Guitar amps · owner-verdict comparison

Orange Crush 35RT vs Positive Grid Spark 2: what real owners say

Real owners lean toward the Positive Grid Spark 2: 53% of 85 owners recommend it, vs 42% of 12 for the Orange Crush 35RT.

Verdicts aggregated from Reddit, enthusiast forums, and YouTube owner comments — affiliate reviews excluded. Sample sizes differ; judge accordingly. How we score

Orange Crush 35RT

42%of 12 owners recommend
42% recommend · 25% neutral · 33% don't
Owners praise
  • Rich, valve-like tone
  • Excellent clean channel
  • Great value for the money
Owners complain about
  • Gain channel divisive, fizzy or dark
  • Too loud for bedroom practice
  • Stock speaker limits the tone
Full owner report →

Positive Grid Spark 2

53%of 85 owners recommend
53% recommend · 18% neutral · 29% don't
Owners praise
  • Massive library of amp models and effects with near-endless tone options
  • Companion app and AI tone creation make dialing in sounds easy
  • Great for practice and jamming, including play-along backing tracks
Owners complain about
  • Buggy app and firmware, including the AI sometimes failing to load
  • Quality and hardware issues for some, like volume dropping out or dead units
  • Stock tones run bass-heavy and need EQ tweaking to clean up
Full owner report →

Which should you buy?

Get the Orange Crush 35RT if
  • ✓Home players wanting big, valve-like tone
  • ✓Small-gig and practice guitarists on a budget
  • ✓Players who run pedals through an FX loop
Skip it if
  • Players needing quiet, low-volume bedroom use
  • Metal and high-gain players wanting tight distortion
Get the Positive Grid Spark 2 if
  • ✓Home practice players wanting endless app-driven tones
  • ✓Beginners learning with backing tracks and a looper
  • ✓Buyers who want a Bluetooth speaker and battery power too
  • ✓Tinkerers who enjoy dialing in custom tones
Skip it if
  • Loud band or gig use, where it can sound boxy
  • Players who dislike depending on the phone app

What Orange Crush 35RT owners say

“Who ever put a tuner inside an amp is a genius”
— @jacobseraphin685 on YouTube
“It's tones are very good. It's not as versatile as other amp in its price range (built in fx etc) but it's focused on quality sound is the best.”
— @toro514 on YouTube
“The Orange is kind of a one trick pony. It’s a good trick, but still. The distortion tones are dark and sludgy. I had one for a hot minute but quickly got tired of it.”
— fatherbowie on Reddit

What Positive Grid Spark 2 owners say

“The Spark wins all around. Sonically, functionally, the form, the support... the whole ecosystem just works.”
— @ArmandoVegaTV on YouTube
“One can not describe the enormous sound of the Spark without being in the room with it, very amazing, I have let a lot players hear mine and they are genuinely impressed once they hear it in person.”
— @RandyRocker56 on YouTube
“the Spark 2 which had many issues that were eventually fixed through firmware updates... it clearly wasn't ready for prime time when it first rolled out their doors”
— SherbetUnusual199 on Reddit

Orange Crush 35RT vs Positive Grid Spark 2: frequently asked questions

Is the Orange Crush 35RT or the Positive Grid Spark 2 better?

Real owners lean toward the Positive Grid Spark 2: 53% of 85 owners recommend it, vs 42% of 12 for the Orange Crush 35RT.

Who should get the Orange Crush 35RT?

Owners point the Orange Crush 35RT at home players wanting big, valve-like tone, and small-gig and practice guitarists on a budget.

Who should get the Positive Grid Spark 2?

Owners point the Positive Grid Spark 2 at home practice players wanting endless app-driven tones, and beginners learning with backing tracks and a looper.

What do owners complain about?

The most-cited downside of the Orange Crush 35RT is gain channel divisive, fizzy or dark. For the Positive Grid Spark 2, it's buggy app and firmware, including the AI sometimes failing to load.