1 watt tube amps

[dedsouth333]

Ok so I'm wondering how loud they are irl. I've got my eye on the Diavlo RD1H and am assuming it can reach decent bedroom levels (like 3 yr old sleeping and dear god don't wake her up levels). I've heard a lot of youtube demos and love the tones people are getting from it so that's not a problem, I'm just wondering about volume.

Are there any comparisons people could make for me to sort of let me know how loud they will get (because I don't own a dB meter and there's nowhere around here that carries them)?

I mean is full throttle like someone screaming? Or a chainsaw? Or a 600hp 454 with open headers? Or what?

Any thoughts or help would be appreciated

Edit: Maybe this would do better in the Beginners/FAQ section.

 

[TheWarAgainstTime]

3 yr old sleeping and dear god don't wake her up levels

Honestly, I'd look at something like a POD or similar that you can use headphones/computer speakers with plus it'd be infinitely more versatile than a 1W amp

 

[dedsouth333]

Yea, I've used PODs before and have a Vypyr 30 now but I'm tired of sifting through tons of effects and options that I'll never use lol. It's kind of odd I guess but the more I play and jam the less I find the need for (or even want) tons of versatility.

I'm honestly looking for something single channel for my main rig too. I feel like I've pretty much got one goal in life (as far as my music goes) and that's to play heavy all the time

Like I tell everybody I know, "I've got an acoustic for cleans."

Edit: Oh and the "3 yr old sleeping" thing was kind of a joke lol. I just meant I want tube tones without waking up the entire house trying to run my 6505. And something more portable too... I guess I should've thrown that in there too. Sorry about that.

 

[TheWarAgainstTime]

Ahh gotcha

I imagine the 1w Randall should be fine for that. I haven't been able to play any tube amps under 15w, but even those could do bedroom/super quiet fairly well, especially with a boost in front.

 

[Mordacain]

When I had my Blackstar HT1 it could get pretty awesomely loud driving a 4x12. If I had to take a guess, I'd wager around 80 dB at 70% power on the OD channel. However, it sound great at much less, and with just the combo's 8" speaker was significantly quieter, like around normal to slightly loud TV watching volume at the same settings.

The Randall should be similar given the tubes and speaker being used are similar.

 

[dedsouth333]

So running it through my Boogie 2x12 would really open it up huh?

That sounds like exactly what I'm looking for. At first I figured I would need at least a 5 watt because I figured 1 watt would be like people whispering from across the room

But I'm constantly being surprised by these little tube amps (up until now just by the tones) one way or another.

 

[dedsouth333]

Ahh gotcha

I imagine the 1w Randall should be fine for that. I haven't been able to play any tube amps under 15w, but even those could do bedroom/super quiet fairly well, especially with a boost in front.

Sorry. I missed this post somehow. I definitely plan on running a good boost out front (which is something else I'm about to be in the market for). I've got a good line on a Maxon OD820 for $150 I thought about giving a go.

 

[Mordacain]

So running it through my Boogie 2x12 would really open it up huh?

That sounds like exactly what I'm looking for. At first I figured I would need at least a 5 watt because I figured 1 watt would be like people whispering from across the room

But I'm constantly being surprised by these little tube amps (up until now just by the tones) one way or another.

Yea, they can be satisfyingly loud. Not able to keep up with a drummer loud, but that loud but not super loud sweet spot for satisfying home playing with a little room shake / windows rattling.

The really nice thing about it is you can easily dial-in the sweet spot for both higain chunky but not overly saturated / compressed power amp tones and then just wind it up for driven cleans.

I honestly wished I'd not gotten rid of my HT-1 and I'm considering an RD1H or an HT1 (or 5) metal version to coexist with my Hot Rod Deluxe for home use.

 

[dedsouth333]

Yea, they can be satisfyingly loud. Not able to keep up with a drummer loud, but that loud but not super loud sweet spot for satisfying home playing with a little room shake / windows rattling.

The really nice thing about it is you can easily dial-in the sweet spot for both higain chunky but not overly saturated / compressed power amp tones and then just wind it up for driven cleans.

I honestly wished I'd not gotten rid of my HT-1 and I'm considering an RD1H or an HT1 (or 5) metal version to coexist with my Hot Rod Deluxe for home use.

I was originally looking at the HT-5 Metal; then I noticed the HT-1 and that's what had me really wondering about one watt amps.

After I heard about the Diavlo I checked it out and thought, "It only has 3 knobs. How good could it sound?". A quick trip to the tube and, "That's amazing! And it only has 3 knobs!". I was pretty much sold after that . The only issue remaining was the volume question.

 

[dedsouth333]

Not able to keep up with a drummer loud

That's what the 6505 is for

Although I have been looking pretty hard at the 5153 mini for "away" jamming. The drummer I normally jam with always starts whining for me to turn it down if I get it much above 3

And when we aren't jamming at the same time I could just reach back and turn the wattage down and we could talk while we write.

 

[AaronGraves]

Have you checked out the Laney IRT Studios? Those have a 15w and a 1w switch, and they seem pretty reasonable as far as prices go too! I've been looking at these lately, as I was getting tired of my POD, until I recently discovered the best tone ever ha. But They seem really cool. I'm in the same boat as you as far as wanting less options and more of a set sound.

 

[dedsouth333]

Have you checked out the Laney IRT Studios? Those have a 15w and a 1w switch, and they seem pretty reasonable as far as prices go too! I've been looking at these lately, as I was getting tired of my POD, until I recently discovered the best tone ever ha. But They seem really cool. I'm in the same boat as you as far as wanting less options and more of a set sound.

Hmmm... tbh those have completely escaped me. I might have to check them out and see what it takes to get a good metal tone with as little as possible.

I'm trying to keep it to a bare minimum personally. Like being able to fit the head, cables and pedals in a bag and just carry a small cab and my guitar separate (or carry the head separate too it doesn't matter).

I'll definitely look into them though.

 

[dedsouth333]

Well, now I see why I missed them. Because they are waaay out of my price range

I mean they sound amazing but for that much money and what I need it for it's a bit much haha.

I was looking at the Diavlo for $250... plus a baby cab later down the road.

Edit: Or just spend another $50 and get the baby combo.

 

[CD1221]

^ what mordecain said.

1W is loud. Annoy the neighbours, rattle the windows (a little) loud. Kinda like a trumpet.

I built one so as to not annoy my family. It requires power section saturation to sound good, so I don't play it very often.... Definitely not with anyone else home

Stacks of fun, highly recommend small amps.

 

[xzyryabx]

Don't be fooled.
1W (tube) is still loud!!!
I'd bet you could hear it outside the house through the windows easily.

 

[wakjob]

For high gain tones at a low volumes, I've yet to find anything better than a good modeling device.

 

[xzyryabx]

For high gain tones at a low volumes, I've yet to find anything better than a good modeling device.

have you tried any ENGL amps?
the three I've had sound great at low volumes; they sound much better as you crank them of course but I have 0 complaints from the tone at low volumes (I guess a good chunk of their tone comes from the pre-amp which doesn't need to be cranked to sound good)

 

[wakjob]

have you tried any ENGL amps?
the three I've had sound great at low volumes; they sound much better as you crank them of course but I have 0 complaints from the tone at low volumes (I guess a good chunk of their tone comes from the pre-amp which doesn't need to be cranked to sound good)

Had a Blackmore and an E530.

Great for sure, but still missed that mark on the 'whole rig', and their parts doing what they do to get the final sound. Like you said, much better at a more moderate volume where they start to do their thing.

A modeler can emulate a power amp and speaker box being pushed a little.
To me, that's were the rubber meets the road for achieving good tone.

 

[dedsouth333]

^ what mordecain said.

1W is loud. Annoy the neighbours, rattle the windows (a little) loud. Kinda like a trumpet.

I built one so as to not annoy my family. It requires power section saturation to sound good, so I don't play it very often.... Definitely not with anyone else home

Stacks of fun, highly recommend small amps.

I believe I'm definitely getting one. High portability, satisfyingly loud and good tones? I couldn't ask for more.

Don't be fooled.
1W (tube) is still loud!!!
I'd bet you could hear it outside the house through the windows easily.

A lot of the demos/tone tests I've seen of the Diavlo on youtube seem to be around 30% power (I especially enjoyed witchdiaries tone test ) and sound great! I would assume 1/3 watt could be pretty quiet if need be. At least on the other end of the house

For high gain tones at a low volumes, I've yet to find anything better than a good modeling device.

I've done the modeling thing a few times. Mustang II, Vypyr 30 and POD (which I don't really suppose count as "good" modeling devices). They all got decent tones and all but just had too many options. I always feel like I'm tripping over shit (figuratively of course) trying to find the best settings and spending hours upon hours trying to dial it in.

All in all I believe that's what is so charming about the Diavlo (to me anyway). It's so extremely simple how long could it possibly take to dial in?

have you tried any ENGL amps?
the three I've had sound great at low volumes; they sound much better as you crank them of course but I have 0 complaints from the tone at low volumes (I guess a good chunk of their tone comes from the pre-amp which doesn't need to be cranked to sound good)

I have not actually. Nobody even remotely close to me carries them and I'd hate to see the price tag on one haha. I just figure I can sell my Vypyr (and Sanpera II pedal) and maybe enough pedals and odds and ends to come up with something decent used (not locally of course ) or something like the RD1 or HT1 Metal and not really be out anything of great importance.

 

[dedsouth333]

Had a Blackmore and an E530.

Great for sure, but still missed that mark on the 'whole rig', and their parts doing what they do to get the final sound. Like you said, much better at a more moderate volume where they start to do their thing.

A modeler can emulate a power amp and speaker box being pushed a little.
To me, that's were the rubber meets the road for achieving good tone.

So a 1 watt pushing something like an 8" speaker in a little Orange cab couldn't achieve the same thing? I mean I absolutely understand that a little cab like that wouldn't be even close "tone-wise" to a 6505 pushing a couple of V30's but would it really be that bad?