Ox Amp Top Box with B15-N-C

[Andy K]

Has anyone used a Universal Audio Ox Amp Top Box with a B15? Looking for a way to make my B15 more accessible on a day to day basis without having to mic it up every time I want to use it. Thanks.

[BigRedX]

Power soaks are a great idea for guitar amps, but generally less so for bass amps. I see this one is supposedly rated for up to 150W, but I would check with the manufacturer for their recommendations regarding power handling when used with bass guitar frequencies before connecting it to any bass amp.

Be aware that overdriven valve amp sounds are a combination of pre-amp valve saturation, power amp valve saturation and speaker break up. IME speaker break up is more important to the overall sound than power amp valve saturation, and as soon as you take this out of the equation, you may well be disappointed with the sound you are getting.

Although the Ox Amp Top Box includes speaker emulation, all the models but one are for guitar cabs and combos, and none will come close to the sound of the B15 cab. Again be prepared to be disappointed.

One final thing to consider is cooling. These devices attenuate the power being sent to the speakers by dissipating it as heat. Even a 25W guitar amp into a power soak/attenuator will generate a lot of heat - often more than the valves themselves. I used to run a guitar combo in a Marshall PowerBreak, and many of the (guitar) sounds I used would cause the rather noisy fan to kick into overdrive in order to keep it cool. After a typical 45 minute gig the the top panel PowerBreak would be almost too hot to touch.

Ultimately the only way to find out if this particular device is any good for you is to try it out yourself. However I would check with the manufacturer that they are happy for it's use with your particular bass amp before proceeding.

Edited October 25, 2020 by BigRedX

[BassmanPaul]

Personally I wouldn't let one of those things anywhere near my B15. The magic of the B15 is bass right into the amp. Anything else will detract from the amp.

What do you mean by more accessible?