Back during CES 2024, Positive Grid – makers of the fantastic smart Spark guitar amps – debuted the latest edition to its lineup with the Spark LINK wireless guitar system. After getting a chance to go hands-on with its fantastic little intelligent guitar amp-meets-Bluetooth speaker-meets audio interface devices previously, I couldn’t wait to give the new wireless guitar system a run for its money. Now finally out of the pre-order phase and available for purchase, head below for our hands-on impressions of the new Spark LINK wireless guitar system.
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Hands-on with Positive Grid Spark LINK wireless guitar system
Just as the name suggests, the Positive Grid Spark LINK wireless guitar system allows players to wirelessly transmit their sound over 2.4G directly via the 1.4-inch jack on their instrument to an amp or otherwise. The system consists of two roughly 4-inch units, one transmitter for the guitar and one receiver for the amp, with a 24-bit/48kHz audio resolution and a “20Hz to 20kHz frequency range.” They also feature a sweet hinged design that allows the units to sort of tuck up against or wrap around your instrument once they are connected as well.
They offer up to 6 hours of play time per charge and feature an up 70-foot transmission range.
Now available for purchase via the Positive Grid Amazon storefront, you land yourself this wireless guitar system at $129 shipped.
Take a closer look at the specs:
- 2.4G wireless transmission technology
- 24-bit/48kHz audio
- 20Hz to 20kHz frequency range
- Ultra-low latency at under 3ms
- Up to 70ft (over 20 meters) of transmission range
- 6 hours of playtime on a single charge
- 110-degree hinged plug designed to fit every guitar body
Electronicsforward’ Take:
Firstly let’s talk about the build quality of the new Positive Grid Spark Link wireless guitar system. both units – the transmitter and receiver – are essentially identical outside of the golden ring to denote which is which. They are made of a sort of hard shiny gold plastic capped on top of what feels like a more durable matte black treatment and measure out at about 1 inch in height and width and about 4.2 inches in length (with the actual 1.4-inch guitar connector included).
When I first laid on eyes on the units in pictures they seemed a bit large and chunky, but after going getting my hands-on them, and with the hinged design here, that’s not really the case. After connecting the unit to your guitar’s jack and, say, an amp on the other end, you can sort of fold it back in whichever way feels best for you. This kind of keeps the unit at a safer angle depending on the placement of the jack it is connected to and a feature I can certainly appreciate – especially with something like a Fender Strat-like output placement where the connector has to essentially slide into the front-facing part of the body. The connectors here remain tight and it doesn’t jiggle around all that much – there’s a light shake when you get unruly with your guitar moves, jumping around and the like, but nothing that negatively effects the transmission or sound.
The actual setup process here is another highlight. This is a straight up plug in and rock type of thing. Providing both units are charged up and ready to go – they ship with single forked charging USB-A to USB-C cable (I really wish it was USB-C to USB-C, but that’s more of a personal gripe than anything) – you literally just plug them into to your guitar and amp, hold the small button on each unit for a sec, and you’re ready to go. It really couldn’t be easier, and when it comes to just wanting play some music, the last thing you want to have to do is go through some kind of setup process. The Spark Link wireless guitar system is basically perfect in this regard.
Now let’s talk performance. The first couple things on anyone’s mind is likely going to be what the wireless audio transmission actually sounds like and how much latency is there. I’m happy to report Positive Grid has nailed this for me.
Now, I would assume that hardcore professional musicians and the like might be able to find something to complain about here. But in my testing everything worked and sounded great.
The latency, which is officially rated at “< 3ms,” is completely inaudible to me for the most part. If you’re just jamming at home, with friends, or at casual gigs, I’m almost certain it will be just fine for you too. The sound quality and frequency response, which is rated at “20Hz ~ 20kHz,” is much of the same. I feel like I can tell a slight difference when plugging directly into my professional audio interface via a typical 1/4-inch cable, but it is incredibly slight – the only time I could really even tell the difference was with the most delicate and intimate passages I could come up with being recorded for an incredibly naked composition.
Providing you’re just going to be rocking out, in just about any genre that might be, the sound quality was pretty solid to my ears. Hardcore recording engineers likely won’t like the idea of it, and I don’t personally love the idea of any wireless system for making records, but this isn’t a piece of kit that is specifically geared towards recording anyway.
They are rated for up to 6 hours of wireless playback on a full charge. In my testing I got two solid sessions, both at over 2 hours before a charge was required. The units automatically shut off when in active for a period of time as well.
Just for the sake of full disclosure, I have not had a chance to test out the multi-channel action here. Positive Grid says the units support four channels, meaning “you can use multiple Spark LINKs at the same time” in a single setup without causing any interference and the like between them, but I only have one wireless system for this review.
In the end, there’s really not much to complain about here. I guess maybe the actual units could be more compact, but with the hinged design that was hardly an issue for me. I guess they could be made with a more rugged frame to stand up to the road and rowdy stage performances, but they are also quite competitively priced and clearly geared more towards the beginner to semi-pro crowd anyway. There are certainly more affordable options from the bargain bin brands, but in my experience, the latency and other transmission issues that can arise with those are rarely worth the savings. In my opinion, you’re going to need to spend something close to this much or a whole lot more to get this kind of performance.
If you’re in the market for something like this, looking for something to make jamming at home or with the brand a little bit less cumbersome (and more fun), or heading out on casual, relatively low-key gigs, it’s hard not to recommend the $130 Positive Grid Spark LINK wireless guitar system.
Buy the Positive Grid Spark LINK wireless guitar system
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