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Vox Adio Air GT Portable Modeling Combo Amp

I have owned many small practice amps and use them daily in my family room. My “go to” portable amp for a number of years, has been the Yamaha THR10C. I absolutely love the Yamaha THR10C for its simplicity, metal construction and great sound at low volume. I also love the red glow when it is turned on to simulate tubes.

Even though I have tried several other small amps, I always end up back to the Yamaha THR10C. I am able to get the sounds I want for different styles of music and different guitars. It is an older model at this point and lacks a few features.

The Yamaha THR10C lacks Bluetooth, but I solved this by using the small Blackstar Tone:Link Bluetooth Receiver. Which is a small $30 rechargeable unit that allows me to stream backing tracks to my Yamaha THR10C. I am able to stream audio from my iPad and if I like I can plug in headphones to the Yamaha THR10C and practice in total silence and not disturb anyone else.

I decided to give the newer Vox Adio Air GT a try. It has much in common with the Yamaha THR10C, but being newer it has more features including built-in Bluetooth. More features does not always make for a better piece of gear in my experience. I had purchased the Line 6 AMPLIFi 30 a few years ago. The Line 6 Amplifi 30 had tons of features and is a nice unit and I ended up back to the trusty Yamaha as it sounded better to my ears.

The Vox looks to be the first small portable modeling amp that can challenge the Yamaha THR10C. Looks like Vox did its homework and looked over the Yamaha THR series. There are lots of overlaps. Especially the control layout on the unit. The downside that immediately caught my eyes was the awful look of the Vox Air GT, with its plastic molded case that could pass for a women’s fancy handbag. Also the Vox lacks an actual handle and has an indent to picking up (Line 6 Amplifi 30 is similar). Since it basically ends up sitting on a small table at my house I can live with this. The cabinet does add a lot to the way the Vox Adio GT sounds and a great deal of time likely went into the design according to Vox. It is the aesthetics that takes a bit getting used to.

The Vox Adio sounds great out of the box for a low volume practice amp. The amp models cover most styles. It is pretty simple to use.

From Vox:
Proprietary chassis design ensures powerful and clear sound
Adio provides both the hard-hitting cabinet resonance of a guitar/bass amp, and the high fidelity of home audio speakers. Thanks to new concepts used in its cabinet structure, the multi-purpose Adio excels in both scenarios. It features a bass reflex structure that delivers a sound density far exceeding the unit’s size, and an inner box that emanates the sense of spatiality and depth you expect from stereo speakers. The speakers are contained in a sophisticated slant-body design, creating powerful and high-quality sound that shines for both performance and listening.

A divided cabinet design
To prevent unwanted cabinet resonance, the inner box that secures the speakers is completely separated from the rear cabinet. Additionally, the inner box separates L and R into independent spaces to produce stereo playback with an enhanced sense of spatiality. Rigidity is enhanced by a chassis design that minimizes parallel surfaces, suppressing unwanted vibration that would adversely affect the quality of the sound.

Honeycomb-structure speaker frame
The front grille uses a honeycomb structure that perforates the speaker area with a set of hexagons. This efficiently maintains strength, yet ensures maximum space. The high ratio of openness means that the speaker is not obstructed, allowing the sound to be clear and direct.

Ported design further enhances low-frequency playback
The bass reflex section uses a flair component that creates a smooth widening at the entry and exit of the cabinet’s port. This minimizes unwanted noise and also enhances the bass reflex efficiency to further boost the low-frequency playback.

Unique shape allows for enhanced listening experience
The unique slanted design of the Adio allows you to position it with the speakers pointing diagonally upward so that the output reaches your ears directly even at short distances. This means that you can enjoy always performing or listening in the sweet spot. The chassis is designed to minimize parallel surfaces, delivering a smooth sound that suppresses any internal resonances.

A handle that’s integrated with the cabinet
With a recessed slot built into the back of the cabinet, the Adio combines sleek looks with convenient portability.

Impressive sound from a small compact cabinet with 50 watts of power driving dual 3″ speakers. Do not let the 50 watts rating fool you, this is not a gigging amp by any means. The Vox Adio Air GT is a bit louder than the Yamaha THR10C mostly on the higher gain models, but volume has never been an issue for me. Yamaha was always plenty loud enough. You are not doing a gig with a drummer with these amps.

The Vox Adio Air GT is great for listening to music, whether it’s from the aux 1/4-inch input or via Bluetooth. Sending audio from my iPhone or iPad via Bluetooth you get some decent sound that is pretty loud. The Adio tone controls do not affect the sound streamed to the unit, but not a big deal.

The Adio Air GT can be powered by included power supply or eight AA batteries for up to eight hours of continuous operation allowing complete portable use. Yamaha THR10C is similar, but honestly I never use it on batteries. The Adio does not offer microphone connections. If you are looking for an amp to do busking, I suggest you might want to take a look at the Roland Cube amps.

Vox Adio Air GT offers up to 23 amp models, 11 are built-in. Amp models include VOX AC30 as well as a variety of high-gain and clean amps. By using the free Tone Room software (iOS, Android, Mac or Windows), you can choose from a total of 23 amp models with Reverb, Chorus, Flanger, Phaser, Tremolo and Delay effects.

Tone Room editor/librarian software allows you to customize parameters and audio EQ settings. Up to eight customized amps and effects can be saved in the Adio. The Adio Air additionally supports Bluetooth MIDI, so you can control parameters wirelessly.

Amp Models feature (11): DELUXE CL (NORMAL), AC30, BOUTIQUE CL, AC30TB, BOUTIQUE OD, TEXAS LEAD, BRIT 1959 (NORMAL), BRIT 800, BRIT VERB, DOUBLE REC, FLAT. When Using Tone Room (12 more added): DELUXE CL VIBRATO, TWEED 4×10 BRIGHT, TWEED 4×10, BRIT 1959 TREBLE, BRIT VM, SL-OD, CALI ELATION, ERUPT III CH2, ERUPT III CH3, BOUTIQUE METAL, ORIGINAL CL, ACOUSTIC SIMULATOR

Similar to the Yamaha THR10C their are two effect controls on the Vox Adio Air GT that allows you to use two effects at once by selecting the effects with the controls.

Effect 1 Modulation (4): CHORUS (STEREO CHORUS), FLANGER (BLACK FLANGER), PHASER (ORG PHASER 1), TREMOLO (TWIN TREM). When Using Tone Room (7 more added): CE CHORUS, STEREO FLANGER, ORG PHASER 2, SMALL PHASE, DUO PHASE (FREE), DUO PHASE (SYNC), HARMONIC TREM.

Effect 2 Types Delay/Reverb (4): ANALOG DELAY, WIDE DELAY, SPRING, HALL. When Using Tone Room (4 types added): TAPE, CROSS DELAY, ROOM, PLATE

Using the Tone Room software you can get a bit more control over how effects are used. Plus you can save settings to the User Presets on the top of the unit for quick recall. The Line 6 AMPLIFi 30 amp’s AMPLIFi software is better done with more tweet-ability (if you care about that), but it also allows for downloading other peoples patches shared in the cloud. I was able to find some nice useful sounds from people creative than myself. Vox would need better software if they want to compete with the Line 6 offering in my opinion.

JamVOX III modeling software is also bundled, so you can easily enjoy playing guitar on your PC. You can take advantage of the GXT function that lets you cancel or extract/emphasize a specific part from an existing song; you can also use the music player function to play back a loop from a song that you’re learning or practicing, and even change its tempo. ASIO drivers are supported, so you can also record and play back via software other than JamVOX III, such as a DAW or guitar amp simulator. I have not tried this with the Adio Air GT, but have owned the JamVox software for quite awhile and it is quite good.

Vox Adio Air GT Guitar Modeling Combo Amplifier Features:

  • Compact modeling combo amp with effects
  • Dual 3″ speakers and 50 watts of power for impressively dynamic tones
  • Models range from clean to high gain
  • Two effects sections, with modulation effects placed before reverbs and delays
  • USB audio interface for computer recording and playback
  • Bluetooth MIDI allows you to control your amp remotely
  • Bluetooth connectivity for music playback, plus Aux In for wired connection
  • Can be powered with 8 x AA batteries

Sound-wise I find the Vox Adio Air GT and Yamaha THR10C both pretty good. Factoring in their size, they both surprising nice guitar amps for practice and for a small space. I like the sleeker metal design of the Yamaha much better and I like that Yamaha has an optional padded carry case (that I own). I did not see one available from Vox.

Vox Adio Air GT top controls

Yamaha THR10C top controls

The control layout are quite similar, with even the two effect knobs having basically the same effect order and compliment. Except for the Volume knob on the Vox being in a different position the controls are almost the same.

Both amps can be used as an interface for recording into your PC or Mac. The Yamaha THR10C even came bundled with Steinberg’s Cubase AI recording software. Both amps are similar in size and weight with the Vox being slightly wider and slightly lighter. Both amps have built-in tuners. The Vox Adio Air GT does have a Tap button for the delay. Both amps can store user presets and recall them with a button press on the top.

Some other differences: Yamaha THR10C offers a Bass amp model, Vox offers a version Adio Air BS that is created for Bass players. Both amps offer a Flat setting that is uncolored which can be quite useful, especially for using an Amp Sim pedal. I have many times plugged in my Tech 21 Liverpool V2 or MI Audio Super Crunch Box V2 pedal into the Yamaha and used the Flat settings with great results. Both units can take pedals, but honestly I rarely use pedals with these amps. One other thing that the Yamaha has is a Acoustic setting which I have used. Also not Yamaha does make a dedicated THR amp for acoustic players as well as a higher gain version THR.

Despite being much newer model, it did not best the Yamaha THR10C sound out of the box. Anyone looking for this type of amp would likely be happy with either of these amps. Both little amps sound very good. If Bluetooth is a must, the Vox has an edge as it is built-in. I would expect Yamaha to update their popular THR series soon enough. When they do we can take another look in the quest to find the best sounds!

I will live with the Vox for a long while and see if it can actually replace my trusty Yamaha THR10C. So far I find the Vox to be a great little amp. More likely I will use both in different rooms.

Tech Specs:

  • Type: Solid State
  • Number of Channels: Single channel, 4-user program presets
  • Total Power: 50W Stereo (2 x 25W @ 8 ohms)
  • Speaker Size: 2 x 3″ speakers
  • Effects: Reverb, Chorus, Flanger, Phaser, Tremolo, Delay
  • EQ: 3-band EQ
  • Inputs: 1 x 1/4″ (instrument), 1 x 1/8″ (aux in) PLUS Bluetooth
  • USB: 1 x Type B
  • Headphones: 1 x 1/8″
  • Tuner, ToneRoom editor/librarian software (Windows, Mac, iOS, Android)
  • Power Source: 19V DC power supply (included) / 8 x AA batteries
  • Height: 6.5″
  • Width: 14.1″
  • Depth: 6.4″
  • Weight: 6.39 lbs.