Broughton Audio Valve Champ

The Broughton Audio Valve Champ is a tube boost and tone enhancer built on the classic Valvecaster design, a circuit that runs a 12AU7 vacuum tube to produce a large volume boost with only a bit of tube overdrive. Broughton Audio expanded on that base with a tilt EQ tone control and an additional JFET boost on the output, and the pedal uses a JJ 12AU7 tube for what the maker calls authentic tube boost and character¹.

The Valvecaster circuit and what Broughton changed

The Valvecaster is a tube overdrive design powered by a 12AU7 vacuum tube. As Saturnworks describes it, "Powered by an 12au7 vacuum tube, the Valvecaster produces a huge volume boost, but adds only a bit of tube overdrive"². That character, a clean-to-nearly-clean level lift with a touch of tube saturation, is what makes the design a natural fit for a boost pedal, and it is the foundation the Valve Champ is built on¹².

Broughton Audio's version goes beyond the original circuit in two ways:

• Tilt EQ tone control, centered at 300 Hz, which shifts the balance of the tone toward bass or treble rather than cutting a fixed band
• An additional JFET boost on the output, adding a second gain stage after the tube section¹

For a player, the combination means the pedal works as more than a straight level lift: the tilt EQ lets it shape tone while boosting, and the JFET output stage adds headroom and push on top of the tube¹.

Power, bypass and size

The Valve Champ requires a DC power supply, which is not included with the pedal. It accepts 9 to 12 volts through a standard Boss style connector with center negative polarity, and it draws 150 mA. That current draw is high for a single pedal, so it rules out most daisy-chain supplies and low-output adapters; a supply rated for at least 150 mA is needed. The enclosure measures 4.77" long by 2.6" wide, and the pedal has a true bypass switch¹.

The Bug Drive connection

Before it was sold as the Valve Champ, the same pedal was released as the Bug Drive during a PCDH19 charity auction. Broughton Audio notes the connection on the product page, adding that the Valve Champ employs a JJ 12AU7 tube for authentic tube boost and character¹.

Warranty and returns

Broughton Audio covers its products for one year to the original owner, and warranty repairs are arranged by emailing sales@broughtonaudio.com. For returns, the buyer emails the same address within 7 days of receiving the product, pays return shipping, and receives a refund minus shipping once the pedal is received in new condition¹.

Questions