Orange PC-In-An-Amp WTF?

[Steve Conner]

Check this out guys.
Orange Amps | Features | ORANGE LAUNCHES ITS NEW PC DIVISION WITH THE INTRODUCTION OF THE OPC - AN ALL-IN-ONE COMPUTER AMPLIFIER SPEAKER !!

[dai h.]

april fool's? (quickly check date...uhhh..no) lol. I suppose it'd be more interesting trying to think of why they thought that would be a worthwhile thing.

[Gibsonman63]

There's a lot to work with here...

1. Do I have to reboot my amplifier between songs?
2. Will this amplifier produce "The Blue Sound of Death"?
3. Will McIntosh make one twice as expensive with a better operating system?
4. Will my amplifier be obsolete in six months and need to be upgraded or replaced?
5. Can I purchase this amplifier with a downgraded operating system
6. Will webbots invade my amp and play Rap "music" during my blues solos?
7. Will my amplifier get slower over time?

c'mon, join the fun.

[J M Fahey]

I guess it was designed SPECIALLY either for Steve Conner, who writes endless lines of code in his day job and plays tasty bluesy licks at night in smoky joints, OR it was a very smart marketing move, recognizing all those "Guitar Hero" or "Guitar Rig" fans out there.
There are more than you think, I am already getting orders for powered guitar cabinets (Twin sized, 2x12", 2x60W stereo, obviously SS) to be used with notebooks on stage.
Live and learn !!!

[dai h.]

where can I find tweaks, upgrades, and cheats for this thing!!!

[Mark Hammer]

What I'd like to know is if it sounds better when used with NOS "legacy" processors. I hear that 486-based amps have that beautiful "warm" sound.

[Steve A.]

You guys can joke...

... but I want one!

Steve Ahola

[fyl]

Clever. But will it sell?

[m-fine]

Clever. But will it sell?

the better question is "Will it blend?"

[J M Fahey]

I hear that 486-based amps have that beautiful "warm" sound.

No Sir: warmest are NOS 8086 XT's, although legendary Django Reinhardt is reputed to have played plugged into a 1936 vintage National Cash Register adding machine in his mechanically recorded "Paris Hot Club " Jazz sessions.
Of course traditional Koto (琴 or 箏) Japanese players can plug into any abacus (算盤, そろばん) they like.

[Steve Conner]

I think the warmest sound would have to come from the old Pentium 4, with its 100+ watt power dissipation. To achieve the high speeds, Intel had to let the chip leak lots of current, so it runs stupidly hot no matter what it's doing.

I've got a 3GHz P4 here, and it draws 200 watts from the wall plug just idling (250 when processing flat out!) and works as a nice space heater in the winter. And considering the CPU core runs off 1.5V, it must be drawing nearly 100 amps.

In all seriousness, as Steve A. said, I bet this is going to sell.

If I ever start another band, "The Blue Sound Of Death" would be a pretty good name, thanks!

[Steve A.]

If I ever start another band, "The Blue Sound Of Death" would be a pretty good name, thanks!

How about "The Blue Scream Of Death"? That could refer both to the band and to any Windows user.

Steve Ahola

[Gibsonman63]

I forgot to mention, the Apple version is proprietary and will only work with an iGuitar... and it takes a special connector.

You could run Linix, but you have to write your own guitar drivers to make it work.

If you have more than one of these in the band, can you network them?

[tedmich]

seems odd they don't mention the CPU, which is the main interest for PC users.

I wonder if you can run ReValver/Amplitube/GuitarRig on it so it doesn't sound too Orange...
looks like a classic:
"Answer to the Question No one is asking"

[fyl]

No Sir: warmest are NOS 8086 XT's

Big Z80-powered PC's rule when it comes to vintage tone. A Kaypro is perfect with humbuckers while an Osborne sounds great with single coils.