Feature:
Plain-n-simple, I love the V-amp circuitry, that V-amp sound. For recording or playing through headphones, these things are awesome, literally they made me 100x better guitar player, perhaps through sheer inspiration -- for 20 years, my guitar had never sounded so professional; suddenly it sounds great and I'm playing leads like never before.
Quality:
Seems rugged enough, it's been gigged and practiced in some rough conditions, slogged up and down metal ladders on ships, etc. I give it a "9" because I consider the volume issue to be part of the quality area. TOO SOFT!
Value:
Seems like an easy 10 -- great sounds at a price that is half the nearest serious competitor. But because it is SO QUIET, I'm going to have to buy an external speaker (probably the Behringer 4x12 ego stack) to make up for the lack of volume. So one point off (but even with another speaker, it's cheaper than most Line 6 amps).
Desirability:
Looks OK, but I think the Spider and Vetta are sexier, and of course a BIG MARSHALL STACK might not even sound as good in the modern era but still has that name-brand rock sex appeal.
Sound:
It gets a 9, calculated as follows: a 100 for the sounds themselves, especially as experienced through headphones or a recording deck via the direct outputs in the back. But it gets a -91 for the (lack of)volume and extreme bassiness of the Jensen speaker. Simply put, this thing is TOO DARN QUIET even at max volume and it's bass-y as heck. Ironically, I bought it because my beloved V-Amp 2, run through a Fender Frontman, was waaaay too trebly; careful what ya wish for, this one sounds like a bass amp, except that my bass player's Hartke drowns it out, as does the drummer.
Support:
Behringer is slow as Christmas to answer emails, and when they do answer them, well, it's sometimes difficult to glean any useful information from their ESL answers. But when I got a bum V-amp 2 shipped to me, they immediately replaced it, no worries.
Overall:
I must supplement this V-ampire for my live gigs with an external speaker or cab. It is too quiet even for small clubs (it ain't the size of the room, ya know, it's the VOLUME OF THE DRUMMER!) I love it to death for recording in my home studio, but all it really adds over the beloved V-amp 2 I sold to buy this amp is the 4x12 speaker simulation XLR outs in the back and an FX loop I/O (which is handy... plug a compressor/gate into that loop and be dazzled!). Otherwise, if you plan to run direct into a PA or only play through headphones or recording, the V-amp 2 is every bit as good and much cheaper.
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