ZT Amplifiers Lunchbox LB02 Guitar Amplifiers
Monday, May 31, 2010
This amplifier is extraordinary.
A possible 200 watts emanates from a 165mm specially designed, customised speaker encased in a snazzy brushed steel and polished, coated MDF cabinet measuring just 4.4” x 7.3” x 9.8”! And if that doesn’t grab you, get this: it weighs in at a ridiculously light 9.5 lbs. Designed in California by a group of audio scientists, who also happen to be musicians, the ZT team started out with what they call “a clean slate”. That is to say, while they didn’t totally disregard conventional amplifier design, neither did they take it as gospel. They applied their sophisticated technical understanding in this surprisingly complex audio field to re-write some of the “rules” whilst still working within the more traditional methodology. The question is, have they, as they put it, “cracked the code”.
The Lunchbox is certainly a beautifully simple little amp to use. Behind the solid polymer handle on the top panel is a row of recessed controls which includes an input jack and a powerful on/off red neon. The controls feature solid knurled knobs adjusting the ambience, tone, volume and gain. Whereas the latter three are a pretty conventional set of amplifier controls, it is the ambience control that is the most intriguing. ZT tell us that they have been able to create this subtle effect that mimics the natural short term reflections produced from the rear of an open – back amp/cabinet by expanding the proprietary technology used in the signal chain. All very technical! But what it does in reality, is to allow the player to dial in luscious levels of depth, width and fullness to the sound. And what a sound! The Lunchbox has a remarkably clear and clean tone, with a very open and direct response. Even when working at high volumes this little monster loses none of its integrity, delivering the same quality of sound reproduction across its full range.
Coming with a voltage selector, a speaker on/off switch, a speaker out jack, auxillary and headphone inputs – the latter with a volume control, I reckon that the Lunchbox is set to become one of the all time “classics”. For more go to www.ztamplifiers.com
The Lunchbox is certainly a beautifully simple little amp to use. Behind the solid polymer handle on the top panel is a row of recessed controls which includes an input jack and a powerful on/off red neon. The controls feature solid knurled knobs adjusting the ambience, tone, volume and gain. Whereas the latter three are a pretty conventional set of amplifier controls, it is the ambience control that is the most intriguing. ZT tell us that they have been able to create this subtle effect that mimics the natural short term reflections produced from the rear of an open – back amp/cabinet by expanding the proprietary technology used in the signal chain. All very technical! But what it does in reality, is to allow the player to dial in luscious levels of depth, width and fullness to the sound. And what a sound! The Lunchbox has a remarkably clear and clean tone, with a very open and direct response. Even when working at high volumes this little monster loses none of its integrity, delivering the same quality of sound reproduction across its full range.
Coming with a voltage selector, a speaker on/off switch, a speaker out jack, auxillary and headphone inputs – the latter with a volume control, I reckon that the Lunchbox is set to become one of the all time “classics”. For more go to www.ztamplifiers.com