Universal Audio Ox Amp Top Box

Decided to convert my home office into a small “B room”, I do also have a larger space where I would be able to track my amps in a treated room with great mics and pres but that is getting more client use now and I wanted to be able to work on something at any time of the day/night.Enter the Ox. On paper this seemed like an amazing tool when it first came out but as I’ve gotten to know the UA ecosystem even more over the past few years I was even more excited to give it a shot. I’ll say this, it does sound awesome, but does it sound just like a mic on an amp? Not exactly. There are so many variables to throwing a mic on a speaker, for better or worse (often worse unless you are experienced). I’ve used this with my Hiwatt Custom 100 and my Reeves Custom 50, and ... MoreDecided to convert my home office into a small “B room”, I do also have a larger space where I would be able to track my amps in a treated room with great mics and pres but that is getting more client use now and I wanted to be able to work on something at any time of the day/night.Enter the Ox. On paper this seemed like an amazing tool when it first came out but as I’ve gotten to know the UA ecosystem even more over the past few years I was even more excited to give it a shot. I’ll say this, it does sound awesome, but does it sound just like a mic on an amp? Not exactly. There are so many variables to throwing a mic on a speaker, for better or worse (often worse unless you are experienced). I’ve used this with my Hiwatt Custom 100 and my Reeves Custom 50, and more than anything I notice just how much more I hear the difference with pedals. Without the cab to compress everything together you actually wind up hearing much more of the “effect” that you’re putting into the signal chain, which at first feels odd but then you realize that it just broadens the scope of tones you can achieve. In general I found the overall tone to be a bit pointy in the mix, easy enough to solve though. In UA Console I have the inputs running into API 550s and Oxide tape to round off the top end a bit and that really makes it feel more alive and real.The attenuator is the best I’ve experienced, in fact I have an MD-421 set up on the cab as well with the attenuator at 2 out of 5 so that I can blend in a mic’d signal and this is still a bedroom level even with a Hiwatt Custom 100. It doesn’t make the sound anemic in the way others have in the past either. I will absolutely use this on stage in the future, whenever stages happen again, in fact I wish this existed in all the years I was using these amps live and rehearsing without any sort of leash as I’d probably have better hearing haha.One bonus to this is that using the optical adat out you can plug into the adat in on your interface and not actually take up any of your microphone or line inputs.Built like a tank, nothing but quality as you’d expect.

This ox box has been a life saver for me. As a self proclaimed tube amp aficionado, I live for the tone and that glorious smell of hot tubes cranked up. Unfortunately my wife and neighbors aren’t as into the loudness as I am. SAD. But! Universal Audio has saved my soul with the ox box. This thing doesn’t suck tone or alter the feel of my tube amps in any way- it just brings the volume down to a manageable level so my wife and neighbors don’t throw things at me (like toasters or divorce papers). And that’s just the attenuator, not even half of the functionality of this bad little box. The cab/mic models are amazing and the fact that I can run my tube amp from the ox into my computer to record is just amazing. I haven’t even had enough time to delve all the way into ... MoreThis ox box has been a life saver for me. As a self proclaimed tube amp aficionado, I live for the tone and that glorious smell of hot tubes cranked up. Unfortunately my wife and neighbors aren’t as into the loudness as I am. SAD. But! Universal Audio has saved my soul with the ox box. This thing doesn’t suck tone or alter the feel of my tube amps in any way- it just brings the volume down to a manageable level so my wife and neighbors don’t throw things at me (like toasters or divorce papers). And that’s just the attenuator, not even half of the functionality of this bad little box. The cab/mic models are amazing and the fact that I can run my tube amp from the ox into my computer to record is just amazing. I haven’t even had enough time to delve all the way into the depths of that end of it, I’ve been having too much fun just rocking my cranked 100w marshal dual super lead and my 90w Mesa boogie mark V IN MY APARTMENT. gotta see it to believe it- and trust me. This thing has made a believer outta me!

Complete eye opener

This completely changes how I look at and play amps. Ever wanted to own a plexi but it was completely unfeasible to run one in the sweet spot? You can with this. Without waking the kids / wife. Massive attenuation levels will sap some highs, but I've been able to EQ around it. Generally Attenuation "3" or "4" cut the volume substantially without greatly altering the tone. Taking the attenuator down and then matching the volume by turning the amp itself up, I wasn't able to notice TOO much difference in sound or feel. Where this shines is the super simple and super great recording options and IMO, being able to use this with nice headphones or monitors. With headphones adding some of the room sound really makes you feel like you're there with a cabinet. I thought ... MoreThis completely changes how I look at and play amps. Ever wanted to own a plexi but it was completely unfeasible to run one in the sweet spot? You can with this. Without waking the kids / wife. Massive attenuation levels will sap some highs, but I've been able to EQ around it. Generally Attenuation "3" or "4" cut the volume substantially without greatly altering the tone. Taking the attenuator down and then matching the volume by turning the amp itself up, I wasn't able to notice TOO much difference in sound or feel. Where this shines is the super simple and super great recording options and IMO, being able to use this with nice headphones or monitors. With headphones adding some of the room sound really makes you feel like you're there with a cabinet. I thought this product was too expensive until I plugged it into a vintage plexi and a 5150 III and cranked the amps wearing headphones. Complete game changer and the amps sounded epic. I had a modeling device because I could never own a real plexi and play it how I wanted. Now I can. The modeler is gone and the real amp is at home, and it's so much better than the digital version.

Decent sounds with many flaws

A couple things I wanted to share for people considering this unit. The sounds that the ox box produces when you listen through headphones or through your DAW are "good" - borderline studio quality. However, to my ears they still don't sound 100% real, which means I doubt you will be hearing this used in any professional studio album. I think it's fine for a hobbyist. As for the claim that this is an analog circuit which maintains the character of your amps tube tone, I'm not really buying it. As you go through the presets, each tone seems to be entirely different from the last, which means maybe 80% of the tone is coming from the simulation of the speaker cab and mics. Not much different than a Line 6 Helix or Kemper in that you are really playing an imitation that ... MoreA couple things I wanted to share for people considering this unit. The sounds that the ox box produces when you listen through headphones or through your DAW are "good" - borderline studio quality. However, to my ears they still don't sound 100% real, which means I doubt you will be hearing this used in any professional studio album. I think it's fine for a hobbyist. As for the claim that this is an analog circuit which maintains the character of your amps tube tone, I'm not really buying it. As you go through the presets, each tone seems to be entirely different from the last, which means maybe 80% of the tone is coming from the simulation of the speaker cab and mics. Not much different than a Line 6 Helix or Kemper in that you are really playing an imitation that trained ears will hear, and those other products come with more features. The worst part is that the processed sound cannot come out of your amp's speaker. It can only be routed to headphones or a line out. This may cause people to invest in better studio monitors and ditch the external speaker cab for home practice or recording altogether. Not really "bad" per se, but a different approach. I wish the processed sound post cab emulation would be fed to the amp speaker to enjoy that way. I'm not going to sell the Ox for now, but it has flaws, to be sure, and some are quite glaring. The WiFi can be spotty to get in to change your presets. The amp is attenuated even at the "un-attentuated" setting, meaning if you want the top volume for some reason you will need to unplug all your speaker connections and go direct to the speaker. I definitely hear the drop in quality of the tone as the amp is attenuated and it requires more work in post production to clean up or compensate for with EQ. For the price tag, it is really questionable as a value proposition for a home studio. Not sure I'd recommend it for the money spent, but it definitely unlocks some sonic possibilities. Take a look at the Boss product as well.

Do not buy for attenuation.

Sound:I can’t believe UA would think I would want my guitar amp to make noises like that…and that I would just ignore them while I play LMAO. Keep your half baked beta test.Features:The modeling was fine. Nothing special. The vibrational noise coming from the components of my tube amp was unacceptable. BS that my amp makes that when I’m not use an attenuators. Also never heard other attenuators do this.Value:I will be building a recording studio from scratch instead of using this.Manufacturer Support:UA has an trickle on their website explains away the microphonic distortion as normal. I won’t even attempt troubleshoot this issue with a company that is so scummy as to blame their customers for their own short comings.The Wow Factor:The hype is real. But ... MoreSound:I can’t believe UA would think I would want my guitar amp to make noises like that…and that I would just ignore them while I play LMAO. Keep your half baked beta test.Features:The modeling was fine. Nothing special. The vibrational noise coming from the components of my tube amp was unacceptable. BS that my amp makes that when I’m not use an attenuators. Also never heard other attenuators do this.Value:I will be building a recording studio from scratch instead of using this.Manufacturer Support:UA has an trickle on their website explains away the microphonic distortion as normal. I won’t even attempt troubleshoot this issue with a company that is so scummy as to blame their customers for their own short comings.The Wow Factor:The hype is real. But it left me disappointed and down right upset. It’s main purpose as an attenuator is just pointless because of all the microphonic noise coming from the components. I can’t mic my attenuated amp with that noise in the room!Overall:The attenuation make your tube amp components emanate microphonic distortion. I found it completely unacceptable for bedroom playing and find it somewhat insulting that UA is claims my amp has always made these noises and I simply did not notice. I would hear that even with the amp dimed(I wear ear plugs AND over ear protection when playing that loud. You can hear little noises over the wall of guitar.) UA will have to earn my trust again before I buy anything UA because they just sapped all their good will with me.

Great sound but unreliable connection

Sound quality-wise, this thing is amazing. It offers a ton of high quality tones that are near identical to a real speaker/mic set up.HOWEVER...I really don't know what UA was thinking in terms of how to connect to your desktop in order to take advantage of the included software. You can't connect using a USB like every other peripheral on the market. Instead, you are forced to connect via WiFi. The problem is, there are so many restrictions on what is "approved" WiFi/home network that chances are you may have to play IT tech to get it running. And even then, the Ox's built in wifi is completely unreliable and you may not even be able to connect at all. I spent three weeks trouble shooting and working with customer support without any luck. A quick google search ... MoreSound quality-wise, this thing is amazing. It offers a ton of high quality tones that are near identical to a real speaker/mic set up.HOWEVER...I really don't know what UA was thinking in terms of how to connect to your desktop in order to take advantage of the included software. You can't connect using a USB like every other peripheral on the market. Instead, you are forced to connect via WiFi. The problem is, there are so many restrictions on what is "approved" WiFi/home network that chances are you may have to play IT tech to get it running. And even then, the Ox's built in wifi is completely unreliable and you may not even be able to connect at all. I spent three weeks trouble shooting and working with customer support without any luck. A quick google search will show you that this is a common problem. So unless you are willing to take that risk, I would suggest getting a load box that connects to your desktop in a more reliable way.

It lives up to the hype and then some!

I've been living with the OX for a couple of months now. I've recorded my variety of hand wired classic tube amps (built by myself) with fantastic results. This device helps to cop new tones using amps you may have had for years. I know that happens to be the case with me. That covers the finest sounding load box section of this sonic Swiss Army knife. The processing is first class. The mics, the speakers, cabs, rooms and the rest of the super fine UA sounds make the OX an integral part of my live and home/recording rigs. I wouldn't have it any other way. 76t

Makes my amp sound better than a mic

This box is magic! It sounds better than my usual setup (57, 906, 421 into a UA 710). The cabs sound amazing! The ability to switch setups with a switch. I am not sure why the bad reviews regarding portability and lack of xlr or midi. That is not what this is. It is a studio tool. You wouldn't buy a boat to use in a road race. You are probably better off with the Waze or 2 notes for live application. If you want accuracy and sound quality then this is the one.

Review of Universal Audio OX Amp Top Box

The Ox Box is very good. I use it mainly in two ways. First is an attenuator between one of my valve heads and a 2x12 cab, so I can get closer to the tone I want without blowing my ears (or the goodwill of my neighbours). Second, normally late at night, I turn the speaker volume to 0 (so the cab is not driven at all), then use headphones; the good thing here is I'm still using a valve head with my usual pedals and with a suitable cab from the bank to choose from in the Ox Box menu, I get a similar sound to what I get with my rig. Sometimes I use the Ox to play through monitors rather than my cab but much less than the other two uses above. The reason I didn't give this five stars is that there is no easy way to record to my iMac. There is an S/PDIF output but I ... MoreThe Ox Box is very good. I use it mainly in two ways. First is an attenuator between one of my valve heads and a 2x12 cab, so I can get closer to the tone I want without blowing my ears (or the goodwill of my neighbours). Second, normally late at night, I turn the speaker volume to 0 (so the cab is not driven at all), then use headphones; the good thing here is I'm still using a valve head with my usual pedals and with a suitable cab from the bank to choose from in the Ox Box menu, I get a similar sound to what I get with my rig. Sometimes I use the Ox to play through monitors rather than my cab but much less than the other two uses above. The reason I didn't give this five stars is that there is no easy way to record to my iMac. There is an S/PDIF output but I would need some sort of interface like an Apollo to get the signal into some recording software. But to be fair, if recording were super important to me, I'd just get the interface. For the time being, I just close mic the cab then run an XLR cable into a Focusrite that I already have.

Universal Audio Ox Amp

The Ox is amazing. I can play my amp completely silent with headphones, and it actually sounds like my amp. I'm using my 65 Deluxe Reverb RI and analog pedalboard with it. The Ox also pairs well with my Universal Audio Apollo x8p. I'm using the S/PDIF digital in, without taking up my mic pre channels. The only con I have, is the Ox does not go down to 2ohm. So, I can't use it with my original 72 Super Reverb. It's okay though, I knew that up-front. Recording with the Ox in a studio session, is the main reason I bought it. It does that perfectly. Very happy with it so far.