Supro Delta King 10 Review

Supro Delta King 10 Gallery

Contents

Supro Delta King 10 Ratings

Tone

4.6

4.6/5

Headroom

4.2

4.2/5

Features

4.0

4.0/5

Build Quality

4.2

4.2/5

Value

4.0

4.0/5

Tone

The Delta King 10 delivers a versatile tone that is suitable for a range of styles. Starting with the clean tone, this device combines the analog characteristics of vintage tube amps with a solid-state amp’s slight compression and control. 

If you set all of the tones and gain controls to a normal level, you can hear the natural, smooth sound that the Delta King 10 produces. This clean sound is great for funky rhythm guitar or rung-out chords. 

A solid clean tone is a foundation for a great-sounding dirty tone, which is why Supro has ensured that this amp can do both. When you add some gain to the signal, the best aspects of the clean tone are highlighted. 

The midrange is where this 5-watt combo amplifier flourishes. It’s easy to push the amp into warm tube saturation without compromising the smoothness of the upper mids. 

By adjusting the master volume control, you can add the ideal amount of overdrive while preserving the thick sound of the clean tone. 

With its 6V6 power tube section providing sonic muscle, this amp absorbs effects pedals extremely well. Anything from fuzz to flangers is compatible with the Delta King 10’s natural tone and sound. 

Volume and Headroom

Choosing a guitar amplifier that is equally well suited to practicing at home as it is to playing with a band can be difficult. Often, we end up sacrificing the tone of a high-wattage tube amp by turning it down too low, or we push a smaller amp to its limits. 

The Delta King 10 boasts 5W of power, which may not sound like much, but because it’s driven by a combination of a 12AX7 preamp tube and a 6V6 power tube, it packs a considerable punch. 

If you’re looking for a tube amp to play large arenas, this probably isn’t the right option. However, if you need a great-sounding amp that is ideal for practicing, playing in small to medium venues, and recording, then it’s well worth considering. 

At its maximum volume, the Delta King 10 is pretty loud. It also retains the clarity of the bass frequencies, which is rare for a low-wattage tube amplifier when pushed to its dynamic limits. 

Maximum volume is not the only important thing to consider when talking about the dynamics of a tube amplifier. Headroom is equally as necessary, and the Delta King 10 impresses on this front, too. 

Adjusting the master volume control allows you to create a considerably loud, clean tone before the saturation kicks in. There are dedicated switches to make the tone more or less dirty, which I’ll discuss later in this article. 

Overall, the Delta King 10 has been designed to maximize volume and headroom while remaining practical in terms of size. 

Features and Controls

The SuproDelta King 10 has a surprising number of features and adjustable controls for a reasonably compact amplifier. 

The effects installed on the amplifier include boost, drive, spring reverb, and a 2-band EQ. The boost switch is driven by FET technology and instantly adds some beef to your guitar’s midrange. 

Having this boost feature so easily accessible on the amplifier essentially gives out an easy way to cut through the mix when soloing. It works similarly to a boost effects pedal. 

The Delta King 10 also includes an exceptional high-gain mode, designed by boutique pedal expert, Pigtronix. The appropriately titled FAT mode breathes fire into your tone and is perfect for heavy blues riffs and licks. 

The gain mode is activated using a switch on the amplifier’s control panel, and it’s one of the standout features. It can instantly transform your clean tone into red-hot overdrive. 

A 2-band EQ section helps tailor the prominent frequencies outputted by this tube amp. There’s also a custom-designed analog spring reverb, which can add a dimension of space to your guitar parts. 

The spring reverb sounds similar to the effect found on Fender’s range of vintage tube amplifiers, which is certainly a compliment. 

You can also hook the amp up to a footswitch to control the boost feature if you want to switch it on and off while playing without needing to change the setting with your hands. 

Build Quality

The controls and switches installed on the Supro Delta King 10 have a high-quality feel, and nothing seems flimsy or cheap. Supro has designed the amplifier with an interesting open-back enclosure and a speaker built into the front panel. 

A blend of poplar, a durable but relatively lightweight wood type, and tolex has been used to construct the amplifier housing. These materials combine to create a solid, roadworthy unit. 

If this amplifier is looked after properly, there’s no reason it can’t last you for many years. Supro’s design is built to last, and you can really feel the robustness of the enclosure, which protects the inner components. 

Having an open-back design helps the amplifier to ventilate, which could prevent the tubes from wearing out too quickly. 

Connectivity

The connectivity of the Supro Delta King 10 is also quite impressive, especially considering the size of the amp. It has the standard ¼-inch line input and output combination. 

The line output can be used to record the amplifier directly or to send it into a D.I, mixer, or another device. You can plug it into your audio interface to capture the crunchy sounds of the Delta King 10 without requiring a microphone. 

Supro has also installed an input for a footswitch, which is also a ¼-inch plug. By connecting a footswitch of your choice, you can control the boost and drive modes, two standout features of the amplifier. 

Overall, this amplifier provides all the connectivity options you could need without overcomplicating things or overcrowding the amp’s surface area. 

Components 

An amplifier is only as good as the individual components that it consists of. To get an accurate idea of how good this Supro amp really is, we need to analyze its key components. 

Firstly, the speaker that is installed on this amp is a 10-inch DK10. Made by Supro, the speaker is impressively clear-sounding, with a particularly prominent upper midrange that is ideal for creating dirty blues tones. 

This speaker isn’t the loudest you’ll find every encounter, but it can handle a lot of saturation, considering that it is the sole speaker and is 10 inches in diameter. It delivers a smooth-sounding clean tone with plenty of room for effects. 

Then there’s the preamp section of the ampl9ifier, which is also highly impactful when it comes to shaping the tone and dynamics. 

Supro has opted for the classic choice of a 12AX7 preamp tube, used in many of the most iconic vintage valve amps in history. This tube is renowned for its inviting breakups and tight bass sound. 

In the power section, we find a 6V6 tube. This is the component that gives the Delta King 10 its unique tone, delivering increased mids, plenty of natural-sounding compression, and a slightly reduced bass output. 

The 6V6 can easily be pushed into overdrive by increasing the master volume control of the amplifier. It is responsible for much of the gritty crunch, which is the amp’s strongest sonic attribute. 

Verdict

I’ve heard a lot of good things about Supro amplifiers, and after experiencing this Delta King 10, I’m sold on the manufacturer’s quality. 

Firstly, because this amplifier is relatively compact, don’t expect it to blast out at ultra-high volumes. It packs enough power to fill a small to medium-sized venues and is ideal for recording. 

If I were to single out one quality or aspect of the Delta King 10 that is most impressive, it would have to be its overdriven tone. 

Even without touching the boost or drive switches, you can push the tubes of this amplifier into warm saturation by upping the master volume control. The responsiveness of this control is very impressive. 

If you’re a blues guitarist, or you simply love the authentic sound of tube overdrive, the 6V6 power tube will satisfy your need for saturation. Think fuzzy early 70’s style riffs and wailing high notes. 

The clean tone of the Supro Delta King 10 also deserves some recognition. This amp delivers the smoothness required for bluesy rhythm guitar and silky clean melodies. 

Moving on, the two onboard switches take the capabilities of this 5-watt combo amplifier to another level. The boost switch instantly beefs up the midrange frequencies so that you can make your guitar more prominent in the mix. 

Then there’s the high-gain mode, designed by Pigtronix. This fat-sounding setting shreds your signal and makes it sound like the amplifier speaker is on the verge of combustion!

You can tell that Supro has designed this amplifier to blur the lines between live and studio use. It records exceptionally well, whether you stick a mic in front of the 10-inch speaker or plug it directly into your interface. 

Overall, the Supro Delta King 10 is one of the most powerful and best-sounding low-wattage combo amplifiers I’ve experienced in my many years of playing guitar.