The BOSS WAZA Tube Amp Expander Core is a compact, easily portable desktop or amp-top device that combines a reactive load box, an attenuator, and effects processor in one. Like the larger and more feature rich BOSS WAZA Tube Amp Expander, it functions as both a power attenuator and an advanced amp control system, allowing you to dial in great tone from your tube amplifier at any volume level, whether in the studio, on stage, or at home.
The WAZA Tube Amp Expander Core features an eight Ohm reactive load capability, built-in effects, cabinet emulations, and a USB-C port for connecting to your desktop computer or optional Bluetooth integration when paired with the optional BOSS Bluetooth® Audio MIDI Dual Adaptor (BT-DUAL). Some key features of the BOSS WAZA Tube Amp Expander Core include it’s a reactive load box that supports tube amps up to 100 watts, along with a 30-watt reactive drive power amplifier designed to deliver optimal tones at home-friendly volumes.
It’s important to keep in mind that the WAZA Tube Amp Expander Core is only rated for tube amplifiers rated up to 100 watts and that it needs to be connected to an amp with an eight Ohm speaker load. Also, it’s important to note that even through the WAZA Tube Amp Expander Core can handle amplifiers with a 100-watt output rating, most tube amplifiers are not designed to have all the controls turned “up to ten,” without damaging the amp’s circuitry (regardless of whether you are connected to a reactive load device). On the side of the WAZA Tube Amp Expander Core are some tips for protecting your tube amp from damage when using a load box attenuator—well worth reading.
Taking a quick tour of the WAZA Tube Amp Expander Core front panel, there’s a combo stack selector switch which you set accordingly based on what speaker configuration you have it connected to and a Rig selector switch (for selecting one of ten saved rigs). An Air Feel level control which uses BOSS’s proprietary Spatial technology to create an “amp-in-room” sound with natural depth, dimension, and ambience. There’s also speaker out, line out, and headphone level controls. On the back of the WAZA Tube Amp Expander Core are stereo XLR balanced line outs, an input jack to plug in from the output from your tube amp (with 10-, 50- and 100-watt selection switch), the power connection port, USB C port, the port for the BT- DUAL Bluetooth Adapter, and a TRS stereo effects loop.
Setting up the WAZA Tube Amp Expander Core is easy. Simply connect the amp’s speaker output to the TAE’s speaker input and then take the other output and run it back into your speaker or, because it’s a reactive load device, silent running is possible by disengaging the speaker out and using the line outputs. The WAZA Tube AMP Expander Core only has an option for an 8 Ohm (the larger WAZA Tube Amp Expander can handle 4-, 8- or 16-Ohm Loads). It’s important to use the correct cables when taking the output from your Amp and connecting it back to a speaker. For example, Boss’ BSC-5 Speaker Cable is a great choice and is readily available at most retailers like Guitar Center, Sweetwater, and Amazon.
The BOSS WAZA Tube Amp Expander Core Editor app is a companion software app designed to unlock the enhanced tone shaping capability of the WAZA Tube Amp Expander Core. The app, either connected to your desktop or via Bluetooth via the Bluetooth Audio MIDI Dual Adaptor (BT DUAL), gives you IR loading capability, offering 22 BOSS cabinet emulations, five microphone types, and 64 user IR slots. You also get built-in effects including compression, EQ, delay, and reverb to enhance tonal flexibility. This included feature set expands upon what you get from the original WAZA Tube Amp Expander, especially with extra features like Mix Assist, a quick, no hassle feature that allows you to dial up a tone eq’d for recording quickly, the Aie Feel control which helps give the amp tone some ambiance—without necessarily adding a reverb effect—and the dual IR loader.
The app for the WAZA Tube Amp Expander Core includes the following features: Editing, which allows you to customize amplifier and effects settings, tailoring their sound to your personal preference; Tone Librarian, which enables organization and management of sounds, facilitating easy access to preferred tones; Impulse Response (IR) Loading which supports the ability to import up to 64 user IRs, including mono and stereo WAV files; and a Rig Management feature, which provides the ability to organize custom setups, including cabinet choices and effects and lets you assign up to ten of your favorite configurations for instant access via the Rig knob on the front of the WAZA Tube Amp Expander Core.
I tested the WAZA Tube Amp Expander Core with my 1980’s Mesa .22 Studio Combo amp. This is a great all tube amp from Mesa’s golden age featuring two channels, dual master volume controls on each channel, and a relatively simple tone stack. Like all Mesa amps the studio .22, despite its modest wattage rating, is capable of getting extremely loud—defiantly louder than I would want in my home studio environment. As with most tube amplifiers, the studio .22 has a sweet spot that usually comes into play when you turn up the volume. Using the Tube Amp Expander Core, it’s easy to dial down the output volume to a manageable level and the app gives me all the tools I need to fine tune my tone.
What I like about the WAZA Tube Amp Expander Core is that it gives me all the essential tone shaping tools without overwhelming me with options. After spending some time with the WAZA Tube Amp Expander Core, I really like the simple, straight forward controls and comprehensive editing tools. It’s really well thought out and it gives me an elegant solution to get some great tube amp tones into my recording or stage rig at a manageable volume.
The BOSS WAZA Tube Amp Expander Core is available now for $699.99. Find out more at boss.info/global/products/waza_tube_amp_expander_core.
