NAD: The 'Humble' Boss Dual Cube LX

Wazmeister · January 2023

Well, I thought Id get me a small home amp of some kind, to run the drums from my looper into. That's it really. I had no more expectation than this. But, man, was I shocked.

I had heard the guys on the Guitar Nerds Podcast raving about this Cube, and I thought I'd try it to use with my looper; in this case, either the Quad Cortex or (more likely) the Boss RC 10r. The drum patterns on the Boss are very impressive, but tend to 'boom' when used through a 'real' valve amp.

So, thinks I, whilst I'm here, I might as well try the guitar through it (sneer. laugh, sneer).

It. Is. Superb.

What we have here is a two-speaker stereo amp, with a built in looper, optional bluetooth, battery or mains powered.

Bluetooth your phone into it, use backing tracks, a Boss App on your phone, and a tuner in the software.

Stereo in, stereo out, FRFR setting, footswitchable sounds, footswitchable looper, USB, microwave, air fryer and a tyre inflator for your bike.

Now, you lot know me by now, this sits in some pretty illustrious company; a Two Rock Studio Signature, Quad Cortex, Lazy J10 and some great pedals.

But, I've played more, recorded more, written more song bits etc in the past 2 days than for years. It. Just. Works.

The looper is great, the unit is much louder than you think, and you can play along with stuff.

The amp settings are very good, to be honest, and the bundled effects do the job. I've got rechargeable batteries in it too, I can record around the house. I can play it into my Genelecs, use the Stereo option with the QC,

Bloody love it. Best £215 I've ever spent.

Get one.

BluesLover · January 2023

Sounds good, would like to see a fair comparison to Yamaha THR, especially as the Boss is cheaper.

Supportact · January 2023

It's got a lot of features for the money. I sometimes use a small powered pa speaker to play backing tracks to as it's better than putting it through a guitar amp. If that broke i could probably replace it with something like this which is more versatile. Nice review.

Sporky · January 2023

How good is the octave on low single notes? Might work for cello club when we're doing things that go below normal range...

TheBigDipper · January 2023

After such a positive review from @Wazmeister, and because I'm looking for something more practical for home practice use, I decided to take a punt on one and see for myself. Order placed yesterday, unit arrived this morning, a bit earlier than expected (I wasn't in a rush for it).

It's rather good, and a steal at the price. Thanks for the heads up. I'd have missed it otherwise, as Boss Cube amps aren't usually near the top of any list I've ever written.

SquireJapan · January 2023

I have the "even more transistor radio" earlier version of this, and it's fantastic for what it is. I'd buy one like yours if I already didn't have a house full of gear.

Norlin4life · January 2023

If anyone has compared this with the THR10ii I'd be really interested in some feedback?

Nikc · January 2023

Ok I love a bit of exceptional value kit (i'd put my Loudbox mini with my HD ProX in that Bracket) but I can't see that Tyre inflator being up to much

Trude · January 2023

Looks good, but I'd say it's more of an oblong?

Wazmeister · January 2023

TheBigDipper said:

After such a positive review from @Wazmeister, and because I'm looking for something more practical for home practice use, I decided to take a punt on one and see for myself. Order placed yesterday, unit arrived this morning, a bit earlier than expected (I wasn't in a rush for it).

It's rather good, and a steal at the price. Thanks for the heads up. I'd have missed it otherwise, as Boss Cube amps aren't usually near the top of any list I've ever written.

It’s amazing to be honest.

I haven’t switched my valve amps on since I’ve had it. The looper is a great practice option.

keir · May 2023

@Wazmeister are you still enjoying this mate, thinking of picking one up…..

Wazmeister · May 2023

keir said:

@Wazmeister are you still enjoying this mate, thinking of picking one up…..

Yes mate, 100%.

Ive barely touched the Two Rock and LJ since !!

Just get one.

Im even thinking of getting the Bass version

keir · May 2023

Cheers Waz - sometimes cheap and cheerful can be just the ticket - especially when it comes to playing at home at reasonable volumes. Got a few bits in the classifieds so will look to pick one up once I’ve shifted some of that

I will post some thoughts here in a few weeks

BigPaulie · May 2023

I've been keen to try one of these too. I just wish Roland didn't gouge its customers by making them pay extra for the Bluetooth adapter. Surely it would have been easy to build it in...

What I'd like to know is:

How does it sound through headphones?

Does the Bluetooth app work on Android?

TheBigDipper · May 2023

BigPaulie said:

I've been keen to try one of these too. I just wish Roland didn't gouge its customers by making them pay extra for the Bluetooth adapter. Surely it would have been easy to build it in...

What I'd like to know is:

How does it sound through headphones?

Does the Bluetooth app work on Android?

Here's a different way of thinking about it. I don't care about having BT support and I was happy I wasn't paying for something I didn't want. I guess they can't please both of us! :-)

It's dead easy to set up and store useful presets without needing to use the editor. For me, it's (well, was) a home-use amp so on the two times I've wanted to experiment with the editor, it was easy to plug in a cable, start the computer and use a lovely big monitor to play around a bit.

It sounds good enough through headphones - but the individual headphones you own can make so much of a difference, so...

I said (was) above because, although I still own it, I've changed the way I work at home and don't use it much now. I would sell it, but second-hand prices are low (for what it is, a steal) and I'd rather keep it for a rainy day.

Nikc · June 2023

I went to Andertons today to do a deal on a Reverent Double Agent (loving it) and picked up the Street Cube Mk2 while I was there (I like to sing even nobody else likes me singing) lovely and light and sounds quite scarily good really good purchase so far

AntonHunter · June 2023

What's the deal with the Mic Level knob? Have these got a microphone input too?

Nikc · June 2023

they have indeed - I haven't tired it yet but will do over the weekend - I also picked up the additional pedal so that I can use the looper - but again haven't plugged that in yet

keir · July 2023

Does the stereo input work on this for all the amp models or just the specific setting on the knob? Thanks

TheBigDipper · July 2023

keir said:

Does the stereo input work on this for all the amp models or just the specific setting on the knob? Thanks

Just that one setting. It's for use with modellers and that channel doesn't have any amp sims in it.

keir · July 2023

TheBigDipper said:

keir said:

Does the stereo input work on this for all the amp models or just the specific setting on the knob? Thanks

Just that one setting. It's for use with modellers and that channel doesn't have any amp sims in it.

Ok thanks, I have a stereo pedal last in my chain and was wondering if I could use stereo just at home. Not a dealbreaker though

goldtop · July 2023

Yeah, the stereo input option is mostly for people with a full-fat modeller who want to use it as a little FRFR monitor. Or perhaps someone who is using the Dual Cube as their audio interface, and wants to plug a stereo source - digital piano, synth, etc - in and send the stereo audio without amp modelling into the computer/iPad via USB.

Boss put a lot more flexibility into the I/O of the Dual Cube compared to the Yamaha THR. Have a look at the block diagram in the user manual PDF.

rickd2112a · July 2023

Coming back to this thread as I've gone round in circles. Is the Dual Cube really that good sounding?

@Wazmeister you've compared it favourably against your beautiful amps like the Two Notes and Lazy J.

The reason for this direct question is that I'd settled on either the Katana Mini or the Yamaha THR5. I popped over to PMT Oxford yesterday and tried them and was totally underwhelmed. The THR was certainly the best sounding but still not great - I really wanted the Crunch channel to breakup a little with single coils but it stayed clean. The more gainy channels didn't do it for me. The Katana Mini sounded really thin - I was surprised by this as Dave Simpson had raved about it.

Stupidly I didn't try the Dual Cube, even though they had it there. I think that was a mistake and should have taken the time to try it.

I've also read on other forums that lots of people use the other amps available in the software ('variation B') to get the most out of the Dual Cube. Have you done much tinkering in the software? if so, then a simple demo at a store wouldn't be the best test.

I'm not looking for a full amp replacement, just a portable solution that sounds good and I can use around the house.

Thanks for the help.

TheBigDipper · July 2023

"Good sounding" is a matter of taste, I think. My need was for a portable grab'n'go practice amp. I was upgrading from a Fly 3 and (at the time) also getting back into modellers. I really like the JC120 channel and the Fender channel. They are decent and usable. I don't find the other channels convincing, but I don't choose those sounds on a big amp, either - I use pedals.

The variation B sounds are different, and some must prefer them as they post about it.

Having said that, on the Cube I'll use the reverb, trem and chorus (just twiddling, and saving presets manually - I haven't used the editor since the first month of ownership). I don't use the looper, but I probably should, as I've been using a Ditto+ with it and all this should need is for me to plug in my spare FS-6 footswitch.

I prefer it to a THR. The batteries last for ages. I haven't tried the Spark or Katana. But none of them, absolutely none, are as good as a decent amp with a bigger speaker. They are convenient solutions to a problem, and decent enough for that, for sure.

All my own opinion, obv., Everyones got one! :-)

If you're buying new and don't like it, it won't cost too much to send it back. Probably less than the travel cost to go to a shop again.

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NAD: The 'Humble' Boss Dual Cube LX

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