I'm looking for a small tube/valve amplifier to use at home for lower volume practice. Would be good if it had an FX loop and a headphone output too as a minimum so I can hook up my effects and use later at night without disturbing neighbours. Also, an attenuator to dampen the volume when needed would be good too!

Not intending to gig with it, so doesn't need to be something too adaptable either, but if it does have a speaker output to hook up to a larger speaker cab, then that wouldn't do any harm.

The kind of stuff I play is pretty versatile, but is more the indie rock, classic rock, bluesy rock type of stuff, so not really into high gain/metal type of stuff and looking for more of a clean pedal platform or lower to mid gain overdrive type of amp.

Anyone got any recommendations that would fit this kind of scenario?

 

Last edited: Aug 25, 2023

Even a 1 Watt all tube is LOUD.
Lucky !
Most modern small tube amps have power attenuator down to 0.1 Watt.
That's another needed feature.

Amp head ?

This one is the PERFECT candidate (that's why it is the most popular) :
Bugera G5 Infinium
https://www.thomann.de/fr/bugera_g5_infinium.htm

FX loop (with level)
Attenuator to 0.1 Watt
Headphone out
2 channels

I would go for it : perfect feature set.

Combo ?
Most in this price range don't have FX loop.

You need a speaker with the head, adding price (until you already have one).
You can find cheap cabs second hand.
And even buy any cheap second hand combo ... as speaker only

Be careful with small Marshall amps : they have a LINE OUT only.
So you need an additional headphone amp ...

Here is a test (it covers all, from high gain to clean, with drive in middle) :

 

This is actually one of the ones I'd been looking at, but then when adding in a speaker cab etc it becomes bulky and costlier than other combo versions from Marshall, Blackstar, Vox, Orange, and so on.

I do actually have a Boss Katana Head 100W Mk1 at present that has all the features and the attenuator, just that it is solid state so doesn't have that tubey goodness as well as being excessive for my need nowadays, being a 100W head.

I had acrually been looking at the Marshall DSL5CR, as it has a 10" speaker with most cheaper ones having 8", and also seems to tick all the boxes (and does headphones out over the emulated speaker output without needing a headphone amp) and has a low output attenuator, but not sure if anything out there.

 

I've been using a VHT special 6 ultra for quite a while now (combo version). Fx loop, line out, speakers outs, easy to mod if you want to.

Maybe a bit outdated, idk what's out there nowadays but might be worth checking out.

 

Looks good. Does the Line Out have any cab emulation and work with headphones without needing a headphone amp?

 

Nope, the line out of this amp is a copy of the Fx send, nothing more.

 

I've got a Vox AC4TV which tops out a 4 watts and gets down to 1/4 Watt. I'm happy with it and it does everything that I need on a low power bedroom dB all tube box of fun. Rock on.

:

 

Marshall DSL5CR line out is "speaker emulated" (filtered, not IR).
And it NEEDS an headphone amp, as i said.

There is NO affordable new combo all tube with all features.
Only Bugera combos provide a real headphone out... and no FX loop ...

That's why i directed you over the cheaper head "ALL features" you can find.
There is nothing else in this price range.

The first meeting your needs is Blackstar HT-5R MkII at 600 bucks.

Last combo option :
Marshall DSL1CR and a CHEAP headphone amp on battery.

You get 0.1 watt, FX loop, Line out + headphone amp

This one is rechargeable and 30 bucks :
https://www.amazon.com/Headphone-Amplifier-Portable-Lithium-Computers/dp/B085RW5HPG?th=1

PS : no headphone emulated output on VHT special 6 ultra
Vox AC4TV same, no FX loop too

PPS : that's why i sold my last "all tube" amp head + cab (blackstar HT5 + 1x12) and play only on good profilers now (GE200/Ge Labs/THU rig player...is enough for me). You can't get all tube with all features AND price AND space AND low watts AND fx loop AND IR loader ...
"All tube" is a pain i left behind me years ago

 

I've just stumbled across this one, which seems affordable and ticks almost all of the boxes, but struggling to find some detail on one or two things.

Vox Cambridge 50

It is a pretty well reviewed amp with the NuTube tech cited as raising this above all other modelling amps and giving that authenticity, whilst giving you a power dial to dial back the wattage. It also has a headphone output that has an emulated cab that can work as a DI line out too. The amps it seems so model are the:

• Fender '65 Reverb Deluxe Clean Channel
• Dumble Clean Channel
• Dumble Overdrive Channel
• Vox AC30
• Vox AC30 Top Boost
• Marshall 1959 Plexi
• Marshall JCM 800
• Marshall Vintage Modern
• Soldano SLO-100 Overdrive Channel
• Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier

The only thing that both intrigues me and I can't find any detail on is the "Line" input. I've read in most areas that it bypasses everything except the EQ and the power stage, which is intriguing as I have a Hotone Ampero amp modeller and effects floorboard, so I'm wondering if I can use the amp modeller into the input of the amp on the Line setting and use the Ampero as the preamp and the effects and then run through the amp's power stage (with the attenuator), which sounds like a pretty much perfect (but slightly compromised) solution for me, while also having options about not using the Ampero and still having decent amp sounds.

 

have a look on this
https://www.joyoaudio.com/product/28/

add a cabinet of your choice on it, small or big, or any HP.

a 12AX7 valve can be driven with 30V in case you build the preamp.

 

What i can gather from the manual is that it's still a preamp section but it's not modelling a particular guitar amp (you still get the saturation of the nutube thing it just sounds cleaner) so it's not a complete bypass.

 

The magic of an "all tube" amp is in the POWER AMP section compression/soft clipping.
ANYTHING with ONLY tubes in preamp is NOT enough.

The opposite works (almost) right : solid state preamp into tube power amp ... but you will need a load box with cab sim to use headphones.

I know it (the hard way) for having tested all those "solutions" ... witch are not.
30 years of experience

You really want something behaving like an "all tube" without being cumbersome ?
Use a profiler (Mooer GE200+, Kemper, QC, ToneX ...)
Every other alternative will just leave you "meeh ..." about the "feel" side.