So is it worth the hassle of upgrading to the latest software?
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As the title says I’ve been holding off updating to the latest update on my spark after all the posts I’ve seen claiming things like - No sound after update, all lights flashing and appearing to have bricked the amp itself as well as a few other symptoms that people have experienced?
Mine has been working fine using the update before the last one which provides the equaliser as well as other things using a wireless transmitter in the amp and the receiver in the guitar and I’ve never removed them since swapping over from the usual standard cable because I don’t want to find that the jack port on the amp coming loose.
I’ve used the amp very little since getting it due to my health not being the best and when I do feel like it my wife is in bed as she works nights so I’m limited on when I can use it and I don’t have any headphones to use that function.
I’m just not sure if it’s worth updating it just in case it causes me headaches meaning I’ll need to utilise the support. Call me superstitious but I’m of the thinning of it ain’t broke don’t mess with it, That and I don’t have another amp apart from a small jamjar amp I used to use when I was working away in the wagon.
Thanks for your suggestions in advance.
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@niak-snikrah If it works and you're happy with it, don't change it. What we get with the update is a few new amp models and a few new effects pedals. The EQ would be nice but it's in the MOD slot so we can't use any of the MOD pedals if we want to use the EQ, so it's not that much of an improvement. My only question is why don't you have headphones or earbuds? But if you don't, they're cheap enough for either over-the-ear headphones or in-ear earbuds (they have to be wired). I'd suggest that spending a few dollars on headphones would be the best update you could do in your situation.
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@dhbailey said in So is it worth the hassle of upgrading to the latest software?:
@niak-snikrah If it works and you're happy with it, don't change it. What we get with the update is a few new amp models and a few new effects pedals. The EQ would be nice but it's in the MOD slot so we can't use any of the MOD pedals if we want to use the EQ, so it's not that much of an improvement. My only question is why don't you have headphones or earbuds? But if you don't, they're cheap enough for either over-the-ear headphones or in-ear earbuds (they have to be wired). I'd suggest that spending a few dollars on headphones would be the best update you could do in your situation.
Thanks for the info on the updates. To be honest I’ve never had the thought of using headphones to be honest. I do have some isotunes wireless headphones which I use with my phone for when I was working to listen to music if the radio stations weren’t playing what I wanted to listen to and because you say it’s got to be wired because the Bluetooth function sis being used already I like to try and keep things wireless like I’ve done by removing the cables from the guitar so I’m not tied to the amp if that makes sense. I’ll have to look into headphones that have the same kind of technology as the transmitters I use instead of cables but again that could work out expensive to limit any latency between what I’m playing to what comes through the headphones themselves.
These are the wireless things I’ve got from the amp and guitar but in red.
Xvive U2 Wireless Digital Transmitter/Receiver System for Guitar, Bass and Other Instruments, Rechargeable, 2.4 GHz Redwood https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B074X8T91B/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_M4DDNEC8E18ZWQV3AYX8?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
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@niak-snikrah I know what you mean about wanting to be wireless. I use a similar set of wireless guitar transmitter/receiver units. Regarding the wireless headphones, the bluetooth capabilities of the amp work as a receiver only for audio data. There is a second bluetooth connection which transmits data about the amp back and forth between a device and the amp, but no audio data is included in that. So you need to find a wireless headphone with transmitter. People have complained a lot about trying to use bluetooth transmitter with bluetooth headphones because of the latency issue, so the use of radio-frequency wireless headphone setups is recommended. I don't have a specific link to a set, and of course the regulations for such things may differ from country to country, so be sure to check out what's possible for the country you're in. Good luck!
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@dhbailey I’ve also got the added complication that the valve in my head is magnetically controlled to help with my water on the brain condition so I’ve got to make sure it’s safe to use. I found that out the hard way with a railway layout I used to have that used point motors that needed a magnetic pulse to change the tracks and the only way I could get round it was to go digital but that was going to cost hundreds to replace all the points and I ended up buying a few but never got it completed before I sold the layout.
I was hoping that playing the guitar would be easier for me but again it’s a total minefield that I have to negotiate.
I’ve got surgery coming up at the end of September all being well and I’m going to speak to the surgeon to see if he’s got any recommendations as he’s got a specialty in the condition I’ve got so may have some specific advice on which are best to go for. That’s assuming they manage to sort me out. This will be my 45th op for the condition and I’ve been really unlucky with it so I’m hoping this one will be the final one I have to have but I’m not getting my hopes up.
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@niak-snikrah First off, I hope your surgery goes well for you!
I use wireless headphones in the 900 mhz range and have very little problems with them and also use a wireless guitar to amp system. I love both as it I never have to worry about wire entanglement. I play most of the time after my wife goes to bed, and while she would hear my acoustic guitars, she never hears my solid body electrics when I have the earphones plugged in. Just a suggestion after you recover and able to play your guitar again. You will find your guitar sounds totally different with headphones than with the speaker, not a real problem unless you want to play live like I do at family gatherings. The Spark is perfect for this, but if you set the EQ up with headphones, you might be disappointed in how it sounds though it's speaker (not bad, just different). so I have learned to set up the EQ through the Spark speaker and just take how it sounds through headsets. For a while, I had a notebook in which I set up the live EQ settings, which worked good. In this way you are not limited to the 4 presets unless you have custom presets.
Again, hope your surgery goes well!
PS I have not updated to the latest firmware.
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@lbs2000 thanks for the well wishes.
I don’t suppose you have a link to the headphones you use do you? And is it as simple as it is with the guitar and is there much if any latency?
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@niak-snikrah Sorry for the late post. I don't think they are made anymore. The name is Royal WS-50 by Soundteq and I bought them from Amazon. I will search my history to make sure.
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@niak-snikrah I found the headphones and they are discontinued. Here is the link anyway:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01J4GVDB0/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
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@lbs2000 thanks I’m sure I’ll be able to find some somewhere.
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@niak-snikrah If I come across a similar system in this price range, I will let you know.
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@lbs2000 thanks for the link. Unfortunately they don’t sell to UK buyers and nothing came up when I searched for them on uk eBay either.
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@niak-snikrah That's a bummer! I have the same problem with the excellent StayTrem bridge made in the UK and I would love to get one for my Jazzmaster. They used to sell to the USA and other markets, but I heard they had too much demand in the UK.
Good luck to you!