Update: The new Spark Go is now available for purchase on Amazon.
Following the success of its full-size variant, Positive Grid has since released the MINI version we previously went hands-on with and, now, the new Spark GO mini guitar amp, Bluetooth speaker, and audio interface. Designed as an all-in-one intelligent audio device for guitar players, the Spark Go is the most portable model in the lineup, allowing musicians to carry the brand’s smart sound design tech and jam-along features with them just about anywhere while delivering typical wireless listening and recording capabilities. We have now had a chance to really crank the mini amp up to 11 for a couple of weeks and are ready to weigh in with our impressions as part of the latest entry to the Tested with gadgetnewsonline series.
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Hands-on with Positive Grid’s smart miniature Go guitar amp/speaker
The Spark GO mini is a tiny little guitar amp (4.92 x 3.34 x 1.77 inches) that sounds a whole lot bigger than it looks. It can reproduce audio between 100 and 120Hz via its passive radiator and built-in 5 Watt Class D amplifier. As we alluded to above, it’s more than just that, though. It also functions like a typical Bluetooth speaker does, features USB connectivity to your DAW or recording rig for full-on audio interfacing, and even has a built-in guitar and bass tuner with an LED display.
The completely wireless experience is powered by an internal 2500 mAh rechargeable lithium battery that provides up to 8 hours of rock n’ roll (“on mid volume or lower”).
Connectivity includes your typical 1/4-inch guitar jack, a 1/8-inch headphone/line output, Bluetooth 5.0 audio, and a USB jack for the interface side of things. All of which is joined by the large golden volume knob, a preset selector (four customizable presets accessible directly from the top of the unit), volume controls, and the power/pairing button.
It, much like its larger brethren and the MINI model mentioned above, connects directly to the Spark app, where the entire experience is amplified further, quite literally, in fact. It houses 33 amp models and 43 effects, including a noise gate, compressor, distortion, modulation/EQ, delay, and reverb. But even that doesn’t do it justice. You’ll also find Auto Chord features to help you learn new songs, a smart jam-along feature, and about 50,000 tonal preset options created by the community.
Regularly $149, you can now secure one directly from the Positive Grid site for $129.
Here’s a closer look at the spec sheet:
- Frequency range 110-20,000 Hz
- Stereo headphone out
- 5-watt Class D amplifier
- 1 – 2 inch custom-designed speakers
- 8 ohms impedance
- Power/Bluetooth pairing button
- 4 fully customizable presets on the amp
- Guitar/bass tuner with LED display
- 33 amp models
- 43 effects: Noise Gate, Compressor, Distortion, Modulation/EQ, Delay, Reverb
- 1/4-inch guitar input
- 1/8-inch headphone/line output
- Bluetooth Audio (Bluetooth 5.0)
- USB Interface for Recording
- Sample Rate: 44.1kHz
- Bit Depth: 16
- Reversible Duo-Tone Strap
gadgetnewsonline’ Take
Positive Grid’s latest entry into its Spark smart guitar amplifier lineup is here. It’s not as powerful as the MINI model we reviewed last time around (seen above in white), but it provides an even more portable form factor – you can almost fit it in your pocket – with what is essentially the same feature set as its larger brethren. And don’t get me wrong, it sounds much better and bigger than it looks.
I was a big fan of the Spark MINI in terms of both sound quality and the looks – it’s the kind of speaker amp that looks as nice on display as it sounds and functions. The same rings true with the new release. It has that vintage appeal while somehow looking entirely fresh and modern at the same time. The sort of tumbled leather look of the exterior flanks around a vintage-style speaker grille (there’s an included black speaker grille in the box as well) with a pleasantly oversized volume knob that surrounds the 1.4-inch guitar input jack along the top. Next to that, you’ll find the golden preset selection knob (that, by default, carries a series of four incrementally more overdriven and heavy tonal options you can customize entirely) as well as volume buttons that control both jam-along music playback and Bluetooth speaker tunes from your streaming service of choice – Spotify, Apple Music, and more. Along the side is where you’ll find the USB-C port and the on/off Bluetooth pairing button.
Around back, there’s a series of attractive cascading rubber ribs – functionally inert, beyond the added grip they might provide – with a golden strap peg sticking off the left side. This is where you can affix one of the two included straps that can also connect the strap peg on your guitar. One is all black and rubber, and the other features a leather-like treatment on the outside with plushy retro-style red material on the inside, much like we see on the Spark MINI.
No, it clearly isn’t going to sound as full and big as the larger models when it comes to just plugging in and jamming. But it, again, much like the Spark MINI, sounds much better than a tiny little practice guitar amp ought to. You’re not going to get an entire stadium full of fans going with it, nor is it intended to do so, but it really rocks, all things considered.
When it comes to the app side of things, this is essentially the same experience as with the larger models we detailed previously. Everything functions as expected, the learning and jamming features are just useful as they always have been, and the Spark GO makes for an even more affordable point of entry to all of it. One thing worth quickly pointing out here, and something any experienced audio engineer or guitar player who has dabbled with amp emulation and plug-in FX will already know, is that there are waaaaay more sound possibilities than the “33 Amp Models and 43 Effects” might suggest to the uninitiated. The number of combinations possible here, aside from the community-created presets, is gigantic. I might even suggest nearly endless.
A quick public service announcement here for serious guitar addicts: This is the best, tiniest little practice guitar amp I have ever used. As someone who has owned a series of those miniature models out there from both the big guitar brands and others, if you’re not going to go with something similar in size to Spark MINI, the positive Grid Spark Go is a fantastic option you can easily stick inside the storage compartment in your guitar case and take literally anywhere, whether it’s in the back seat of your car or on the dock lakeside somewhere – it even has a headphone jack on the top so you can use it where no one wants you to. It’s simply the best mini guitar amp out there, in my opinion, and you can also use it to record, listen to tunes, tune your instrument, and design your own amp sounds/channel strips.
Buy the Positive Grid Spark Go amp/speaker
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