VOX amPlug 2 Guitar Headphone Amp Review
In Depth with the “Lead” Model
A surprising number of features packed into this little unit
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Results at a Glance
For: VOX amPlug 2 Lead
Sound Quality
A little wooly in the bass, but overall I’m impressed with the tones
Build Quality
Lightweight plastic, but feels solid enough for light abuse
Price
At less than $40, it’s hard for me to complain
Ease of Use
Mostly intuitive, but you WILL need to read the manual to access certain effects
Features
Surprised at how much is packed into this little unit
What I Liked
What I Didn’t Like
For a couple years now my “travel setup” for guitar practice has been: iPhone, JamUp Pro app, old iRig guitar interface, guitar cable, and headphones.
Portable? Sure. Practical and convenient? Not so much. It was awkward to use in a hotel room, and there was no way was I going to try and set all that stuff up at a busy airport.
So for a few years now I’ve been seeing “headphone practice amps” on Amazon, but I was skeptical. At home I use very high-end rack gear to get my sounds. It’s serious stuff–I absolutely love the tones I get from that gear and everything else kinda falls short to my ears.
So, I’d essentially dismissed headphone practice amps, assuming they were just toys. But, since I was at my wits-end with my current travel setup, I decided to take one for a test drive.
The VOX amPlug 2 Lead
I decided to try the amPlug 2 headphone amp made by VOX. I see them all the time, and thought the “AC30” was the only model they made. However, I was surprised to learn these little guys are actually available in 7 different flavors:
I wasn’t sure which one to get. So I watched some demo videos on YouTube and, being a metal player, decided the Lead version would suit me best.
My new VOX amPlug 2 Lead
The Lead version is the model I’ll be writing a review about today, so keep this in mind whenever I’m commenting about sound quality. Otherwise, I believe all amPlug 2 models have the same physical features and come with all the same accessories featured in this review.
Other Similar Products (Competitors)
Of course, VOX isn’t the only company making these little headphone amps. So, I think it’s important to list a few of their competitors so you can make an informed decision. Again, I’m sticking with the “metal” theme here, but each of these companies offers different flavors. Check them out on Amazon:
Disclaimer: I’ve not tried these 3 headphone amps, so I can’t recommend them or tell you whether they’re any good. Please do your homework, read reviews, etc. before deciding what you ultimately want to buy.
Accessories
The VOX amPlug 2 comes with 2 AAA batteries. For 90% of you out there, this is all you’ll need. Simply install the batteries, plug the amPlug into your guitar, and then plug your own headphones into the amPlug. Done. If you want to plug a playback device (iPhone, mp3 player, etc) into the amPlug or output the amPlug to computer speakers or a guitar amp, you’ll need to buy aux cables and any necessary tip adapters separately.
Unboxing and First Impressions
Packaging
Okay, let’s take a look at the packaging…
Front of the box
Back of the box
What’s in the Box?
Don’t be intimidated when you see the tri-fold instruction manual. The instructions are in several different languages… which is why the instructions seem longer than they really are.
All amPlug models come with batteries and an instruction manual
A little hand-shot to show the size of the amPlug
Instruction manual
amPlug 2 Setup
First thing you’ll need to do is install the included batteries. Just pop off the rear battery cover to do so. I highly recommend using your own batteries at first and leaving the included batteries in their wrapping. That way, if you’re not 100% happy with the amPlug model you chose, you can repack the amPlug and take advantage of Amazon’s generous return/exchange policy to try another model instead.
Remember: if possible, use your own batteries at first–until you’re sure you like the amPlug model that you ordered.
At one end of the amPlug 2 is your 1/8″ headphone jack. If you use a set of headphones that only have a larger 1/4″ jack, you’ll need to buy a 1/4″ to 1/8″ stereo adapter. On the top edge is an Aux input jack, gain, tone, and volume dials, and the “FX” switch for switching between the amPlug’s three main effects (chorus, delay, and reverb).
Headphone jack
Aux input, gain, tone, and volume as well as your effects switch
Once you’ve got your batteries installed and know where all your controls are, plug in your favorite headphones…
Next, plug the amPlug into your guitar. This is where the amPlug’s swiveling jack comes in handy. While the amPlug rarely ends up in an ideal position, it at least fits most guitars. I tested it with 3 guitars that all had very different input jacks, which I’ll talk more about later in this review.
Yeah, the amPlug usually ends up in an odd position, but luckily the controls are simple enough to figure out without needing to actually look at it.
Finally, turn on the amPlug by pressing and holding the power button. Key word: holding. If you just press the power button, nothing will happen. Hold the button for about 1 second and a green light will come on (denoting the “green” or clean/lowest-gain channel), which means you’re ready to rock.
When powered on, this button becomes the switch that allows you to switch between the amPlug’s 3 amp channels. Each channel–green, orange, and red–has a different sound. With my amPlug 2 Lead model, the 3 channels available to me are boost 1, boost 2, and boost 3. Essentially, there’s more gain with each channel. I can actually get a decent clean tone on boost 1 if I back my guitar’s volume off a bit.
I unplugged the amPlug from my guitar just to take this photo, but normally you’d do this while it’s plugged in.
Got power? Good. It’s time to get down to business and have fun experimenting with the 3 different channels, 3 effects, and the amPlug’s gain and tone controls. Note that the volume will be turned all the way down at first (I assume for safety reasons), so you won’t hear anything until you turn up the volume.
To turn the amPlug off, again press and hold the power button until the light turns off. It’s important to note the amPlug has an auto-shutoff feature that will shut the unit down after 30 minutes of inactivity.
The VOX amPlug 2 In-Use
Test Gear Used for This Review
I tested the amPlug with 3 guitars that all have very different output jacks. I also used 3 different headphones, ranging from cheap earbuds to pro-quality studio headphones. Here’s the breakdown:
Guitars Used
- Ibanez S3040PL J-Custom
- Ibanez Jem7vwh
- Ibanez RG1527RB
Headphones Used
First thing I wanted to do was test how this little guy adapts to various guitar output jacks. Luckily, I had a couple customer guitars here with non-standard output jacks. Let’s look at how the amPlug 2 ended up on each one. I didn’t have a Fender Strat to test with, so I simply used a Strat image from the VOX website.
Plugged into a standard guitar output
Plugged into an Ibanez Jem output
Plugged into an Ibanez S output
Plugged into a Fender Strat. Image courtesy voxamps.com
So as you can see, the VOX amPlug 2 is usually oriented upside down on most guitars. This means you can’t actually see the controls, but once you learn where everything is it’s easy enough to feel your way around to make any needed changes. As I said earlier though: don’t go fidgeting around with the controls while you’ve got a note or chord ringing, because you’ll inevitably run your finger over the volume dial and crank it. I learned that lesson the hard way.
Changing Channels = Easy
Switching between the amPlug’s 3 distinct channels is easy. Once the unit is powered on, the power button becomes the channel changer. You’ll see the power light initially come on as green, indicating that you’re on channel 1. Press the button again and it turns orange, indicating that you’re on channel 2. Press it one more time and the light turns red, indicating that you’re on channel 3.
At that point, if you press it again you cycle back around to channel 1.
Channel 1: green light
Channel 2: orange light
Channel 3: red light
The amp tones available on each channel depends on the amPlug model you have. For my “Lead” version, I have 3 drive channels that get progressively more overdriven. On channel 1, if I turn the gain all the way down and back-down my guitar’s volume knob a bit, I can essentially get a clean sound with just a bit of breakup if I play hard. Channel 2 is a more saturated overdrive, great for rhythm but with enough drive to solo with… kinda. Channel 3 can be all-out, maximum distortion if I crank the gain dial to the max. If I reduce the gain on channel 3 to its minimum, I get a fairly saturated rhythm tone.
Switching Effects = Easy
Switching between the default version of the amPlug’s 3 effects–delay, chorus, and reverb–is easy. Simply press the FX button to cycle through all of them successively, including a bypass setting with no effects. When I say “default version” what I mean is that simply pressing the FX button will cycle you through just one mode of each effect. Pretty easy. However, if you want to explore each effect’s 3 individual parameters, well, that’s not quite as easy.
The FX button cycles you through delay, chorus, reverb, and fx bypass.
Switching Effect Parameters = Not So Easy
Switching between each effect’s 3 unique parameters, on the other hand, is NOT so easy. This is where you really need to read the manual, because you’ll never just intuitively figure this one out on your own. I didn’t even know the feature existed until I read the manual 2 days later. And once you do figure it out, it’s a pain in the butt to actually do while the amPlug is plugged into your guitar.
Here’s the deal: Each effect has 3 individual modes, which gives you a grand total of 9 different sounds. Let’s take chorus, for example. While using the chorus effect, you have 3 different chorus depths you can cycle between. However, switching between those 3 states with only 1 hand is tricky depending on how the amPlug is oriented in your particular guitar. The swiveling jack doesn’t help matters. You have to simultaneously press the channel-change (power) button and the FX button. When you get it just right, you’ll hear 1, 2, or 3 very faint beeps in your headphones… which signifies that you’ve successfully switched the effect. When you get it wrong, you’ll either turn the amPlug completely off, or just switch to a totally different effect.
Simultaneously pressing the channel-change (power) button and FX buttons is easy when the amPlug isn’t actually connected to your guitar.
However, that maneuver is quite a pain while it’s plugged in. The amPlug wants to swivel away from you while you attempt this death grip.
Video Demo: All 6 amPlug 2 Guitar Models
Sorry folks, I’m not yet brave enough (or good enough) to play guitar on camera, but that’s okay because Music Bliss Malaysia created this fantastic video that demos all 6 amPlug 2 guitar models. In fact, this is the video that helped me decide which model to buy (in my case the “Lead” model). I strongly recommend that anyone considering an amPlug 2 watch this video to determine which amPlug model(s) is right for their needs:
So, How Did it Perform?
Price 
At less than $40 the VOX amPlug 2 isn’t a huge financial commitment. If you order it on Amazon and decide you don’t like it, or perhaps would like a different model instead, simply return it for a refund/exchange. I’d recommend using your own batteries at first (NOT the included batteries) until you’re sure you like the model that you ordered. That way you can cleanly repackage and return it if necessary.
Sound Quality
Let’s be honest here: this is a $40 headphone amp, not a high-end rack effects unit that costs thousands of dollars. That said, the sound is pretty good. Surprisingly so, in fact, and 100% adequate for practicing while on the road (which is what I intend to use it for). My main gripe is that, with the gain cranked up, I found the bass/lows to be a bit “wooly.” In other words, even with the EQ set to max brightness, lower notes had a bit too much bass for my taste. I would’ve loved some way reduce those wooly tones a bit.
Remember, I’m referring to the Lead model here. This may not be an issue for the other 6 amPlug models.
Build Quality
With the exception of the metal plug, the VOX amPlug 2 is lightweight and made of plastic. I wouldn’t say that it feels cheap, but I wouldn’t want to accidentally drop it onto a hard surface from too great a height. It would probably survive, but I wouldn’t want to test that theory. The rotating input plug is a great feature, and allows the amPlug to adapt to just about every kind of guitar output jack in existence. I’ll be curious to see how that rotating mechanism holds up with repeated use over the next few years.
Ease of Use
There are a couple reasons I deducted 1 star here. You actually DO need to read the manual to figure out that each effect (chorus, reverb, and delay) has 3 separate modes, and how to enable them. Switching to those extra modes is a combination of button presses that you won’t figure out on your own if you decide to skip the manual and just plug-and-play. Further, pressing those 2 buttons can be tricky depending on how the amPlug ends up being oriented on your guitar. However, that aside, even without reading the manual you’ll still be able to figure out and use 90% of the amPlug’s features.
Speaking of how the amPlug is oriented, another reason I deducted one star here is because, on most guitars, the amPlug 2 seems to always end up in some less-than-ideal position. If you’re lucky, it’ll just be upside down. On some guitars, it may be upside down AND turned at a strange angle. Despite this, I was always able to reach all the controls, and was able to use my ears to figure out which of the 3 dials or 2 buttons I was manipulating. On that note, be careful and don’t go fumbling blindly with the dials while you’ve got a note or chord ringing out. I accidentally ran my finger over the volume dial and inadvertently cranked it while a power chord was ringing. Ouch.
Features
The amPlug 2 comes with a surprising number of features built in. It has a rotating input jack to allow for a variety of guitar jack configurations. There are dials to adjust volume, tone, and drive level. There is also an AUX input jack to allow you to plug in a playback device such as a phone or mp3 player. Lastly, there’s a 1/8″ headphone jack.
There are 3 separate channels for 3 different amp tones which, depending on the amPlug model you choose, can range from sparkling clean to highly saturated distortion. There are also 3 built-in effects: delay, reverb, and chorus and each effect has 3 different modes. In other words, you get 3 choruses, 3 reverbs, and 3 delays for a total of 9 different sounds (and even more if you count the 3 distinct amp channels). I actually didn’t know there were 3 versions of each effect until much later, because you definitely HAVE to read the manual to figure out how to enable them. It’s a feature you won’t be able to discover on your own.
There’s a lot of functionality packed into this little plastic box.
Recap: What I Liked
- I was pretty surprised at how many features are packed into this compact little unit.
- You get 3 distinct amp tones thanks to 3 distinct channels.
- Effects include chorus, delay, and reverb, and each effect has 3 different flavors (effectively, 9 different sounds).
- The amPlug is lightweight and small, and the swiveling input jack makes it compact for travel.
Recap: What I Didn’t Like
- Even with the EQ at its brightest setting, I found the amPlug 2 Lead to be a little bass-heavy when playing with heavy distortion.
- The amPlug usually ends up in an odd position when plugged in, requiring you to grope around a bit to find dials and buttons.
- Switching between each effect’s 3 unique modes is tricky and difficult.
The Final Verdict
In short, I really like my amPlug 2 Lead. It won’t replace high-end, expensive rack gear, but that shouldn’t surprise anyone. Regardless, the amPlug sounded surprisingly good and the chorus, delay, and reverb effects are decent enough for practicing on-the-go or having an impromptu jam session through speakers. That said, the amPlug is my new go-to unit for practicing while traveling, because it’s so straightforward and compact. All I need is the amPlug and a set of earbuds… unlike my previous travel setup that required 4 different items.
I’m planning to buy 1-2 more amPlug 2 models… probably the Clean and Metal versions. At only $40 each, it’s not unreasonable to have 2 or 3 different models on-hand for more sonic variety. I’d say grab one for yourself if you travel a lot or are looking for something convenient for practicing whenever you don’t want to bother those around you, or grab one as a stocking stuffer for the guitarist in your life. They’re fun little units.
Watch some demo videos, decide which one is best for you, and then head over to Amazon to get your own amPlug 2:
Hi thanks for the review; I own a Lead2 as well and I like it. What kind of “real” pedal would you say gets closer to this Amplug?
Thanks man
Hi Oscar. Unfortunately, I don’t use pedals (all computer/rack fx here), so I can’t say what pedal most resembles it.