Peavey MAX 208 2x8" 200-watt Bass Combo Amp Reviews

For the price point this thing is an animal. More than loud and clear enough of a sound to gig with, and in a small enough package that it's a breeze to throw it it in the car and take it somewhere to jam. 10/10 would recommend to anyone that doesn't want a big hefty cabinet and doesn't care to spend a bunch of money!

I never thought that much sound could come out of two eight inch speakers! All's I can say is WOW! Way more than I expected! Awesome amp! I got this for my studio thinking I didn't want a 15" speaker cab., so I didn't disturb my neighbor. Beware, big things do come in small packages. hehe Don't worry, it can still be done at a lower volume without disturbing neighbor. :) Awesome amp. though. Great for studio or for the big gig. Don't let the size fool you. It will do the job! D.

For the Price this Amp have a very nice punch and my favorite part is that it is very quite when the DI is connected. Is reasonably lite weight too.

I'm a new bass player that wanted a light weight but powerful and versatile amplifier for my Hofner violin bass I planned to play in variety of settings. The Peavey Max 208 has turned out to be a great fit for my needs. Whether using it as a practice amp at home, in a large church setting plugged into its Bose PA system, or used stand alone in smaller settings, the Max 208 produces enough power and tone shaping options to handle a variety of uses. I'm giving it 5 stars for its overall look, quality, performance, versatility, portability, and affordable price point.

I primarily play guitar, and was looking for something small but versatile for recording bass lines for my music. This amp definitely delivers. I've had loads of fun just diacovering all the tones this thing provides. This amp has me picking up my bass more than I ever have before. If you're looking for versatility and something that delivers a punch in a portable package, this amp is for you!

This is one heck of a portable amp! Features that are generally found only on the larger amps. What is most impressive... after the size, look and features is the sound. This amp puts out! Highly recommend it if you are looking for something that is this size.

Sweetwater, you've done it again! This Bass amp was just what I needed. I have limited space available and this bass amp was a perfect fit. I've always been a big fan of Peavey and what they do, and this amp is built very well. The 200 watts is perfect for just practicing alone or a small jam session. Very happy I stuck with Peavey!

A Fantastic amp, in a beautifully engineered small package. It will fit anywhere because of the stacked speakers. It can genereate many types of tone and can get very loud when needed. I love the angled baffle that points the sound at your face instead of your ankles. simple controls make it easy to create whatever tone you want. great purchase, highly recommended

I was looking for something small enough and powerful enough for my upright bass.
This amp has a flexible EQ system and the tilt back speaker array that made it an easy choice.
This amp sounds better than the boutique amp set up I was using at 5x the price.
" Great for upright " should be in the marketing campaign!

The sound to weight ratio on this amp is impressive.

I bought it to replace/downsize an early 2000s Peavey TKO 115, and the 208 puts out more volume and weighs less than half as much as the 115!

Simple controls, and enough options for a variety of genres. You get mild overdrive, vintage or modern voicing (via contour), sub-octave harmonics (via kosmos-c), and plenty of eq options.

I'd recommend a cover (nearly any 12" loudspeaker cover will fit), because the finish is not as durable as previous models.

I'm using this for small venues (no drummer) and medium venues with full band and PA.

This amp is very impressive and LOUD for its size and price. It will drive a band without breaking up. It won't drive a room without P.A. Support, but will cover a club size stage well.
They say it's 200watts but really only 130
I wish it had the ability to add an extension cabinet and I've heard some complaints about it lightly built enough to rattle. Mine does not (yet)
Taking into consideration that it was $, I'm willing to overlook its shortcomings.
I think it's the best value available in its class.

Great sound created by Peavey, in all ranges. Good deep sound with rich high and perfect adjustable tones.
Light to carry to gigs and perfomences with enough power to fill the stage and halls.
Happy with the Amp and great service of Sweetwater.

Peavey is so close to a home-run and hitting this out of the ballpark but comes up slightly short with what is now a known design flaw in the cabinet. Before speaking of that...do know that overall the footprint, weight, power and sounds that come out of this amplifier are amazing considering it's smaller size. The problem (which I did not notice initially) was the development over time of an annoying vibration. To be fair, others may not notice this but I'm about as anal as they get when it comes to sound (especially a bass amp) and cannot stand the inability of an amp to hold it's own on low notes so immediately I perked up. The problem was only replicated on low notes (E string) and gave the impression of something loose within the cabinet creating a subtle vibration. I first checked the grill for looseness, then the speakers and then dug deeper to try and find the culprit. I inquired into warranty repair (locally) and looked into local certified Peavey repair locations near me but all involved significant travel. Plus (at the time) none would allow you into their facility to duplicate or even explain (Covid protocols) and went on to explain that the fix was "repair by replace". At that point I sent the amplifier back to Sweetwater and their team investigated. I told them about other reviewers complaining of the same issue and most specifically of one author (see reviews) who discovered the problem being a poorly designed batten board which the speakers are attached to. The problem can be remedied on your own but should anyone have to do that? And what if you aren't handy or confident or damage things further? If my warranty had passed then I absolutely would have performed the repair on my own because I truly do like this amplifier. My guess is that Peavey will ultimately fix this issue by modifying their design to include a simple brace between the batten board and the back of the cabinet. As of this writing...no remedy has occurred and so I am reluctantly moving on to another amplifier. BTW...does this happen on all of the Peavey Max cabinets? Not sure and I haven't read complaints pertaining to this but I'm looking for the smaller footprint of this size amp and don't really desire to go to a larger speaker cabinet size. As for Sweetwater...as usual their customer service was excellent and they have been very patient in helping me through this and are currently holding my purchase price as credit while I research another amplifier option. Not sure which direction I am headed but Trace Elliot also makes a 1x8 combo amplifier or a 2x8 cabinet and separate amp head option with similar power capabilities. Would I buy the Peaveymax208 again if problem were fully resolved...in a heartbeat! I suppose another option could also be buying a Peavey speaker cabinet and the Peaveymax amplifier separately and forgetting the combo option...but at this point in my life I'm looking for simplicity, ease of transport and set up and keeping things quick and simple.

Great little amp with a lot of punch for its size. Looking forward to using it for band practices with a little help for it by putting it through a sub. First new Peavey I have bought in 42 years!

On 5 string lacks definition on lower notes and just sounds muddy. Upper registers it does have good projection and tone just lacks bottom. I traded sound for portability and wish I had chosen a 1/12" or 15". I doubt I'll keep it.

I recently bought this amp after reading many reviews. I couldn't find one to actually plug into and try out, so I went on blind faith. Actually, it's a great little amp and has most any tone you would want, but this one has developed a loud annoying rattle. It's hardly been played at all since most of my playing lately has been practicing in a bedroom and playing Nursing Homes. I was playing ,this passed weekend for a group of 'Snowbirds' in Florida and had to borrow an amp for the gig. Sweetwater is a great company to do business with and I know they will make it good. I wonder if anyone else has had a problem with loud rattling noises. If I can get the Peavey repaired, I will probably keep it and be happy with it. It's perfect for what I need it for.

This overall is a good amp with good sound and good punch. However, this has a big design flaw that is easily corrected. I contacted Peavy on the Rattle issue many people have and they were no help. I started by removing the grill to confirm it wasn't the grill which many people think. I then played it and reproduced the rattle without the grill and noticed that it was due to a thin batten board used holding the speakers that was the rattle. They really should have used at least 3/4 ply for that, but a thinner, maybe 3/8" board is used which is not sufficient for two 8" bass speakers. I cut a brace 2"x2" out of oak and wood glued it between the back of the amp and the back of the batten as well as pocket screwed it to the back and that solved the problem. A customer should not have to do this. Peavey used to be good amps. Not sure what happened to their quality control and engineering.