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A fabulous combo!

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• Review

The current flagship of Rivera's popular two-channel line is the recently-introduced Class A Venus 6, which has now been joined by a single-channel version, the Venus 3, that's threatening to become one of the best recording amps money can buy.

Can this little combo live up to the hype though? Let's take a closer look…

Overview

Like all Riveras, the Venus 3 is built to a higher standard than many of its competitors, with a tough ply cabinet, a removable speaker grill and a rear panel that's bolted into place – there are no flimsy woodscrews here.

Look closely at the Venus's trademark pearlescent cream vinyl covering and you'll notice there are no cuts to be seen anywhere, even on the radiused inside corners of the speaker grill – that's not easy to do and few companies match this standard.

The gold piping, split straw grill and old-style control knobs all work to accentuate that popular retro-modern vibe.

The front panel is straightforward enough, with controls for gain, volume, and a three-band EQ. There are also level controls for presence and the Venus's built-in spring reverb.

No Rivera would be complete without at least one pull switch, and the V3 has two: the first is a pull boost on the gain control; the second is a pull notch on the mid-range, which works to approximate the two classic American EQs – tweed (more 1950s in influence) and blackface ('60s).

Move around to the rear and you'll find a simple series effects loop (meaning no level control), a fixed line out and a Vintage/ Modern switch that rewires the output valves in triode mode, dropping the power to around seven watts and enhancing even harmonics – perfect for home use or recording.

Inside the sturdy steel chassis – even though it's smaller and simpler – everything is still unmistakeably Rivera, with most of the electronics on a top-quality aerospace grade PCB, securely held in place by metal standoffs.

Overall, the V3 retains Rivera's typical pro power tool vibe, while that classy vinyl finish looks equally at home in a living room as it does in a recording studio.

Sounds

It's pretty obvious that this amp doesn't have the immediate flexibility of the footswitching dual-channel Venus 6, but after a few minutes experimenting with the tone controls it's also obvious that in a studio, where you don't need to access sounds instantly, the V3 is easily capable of providing the same instantly gratifying Class A vibe.

There's some of the natural squeezing of bandwidth that you get when using a smaller driver – less bass tends to accent the mid-range frequencies, which can make 1 x 10s sound a little nasal and boxy – but Rivera counters this with a very flexible EQ and a nicely-voiced custom Eminence loudspeaker, making it quick and easy to get some great rhythm and lead tones for a simple 16-track commercial mix.

The range and quality of distortion is what most people will buy this amp for – it's easy to pile a lot of gain into a preamp, but very difficult to take that and make it stable and dynamically responsive. Very few amp designers do this trick as well as Paul Rivera.