NAMM 2020 VIDEO: Vox's Nutube tech gives its new Valvenergy pedal series a valve amp feel

NAMM 2020: Vox's Nutube technology is nothing new. It has endowed compact amps such as Vox's MV50 and VX50GTV with humongous tone. But  the Valvenergy series is something different – here, Vox have equipped four stompboxes with Nutube tech for amp-like drive at the touch of a footswitch.

There are four stompboxes in the Valvenergy series. There is the Mystic Edge, which has a proprietary AC30 vibe, the Copperhead Drive for classic rock tones, the Silk Drive for boutique blues drive, and Cutting Edge for metal players needing heavy-duty gain to split the atom.

Vox says the Nutube technology gives the pedal that valve amp feel, with the natural compression and sag. The Valvenergy pedals have three modes: standard, preamp and cab sim. 

The OLED display on the front of the Valvenergy pedals shows an oscilloscope reading of your tone, which is pretty cool

The OLED display on the front of the Valvenergy pedals shows an oscilloscope reading of your tone, which is pretty cool (Image credit: Vox)

In standard, run the Valvenergy straight into the front of your amp and the Nutube cannibalises the EQ of your amp to let the voice of its onboard amp model drive your tone.

Alternatively, engage preamp mode and run it straight into a power amp or through your effects return. Cab sim mode allows you to go direct to the p.a. or DAW for a portable gigging and recording solution.

The Valvenergy Series is powered by 9V but is converted internally to 15V for more headroom. You can also daisychain them together via a 1/8" stereo cable so you can switch between them as though they were channels in an amp.

All this is explained in the video above.

No prices just yet. See Vox for full spec.

Jonathan Horsley

Jonathan Horsley has been writing about guitars and guitar culture since 2005, playing them since 1990, and regularly contributes to MusicRadar, Total Guitar and Guitar World. He uses Jazz III nylon picks, 10s during the week, 9s at the weekend, and shamefully still struggles with rhythm figure one of Van Halen’s Panama.

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