UNIVERSAL AUDIO

OX AMP TOP BOX

$1,299, uaaudio.com

This reactive load box from Universal Audio might look like the kind of thing you’d pick up in the dusty basement of a second-hand store, but there’s a lot more going on inside. First, it works like an attenuator, allowing you to play and record your tube amp at any volume with no compromise on tone, which could be handy for late-night practicing or performing in smaller venues. What makes this unit truly innovative, however, is its ability to provide album-quality mic, room and speaker-cabinet emulations, as well as compression, delay and reverb effects for recording. There’s a headphone out for those hoping to work in total silence, as well as a Dynamic Speaker mode to nail the breakup and “cone cry” of an amp pushed to its limits. Given just how many guitarists have been swearing by the Ox, especially the professional demo types found on YouTube and Instagram, this could very well be the most revolutionary piece of recording gear in recent years.