Marshall vs Vox Amps: Which are the Best?

Marshall and Vox both make top quality British amplifiers, but which make the best ones? In this article, I’ll compare the sounds produced by Marshall and Vox, the control panels and the features and specifications of popular models across various price points.

The Quick Answer

Marshall amps have a more saturated distorted tone than Vox amps which sound more fuzzy and loose. Vox amps have a biting tone with more mid-range when played clean, compared to Marshall amps. Marshall offer a larger selection of both combo and head unit amps than Vox.

Comparing the Tones

Despite Vox and Marshall both being British amplifier brands, the tones can be quite different. Here are the key differences I’ve picked up on from listening to a lot of Vox and Marshall amps, but make sure to check out the videos below because they do a much better job at demonstrating the tone differences than just reading about it.

Vox amps have no negative feedback. The result is a more biting tone, more midrange and higher sensitivity. This gives Vox a more jangly tone with lots of chime providing richer harmonics.
Marshall amps use cold clipping which provides more gain and saturation.

Check out this video comparing classic Vox and Marshall amps to hear these differences in action.

Clean Tone

Vox clean tones can sound biting and saturated when the amp is pushed
Marshall clean tones can sound thinner than Marshall
Vox amps are brighter sounding whilst Marshall amp can sound more bassy

Distorted Tone

Marshall amps provide a more clear and smoother distorted tone
Vox distorted tones tend to sound more fuzzy
Vox amps have more upper mid-range focus

Check out this video comparing the tone of entry-level Marshall and Vox amps. The video is time stamped so you can easily switch to the right section.

Music Styles

So now we know a little more about the tone differences, which is best for different genres of music?

Both Marshall and Vox amplifies are capable of playing a wide variety of music styles as well as clean, gritty and distorted tones. Marshall and Vox amps are both associated with classic rock, with Vox famously being used by Queen’s Brian May and The Beatles. Jimi Hendrix, Eddie Van Halen and Jimmy Page have all been associated with Marshall amps.

The Controls

As well as talking about the classic tones that each amp produces, it’s a good idea to think about the controls available as well, to help you shape the sound. Both Marshall and Vox amps offer a variety of settings to adjust the tone, but they do offer different controls meaning that the the user-experience will vary between brands.

Vox Amp Settings

Here are the most common controls found on Vox amps:

Gain
Treble
Bass
Presence
Reverb
Switches e.g. Bright, fat, bias, hot and cool

Marshall Amp Settings

Here are the most popular controls on Marshall amps:

Gain
Bass
Middle
Treble
Contour
Presence
Reverb
Tilt

Most Marshall amps have a 3-band EQ (bass, mids and treble), whilst Vox amps usually just have bass and treble controls. Marshall generally offers more tone controls such as contour, presence and tilt, allowing you to adjust the balance, whilst Vox offers a variety of switches on many models instead.

The most common switches are “bright”, which adds more treble and “fat” which adds more bass. However, there are many others that can be found.

I have some in-depth guides to the controls and settings of both amplifier brands so check them out if you’re looking for some more detail:

Comparing Amp Models

I also wanted to take an in-depth look at the models produced by Marshall and Vox and compare the specifications and features at each price point. I’ve put pretty much every amp available from each brand into the tables below to outline the key differences. The prices are all based on Guitar Center’s prices at the time of writing. The tables are split into each type/ price bracket of amp, and goes from the lowest to the highest priced model in each table.

Guitar Center are always the first place I look at when I’m interested in a new amp because have a huge range of amplifiers for sale and always have some excellent deals on. Here’s a link to take you directly to Guitar Center’s amp range so you can see all the offers available at the moment.

Contents

Solid state and hybrid combo amps (entry-level): $90-$450
Valve (tube) combo amps:
Head units:

Solid State and Hybrid Combo Amps

Amplifier	Wattage	Price	Settings
VOX Pathfinder	10W	$90	2 channels, gain, bass, treble
Marshall MG10G	10W	$100	2 channels, gain, contour
Marshall MG15	15W	$120	2 channels, gain, 3 band EQ
Vox Valvetronix VT20X	20W	$180	11 models, gain, treb, mids, bass, compression, chorus, OD, distortion, flanger, phaser, tremolo, delay, reverb
Marshall MG15DFX	15W	$180	2 channels, gain, 3 band EQ, reverb, chorus, phaser, delay, flanger
Vox VX50 GTV	50W	$230	11 models, gain, treb, bass, chorus, flanger, phaser, tremolo, reverb, delay
Marshall MG30GFX	30W	$240	2 channels, gain, 3 band EQ, reverb, chorus, phaser, delay, flanger, octave
Vox Valvetronix VT40X	40W	$250	11 models, gain, treb, mids, bass, compression, chorus, OD, distortion, flanger, phaser, tremolo, delay, reverb
Marshall CODE 25W	25W	$270	14 pre-amp models, gain, 3 band EQ, 24 effects
Vox Cambridge50	50W	$300	11 models, gain chorus, phaser, flanger, tremolo, delay, reverb
Marshall CODE 50W	50W	$320	14 pre-amp models, gain, 3 band EQ, 24 effects
Vox Valvetronix VT100X	100W	$380	11 models, gain, treb, mids, bass, compression, chorus, OD, distortion, flanger, phaser, tremolo, delay, reverb
Marshall MG50GFX	50W	$420	2 channels, gain, 3 band EQ, reverb, chorus, phaser, delay, flanger, octave
Marshall CODE100W	100W	$450	14 pre-amp models, gain, 3 band EQ, 24 effects

Comparison of Vox and Marshall solid state/ hybrid combo amps.

Key Points:

Vox offers the more complex built-in effects at a lower price
Vox offers the cheapest 50W amp
Marshall makes the highest wattage (100W) solid state combo

Valve (Tube) Combo Amps

Amplifier	Wattage	Price	Settings
Vox AC4C1-12	4W	$400	Gain, bass, treble
Vox AC10C1	10W	$480	Gain, bass, treble, reverb
Marshall Origin20C	20W	$550	Gain, 3 band EQ, boost, tilt, presence
Marshall DSL5CR	5W	$550	2 channels, gain, 3 band EQ, reverb
Marshall DSL20CR	20W	$650	2 channels, gain, 3 band EQ, reverb, presence, resonance
Vox AC15	15W	$700	Normal and top-boost channels, bass, treble, tremolo, reverb
Marshall Origin50C	50W	$700	Gain, 3 band EQ, boost, tilt, presence
Marshall DSL40CR	40W	$800	2 channels, gain, 3 band EQ, reverb, presence, resonance
Vox AC4HW Hand-Wired	4W	$840	Normal and top-boost channels, bass, treble
Vox Custom AC15C2	15W	$900	Normal and top-boost channels, bass, treble, tremolo, reverb
Vox AC151X	15W	$900	Normal and top-boost channels, bass, treble, tremolo, reverb
Vox AC30S1	30W	$900	Gain, bass, treble, reverb
Vox AC30C2	30W	$1400	Normal and top-boost channels, bass, treble, tremolo, reverb
Vox AC15HW1 Hand-Wired	15W	$1400	Normal and top-boost channels, bass, treble
Vox Custom AC30CX2	30W	$1550	Normal and top-boost channels, bass, treble, tremolo, reverb
Marshall Mini Silver Jubilee	20W	$1600	Gain, 3 band EQ
Marshall Studio Classic 20W	20W	$1700	3 band EQ, presence
Marshall Studio Vintage 20W	20W	$1700	Presence, 3 band EQ, high treb
Vox AC30HW2 Hand-Wired	30W	$1900	Normal and top-boost channels, bass, treble
Marshall JMV215C	50W	$2600	2 channels, gain, 3 band EQ, reverb, presence, resonance

Comparison of Vox and Marshall valve (tube) combo amps.