔥👍🔥❤❤⚘❤🙏❤🙏
I saw the price first before I knew anything about it and was like damn. But once I saw Soldano's video about what it can do then I was like ok it's worth that.
I have heard a bunch of demos of this amp today. No one pulled off a metal tone with this amp.
Yeah, I watched a bunch of demos, underwhelmed, got better tone from a Power 50 pedal into a TA-15.
It's funny how a slo 30 watt goes for around 3 grand, and a astro 20 with bells and whistles goes for around 2 grand.
SLO 30s and 100s are hand-wired, Astro is PCB. More expensive power transformer too.
@@DanielBrophyMusic ... yep.... the transformer(s) is the #1 reason in the price difference. It's probably a tiny one and the sound with a real cab will be thin and crap.
No that’s incorrect the slo30 and 100 are PCB too though very high quality and with full size caps etc only the pots are handwired to the board. Cheapest pcb amps have cheap pots directly mounted to a pcb among other compromises. The Astro is probably sub assembled in china and put together by BAD that would explain the price. The internals of the Astro appears to be of equal quality. There’s a TH-cam somewhere showing it.
@@mKreifeldt - Then you have to ask yourself, is there a 1000 dollar difference in sound.. Do the expensive parts justify the price tag?
well I think pride of ownership counts for something at least - if you look at your amp and feel good about what you bought you’re probably going to play better…or think you are playing better! But I do think robust construction adds up to a better sounding amp if the design itself is good.
I think the ENGL fireball 25 really set the standard for lunchbox amps. If it doesn't have a built in gate, attenuator, and full sized tubes. Then I don't want it.
Different syles though. Fireball is metal. 2 channel. Great for what it is, but not as versatile.
how can something that came out a few hours ago be hyped I wonder haha
😅 Well, it’s only out for a day but everyone seems to love it and a ton of people are asking questions and wanna see comparisons (for example with the SLO 30).
I’m gonna tell my kids this guy is Mathew Perry.
Dude, I need this amp! Is it true bypass? Does it have a sweet spot? Is it transgender friendly? Nonbinary? Can it get Eddy's "Smells like teen spirit" tone? Asking for a friend
À dinausor like Mike Soldano was able to deliver a genuinely modern piece of gear with MIDI... Which your UAFX pedals you use with still seems unable to deliver. Which is the only reason why none of them are on my pedalboard neither my home studio.
And considering they are a highly digital company they should be ashamed. 😤
That had to be said.
Anyway, this Soldano seems not far from the ideal amp!! 🤩
Over-priced and inconsistent. Unless ur Clapton, or Bonamassa or any star.otherwise very mediocre. You know it's true.