Spark 40-Watt Combo Practice Guitar Amplifier Electric Bass and Acoustic Guitar Amp with Spark Mobile App

This amp sounds pretty good, and it's visually beautiful in pearl white, and has a lot of bonuses -- you get an app where you can create a virtual FX chain, you can use it as a Bluetooth speaker (I haven't tried this but it sounds interesting), and it has a volume control for the Aux input. These are unique features! It comes with some cool presets and it's awesome that it lets you record the sound over USB (this was a key factor in my decision to buy it). I use it for playing in my bedroom and recording in Reaper over USB.My only complaint is that the live audio from this device in Reaper comes out a little spotty... Idk why, and I haven't played with settings a ton to see if I can get rid of it, but it doesn't seem to affect the recorded quality. It's just for when you're listening to it through your DAW (that one old version of Reaper at least), it would seem a little low-fi and occasionally stutter. Again, recorded fine without the glitches.I know they released a version 2.0 since I bought this, so this review is a little deprecated.

This Bluetooth amp is amazing. The sound is powerful, clear, and super versatile. It connects easily and has everything I need. It’s the most complete amp I’ve tried. Truly impressive!

I am not going to talk about the features of this amp, they are numerous and well thought out. I will say The included drum machine is a welcome feature for new players instead of a metronome. This will get you up and rocking a lot faster. If you are not comfortable controlling this with a smartphone or computer, then I would look elsewhere. If you are fine with this, then this can be the best-sounding practice amp under 300$, by a mile.My only complaint with this amp is it needs an additional Digital signal processor between the effects loop and the actual power amp, the speakers without correction are very dark and boomy.. There are 3 models of the spark amps and they all share the same tone cloud, so this thing sounds best when recording, or using the headphone out. In the spark 40, the speakers sound a bit dark, where they sound lean on the smaller units. But do not fret(pun intended) You can add an overdrive module on the front end of the chain and use the tone knob on that to boost the upper mids. There is also a 7 band EQ, and if you bring down 200 and 500hz, then lift 2k and 4k a touch, you can get a nice, rock/metal tone that sounds utterly fantastic through the speakers. I would not have believed it if I did not hear it for myself, this thing is stunning once you compensate for the speakers.. Just note that if you use the EQ, you will not be able to add modulation effects. Also note that the tones you create for the speakers will sound lean and harsh through headphones or recording through the USB out. Fortunately, you can store them in your phone, or have up tp 4 stored on the unit to switch between tones for recording, and tones for playing through the speakers.This is the best-sounding practice amp I have ever used. It is easy to dial in tones, and once you EQ the speakers, this thing sounds amazing. It can get loud enough to rock out in a living room without annoying your neighbors, but not loud enough to play over a drum kit. You could gig at a coffee bar or small acoustic venue, but that would be it. Regardles,s it gets surprisingly loud for its size, and sounds like a much bigger amp. I am impressed.

This little jawns is the absolute BOMB

I was not prepared to like this amp as much as I do. Having used it for about a week or so, I am very impressed with the quality and performance.I don't care for the "brick" power supply, but it is not enough of an issue to lose any stars. It also offers some options if the power supply goes out, so pros and cons there.It is loud. Louder than it has a right to be. I cannot believe how much sound it puts out in such a small package, and I have been using amps and speakers for nearly 60 years, including more than 24 years in the professional audiovisual field. I am quite impressed, and I don't say that lightly.I know some people complain about it being "too bass heavy," but I find that kind of a silly complaint. Of course, I don't like bright, twangy, banjo like-guitars sounds (read Fender), so there you go. I prefer a more balanced sound with a good strong low end (most of the time, anyway). Using the various EQs available, I can get more high end than I like, so I am fine with how it sounds. Since it is also usable for bass, you need the lower end. Perhaps a bass cut switch would help here.I would like to see the graphic EQ moved to a different set of effects, maybe have a dedicated set of EQs like they do other effects. I think they have way too many distortion effects, but then I like to hear more actual guitar sounds than a load of grating noise. A lot of over the top metal sounds are just pure noise to me, and I think people sometimes use the noise to cover up poor technique. (I know I have . . . .) If you want grating square wave noisey signals, get a synth. They do it better and in a more musical way. My two cents . . . .The amp has very nice clean sounds, and very usable tube crunch sounds. One can spend a great deal of time just exploring all the sounds available with the various effects, which I intend to do.I was surprised how easy the app was to use. I am not a fan of using apps to control everything, but I can see the advantage in this case. I was not surprised to find out that a lot of the marketed "features" of the amp are actually cloud/network functions you need to be connected to the internet to use. Again, not a bad compromise in this price range, although they should clarify that in their advertising.It does still function quite well as just a hardware amp with knob controls, and is still a bargain just using it that way. As many people suggest, you can use the app to set up the four presets, and just use it that way. I would like to see more presets, maybe six or eight, but even with just two it would still be a great amp.I have not signed into their website, which you have to do to access all the cloud based functions, but will probably do that eventually. They have also come out with an expansion cabinet with 140 watts of power, making it a real gigging amp for a lot of venues.I debated giving the fifth star or not, as I would like to see a real line out (balanced, even) and not just a headphone out, although it can sort of function as a line out. I think not having a dedicated line out whch does not cut the speakers would be far more functional and make this amp more like 6 or 7 stars, especially if they move the EQ in the effect chain.I find it to be a great little amp and I very much recommend giving it serious thought. Paired with an Eart headless guitar, it makes a very compact setup with some serious growth potential (and parents take note, it does have a headphone jack!).It is also great for players with very little space for gear (nomads and such).Well worth a look if you are in the market for an amp.

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