Diezel VHX: A 100W amp head mixes full-on tube tone with DSP and IRs

Diezel VHX amp head with built-in DSP and IRS  ·  Source: Diezel

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You can be sure that when a new amp head comes out, there’s always someone complaining. If it’s a modelling amp, tube purists will moan about the “digital” sound. If you’re into digital rigs, you’ll grumble about the inflexibility and weight of all-tube gear. Diezel’s latest head defies easy categorisation: is the new VHX a tube amp or a hybrid amp? Let’s take a closer look…

Tubes vs. Modelling?

First, let’s be clear that the VHX isn’t a true hybrid amp. Instead it has an all-tube amplifier with a DSP-controlled IR section. The new amp smacks a lot of Diezel’s VH4 model. It has 4 programmable channels, a 100-Watt tube amplifier with four KT77’s and a tube preamplifier with five 12AX7’s. Now add in 64 impulse responses! That all adds spec sheet promises a lot of flexibility.

Diezel VHX · Source: Diezel

Diezel VHX

There is also a long line of controls: Gain, Master, 3-Band-EQ, Deep, Presence, Master, Mid Cut and more for the included effects:

• Compressor
• Reverb
• Phaser
• Flanger
• Delay
• Pitch shifter
• tremolo
• Wah
• Gate
• graphic EQ

There are also two speaker outputs (4-16 ohms), four FX loops, USB connection, XLR output with IR, Bluetooth and MIDI In + Thru. Is there anything this amp can’t do?

Diezel VHX rear panel · Source: Diezel

But all those features and pedigree come at a price. The pricing on Thomann is EUR3,499 or GBP3,075. Unfortunately, there isn’t much in the way of information from the manufacturer, neither are there any official demo videos available at the time of writing. Hopefully, Diezel will add that later. So far, the German manufacturer has not disappointed.

More Information

• Company Site
• Product page * at Thomann

* Affiliate link

NOTE: A previous version of this post stated that Universal Audio was involved in this product. UA have been in touch to say they had nothing to do with the development of the VHX. The post has been amended to reflect that.

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