EVH 5150 III 50W vs LBX 1 => which best for bedroom level ?

[Max13]

Hey guys,

I know the topic has already been discussed but interested if any recent feedback !

I'd like to go for an EVH 5150 III, but i read a lot of bad reviews on the lunchbox version (LBX 1). Seems that it's a struggle to find the sweetspot with the volume knob + the amp sounds too loud for an apartment.

Is the 50w version a better option ? I read that it sounds good at low volumes but i'm a bit skeptical on that (50w still...)

I've also heard about the LBX Stealth being great with the built in attenuator, but i'm more interested in the LBX 1 for the blue channel !

Also just to mention : i've got a torpedo attenuator (classic version not the X captor) so it could also help with the volume for both amps.

Honestly not a price subject i just want the best sound without disturbing too much the neighbours

Thanks !

 

[Werecow]

50W all the way. It's the best amp for bedroom level by far i've ever used. I use mine right down to literally whispering levels, and it still sounds great. Go for the 50W 6L6 (non-stealth) if you're a blue channel lover.

 

[profwoot]

I imagine either would be fine since you've got an attenuator, so just go with whichever has the features and makes the sounds (or is the size) you want.

 

[crushingpetal]

My current view is that an multiband EQ in the loop will solve most problems for the bedroom guitarist. You can boost some low-end to make it satisfying at low volumes and you have extra level control to get it actually quiet. YMMV, 2 cents.

 

[CanserDYI]

I've had the LBX and the stealth 50, and genuinely feel id pick the stealth any day of the week for bedroom use. Way more usable volumes if you ask me, and always have the wattage to crank when you want to.

 

[budda]

This is where i suggest a current gen modeller.

 

[Shask]

To me, bigger always sounds better. You need the big tubes and transformers to get the big depth.

If it is too loud put an EQ in the loop and lower the volume slider on it to give you better low volume control.

 

[MatrixClaw]

50w has one of the best master volumes of any amp I've owned. No need for the smaller head. The bigger one sounds better and volume is easily controlled.

 

[wheresthefbomb]

EQ or volume pedal in the loop will make any amp a bedroom amp. Alternatively, not giving a fuck also makes any amp a bedroom amp.

 

[sirbuh]

Go with the 50w head its very friendly across all volume levels.
Modelers of course can work too, however the subjective experience is still not there.
EQ pedals in the loop works as well or a power soak but thats a bit more of a black magic solution.

 

[budda]

Cant wait for the next “how come my amp sounds weak at quiet levels?” thread

Why buy a tube amp to run it so quietly that none of the tube characteristics are apparent?

 

[TheWarAgainstTime]

I have a 50w 5153 6l6 that does low volumes very well. I also built a little passive volume pedal and mounted it to the back panel to have even more fine control if I need it.

My only experience with any of the lunchbox versions was a 1st gen model at a Guitar Center, but it still sounded good at a soft-to-moderate volume. I still felt like the 50w had the edge in overall tone, features, and versatility, though.

 

[rexbinary]

I owned both. Sold the LBX. The 50w is great a bedroom volume levels.

 

[HeHasTheJazzHands]

This is where i suggest a current gen modeller.

Cant wait for the next “how come my amp sounds weak at quiet levels?” thread

Why buy a tube amp to run it so quietly that none of the tube characteristics are apparent?

This is where I am too. No point in getting a big boy amp if you're not gonna use all that juice.

And if you ever need that power and depth? Get a tube power amp in the future

 

[Rubbishplayer]

This is where I am too. No point in getting a big boy amp if you're not gonna use all that juice.

And if you ever need that power and depth? Get a tube power amp in the future

+1. I know he has an attenuator, but to be frank, it's like buying a Ferrari and then fitting it with a rev limiter.

You won't get the Ferrari experience that way, so what's the point?

 

[Shask]

This is where I am too. No point in getting a big boy amp if you're not gonna use all that juice.

And if you ever need that power and depth? Get a tube power amp in the future

I still think it is a different playing experience and tone/feel. I play 100w+ amps all the time at lower volumes. It is about the tone, not the volume.

That being said, I have been playing ToneX and FM3 a lot lately. That is a lot of fun also. It just depends on which experience I am wanting that day.

 

[BabUShka]

I play the JVM205, imo its one of the best amps out there for lower volumes.

Still, the years between 2010-2020 when I lived in appartments and eventually in a townhouse, it was way to big.

Sold the JVM, bought a switchable Orange OR15. Even at 7W it sounded too loud.
Sold the OR15, bought a Blackstar HT5R. It did the job, but way too loud for apartment.
Had several smaller tube and transistor amps (one of them was Boss Katana 50). Sold them all.

The only thing that really did the job, was a modeller with a pair of good studio headsett and studio monitors. They kept the dynamics even at super low volumes.

The real amps, they sound good at low volumes - but it just feels weird to push 1x12 or 1x10 cab and amp volume constantly at minimum volume - it's not the same as using lower volumes with very small elements. I could play the guitar with my ears very close to the studi monitors, and enjoy the sound. I sold all my amps, and rebought them when I moved to a detached house.

I hope I make my point clear, even though its a very very boring answer

 

[budda]

I still think it is a different playing experience and tone/feel. I play 100w+ amps all the time at lower volumes. It is about the tone, not the volume.

That being said, I have been playing ToneX and FM3 a lot lately. That is a lot of fun also. It just depends on which experience I am wanting that day.

but the tone changes with the volume…

A 5150 at talking level sounds useable, and wont disturb people. But thats not “the 5150 tone”. The “5150 tone” happens when the power amp works a little harder and the amp is at “used with live drummer” volume.

I really hope people stop pretending their turned down tube amp sounds great at low volume - it sounds *usable* at low volume. Modelling is at the point where it sounds like that roaring amp at the volume you use to order a coffee.

A modeller will have that “power amp working” tonal characteristic (aka the reason people buy tube amps, even though the critical tube part is the power amp) at low volume and high volume. The eq perception will still change as volume changes, but that “cranked amp feel” will not.

My 100w plexi can do talking volume too. Im not recommending it for quiet home use because my axefx sounds (and to me feels) like a *cranked plexi* at the same volume.

 

[Shask]

but the tone changes with the volume…

A 5150 at talking level sounds useable, and wont disturb people. But thats not “the 5150 tone”. The “5150 tone” happens when the power amp works a little harder and the amp is at “used with live drummer” volume.

I really hope people stop pretending their turned down tube amp sounds great at low volume - it sounds *usable* at low volume. Modelling is at the point where it sounds like that roaring amp at the volume you use to order a coffee.

A modeller will have that “power amp working” tonal characteristic (aka the reason people buy tube amps, even though the critical tube part is the power amp) at low volume and high volume. The eq perception will still change as volume changes, but that “cranked amp feel” will not.

My 100w plexi can do talking volume too. Im not recommending it for quiet home use because my axefx sounds (and to me feels) like a *cranked plexi* at the same volume.

I think a lot of the tonal changes can be compensated for with an EQ in the loop, as long as you are not talking power amp distortion, like with a Plexi. I actually dont like most amps turned up. I dont like power amp breakup.

If you start talking a reactive load into a solid state poweramp to reamp back into cabs, then it is even closer. You can have the amp as loud as you want, with as low of volume as you want.

I actually think the limiting factor are the speakers, because speakers like V30 do seem to have a "kick in' point with volume where they dont sound right until you cross that threshold at very low volumes. They don't linearly increase in volumes as much as FRFR speakers.

 

[gnoll]

I don't think most modern amps sound better turned up. It might sound better "because volume" but that's a different thing. Put a mic in front of it, record it at different volumes and match the levels of the recordings. A cranked 5150 isn't gonna sound good. It's not a Marshall.

My philosophy is:

1) Bigger amps sound bigger, and better.

2) Ability to sound good at low volume comes down to the design of the amp and volume tapers. Not wattage.