Are you trying to find a device that combines a wide variety of recreational tone tools in one place?
If your answer is yes, this tube amp expander might pique your interest.
A power tube attenuator is a device used with a guitar amplifier. This one’s job is to dissipate and divert a portion of the amp tube’s power. By doing so, you’ll be able to enjoy all the high volume characteristics of an amplifier without having to crank up the volume.
The Boss Waza Tube Amp Expander is one of the power tube attenuators that gained popularity throughout the years.
In the following article, I’ll walk you through a Boss Waza Tube Amp Expander review. This will help you decide whether this tube amp is the right one for you.
Amazing Level of Versatility
To put it in the simplest way possible, the Boss Wazza is an ultra-versatile device. It works as a recreative load box, IR loader, a recording interface, a mic’d cab emulator, and an active analog power stage.
Moreover, you can easily connect it to your tube amp to expand the sound without changing the tone. All that while keeping the volume at a decent friendly level.
Smart Design
The Waza Tube Amp Expander is astonishing in terms of looks. It has a powerful construction that gives you authentic vibes about the quality it has.
It’s presented with a tough steel chassis along with multiple fan coolers with a brushed black aluminum user interface. Through this control panel, you’ll find 3 main sectors to adjust the device.
On the right, it has various headphone level controls, the power switch, and other connectors. In the middle, you’ll find controls for the loop, delay, equalizer, compressors, and all sorts of effects controls.
On the left, you’ll be able to tweak the reactive load’s frequency and impedance response through the presence and resonance controls.
Specifications
- Power Handling: 150 Watts
- Dimensions: 15 inches x 11.68 inches x 4.37 inches ( L x W x H )
- Net weight: 15.0 pounds
- Power source: Standard IEC AC cable
- Inputs: 1 x 1/4 inches (powered signal in), 1 x 1/4 inches (fx return)
- Outputs: 2 x 1/4 inches (to speaker), 1 x XLR (mono line), 2 x XLR (L/R line), 1 x 1/4 inches (FX send)
- Headphones: 1 x 1/4 inches
- Other connections: 2 x 1/4 inches (foot control), 1 x 1/4 inches (amp control), 1 x USB Type B
Pros
Being one of the best devices in its field, the Boss Wazza surely has a lot of excellent features that make it stand among the crowd. In the following section, I’ll state some of the best features of the tube amp expander.
For starters, the Boss Wazza produces a great sound no matter how high or low the volume goes. It has an onboard class A/B power amplifier with more than 100 watts of power.
This allows you to max out the master volume all the while keeping the control over the device volume.
Not only that, but you can also plug in tube amps of various wattages, such as 1, 5, or even 20 watts. This allows you to turn it into a 100-watt power station.
Additionally, you can easily load in your own impulse responses. This enables you to plug your tube amp into the Boss Waza and record the music directly. You can also monitor how you hear the tube amplifier via your preferred IRs the records through a headphone.
Another special feature of the device is that you don’t need to plug it directly to the speaker to listen to music. Instead, you can use the headphone input to connect your tube amp into the power attenuator and monitor it through headphones.
This means that you won’t have to worry about sleeping family members or neighbors while you’re enjoying the fine tunes in your ears.
Cons
Boss Wazza is one of the best in the field. However, it has some drawbacks. Obviously, the most significant one is that it’s quite the pricey device to have in your collection. However, it makes it up with a plethora of features that you may not find elsewhere.
Another problem you might notice is that it doesn’t have a mobile app for editing, which is essential to make the most of the Waza’s digital functions.
What Customer Reviews Say
Although Boss Waza Tube Amp Expander is one of the top choices in the market, it only has 4 reviews on Amazon.
However, about 64% of these reviews are 5 stars while the other 36% is 1 star only. This ratio might sound above average, but it accounts for a small number of reviews, so it doesn’t mean that the device isn’t a good one at all.
In fact, the general impression of most reviewers is super positive. For instance, even the 1-star reviewers claim that the device is great in terms of functionality and features.
Instead, they have been complaining about one of the problems I mentioned above, which is the lack of OS X support.
As for the other reviews, it was filled with vibes of the usefulness of the device whether you’re a studio or a live performer.
It’s also notable the device is a bit pricey but it’s well worth the money for all the features it has. It was also noted that the device has more features than its nearest competitors in terms of price.
Conclusion
There you have it. A complete review with everything you need to know about the Boss Waza Tube Amp Expander.
In terms of doing its job, the Boss Waza is an excellent solution to any studio that will deliver quality tone with minimal fuss.
Although there’s no mobile app to adjust the device and it only works on PC and Mac computers, it’s still a great value for its price.
If you’re looking for a tube amp that combines both vintage and modern features in one place, the Boss Waza Tube Amp Expander is your way to go.
