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I'd seen a ton of clips on this amp prior to getting mine and was impressed by them alone, but this amp seriously blew past my expectations. Definitely the best little tube amp I've ever owned. Ive had a Fender Hot Rod Deville 4x10 combo and a Crate Vintage Club 1x15 combo, both of which sounded killer but this is still my favorite. First let me say that 5 watts is much louder than you'd probably imagine. I've pretty much only played on the 0.5 watt setting and that too gets pretty loud. The tones though... the HT5R gets incredibly rich warm cleans. There's edge of breakup available. The second voicing on each channel seems to brighten and sharpen the sound. The reverb is nice. Just right but not fancy. Now to the versatility of this amp. I ran the gambit of tones and genres on it and ALL sounded sweet. Well done Blackstar! If I ever need a bigger amp I'll definitely get the HT20R but in the meantime this HT5R is incredibly loud and sounds pristine. Cons: my ONLY con is the clean channel has a tone knob rather than an equalizer. However it is fairly easy to find that sweet spot as it dials well.

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Over 60 years of guitar playing as amazing as this might sound this HT-5R MK2 is about as perfect tone machine as I have ever used. Now mind you I'm not playing out anymore so I don't need massive power but this Blackstar provides some very sweet clean tones and the OverDrive channel is very articulate and touch responsive.The balanced direct out on the back of the amp would allow you to play just about anywhere by running directly into the PA system so I would say. Don't let the five watts fool you. Small bars, restaurants, clubs this would be perfect with a reasonable drummer and bass player and keyboardist.The voice selection on each channel is a really nice thing to have. It acts kind of like a small boost but the tone stays the same just a little bigger and fatter.It's a perfect practice Sam and something good for jamming with your fellow musician friends also.

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The good: I really like this amp. Really good usable sounds. Well built. Not too heavy. Quiet enough to play around the house. The bad: I seriously regret not going with the 20 watt model, this amp even on 5 watt setting is just way underpowered to play with even a soft drummer and not even loud enough for a good jam with my powered PA speaker. And there is just zero volume for any clean headroom at all. Also it really needs a Master volume especially for the with the first channel. Recommendation: don’t spend the money for this amp, add another $100. And go for the HT20. I wish I had. You won’t regret it.

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