Review of the Neural DSP Nano Cortex]

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What is it?

Victory has certainly come a long way in just 13 years. The brand launched by Chief Engineer Martin Kidd – whose prior work with Cornford resulted in partnerships with six-string greats like Guthrie Govan, Justin Hawkins and Dweezil Zappa – now sits among the big players of the guitar amp world.

This latest lunchbox head inspired by 2024’s handwired flagship MK Overdrive is undoubtedly his most daring design to date, squeezing in the most functionality I’ve ever seen on an amp head of this size.

The company states that the MKX “redefines what a compact amplifier can achieve”, and though it’s a bit of a bold statement to make, Victory has proved time and time again that it’s not a brand to be underestimated.

Specs

(Image credit: Victory Amps)

Price: $1659/£1399/€1699

Type: Amp head

Origin: UK

Output: 50/9Watts RMS

Channels: 3

Controls: 3-Band EQ, Gain and Levels for clean and overdrive channels, Reverb Decay and Level, Power Amp Presence and Resonance, two Masters

Connectivity: 1/4″ input and outputs, effects loop, two footswitch inputs

Footswitch: Both footswitches included

Weight: 15.76 lbs/7.15 kg

Dimensions: 350x180x190 mm

Contact: Victory Amps

Build quality

The Victory MKX rehouses a high-end classic from the British amp brand in a more compact lunchbox format.

(Image credit: Future/Phil Barker)

Build quality rating: ★★★★★

Visually, the overall design is exactly in line with the other Victory lunchbox heads.

There’s a classy cream-on-black aesthetic with the upper grill giving users a glimpse into the magic encased within – if you like seeing valves glowing next to a big transformer, this will put a smile on your face.

More importantly, however, this one robust bit of kit. The metal chassis will protect the circuitry well enough on the road and should guarantee many happy years of playing.

Usability

Image 1 of 3

(Image credit: Future/Phil Barker)

Usability rating: ★★★★☆

Though the MKX is very much a three-channel amp, its two overdrive channels share the same three-band EQ located directly underneath the clean controls.

The interface is pretty straightforward, perhaps a bit much for the kind of player who wants an ultra-streamlined two-knob design, but the large majority of users will welcome the possibilities for tonal shaping.

That said, this amp is not trying to compete with the digital world. It’s an old school tube amp at heart, so you won’t find any USB connectivity or direct recording outs.

The Victory MKX rehouses a high-end classic from the British amp brand in a more compact lunchbox format.

(Image credit: Future/Phil Barker)

A big plus with the all of the Victory lunchbox heads is the ability to run them in high or low power modes, this particular model coming all the way down from 50 Watts to just nine, which means it will be loud enough for live shows while also being quiet enough to use comfortably at home.

At just over 15 lbs, it’s pretty light and easy to move around, so you won’t need the additional gym membership to help you get around from gig to gig.

Sounds

The Victory MKX rehouses a high-end classic from the British amp brand in a more compact lunchbox format.

(Image credit: Future/Phil Barker)

Sounds rating: ★★★★½

For this review, I plugged a Schecter USA Nick Johnston HSS into The Duellist twin overdrive pedal by Kingtone, with the head going into a Victory 2×12 cabinet loaded with Vintage 30 speakers, as well as a Boss RE-202 Space Echo providing some delay in the loop.

The clean channel is impressively punchy with the gain set fairly low, but as you increase the amount of signal running through the three ECC83 preamp valves, it becomes even more lively.

If you want that glassy Stevie Ray Vaughan sound heard on famous tracks like Lenny, this is a high-gain amp that can actually do it, and even provide the right kind of reverb at the same time.

The Victory MKX rehouses a high-end classic from the British amp brand in a more compact lunchbox format.

(Image credit: Future/Phil Barker)

That sense of depth also runs through both of the overdrive channels, the first of which focuses on more of a crunch variation that will suit all of your favourite AC/DC and Guns N’ Roses riffs. If you are more accustomed to metal riffing and screaming leads, OD II will probably be your go-to.

With a pair of EL34 valves in the power section, the MKX has a distinctly British voice that harks back to the modded Marshalls of the 80s, but you could always scoop the mids and use a pedal in front to get more of an American kind of flavour.

Verdict

The Victory MKX rehouses a high-end classic from the British amp brand in a more compact lunchbox format.

(Image credit: Future/Phil Barker)

This is undoubtedly the most versatile lunchbox amp Victory has ever made and I’m pleased to report it performs incredibly well across the board. High-gain amps rarely come with clean channels this good – many have tried to house the sounds of Fender and Marshall inside one product and very few have come this close.

Another big plus is just how sonically tidy everything is, even when you have the gain high up, there’s very little buzz or electronic interference

The functionality is very impressive, given how you get four footswitchable controls plus two types of stunning digital reverb, high and low power modes, plus more knobs at the back.

But it’s also not trying to be something it’s not, either – there’s no USB or Bluetooth connectivity to be found here – which makes this more of a classic amp inspired by the glory days of high-gain circuits.

Another big plus is just how sonically tidy everything is, even when you have the gain high up, there’s very little buzz or electronic interference but still plenty of sustain, feedback and saturation. In short, it screams every bit as well as it sings.

The Victory MKX rehouses a high-end classic from the British amp brand in a more compact lunchbox format.

(Image credit: Future/Phil Barker)

If you want to focus just on clean tones or more of an American-sounding 6L6-driven high gain, perhaps other Victory options like the Duchess and Kraken will be of more interest. But if you’re looking for something that can do it all – and do it all to an exceptionally high standard – the MKX will be worth checking out.

MusicRadar verdict: Given that the handwired MK Overdrive retails for over three times as much, it’s amazing just how close Victory has got here. The MKX Lunch Box combines the same kind of features and controls with breath-taking tones at a fraction of the cost, while also adding in two types of reverb.

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Ratings scorecard
Test	Results	Score
Build quality	Like all of Victory’s lunchbox heads, this is one sturdy workhorse that’s built to last.	★★★★★
Usability	Everything is pretty straightforward here, assuming you are already used to multi-channel amps with independent controls.	★★★★☆
Sounds	You might expect an amp like this to excel more at high gain tones, but the MKX is one hell of an all-rounder.	★★★★½
Overall	You get a lot for your money here, but it wouldn’t be quite as impressive if the tones weren’t as good as promised. Thankfully they are.	★★★★½