Spiritual Awakening

HUGHES & KETTNER SPIRIT NANO SERIES AMPS

- Chris Gill

WHEN IT COMES to advancements in guitar technology, the majority of the industry’s most exciting developments over the last few decades have taken place in the amplifier market. One of the more fascinating trends is how small amplifiers have decreased in size while also expanding their tonal versatility and performance. Unlike most early mini amps, which provided adequate volume output and decent but limited and sometimes generic tones, today’s diminutive microamps can deliver sounds and volume levels comparable to the big boys.

The Hughes & Kettner Spirit Nano Series amps are a great example of just how far micro amp technology has come in recent times. Hughes & Kettner offers three different flavors of Spirit Nano amps — Vintage, Rock, and Metal — each sharing similar designs and features but delivering entirely different sonic personalities. The Spirit Nano Series amps are small and light enough to stash in a guitar case accessory pocket or airliner carry-on bag, but they are truly gig-worthy amps that can also be used for practice (with headphones) and direct recording.

FEATURES The secret behind the micro dimensions of Hughes & Kettner Spirit Nano Series is the company’s Spirit Tone Generator, described as “a novel bionic design (that) replicate(s) the analog processes of a tube circuit.” This technology is not solid-state or digital, but genuinely analog. Somehow the engineers at Hughes & Kettner figured out how to rebuild analog technology and make it better, smaller, cheaper. Each model delivers 25-watts of output at 8 ohms or up to 50 watts with a 4-ohm speaker cabinet.