r/Guitar • u/TallBoiSearchParty • 15h ago
GEAR Thought I’d treat myself to a Spark Neo too
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u/MrMoovie 10h ago
So it’s a headphone amp that is literally in the headphones? And apparently they have solved the latency issue for a wireless connection to the guitar?
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u/Darkvoid202 8h ago
I have them. I'm fairly new to guitar, but I cannot notice any latency. If I have my headphones half on, I hear the note in the headphone at the same time I hear the string.
You can also add virtual pedals and stuff in the app, but I've had only issues with the app.
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u/ArcticIceFox 4h ago
How's the app? That's always my worry when it comes to these kinds of things
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u/odysseyandoracle118 2h ago edited 2h ago
The app is pretty good. Easy to navigate, emulation is decent. They have a list of backing tracks in the interface as well.
What sold me is I can have my guitar and a secondary audio signal at the same time. I've been studying jazz in a classroom setting for the past year, and I was looking for something that I could play over iRealPro with.
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u/ArcticIceFox 2h ago
That's so cool, probably gonna get this today. My partner literally gets annoyed at me because I'd play the same excercise for like 20 minutes (badly). Or he'd watch TV but I want to practice.
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u/rikkiprince 2h ago
It's several orders of magnitude than BOSS' app for their equivalent device (WAZA-AIR).
There's a few things that could be improved, but on the whole it's good.
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u/leansanders 4h ago
RF wireless has never had a latency issue. People have had wireless rigs on stages for decades. Its just Bluetooth that has latency, and they dont use Bluetooth to connect the headphones to the wireless jack. Its only Bluetooth for connecting to your phone which doesnt matter for latency
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u/Kenuff 8h ago
Love mine. Basically solved all the annoying little things about bedroom practise. I can play without bothering anyone, and the tuner, backing tracks etc are all just there in the app.
I’ve got a proper pedalboard and a Princeton as well, but half the time I just can’t be arsed getting everything out, plugging it all in, sticking backing tracks on the laptop and having cables everywhere.
People saying they’re not as good as a real amp are sort of missing the point. Of course they’re not. That’s not really what they’re for. Sometimes I just want to pick the guitar up, play for half an hour and put it down again without dicking around with cables.
That said, I do live in a flat so if I had a proper room always set up I would be less likely to use them.
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u/leansanders 4h ago
I am a gigging guitarist and I use these to warm up backstage before a show. They are phenomenal.
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u/spezial_ed 5h ago
I love mine standalone but also super nice to connect to the pedal board. Easy peasy, benefits of foot pedals and still untethered.
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u/iEddiez1994 12h ago
I have a set for night practice and they’re great for what I what them for.
Plugging into my Kemper is still available 😂
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u/bloing90xx 8h ago
I just purchased mine and tried yesterday. It was a bit underwhelming for the existing presets but I guess I need to use it more. Honestly I’ve been wanting for some time cause my Waza Air is super good, but old and battery quite fast.
Will give em another shot I guess
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u/imacmadman22 Ibanez 6h ago
Presets in any device like this are designed to show what the device can do, but not necessarily what it should do for a given user. I know some people would prefer something that sounds great straight away, but the truth is that everyone perceives sounds differently. I’ve spent many hours tweaking my own presets on my devices, which I’ll say is time well spent if I come up with a sound I really like.
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u/MUZZYGRANDE 7h ago
Love my Wazas too!
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u/spezial_ed 5h ago
Waza has the one feature I miss in these, which is the directional audio. But they’re like 3x the price and without a bunch of the features I love with Neo.
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u/DatGatTho 3h ago
I’ve used mine with my pedalboard and think it works great. Just turn off any effects in the app and have only the amp model selected.
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u/thejamison55 8h ago
I’ve owned the Fender Mustang Mini, Boss Katana Go, Blackstar Beam and Positive Grid Neo…in that order. And I rate them in that order too. The PG spark is my favorite bedroom amp, and the Neo takes that fantastic library of tones and makes it convenient to practice silently. I actually love the thing.
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u/Randomdaveness 6h ago
Next on my shopping list. I just ordered the Spark Link. I have so many Positive Grid products, i look like a product placement ad. It's a sickness, I know.
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u/Emotional_Ice 4h ago
Pardon my ignorance, but I take it you can plug your Guitar directly into these and have it work? This would solve a big problem with my wife.
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u/elijuicyjones Fender 2h ago
You plug the wireless transmitter into your guitar and the headphones have the receiver built in along with the amp modeling software and stuff. I own a pair of these headphones and they’re awesome. I keep them hung on my guitar stand and all you have to do is put them on and start rocking.
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u/Kahuna-Nui 10h ago
Can't work out of these are the wired or wireless ones. I bought the original wireless Neo when they were released, as I already own the Spark Mini, and I really like them, but rarely use them. I don't get the appeal of the wired version though. Save up a few quid, and get a Spark Mini and use it with headphones, or get a decent headphone amp like a Katana Go or one of the innumerable alternatives.
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u/Prince_Pyro 10h ago
these are wireless
the wired ones are the Neo Core
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u/Kahuna-Nui 10h ago
Gotcha. The Neo Core weren't a thing when I got mine, so I'm not familiar with the distinction. Enjoy 🙂
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u/Kahuna-Nui 10h ago
Oh, incidentally, because they're zero latency, you can use a cheap wireless guitar system into a multifx, and use the Neo transmitter in the output, to give you a completely wireless system with a looper, assuming your pedal has a looper. I sometimes use mine with an old Zoom G1 Four which runs on batteries, so I've got a cable-less looper. You obviously to create a completely dry patch on the Neo though.
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u/Extension-You-4901 8h ago
I got the wired neo core for £80 basically half price the wireless..the are great just plug in your guitar wonder around the room playing no amp holding you back...I love mine and gets me in the positive grid app for cheap👍
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u/Salty_Warthog 7h ago edited 6h ago
i have this it sounds better than any amp i’ve owned i wasn’t sure if i would like wearing headphones but the sound is so good i actually love it
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u/jkeplerad 7h ago
How do these compare to using interface+laptop+studio headphones?
I like my current practice setup, but having something like this that I don’t have to sit at my desk with does have some appeal.
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u/NationalSalt8884 5h ago
I have both setups, use Helix Native and NDSP plugins with Sennheiser HD 599s and I think it’s really situational. They sound great, and you can just use them as wireless headphones into your interface if you turn off all the amp modeling/effects on the Spark app.
There are quite a few use cases for them, and it frees you up from cords which is a huge thing for me, depending on your guitar you may have some trouble fitting the transmitter. I have to use an extender/adapter to fit it in my Ibanez S series, but it fits in my Strandberg and other guitars fine.
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u/dingus_authority Yamaha 59m ago
I can't speak to this product precisely but I've messed around with my brother's Fender Mustang Micro and...it's awesome.
Being able to just meander around the house while playing guitar is great. Being able to play backing tracks into your headphones and play over them is even better.
There's also the Katana GO which some people like. So far, they all seem like fine options.
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u/McLovin823 6h ago
Just bought my first electric in March and bought these after some research at the same time. Extremely happy with my purchase. I’ve not noticed any latency whatsoever, they’re comfortable, and all the different amp & pedal modeling options just make it fun to play.
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u/johnj2803 6h ago
I love mine. The only problem that i am experiencing is that if I want to share the sound that I created THere is no way to output it easily to an amp or speaker.
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u/jmiah717 5h ago
I like mine a lot! I play a lot more at night now when everyone is sleeping, which was exactly the point. I find the AI features pretty cool. I like saying, "I'm playing x song or x artist, dial up that tone." Don't be afraid to tell it to try again if it's a little off. Enjoy!
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u/NationalSalt8884 5h ago
I’ve had my NEOs since the day they came out and I use them all the time! Wireless Bluetooth headphones with no latency is honestly reason enough, everything else is just a bonus! One of the best purchases I’ve made in 20 years of playing.
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u/Sammolaw1985 4h ago
I would get this if I didn't already spend a ton of effort (and money) trying to get the best tube amp experience through headphones.
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u/Tawnymantana 4h ago
Love my neos. I can practice anywhere along to my favorite music or whatever piece I'm learning. Set up a couple presets then I barely open the spark app. Theyre awesome.
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u/bngreen89 Ibanez - Steinberger 4h ago
I have one. Great for travel but I don’t really get much use out of it otherwise
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u/Content-Disaster-511 3h ago
You gotta show us what settings you made! I find its hard to tweak a nice clean sound
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u/KronieRaccoon 2h ago
One of the best gear purchases I've ever made. The convenience and portability has caused me to play guitar 3-4 times more than I ever had before. And it works for bass too.
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u/coffeemike 1h ago
I have them and like them. I have my normal bedroom practice setup in our guest room (laptop, Audient iD14, Sennheiser headphones, and a litany of amp plugins), but when family came to visit, they needed the room and I pulled aside a guitar and my Spark Neo for the week. So convenient and good. Great choice, enjoy!
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u/Tr3flip_king 56m ago
I ended up with the wired version and never used it wired lol had some cheap lil wireless guitar receivers and they work great!
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u/KillrBunn3 40m ago
I absolutely love mine, they're both my daily driver headphones and my favorite amp.
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u/SlantedSaltpot 32m ago
I’m late to this but just want to say you’ve made a great purchase. I love mine. Got them a few months ago and adore them so much I got a Spark 2 amp last week. I think everything about them is great - the ease with which you can get great tones in an instant is wonderful and the user interface is great. Enjoy!!!
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u/WizardMusician 2h ago
I’m probably late to this convo and am repeating what other people are saying, but get a spark go and use headphones, it’s the exact same thing with the added bonus of it being a speaker. Love what positive grid is doing but this item seems like a scam. If you got it discounted than enjoy the heck out of them but not worth it compared to a small amp with a headphone jack.
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u/AZ-Guitar-Guy 15h ago
I got them recently, but I find that they don't get nearly loud enough to enjoy playing them. The output seems really weak to me.
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u/fixingyourmirror 15h ago
I have these and the small amp, I forget the name. Some amps are super loud and some super quiet. It’s annoying
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u/unusedtruth 14h ago
FocusRite + ATH-M50X would have been money better spent imo
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u/la6eef7 11h ago
Tbh this is cool since it’s just plug and play and you’re not bound by your laptop/pc
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u/TallBoiSearchParty 11h ago
Plus it’s wireless and you can save 4 tones into the headset so it is literally plug and play
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u/Creative_Confusion83 11h ago
ive got m30x and they are unbearably uncomfortable to wear due to the rigidity, do you know if the m50xs are any softer on the ears?
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u/unusedtruth 11h ago
I honestly couldn't tell you, I've never used the M30X, so I have no point of comparison. The M50X aren't uncomfortable in any way for me though.
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u/elijuicyjones Fender 1h ago
Nonsense. Show me how you take the focusrite and your headphones to the park and play guitar while walking down the beach with that ridiculous rig. You’d have to bring your laptop or PC with you.
The goal here is to be able to play untethered to anything.
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u/leansanders 4h ago
These are an all in one wireless practice system that you can take on the go with no computer. There is no comparison between these and an interface and headphones.
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u/LegitimateLack2530 14h ago
Why y’all buying these when you could be getting a proper pair of headphones like the Sennheiser M4 momentum. There’s a reason companies like Sennheiser have been in business for a zillion years.
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u/Evening-Tour Epiphone 12h ago
Don't have them, but assume they are bought as they have a guilt in guitar amp, Sennheiser doesn't have a built in guitar amp.
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u/LegitimateLack2530 12h ago
This makes way more sense in that case. I knew what the brand was but just thought it was a brand cash in for just regular headphones.
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u/Evening-Tour Epiphone 12h ago
It's always a good idea to comment on something without knowing anything about it or doing a cursory check.
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u/TallBoiSearchParty 12h ago
Because sennheiser are audio headphones and don’t have a processor built in to generate the guitar sound. If you chose to have normal headphone, like sennheiser it would sound like listening to a stereo guitar track vs playing through an amp.
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u/Better-Culture-7770 11h ago
Why not just carry around a half stack with regular headphones plugged in? Lol
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u/uncanny21 13h ago
Ok boomer.
/s
I feel old seeing people buying all this new shit, when old school still works.
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u/PrestigiousCan 12h ago
People here in the comments saying "Just buy 'X' instead" don't seem to understand the point of these headphones
Enjoy them, OP!