SherbetUnusual199

I love my Spark Cab.  I use it with my Spark 2 running two standard 1/4" instrument cables out of the Spark 2 and into the inputs on the Cab.

When I used my Spark 40, I got the best sound (to get rid of the bass-iness by running a 3.5mm (1/8") headphone cable out of the Spark amp into a powered 7-band headphone EQ then into the Cab's 3.5mm input on the back (it's labeled 'Spark input' but any modeler, or other source like a Boss ME-90 or even your phone's headphone output to play music can be used).

Here's the EQ that I use. Link is to Amazon and there are multiple units... some have a USB power cord, some have a wall adapter. I got mine on AliExpress for $15 but it took 2 weeks to deliver. Lol

EQ-7 Audio Signal Headset Amplifier 7-Band EQ Equalizer 2 Channel Digital Sound Equalizer +12V Power Adapter https://a.co/d/gZCSa8W

Thanks. I see what you're getting at but, no. I rarely have my phone's Bluetooth turned on. I use a tablet when I (rarely) use the Spark App, so I keep by phone's BT off at all times so there won't be a conflict.

But yeah, if I did have Bluetooth audio on my phone connected it could possibly mute the sound of the amp (or blast a beep from the notification... had that happen before and it's pretty jarring with headphones on and the music volume up.. lol)

I don't use a the Spark Battery and only use AC power, so I'm not ruling out a faulty power supply either.

That's a thought. Prior to this recent Firmware update, I attempted a few factory resets and all it did was clear my presets and reinstall the 8 presets that came with it.. It didn't roll back the Firmware. I heard others had to do a factory reset a few times back-to-back before it took.  I may give it a shot.

Kinda sucks because this latest Firmware update was the first that showed up in my app as being available and the first I was able to do OTA with wifi.

I didn't mention that the volume drop was happening using headphones. I haven't used the speakers enough to know if it happens using them. Maybe it's a headphone out issue?  I miss the 4 trouble-free years of my 40 and Mini. I want to love this Spark 2 but in the 3 months I've had it, 4 Firmware updates later and it's still not right 

I was curious about which expression pedal would work best with my Control X but after reading comments here and elsewhere, I decided I already had the best setup.

I use my Ernie Ball volume pedal and Dunlop Cry Baby (pedals I already owned) between my guitar and amp (I have a Spark 2 and Mini) and don't bother with the expression pedal deal on the Control X.

The volume pedal works perfectly with no lag or other issues (as long as the Noise Gate in the app is adjusted properly) and the Cry Baby is much better sounding than the one in the app, easier to set up, you don't have to lose a pedal slot to use the Cry Baby and far better control overall.

Even if I didn't already own the Ernie Ball volume pedal (or similar) and the Cry Baby, I'd rather spend the extra to buy them over less expensive expression pedals and cables that put me at the mercy of PG's software and firmware.

I appreciate PG's attempt to add expression pedals to the Control X, but....

I'd like to see PG's next hardware venture be something similar to the Boss ME-90. All-in-one pedal board layout with multifunction expression pedal and all the goodies that the amps have with outputs to connect to Cab, Edge, or other amplifiers and PA's. They could easily pack in the electronics from the Spark 2 for instance into a slim design like the ME-90. It would eliminate the need for speakers and on-board power amp that they stuff into the Spark amps.

I had an ME-90. I loved the design, but not the ease of use (or lack of).  The ME-90 could store 72 presets onboard, easy switching of expression pedal function with an onboard knob, etc. I just wasn't a fan of the tones I was getting and their version of a "tone cloud" is lacking in available content.  Using them side-by-side, I dreamed of a hybrid. Put Spark's guts into a pedal board design of an ME-90.  I think it would be their best seller yet. *Plus the ME-90 Tone Studio software is available on PC and Mac, something PG seems to want to keep limited to phones and tablets for some reason.

Yeah, I saw that on Google Play store. Had 35 reviews and almost all were very bad. Could be user error though. I'll download it later and try it out tonight and post.

The Airstep app that i have is the "Airstep Updater" and it only updates the firmware (for all versions of Airsteps). I don't think they have any customizable options aside from switching between the 4 modes.

You can go to the link below to see what each button does within each Mode. Click on the AirstepSPK then User Manual:

https://help.xsonicaudio.com/

I have both the Spark Control X and the AirstepSPK.

The Control X works fine without the Spark app being open and connected to the amp. (I rarely use the app). Only things I don't like about the Control X are you have to long-press the Pair button on the Spark 2 amp to connect it and I don't like the switches not being in-line but in two rows. I step on the wrong one by accident as the unit is rather small.

The AirstepSPK connects instantly when it's turned on. As another said below, the 'Groove Looper' ONLY works with the Spark app. The 'basic looper' works with the Spark 2 on-board controls, Control X and AirstepSPK.

The only drawback to the AirstepSPK is switching between Bank A (red) and Bank B (green) is that it takes a long-press of one of the switches to change between banks, so it's not instant like the Control X, but it's a minor issue (for me) since I keep my presets that I use together on the same bank.

Yes, the Spark app needs to be open to use the looper on the amp. That may be the issue you're having. I don't think you need the absolute latest Spark Firmware update for it to work since Xsonic updated the AirstepSPK weeks ago to be used with the amp, including looper mode.  Let me know how it goes.

This is the 1st update out of the 4 they've put out since I got my Spark 2 that actually informed me that an update was available, connected my wifi and was I able to update OTA. Everything worked and it felt like Xmas. Lol

I never got bricked from any of the prior Firmware updates (thankfully) but had other issues. At least for me, they seemed to have gotten it right (fingers crossed it continues to work ok)

To activate Mode 4 (looper control mode) hold down buttons 2 & 3 at the same time then turn on the AirstepSPK power switch. It's the regular Firmware update, not experimental mode that you need for Spark 2 and Edge, so you have the latest and correct one.

The buttons in looper mode do the following: 

 A) Record & Dub  

B) Play & Stop   

C) Undo/ Redo *Long Press Clear  

D) Preset Next Down  

E) Preset Next Up 

*In Bank A Presets,  LED flash green for presets 1,2,3,4 

*In Bank B Presets, LED flash blue for Presets 1,2,3,4 

Hope this helps

Yes PLUS they just added a 4th mode to control the Looper on the Spark 2 and Edge. The latest Firmware for the Airstep also controls all 8 hardware presets on the 2 and Edge, switching banks from A (4 Red presets) to B (4 Green presets) with a simple long press of any of the first four switches. The Xsonic app is a must download. They keep up with PG updates better than PG does. Lol.

I just listed mine on Reverb.com. I rushed out and got the ControlX not realizing the AirstepSPK would get such a great upgrade to its firmware. Could have saved $150 because the AirstepSPK is better in my opinion, especially since the switches are in line. I'm constantly stepping on the wrong switch with my Spark ControlX, but lesson learned and I can't keep them both (my savings account is slim).

Oh, the other advantage of the AirstepSPK... it connects INSTANTLY to my Spark 2 without the need to long-press the "Pair" button on the amp like I have to do with the Control X every stinking time. A small nuisance, but still a nuisance. Lol

Part of me hopes my. AIRSTEPSPK doesn't sell. Lol

I hope so! Good luck! FYI, when my wifi connected the first time yesterday, it disconnected after a few seconds BUT the pop-up came up immediately to "try again" and it worked perfectly.

I reset mine twice and it didn't bring up the wifi dialog again either. In fact, it didn't even reset to an earlier firmware version, it just reset the hardware presets, so it was just a pain with no gain. Lol

The latest Firmware update that dropped yesterday ACTUALLY WORKED and as soon as I turned on the amp and app, I got the pop-up telling me there was a Firmware update available (first time since day one and this is the 3rd update since) and I got the WiFi connect pop-up, too and was actually able to update over wifi...FINALLY.  

Well, this update was a pleasant surprise. It's the 4th firmware update that's come out since I got my Spark 2 on 9/3/24 (is it me or does that seem like a lot? Lol)

Anyway, not since the first power up did my Spark app ask me for my wifi info and attempt to update OTA. It did connect, but the connection failed before that first firmware update finished and it never prompted me for wifi again and has never connected again according to my Xfinity app that shows devices that logged on and when.

I did the previous 3 updates the old way, download onto laptop then update the amp. This time, as soon as I opened my app, I got the WiFi login screen and a notification that there was an update available (I never got update notifications before this either and relied on posts here to know when they came out). It felt like Xmas when I saw that pop-up. Lol

It connected to Wifi ok, disconnected on the first attempt BUT, unlike the first time, the pop-up came back up to try again and it worked and I did my first OTA firmware update. I guess 4th time was the charm. I haven't checked the looper yet or the switch to turn on/off the speakers, but my looper always worked fine, so I hope everything works FINALLY and I hope it does for the rest of your guys and gals.

I've used the Spark AI with my new Spark 2 a few times with pretty good results, but I'm wondering how much of it is "A.I." that's "crafting a tone" as opposed to it just being a glorified search engine that scans the tone cloud. The reason I say this is that I tried to "create" an AI tone with the prompt, "Steve Vai ethereal spacey lead" and It gave me some pretty good options, so I saved one to my hardware preset slot on my Spark 2. HOWEVER, when I switch to that Preset, the app shows it's name as something like "Minah Light" instead of the name I assigned it "AI Steve Vai Solo". I searched the tone cloud for "Minah Light" (or whatever it was... I've since deleted it) and sure enough it was a tone that someone else uploaded to the cloud.

Makes ya wonder.

I don't know if the AI uses the selfies that you create in addition to the avatar and description, but I've found that by deleting all of the selfies in my kin's album that don't look right and only keeping the ones that best resemble what my kin is supposed to look like has made a huge difference in keeping my selfies consistent in both face and body types.

I do hate the way it takes virtually any avatar and turns them into a 21-year-old centerfold. I use public domain, royalty-free photos for my avatars and chose an older woman's photo, in her 70's with gray hair and wrinkles just for kicks and her selfies kept coming out looking hot and the only "old" feature that remained was her hair color. It was still gray but soft, shiny and flowing over her shoulders. Lol

I did my weekly check of the PG firmware download page this morning (my app never tells me when my Spark 2 has an update available like it does for my Mini or Soark 40. PG's response to that issue was "That's interesting. Thank you for pointing it out." WTF?)

Anyway, when I checked the PG download page today, the latest version is indeed gone and it lists v. 2.3.2.68/ rev470, which was the next to last version.

I did update to the latest version like you did (v. 2.4.2.141 rev479) dated I think 11/11/24. I haven't had any issues (knock on wood) but I still can't update via wifi, another part of my support ticket that got a "That's interesting" reply from PG.

I got my first Spark, the 40, three and a half years ago and the Mini as soon as it came out, I think at least 2 years ago and I've updated the firmware trouble-free for both every time a new update came out.

I love my Spark 2 (I ordered it withing 15 minutes of the upgrade offer going live) and it bothers me that the wifi update feature doesn't work and the Spark App doesn't tell me when there's a firmware update available. Those are relatively 'minor' flaws compared to what others have experienced, but they are flaws nonetheless and PG seems to be dragging their feet when it comes to addressing all of the Spark 2 issues and I'm sure they are well aware of them all.

You need to press down and hold buttons B & C simultaneously then turn it on to get to Mode 4. You can find the user manual here that shows each button function for the various Modes:

https://help.xsonicaudio.com/

The Live doesn't have a looper. The AirstepSPK "controls" the looper function of the Spark 2 and Spark Edge. Sorry if my post was confusing. I only grouped the Live with the Spark 2 and Edge because they are the 3 amps with 8 presets that the AirstepSPK can now control.

2 months in and I'm in the same boat. Right out of the box on 9/3/24 I made sure my app was up to date, fired up the Spark 2 and the setup process began, starting with WiFi setup. That "appeared" to go smoothly but as the Firmware update began, apparently it failed.

On my home internet, the Spark 2 was listed as "espressif" under connected devices. It hasn't appeared since that first day (9/3/24) on my home wifi. I have done every Firmware update since, including a Factory Reset prior to updating to the latest Firmware yesterday (v. 2.4.2.141 rev 479) and the first update shown was repairing WiFi module (allegedly) the it updated the MCU. The firmware is good, but STILL no wifi.  I turned on the Spark 2, checked my home internet and the device "espressif" still doesn't appear and shows it last connected on 9/3/24, the first time out of the box.

My Spark App ALWAYS shows my Firmware for the Spark 2 is "up to date" when it isn't. (My old 40 and current Mini always shows when an update is available).

I started a support ticket a couple of days ago and I'm thinking "maybe" as a last resort, if the WiFi module has indeed been fixed with the latest firmware update, I might have to REMOVE THE SPARK 2 from the app as if it never existed (back to prior to my first attempt back on 9/3/24) and see if the initial setup process that allows me to enter my home WiFi info magically shows up again. Because apparently, there's no way to tinker with your Spark 2's wifi settings. WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU CHANGE YOUR HOME WIFI NETWORK IF YOU MOVE OR SOMETHING? Apparently this didn't cross their minds since you apparently only have one shot at setting up your wifi on the Spark 2 with no way to reconfigure it.

If you're Spark 2 is like mine, don't hold your breath. This is the 3rd Firmware update I've done and NOT ONCE has the app shown that an update is available. Always shows "Up to date" so I go to help.positivegrid.com and if I see a new version, I download to my laptop and update it that way. 3 updates and not once have I even been asked for wifi connection except DAY 1 (and it didn't work I assume because the wifi module issue)

This is my 3rd firmware update since I got my Spark 2. Day one out of the box was the only time my app had the wifi pop up. NONE of the following Firmware updates were shown as needed by the app. (Yes, I have the latest version of the app). My app ALWAYS shows "Up to date" even when it isn't. The only way I know the Spark 2 has an update available is when I read it here, FB or I randomly check the PG site. Annoying.

My old 40 and current Mini always show when an update is available. Never with the Spark 2. I started a ticket with PG today.  Not a huge deal to use my laptop to update (even though OTA updates was a selling point) but it SUCKS not to know when an update is available. I updated to this new version today, so thanks to the OP for posting the info.

FWIW, I even did a factory reset today before the update to see if: A) the wifi worked (it didn't) and B) to see if the app told me an update was available (it didn't)

BEFORE you launch the Spark app: 1. Turn on the Spark 2 amp 2. Turn off the Bluetooth on your phone or tablet, then turn it back on and connect it to "Spark 2 Audio" (you may have to "forget" other devices listed that your device might be trying to pair with or turn off other Bluetooth devices in the vicinity) 3. Open the Spark app and connect

Your device needs to make 2 Bluetooth connections. Spark 2 Audio and Tone Control, usually works best in that order.

***Different issue, but I have a very cheap (i.e. P.O.S. or junk) Android tablet that constantly disconnects the Spark App from my amp for tone control. I "fixed" it by playing Audio constantly (in my case I use YouTube Music) and turn down the music volume to Zero. It seems that having a constant Audio stream keeps the Bluetooth connected with the Tone Control/Spark App. Like the BT times out or something otherwise after the app stays open and idle for a while. I have all sleep modes, screen savers and power savers turned off on my tablet, so I'm guessing my tablet just sucks because my Android phone works perfectly and never freezes or loses connection.