There's one setting on the vox you missed that sounds absolutely killer; run the bass and treble down lower (less than half), master around 3 o'clock, gain around noon. Great midrangey grind. By running the bass and treble lower you effectively boost the mids which seemed to be lacking. Used to own one and wish I had another
Just found this vid. Vox for me. Overall smoother and rounder sound. My wife just got me an AC10 for my upcoming birthday and I'm loving it! Thanks for the video. Excellent comparison. I'll be watching more of your content. Best
I have both of these amps and I love them both for different reasons. The Vox is my favorite sound for slightly overdriven or clean with my hollow body Gretsch. But the Marshall has more versatility and sounds great when pushed a little harder, especially when playing a Les Paul. It really has a lot to with what guitar you play and what kind of sound you are chasing.
Same opinion here, I've got both and the Vox sounds fantastic with a strat or tele or even P90s but the Marshall actually sounds great with everything from single coils, humbuckers, and P90s. But my favorite sound out of all of them is a Les Paul Special with P90s plugged into the Vox, sweet British rock tone.
@@michaelsaupe1356 for all rock sounds , blues , Marshall every time. I don't see how he got those over driven tones on the Vox , you need to have the volume much lower than the gain. vox is always good for cleans..
I love my Vox ac10. It's so stylistically versatile and cost effective. You can always mic it, but it gets pretty loud. I want to get a Mexican Tele now, for the ultimate cost effective, versatile rig.
I have a Vox AC10 and a Marshall DSL20 - so not exactly as close to the comparison here, but one thing I have to say is that the Vox is insanely loud. Played with volume at 12 and gain at 3 it’s almost unusable in a home setting, that’s one thing one should consider when buying. The Marshall on the other hand is much much quieter even at full power 20W, more bottom end (bit too much with a humbucker guitar).
very nicely done comparison..i'm partial to that uniquely chimey sound of the Vox, but the Marshall can do a sweet clean as well....can't lose with either of these beauties!
They are absolute brilliant Clean amps, but I order me an Origin 20c because of the FX loop and the power reduction. A friend of mine has the AC10, so funny enough, those two amps will jam together for years to come.
Thanks for the upload: very thorough comparison ! I was suprised by the versatility of the Origin: nice cleans, great crunch, only the distorded tones sounded better to my ear on the VOX and the Origin was a bit boxy. I have both Vox's and Marshall and I added recently a ltd edition of the Fender Pro Junior: it can be pushed to the limits and there is no wonder it is one of the most low-wattage amp used in the studios. A great tone !!
Have you played through the Origin 20c? I've played both amps and both have, in my experience anyway, pretty much equal touch sensitivity, both being valve amps. The Origin sounds and feels better overdriven. The Vox has the jangle.
I agree with you man, and I can get some pretty clean Jimi Hendrix tones from my Vox Ac10 with a soft touch and then strum it harder for good edge of breakup tone.
One dimensional? The Marshall has a more versatile tone for the tilt shift alone. Both are the best tube amps at the price point I think (both are too expensive overall, but it is what it is).
While the Vox is very clear, I'd have to go with the Marshall because it has a lot more body. The high end can be adjusted with an EQ on the Marshall. But, trying to give more body to an amp which doesn't have that deep low end already usually ends up sounding terrible. So, for versatility, I'd have to go with the Marshall.
@@slimturnpike That's a difficult assumption to make. I own both and the Vox is the Go-to for me. give it it's own 1 or 2 x12 @ 16ohm and it's huge. and it doesn't lose it's topend sparkle charm either.
Good comparison. After watching this, I went out to a local showroom and played both myself. Both are great-sounding amps. In the end I went with the Origin because it seemed to have more low end, maybe cuz the cab is noticeably larger. I've been very happy gigging regularly with it. I think I would've been just as happy with the Vox. Advantages of the Vox are it's three lbs lighter and the external speaker outlet and power cable outlet are more accessible in the back of the amp. On the Marshall, you have to turn the amp face down to reach the recessed area under the circuit chassis. The effects loop is also found in that area, bit of a pain.
Oh great comparison!! It’s funny, in person for regular every day purposes the vox is vastly more versatile and entertaining to play. But it doesn’t seem to record nearly as well as other boxes and even this Marshall origin 20! I think the Marshall sounds much better for studio work here! Already makes me assume that it takes pedals super well also.
Honestly, they both are damn good sounding amps for their size and price. They don't sound huge, using the combo speaker, but have a very nice small combo sound; both very nice cleans, and good dirty, with nice different characters. But, the Vox wins on the clean tones for me. Lovely airiness and sparkliness. However, the AC15 sounds quite a bit nicer again clean. Where the AC10 can actually sound nicer dirty, than the AC15. Here, the Marshall won on the dirty sounds. So, clean, AC15 > AC10 > Marshall Origin 20 - and maybe Fender Hot Rod Deluxe can give the AC15 a run for it's money in purity; if not chime/chrip/air. But Dirty, Marshall Origin 20 > AC10 > AC15. The AC30 slays them, but it breaks your back and grinds your ears to mush; while sounding glorious - sort of like the Fender Twin does too. An overlooked gem is the VOX AC15 head, with a good light efficient 1x12"because it's easier to lug around the lighter smaller amp head, and a seperate cab.
I love both and I can afford neither Edit: its about 4-5 months later now and maybe I'll get the Origin soon :) Edit2: Again about a month later or so and I'm not getting it because tube shortage sucks balls and they are sold out everywhere
It’s the extra mids of the Marshall for me. Torn between this and the DSL, which is 2 channel, but the Origin has more useful power scaling for home use.
Yea the power scaling is great. The thing to be aware of with the Origin is it needs decent volume even in the 0.5W mode to get more drive than classic rock. DSL can do everything at bedroom levels. Origin sounds more classic, DSL more modern. Would love to do a comparison in the future 👍
@@TobysGuitarGearDemos I take it you’re referring to the DSL20? That’s surprising, because it only reduces to 10w, doesn’t it? I had a DSL15 and loved it, but it had to be turned up a bit high to make the distortion sound tight, for home volumes.
@@rsmallfield Yeah I used to own a DSL20 - old combo version from years ago. It definitely sounds better with more volume, but with the Origin the volume control is more like a second gain control 👍
the ac10 sounds dirtier and nastier doesn't have the mids to cut through a mix though so u'd have a hard time being heard I think the marshall is really where it's at for dirtier tones and a vox is perfect for clean and a pushed tone
The vox sounded very fizzy when using amp gain, the reason was too much treble. The marshall will sound better if you set it like an old school marshall, little bass, loads of mids, no treble, lots of presence, and lots of pre and power amp volume (gain and volume). Also, set the tilt to at least half (it doesn't do much of anything past that point) Not using treble prevents fizzy preamp gain. Using a lot of presence let's you use the not fizzy treble in the power amp so you end up with a mid heavy but bright and smooth distortion, the classic marshall tone.
I checked out about 20 small amps in a shop today and I do this about twice a year to see what is on the market. The result is for me always the same. The vox ac amps are for me, as a mostly clean player, out of range for other amps. Why? their sound has life in it, all others have somthing steril to it in comparism. Although going into distortion maybe ist more the playground for other amps like a marshall
You missed the best setting on the Origin. It really can give you that Plexi drive. The left side of the TILT knob is Marshall & the right is Fender. You never put it all together for the Marshall. The VOX is great I love it too. I don't own the 10 but the 12 & 5 & 4 watt I do own. But the Marshall can give you the Plexi & the Blackface. I got the Origin 20 about 6 months ago. It has beat out a 100 watt DSL, a 40 Watt DSL, a 20 watt DSL 2 Fender and 3 Vox's. With the boost pedal I mean really, you can set it & forget it. Now my main amp. but Good try love your videos.
I want to buy a small valve amp for home use only that I can use my pedalboard with. I love the Vox sound but I’m afraid it might be too loud. Marshall Origin 5 sounds too fizzy but I do like the sound of the Origin 20. Is it usable at home level volumes or should I just get the DSL5?
If you want a reasonable amount of drive just from the amp it needs some level. You can get a 60s-early 70s rock drive at talking levels. If you want late 70s onwards distortion at bedroom levels you are going to want to push it with drive / boost pedals. It might work well with your pedal setup 👍
@@TobysGuitarGearDemos Thanks mate. Altough just today I borrowed a Blackstar HT5 mk2 from my friend and to my suprise I really like it. I might just pull the trigger and order one.
Chord progression for the cleans sounded awesome.
This channel is so good. Just now discovering it. No talk for 15 minutes in between examples just straight comparing. Perfection thanks!
There's one setting on the vox you missed that sounds absolutely killer; run the bass and treble down lower (less than half), master around 3 o'clock, gain around noon. Great midrangey grind. By running the bass and treble lower you effectively boost the mids which seemed to be lacking. Used to own one and wish I had another
Just found this vid. Vox for me. Overall smoother and rounder sound. My wife just got me an AC10 for my upcoming birthday and I'm loving it! Thanks for the video. Excellent comparison. I'll be watching more of your content. Best
❤i love clean Marshall butdo you seem thaht vox Is more disrt sound?
I have both of these amps and I love them both for different reasons. The Vox is my favorite sound for slightly overdriven or clean with my hollow body Gretsch. But the Marshall has more versatility and sounds great when pushed a little harder, especially when playing a Les Paul. It really has a lot to with what guitar you play and what kind of sound you are chasing.
Same impression from this video. VOX has beautiful cleans and sparkle, but I would not use it for higher gain. Marshall sounded good in all settings.
Same opinion here, I've got both and the Vox sounds fantastic with a strat or tele or even P90s but the Marshall actually sounds great with everything from single coils, humbuckers, and P90s. But my favorite sound out of all of them is a Les Paul Special with P90s plugged into the Vox, sweet British rock tone.
The Vox EQ is not the easiest to get on with. The worst thing on this s the chassis design ...and they've not changed it even now
@@michaelsaupe1356 for all rock sounds , blues , Marshall every time. I don't see how he got those over driven tones on the Vox , you need to have the volume much lower than the gain. vox is always good for cleans..
Thanks you convinced me i need both of these amps
I love my Vox ac10. It's so stylistically versatile and cost effective. You can always mic it, but it gets pretty loud. I want to get a Mexican Tele now, for the ultimate cost effective, versatile rig.
How donyou feel without FX loop??
@andreaberteotti5999 I just use one looper, between the guitar and amp. The gain control and reverb is all I need.
both killer amps but if i could take one free it would be the origin. People unfairly criticize the Origin because they don't understand old marshalls
Wouldn't mind owning both.
Yet the power att. on the Origin is a cool feature.
By looks...the Marshall 🤠
I really like the Origin best, and the Origin series as a whole. Great sounding amps.
I have a Vox AC10 and a Marshall DSL20 - so not exactly as close to the comparison here, but one thing I have to say is that the Vox is insanely loud. Played with volume at 12 and gain at 3 it’s almost unusable in a home setting, that’s one thing one should consider when buying. The Marshall on the other hand is much much quieter even at full power 20W, more bottom end (bit too much with a humbucker guitar).
My tip is swapping the V1 tube to a 12AU7, that tames down the input considerably without changing the tone ;-)
very nicely done comparison..i'm partial to that uniquely chimey sound of the Vox, but the Marshall can do a sweet clean as well....can't lose with either of these beauties!
I got AC10 n I do love it ...
They are absolute brilliant Clean amps, but I order me an Origin 20c because of the FX loop and the power reduction. A friend of mine has the AC10, so funny enough, those two amps will jam together for years to come.
The FX loop and power reduction are great features. Don't know why more amp manufacturers aren't putting them in. Oh well.
Caught the Parkway Drive. Love it.
The AC10 is great with anything, but I feel like the "in between" pickups are the best combination (ie Filtertrons and P90's)
i got the marshall, is perfect, low price, excellent sound and work good with pedals.
Man those Vox cleans are incredible…
Both very good, if I have to choose one I go with the vox
Marshall from here
Vox are always so hard to record. To my ears the AC10 sound so much better in person
The Vox AC10 both driven and clean
Thanks for the upload: very thorough comparison ! I was suprised by the versatility of the Origin: nice cleans, great crunch, only the distorded tones sounded better to my ear on the VOX and the Origin was a bit boxy. I have both Vox's and Marshall and I added recently a ltd edition of the Fender Pro Junior: it can be pushed to the limits and there is no wonder it is one of the most low-wattage amp used in the studios. A great tone !!
Out of the amps I’ve ever played, the Vox ac15 had the most touch sensitivity. Not sure if anyone else has found that to be the case as well.
Yep! Got to agree with that - I love my AC15 to bits.
Have you played through the Origin 20c? I've played both amps and both have, in my experience anyway, pretty much equal touch sensitivity, both being valve amps. The Origin sounds and feels better overdriven. The Vox has the jangle.
I agree with you man, and I can get some pretty clean Jimi Hendrix tones from my Vox Ac10 with a soft touch and then strum it harder for good edge of breakup tone.
Vox way deeper/less one dimensional.
Excellent as always Toby.
One dimensional? The Marshall has a more versatile tone for the tilt shift alone. Both are the best tube amps at the price point I think (both are too expensive overall, but it is what it is).
While the Vox is very clear, I'd have to go with the Marshall because it has a lot more body. The high end can be adjusted with an EQ on the Marshall. But, trying to give more body to an amp which doesn't have that deep low end already usually ends up sounding terrible. So, for versatility, I'd have to go with the Marshall.
Having connected my AC10C1 to a 16ohm sealed 2x12 it's fantastic.
Agreed, way more body from the Origin. Vox aren't known for that, they're bright and jangly amps
@@slimturnpike Agreed. They're a definitely go-to amp for 60s stuff and that Tom Petty 'jangle'.
@@slimturnpike That's a difficult assumption to make. I own both and the Vox is the Go-to for me. give it it's own 1 or 2 x12 @ 16ohm and it's huge. and it doesn't lose it's topend sparkle charm either.
@@voided76 Easy assumption for me having played both. YMMV
Never thought I'd see the day where I prefer a Vox to a Marshall on high gain settings and yet here we are lol
Ikr that gain was rich
Good comparison. After watching this, I went out to a local showroom and played both myself. Both are great-sounding amps. In the end I went with the Origin because it seemed to have more low end, maybe cuz the cab is noticeably larger. I've been very happy gigging regularly with it. I think I would've been just as happy with the Vox. Advantages of the Vox are it's three lbs lighter and the external speaker outlet and power cable outlet are more accessible in the back of the amp. On the Marshall, you have to turn the amp face down to reach the recessed area under the circuit chassis. The effects loop is also found in that area, bit of a pain.
Bad design..you would think after all these years they would know better...
Oh great comparison!! It’s funny, in person for regular every day purposes the vox is vastly more versatile and entertaining to play. But it doesn’t seem to record nearly as well as other boxes and even this Marshall origin 20! I think the Marshall sounds much better for studio work here! Already makes me assume that it takes pedals super well also.
I know, the Vox sounds great in the room and in the room mics section, but with a mic close it doesn't translate, strange 👍
Origin takes pedals incredibly well.
perfect comparison video.. thanks
Vox for me, thank you very much :D
Honestly, they both are damn good sounding amps for their size and price. They don't sound huge, using the combo speaker, but have a very nice small combo sound; both very nice cleans, and good dirty, with nice different characters. But, the Vox wins on the clean tones for me. Lovely airiness and sparkliness. However, the AC15 sounds quite a bit nicer again clean. Where the AC10 can actually sound nicer dirty, than the AC15. Here, the Marshall won on the dirty sounds. So, clean, AC15 > AC10 > Marshall Origin 20 - and maybe Fender Hot Rod Deluxe can give the AC15 a run for it's money in purity; if not chime/chrip/air. But Dirty, Marshall Origin 20 > AC10 > AC15. The AC30 slays them, but it breaks your back and grinds your ears to mush; while sounding glorious - sort of like the Fender Twin does too. An overlooked gem is the VOX AC15 head, with a good light efficient 1x12"because it's easier to lug around the lighter smaller amp head, and a seperate cab.
That vox sounds fantastic
I love both and I can afford neither
Edit: its about 4-5 months later now and maybe I'll get the Origin soon :)
Edit2: Again about a month later or so and I'm not getting it because tube shortage sucks balls and they are sold out everywhere
Power scaling (Origin) is a MUST on bedroom tube amps. 10w is way too loud for an apartment.
It’s the extra mids of the Marshall for me. Torn between this and the DSL, which is 2 channel, but the Origin has more useful power scaling for home use.
Yea the power scaling is great. The thing to be aware of with the Origin is it needs decent volume even in the 0.5W mode to get more drive than classic rock. DSL can do everything at bedroom levels. Origin sounds more classic, DSL more modern. Would love to do a comparison in the future 👍
@@TobysGuitarGearDemos Yes! That would be amazing.
@@TobysGuitarGearDemos I take it you’re referring to the DSL20? That’s surprising, because it only reduces to 10w, doesn’t it? I had a DSL15 and loved it, but it had to be turned up a bit high to make the distortion sound tight, for home volumes.
@@rsmallfield Yeah I used to own a DSL20 - old combo version from years ago. It definitely sounds better with more volume, but with the Origin the volume control is more like a second gain control 👍
@@TobysGuitarGearDemos The Origin sounds like it’s more versatile. And it certainly has the Plexi sound. :-)
the ac10 sounds dirtier and nastier doesn't have the mids to cut through a mix though so u'd have a hard time being heard I think the marshall is really where it's at for dirtier tones and a vox is perfect for clean and a pushed tone
Marshall for me
The vox sounded very fizzy when using amp gain, the reason was too much treble.
The marshall will sound better if you set it like an old school marshall, little bass, loads of mids, no treble, lots of presence, and lots of pre and power amp volume (gain and volume). Also, set the tilt to at least half (it doesn't do much of anything past that point)
Not using treble prevents fizzy preamp gain. Using a lot of presence let's you use the not fizzy treble in the power amp so you end up with a mid heavy but bright and smooth distortion, the classic marshall tone.
Marshall!
El34 vs El84
I’m making this tough decision next week. 🤷♂️
I wish these little amps would had good 12’ speakers in them.
Bad speaker can ruin good amp.
I checked out about 20 small amps in a shop today and I do this about twice a year to see what is on the market. The result is for me always the same. The vox ac amps are for me, as a mostly clean player, out of range for other amps. Why? their sound has life in it, all others have somthing steril to it in comparism. Although going into distortion maybe ist more the playground for other amps like a marshall
Shop staff prolly hates you 😂
VOX ROX !!!
Marshall Origin
Na vox all day
@@edreed5571I agree the vox tone has that extra
I like the box, I almost bought one,,, but I bought a linesix
Sorry to hear!
Who is good with soldering iron, try to put a vox top boost tc into a marshall amp. It's crazy, guys
I tested the marshall orgin 20 combo my only reservation is the cabinet is mdf.
The only solution is both.
You missed the best setting on the Origin. It really can give you that Plexi drive. The left side of the TILT knob is Marshall & the right is Fender. You never put it all together for the Marshall. The VOX is great I love it too. I don't own the 10 but the 12 & 5 & 4 watt I do own. But the Marshall can give you the Plexi & the Blackface. I got the Origin 20 about 6 months ago. It has beat out a 100 watt DSL, a 40 Watt DSL, a 20 watt DSL 2 Fender and 3 Vox's. With the boost pedal I mean really, you can set it & forget it. Now my main amp. but Good try love your videos.
I think the Marshall sounds the best.
Marshall
I want to buy a small valve amp for home use only that I can use my pedalboard with. I love the Vox sound but I’m afraid it might be too loud. Marshall Origin 5 sounds too fizzy but I do like the sound of the Origin 20. Is it usable at home level volumes or should I just get the DSL5?
If you want a reasonable amount of drive just from the amp it needs some level. You can get a 60s-early 70s rock drive at talking levels. If you want late 70s onwards distortion at bedroom levels you are going to want to push it with drive / boost pedals. It might work well with your pedal setup 👍
@@TobysGuitarGearDemos Thanks mate. Altough just today I borrowed a Blackstar HT5 mk2 from my friend and to my suprise I really like it. I might just pull the trigger and order one.
@@mattiisosalo918 Blackstar make some great stuff, if you like it go with it!
Vox
I can hear the limitations of the Vox's cabinet.... Marshall for me and I'm a Clean player
Mashal origin vs fender blues junior
Marshall sounds a little better. Both brights their sounds, but Vox's brights is too much.
Dime the origin and play running with the devil. You'll answer your own question xD
I had the AC 10 what a disappointment, got a boss katana 100 wonderful
You must have been expecting something differrent, it totally delivers on the VOX sound. I love mine. FWIW
Marshall by a mile.
vox
Vox sounds more "pleasant".
Vox.....breakup sounds more natural.
Yea but w/o power scaling, you're basically at garage vol by the time it hits that tone.
You should buy both, duh
Marshall