# Good metal amp for bedroom practice



## kayhen

Hi guys can u recomend a good metal amp for bedroom practice?


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## Empryrean

blackstar ht-5
/thread


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## Mordacain

Empryrean said:


> blackstar ht-5
> /thread



As awesome as it is, the HT-5's best tones are definitely not bedroom level. 

I'm very much of the modeller camp for practice amps. To that end, the best one for metal (and I've tried them all) is the Roland Cube 40 or 80XL.


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## tvboy123

A microcube, heard good things from that from a lot of people playing metal in their bedrooms


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## Leuchty

Peavey Vypyr

Line 6 Spider

POD w/headphones


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## MistaSnowman

Blackstar HT-1R


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## jaketheripper

Don't bother with a line six spider if you want a 15 watt amp. Any bigger version is good, but the 15 watt sounds horrible. 15 watts usually don't sound great in my experience.

But my friend had a really small little Marshall, the thing was tiny, but it sounded great no matter how loud or quiet we had it. Im sorry that i can't remember the model, but it shouldn't be too hard to find. I see it everywhere.


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## ExhumedShadow

I'd say get a n ice amp sim, zoom 9.2tt or pod.
You just can't get d saturation you want at low volumes, if you really want a small amp, cube's are top budget combo's.


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## ibanezRG1527

ive gotten pretty brutal tones from my line 6 haha and the spider 4, _*15 WATT*_ seams to sound way better than all the other spider 4's. and if this is your choice, best tone is to put the master volume all the way up and the channel volume all the way down (then lower the volume with the master and raise it with the channel). dont know why but its less muddy when you do that


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## ibanezRG1527

oh, and theyre only ~$100 so thats not bad. id probably pay about $250 to $300 for one (if thats what line 6 was charging obviously)


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## fwd0120

Roland cube.

...Thank me later....


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## Cheesebuiscut

Randall v2 / t2.

I own a T2hh and because of the hybrid power amp it sounds its best at basically any volume and using the fx loops controls will get as quiet as you need it or as loud as you need it if the situation comes up.

Doesn't hurt that the amp sounds just as good (if not better) than a lot of competing all tube heads.


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## Ishan

I'd go with the new Blackstar HT-5R combo (my current favorite but it's a wee bit too loud for my taste) or a Cube 80XL (insane distortion at low volume, nice clean tone).


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## MaxOfMetal

Another vote for a Roland Cube here.


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## jymellis

im using an older peavey bandit 112.

i use the clean channel and the effects line for either multi pedals or a podxt.

quiet enough to play in a bedroom but will get loud enough to play over drums for band practice. can play small shows and sounds great micd 

mine is the older (mid 90s) model with the peavey scorpion 12' got it off craigslist for $75.00


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## Dvaienat

All amps can be turned down or attenuated, so I would get the best quality amp and cab you can afford.


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## rekab

Roland cube / micro cube


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## myampslouder

NatG said:


> All amps can be turned down or attenuated, so I would get the best quality amp and cab you can afford.



Not really the best idea. I run a 5150 with a Rivera K412 and and using it for low volume bedroom practice Just is not practical. It sounds muddy, overly compressed, and fizzy as hell at low volumes. Also by the time you by an attenuator you could have bought two or three practice amps or used pod's that will sound way better at that kind of volume or headphone use.

I would look at getting a Peavey Vypyr 15 or 30. I tried them out a few times and every time is impressed the hell out of me. Sounded amazing. it was tight as hell. pretty clear and just an all around great sounding amp with tons of features


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## ibanezRG1527

forgot the roland cube!!! i vote that one as well. kicks my line 6's ass


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## Strobe

I agree that the Roland Cube is probably your most cost efficient bet. 

That said, if you already have a computer and speaker setup, I use Guitar Rig (amp simulating software) for this function. It also makes for a very easy interface with digital audio workstations if you want to record at all - it functions as a VST plug-in (if you are not familiar with the terminology, just take away from that that it is easy to record with).


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## Korngod

I vote POD with headphones... but if you want an actual amp, Roland Cube/Micro Cube hands down.

btw. I personally think Line 6 spider tones sound like ass, but thats just me.


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## guitarister7321

I have a Marshall MG10KK. Personally, I think it's a great practice/bedroom amp for under $100.

Here's a song I recorded with it, guitar straight to amp, and then microphone to speaker. Gives you a good idea of what the Overdrive channel sounds like, pretty fucking metal if you ask me.


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## Hemi-Powered Drone

Try them all out, many of them you'll be able to find at Best Buy or something. I originally went there expecting to get a Cube 40XL but ended up trying the Peavy Vyper 15 and loved it.


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## floyo123

Try out a Pod with Headphones or any Plugin+Audio Interface on Computer, it´s very versatile!


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## Metamurphic

I would Vote for Pod or toneport, Versitle in every way and since your a beginner you've got access to heaps of great tones to download. On the hand it's not as convenient to take to other places. Depends on how you think you'll practice.


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## jackfiltraition

It really depends on what you want out of it and how much you are willing to spend but I'd say you already have the best answers provided for you. Line 6 pocket pod or spider and Roland micro cubes get my vote and are all fantastic for practice, the micro cube is probably the most "plug and play" of these products, great practice tone and really portable. I used the smallest model of the cube for years and was able to fit it in my back pack when traveling on planes or even just riding a bike to my friends house as it can be powered by (i think 6) aa batteries as well as the power adaptor included with it. thats my 2 cents. hope it helps!


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## StratoJazz

Probably any low wattage modeling amp by Line 6, Roland, or Peavy is good.

If you want to go tube, I recommend Superchamp XD, however, you'll need a pedal for your distortion.

Speaking from personal experience. Don't really know much about Blackstar, but check them out before you buy.


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## pstol

I'd recommend getting a pod x3 live or pod HD series and just running through some monitors. It will provide you with a plethora of sounds and options at reasonable prices


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## Alimination

Tiny Terror >_> pricey though... lol


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## Mexi

I'm using an old Peavey Envoy 110 (40 watt I think) for the past 7-8 years and while its probably bigger than "just a bedroom amp" it works quite well in a small band (basement/garage style setup) quite nicely.


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## Erick Kroenen

pod! i have my pod x3 live plugged into bose speakers and is fucking great!


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## SenorDingDong

ibanezRG1527 said:


> ive gotten pretty brutal tones from my line 6 haha and the spider 4, _*15 WATT*_ seams to sound way better than all the other spider 4's. and if this is your choice, best tone is to put the master volume all the way up and the channel volume all the way down (then lower the volume with the master and raise it with the channel). dont know why but its less muddy when you do that



This, I bought one, and it sounds amazing, far better than any in the series so far. It is the first one that has ever made me consider the switch to solid state.


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## odie

I would get a Vypyr or Roland cube. I have a 30 watt Vypyr and love it. The loop is great for practicing leads over.


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## jymellis

for me , if it doesnt have a 12 inch speaker it doesnt push the low end like i like. my decision on bedroom amp is based alot on speaker size. i dont care about onboard effects cuz i use zoom,digi,or pod for that.

a 6" 8" or 10" just doesnt push the low end like i like at low or high volumes.


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## GATA4

Another vote for the Roland Cube...any size. Those things are unbelievable.


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## GuitaristOfHell

Roland Cube, or Peavey VYPYR if you can stand it, I couldn't tolerate the gain being so fake sounding.


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## sunbasket

I'm actually looking to ditch a 50W tube combo I have and get a cube, or maybe... a Fender Frontman?

A good buddy of mine has a, hm, Peavey Transtube (?) and that one is pretty sweet. Don't know the model number. You get Clean as well as Vintage / Modern distortion modes.


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## Moonfridge

+1 vote for the Roland Micro Cube, great practice amp


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## sunbasket

Seems like we have cubes monopolizing the market here... the 15W model? 5W street?


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## elrrek

Lots of people saying Roland Cube and I'm going to add to that pile. I've got a Cube 20X and when my favourite store gets them in I will be buying a 40XL. I have a friend with a 30X as well and he says it's great too.

If they don't have Cubes near you I'D try out the Peavey Vypyrs as well, the ones I have tried (briefly) out shine the Line 6 Spiders I've heard.

Nice to see people mentioning Blackstar small wattage tube amps, the ones I've tried did indeed sound very cool, but for metal? :/ imho they are not going to have enough gain or the versatility of the Cube.


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## sunbasket

Ahh!!

I was just browsing eBay and came across a really great little find here and had to throw it in the thread. Look up the VHT Special 6. They look to be designed very well, and sound pretty good from clips (but who knows about clips). I'm sure it would stomp a Cube!


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## Mordacain

elrrek said:


> Lots of people saying Roland Cube and I'm going to add to that pile. I've got a Cube 20X and when my favourite store gets them in I will be buying a 40XL. I have a friend with a 30X as well and he says it's great too.
> 
> If they don't have Cubes near you I'D try out the Peavey Vypyrs as well, the ones I have tried (briefly) out shine the Line 6 Spiders I've heard.
> 
> Nice to see people mentioning Blackstar small wattage tube amps, the ones I've tried did indeed sound very cool, but for metal? :/ imho they are not going to have enough gain or the versatility of the Cube.


 
The Blackstars certainly don' havet the versatility, but they have a completely different character than anything in the Cube as far as the heavy goes. The HT5 is pretty much unmatched in the rest of the HT line for heavy tones. The EQ gives massive tonal control versus any other amp I've ever tried (things you would need a separate EQ for on other amps).

Like I've said many times previously, I adore the HT5, awesome core tone, very organic, smooth and heavy as hell if you EQ it right.

That being said, there are few amps that have the gain of say, the Extreme model in the Cube XLs. For bedroom practice with the possibility of gigging, 40 or 80XL all the way.


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## Mordacain

sunbasket said:


> Ahh!!
> 
> I was just browsing eBay and came across a really great little find here and had to throw it in the thread. Look up the VHT Special 6. They look to be designed very well, and sound pretty good from clips (but who knows about clips). I'm sure it would stomp a Cube!


I'm not so sure the Special 6 would stomp a Cube XL. They Special 6 Ultra has the Ultra channel addition (plus a Deep knob)but it still doesn't sound very heavy to me. It has more of a tradition Marshally kind of thick midrange crunch tone in everything I've heard from it. Certainly not as heavy as the Extreme model, or even the Blackstar HT5.


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## heminder

i would recommend the micro cube since it's such an awesome toy for being powered by batteries, but for metal that tiny speaker really doesn't handle low end very well. i've changed mine out for a slightly better speaker too but it still farts out. 

the bigger regular cubes should be AOK.


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## h1mera

Roland Cube without a doubt!


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## sunbasket

haha, VETOED. I'd imagine the Cube is invaluable if you ever wanted to go out and busk with your grim and frostbitten 1-man Immortal tribute band too


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## Watty

ExhumedShadow said:


> I'd say get a nice amp sim, zoom 9.2tt or pod. You just can't get d saturation you want at low volumes, if you really want a small amp, cube's are top budget combo's.


 
I used a POD 2.0 through a really crappy crate SS and was pleasantly surprised at how passable the tones were. You should be able to pick up both from CL for less than one bill too, so great value. 

I remember using a Cube 30 at some point as well and it sounded just as good for low volume practice.


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## Neogospel

Roland Cube or a POD and you're good to go


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## Hollowway

sunbasket said:


> Ahh!!
> 
> I was just browsing eBay and came across a really great little find here and had to throw it in the thread. Look up the VHT Special 6. They look to be designed very well, and sound pretty good from clips (but who knows about clips). I'm sure it would stomp a Cube!



Also keep in mind that the VHT of that amp has nothing to do with the VHT of the Pittbull, Sig X, etc. The name was sold as a result of a weird lawsuit or something, so just be aware. The new VHTs are not known for doing metal.


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## WFD

i have a question also regarding this small amp practice
do it handle the 7 sting from a 7 string guitar? Im tuning mine to A and it really doesnt do it at all. mude as fuck. but the 15 watts amp is as crappy as hell.
so... that roland cube 20 o 15 will handle the 7 strin for bedroom and home practice or ?


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## Estilo

I think the Ibanez TBX series are way underrated.


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## WFD

jymellis said:


> for me , if it doesnt have a 12 inch speaker it doesnt push the low end like i like. my decision on bedroom amp is based alot on speaker size. i dont care about onboard effects cuz i use zoom,digi,or pod for that.
> 
> a 6" 8" or 10" just doesnt push the low end like i like at low or high volumes.


so.. what does you recommend then? im curious.


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## Kr1zalid

WFD said:


> i have a question also regarding this small amp practice
> do it handle the 7 sting from a 7 string guitar? Im tuning mine to A and it really doesnt do it at all. mude as fuck. but the 15 watts amp is as crappy as hell.
> so... that roland cube 20 o 15 will handle the 7 strin for bedroom and home practice or ?


 
Do small amps able handle the 7th string from a 7 string guitar?

I'm using a Randall RX25RM (around 10" for the size) and my guitar has stock pickups so I won't expect my guitar to sound good but the "electric guitar type of sound" from the 7th string is there. When talking about muddy sounds from the 7th string, it depends on the pickups of your guitar IMO. I tried an old/used Ibanez RG7420 (also with stock pickups) through a Roland Cube (dunno what model ) and it sounds WAYYYY better, every string, compare to my current 7 string guitar. So, to answer your "that roland cube 20 or 15 will handle them?" I'd say YES!!

Btw, my sister have a Roland Micro Cube, borrow the amp from her (I want to try it because I see a lot of people here recommend the Micro Cube), plugged my 7 stringer into it and I'm very impressed how good it sounds although it's really small in size!

It's rectifier modelling effect sounds really heavy, punchy, djenty lol: I know, but I really djent a lot with the Micro Cube ) but not muddy and not too bassy (I don't like distortion tones that have too much bass). The cleans from the Cube is amazing too~~ I can play like Blues, Jazz and Pop stuffs there! Bare in mind that the pickups in my guitar really sucks and still have good sounds through that Cube... I'm now using it as my practice amp in my room. 

Another vote for Micro Cube............here! 

There are also a lot of recommendation for Line6 PODs here~~ I'll have to try those things sooner or later...


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## Augury

Roland Cube 15XL







or Micro Cube


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## Devyn Eclipse Nav

Orange Dark Terror. The thing is awesome.


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## Djdnxgdj3983jrjd8udb3bcns

I'm going to say try a Vox VT series combo. They have attenuators built in, so you can crank the tube in it for sweet cleans and nice overdrives by leaving channel and master volume right up, and keep it at bedroom volume even on the 100w version. It doesn't have stacks of gain, so a good overdrive pedal also may be necessary. I find it wholly adequate though and the Vox Reactor circuit really adds natural tube-y warmth to the sound at any volume. Also, it means if you choose to run an overdrive in front, it doesn't give that AWFUL overdrive into digital amp sound. The effects are quite good also, not professional quality but easily adequate enough for practice. The tape echo is a personal favourite of mine.


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## Nesty

I don't know why people are suggesting spiders mg's and toneblasters.

Why buy those when you can settle for the best possible choice in that price range?

I vote for the Peavey Vypr or the Roland Cube. Both great amps for bedroom practice.

You'll thank me later..


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## Devyn Eclipse Nav

Or the Roland Cube, it really is quite good. However, if you want a small tube head, that is great for metal, the Dark Terror is the way to go. And it has a switch to go from 15 to 7 watts.


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## SenorDingDong

Orange Crush, you'll thank me later. Best practice amp I have ever played.


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## GuitaristOfHell

jymellis said:


> im using an older peavey bandit 112.
> 
> i use the clean channel and the effects line for either multi pedals or a podxt.
> 
> quiet enough to play in a bedroom but will get loud enough to play over drums for band practice. can play small shows and sounds great micd
> 
> mine is the older (mid 90s) model with the peavey scorpion 12' got it off craigslist for $75.00


I have the same one. Great, durable, reliable amp.


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## dcunning30

The Roland Cube is a great amp with that closed back cabinet, but I'm not all that impressed with COSM. But it's a GREAT amp to plug a good modeler into it's AUX jack.

Other than that, to me, the best value (bang for the buck) is the Vypyr 15. Yea I said it. The XXX model is pretty good to me for bedroom/practice.


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## xenofife

get a peavey vypr its an amazing amp for beginners


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## dr_game0ver

pods or digitech RP series with headphone or some computer speaker

vox DA (15-30W) are pretty good but DO not buy a AC series, it's a big shit!!

fender superchanp XD is verry good to!!


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## gilsontsang

Going to get a lot of hate, but Line 6 Spider IV sounds awesome for bedroom practice and I own tube amps.


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