NAMM 2026: Vox is celebrating the 25th anniversary of its Valvetronix series of hybrid amp modelers by releasing its most advanced iterations yet: the VT20X and VT40X.
It’s the Brian May-backed firm’s answer to modeler combos like the Boss Katana and the Positive Grid Spark 2, and these two new creations, like their competitors, are designed to blend “the authentic feel of classic tube amps” with the flexibility of digital tonality.
At its heart is a combination of Vox’s “sophisticated new amp modeling technology” and a multi-stage tube preamp circuit, for traditional touch sensitivity and dynamic response.
As such, it aims to stand out from the dense pack by recreating the analog circuits of a selection of coveted tube amplifiers – from a Marshall JCM 800 and a Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier, to a Fender Tweed, and, of course, a Vox AC30 – at a circuit level rather than relying on snapshots, as Neural DSP’s TINA does.
Considering that nearly all of Reverb’s best-selling amps in recent years have been modelers, this selling point is what their success hinges on.
“This deep level of modeling allows musicians to adjust gain structure, switch between Class A and Class AB operation, and fine-tune the amplifier bias in real time,” says Vox. Thus, “producing subtle tonal shifts and responsive interaction that behave like genuine tube circuitry.”
That’s why its 12AX7 tube has been integrated further into the signal path than it was in its predecessors, enhancing its warmth and natural compression, and making it far easier to create edge-of-breakup guitar tones. The idea is for these amps to look and perform like old-school Vox amps, while having a host of different amp-replicating sounds to get your teeth into.
Each amplifier, Vox says, is housed in a tightly sealed cabinet featuring its proprietary bass-reflex design, built for extended low-frequency depth and projection, “ensuring the amps sound full, controlled, and present in a range of environments.”
Pair its in-built amp models with “classic effects inspired by iconic stompboxes,” including chorus, compression, flanger, and a variety of reverb flavors for what Vox hopes will be a one-stop-shop piece of gear.
Each model, distinguished by its output – 20W via an 8” speaker versus 40W through a 10” speaker – offers an in-built tuner, a USB port for direct connectivity, an aux input for external audio sources, like your phone, and a headphone port.
Its Classic Blue aesthetic and vintage-inspired blue grille cloth, meanwhile, pays homage to the first of the series, which arrived way back in 2021.
“With deeper tube integration, refined circuit-based modeling, expressive tonal flexibility, and practical player-focused features, the new VT20X and VT40X reimagine the hybrid amp experience for a new generation,” says Vox.
The VT20X is available for $279.79, while its bigger, louder brother rises to $399.99.
Check out Vox for more info.
For more from Vox, see Guitar World's review of its AC30X, AC15X, and AC4 Hand-Wired amps.
