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Pros:
- Equipped with analog circuitry
- Way louder than one would expect
- Great-sounding subtle overdrive
Cons:
- Bass response is not that great
- Battery operation lasts only 5-6 hours
Even though music history saw a great deal of advancement, positive changes, and innovations in the ‘70s, one of the most distinctive episodes began in 1968 when Orange Amplifiers stepped on the market. From the very first day of their establishment, they started creating products that had amazing build quality and could deliver spectacular sounds. That pattern has not changed ever since. Micro Crush PiX is a unit of the same ilk that is comprised of convenience, decent tones, and simplicity. If you are intrigued, keep on reading and find out, what is the big deal about this little fella!
Features
The glory of Orange Amplifiers is rooted in their analog circuitry. Micro Crush PiX stands out among modern digitalized devices and features the organic sounds of analog circuitry. It has 3 watts of power capacity that is delivered through a single 4” Crush speaker. This bad boy runs on one 9V battery (which can also be powered with an AC adaptor) that is only utilized when the instrument is plugged in. Additionally, Micro Crush PiX has a built-in chromatic tuner that makes sure that your instrument is always in tune.
Bright LEDs display your notes and indicate if they are correct or not. As far as the effects go, it offers analog overdrive which is the best kind of overdrive in my book. Micro Crush PiX has a single input for your instrument, a single headphone output for silent practicing, as well as a DC-in jack for connecting the power supply. As you can see, this amplifier is not over-complicated with unusable features that just make the whole experience a huge pain in the neck. But rather it has everything one would need during daily utilization, making it a convenient tool.
Controls
The control panel on Micro Crush PiX could not become any simpler. It has just a couple of knobs that tweak specific parameters and put you in charge of your tone. They are laid out on the surface in a way that makes everything easily perceivable. Even though there is nothing difficult about the controls of this amp, I will still break everything down and make sure you know what you are going for from the very beginning.
The first thing you notice on the control panel is the Overdrive button. Once you press it, you start hearing your signal being distorted in a subtle manner. Then we have the Tone, which can either accentuate the lower spectrum and make your sound darker, or amplify the treble response and brighten everything up. And of course, we have the Volume knob, which intensifies the distortion and basically acts as a gain controller. There is also a Tuner button, which activates the chromatic tuner and shapes your instrument perfectly. Last but definitely not least, we have a Power button which turns the amp on and off. Keep in mind that the unit will not be activated unless you plug in your instrument.
Orange Crush Mini Sound
As I have already mentioned a couple of times, Orange Micro Crush PiX is very small (it weighs 0.8 kg, duh). The reason why I am emphasizing this is that you should not expect a full-stack sound out of this fella. Nevertheless, it is also true that the loudness it can deliver is more than one would expect from its dimension and exceeds that of its rivals. Micro Crush PiX has thick, elaborate and defined clean tones that are the main characteristics of Orange amplifiers.
The analog circuitry guarantees that all the ones that are created through this unit are warm and organic. It has a mediocre bass response, but it is still workable if needed. Micro Crush PiX can generate a textured and sweet overdrive that does not step into the crazy distortion territory (so if you want something for hard rock or other heavier genres, you might want to pass on this one). In short, this amp does more than one would expect from its size and delivers signature Orange sounds.
Conclusion
To conclude everything said above, Orange Micro Crush PiX delivers outstanding quality in terms of both sound and building material. Featured in a fancy chassis, it can bark up vintage analog overdrive that so many of us are not over yet (and probably never will be). This small device can be at your service anywhere due to its battery-powered operation and can be carried around easily. Even though its size has certain limitations, if you understand its purpose well, you will not have any issues at all. Plug in your electric guitar and let Micro Crush PiX do its job. Good luck!
Click here to view more from 10 Best Small Guitar Amps.
