Summer NAMM 2017: Universal Audio’s Ox gets “perfect tone from tube guitar amps at any volume”

SUMMER NAMM 2017: Universal Audio has been releasing an increasing number of guitar products of late, and now the company has expanded into physical guitar gear with the Ox Amp Top Box.

The Ox is a reactive load box and attenuator, allowing guitarists to play and record tube amps at any volume, utilising “instant album-quality” mic, room and speaker cabinet emulations onboard the unit.

Rig presets offer mic and studio emulations, while Dynamic Speaker Modelling emulates speaker break-up and cone cry, for convincing cranked amp tones.

Colour us intrigued. The Ox is due to land this winter, clocking in at $1,299. See Universal Audio for more info.

Features

Premium, no-compromise analog reactive load box for tube guitar amps
Five finely-tuned guitar amp attenuation levels — from off, to whisper quiet, to full band volume
Front-panel “Rig” control for instant, album-quality mic and speaker cabinet emulations
UA Dynamic Speaker Modeling faithfully emulates speaker breakup and cone cry
World-class Universal Audio EQ, compression, delay, and reverb effects built-in
Selectable 4, 8, and 16-Ohm operation
Front-panel Headphone out for silent practice with cranked tones
Balanced TRS line outs, and S/PDIF digital output for recording
Pair with OX mobile or desktop app over Wi-Fi for editing and saving presets

Michael Astley-Brown

Mike is Editor-in-Chief of GuitarWorld.com, in addition to being an offset fiend and recovering pedal addict. He has a master's degree in journalism, and has spent the past decade writing and editing for guitar publications including MusicRadar, Total Guitar and Guitarist, as well as a decade-and-a-half performing in bands of variable genre (and quality). In his free time, you'll find him making progressive instrumental rock under the nom de plume Maebe.

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