Small Tube Amp Shootout - Vox AC4TV, Fender Superchamp XD, Marshall Class 5 & Blackstar HT5

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#Marshall #Fender #Blackstar #Vox #Andertons

[@arthurmetz9927]

It’s amazing what 10 years of hard work do to a KZbin channel! These guys have all my respect!

[@stevestan6525]

My thoughts exactly :)

[@mozadak]

Coming from future, 2022. It came to an amazing point.

[@cupolove1]

you guys should do an updated version of this one

[@davedexter1583]

Agreed, I want to hear them play with the new super champ.

[@stanlee5465]

Yes, now that Lee seems to have learned how to read.

[@jonnysophisticado]

i agree on making an updated video of this

[@captainflamson]

Greetings Captain, from Portland, Oregon USA!!! Wow, seems there are a few of us yanks who can't take a joke! We're not all so uptight, keep the great demos coming! I just bought a Blackstar HT-110 cab, and an HT1R Head, as well as a li'l Night Train head from Vox. Needless to say, I now have wicked tone at home!!!

[@WilburTrapRepository]

In these old videos, Lee called them tube amps and not valve amps like he does now. Crazy!

[@pyroman6000]

I just demo'd a Super Champ last night, and it sounded WAAYYY better in person. Really nice amp! I will most likely be buying it this week. An American Standard Strat really made it sing!

[@MrKnisterable]

2:12 Vox Crunch 3:22 Vox Clean 3:45 Fender Chorus Clean 4:19 Fender Crunch 5:03 Marshall Clean 5:40 Marshall Crunch 6:00 Blackstar clean 6:40 Blackstar Crunch

[@cansavaryego7193]

MrKnisterable Noe that's a good youtuber. Thanks

[@MrKnisterable]

Can Savaryego Hey man, you are very welcome! :-) I always look for the right positions in such videos. So it would be stupid, not to post it ;-)

[@cansavaryego7193]

which of these amps would you recomend for bedroom practice and home studio recording

[@MrKnisterable]

Can Savaryego that is funny that you are asking me that question! :) I think everybody who posts a comment here, answer this question, that's why I didn't commented it. I had a Blackstar HT 5 (nice clean, but too loud crunch for a flat) and I played with vox ac4 (very good for clean and crunch, but not much gain). I would not recommend to trust videos in general. I think it depends what you wanna play. For clean I suggest fender and vox, but I play often Slash, Iron Maiden, etc. and for that "heavy" stuff I would not recommend fender and vox. They don't "like" my distortion pedals... :D Maybe for high gain HT1 or another little Marshall... It's not good to test in a shop, there I always turn volume up and at home it's too loud. What music styles do you wanna play?

[@cansavaryego7193]

I personly like marshall plexi style tones as a huge classic and hard rock fan but i have to have funky cleans too as i want this amp for my home studio. I wanna get the ht5rh with the ht112 cab and buy my first tube amp. But as you said its too loud for a flat :(( I tohught the ht1rh but i'm not sure of the tone from an amp as little as that. And without the eq it's not very versitale i think. And for the marshalls dont think they have some good cleans without a fender style guitar which i dont have. So i guess i have to stick to my roland micro cube with all the digital stuff :(((. If you have any recomendations though i would love to hear them. Thanks

[@DerMatze91]

Great demo! Keep them coming, they´re very very helpful! This one just goes to show you that Blackstar is indeed the new king of the tube amp world! Much more pristine, ballsy and versatile than the others, at least to me! Maybe I´ll pick one up at some point. Just got my Series One 200 stack and it rocks like hell!

[@andertons]

Glad you enjoyed the demo. I know what you mean about the Super Champ - the other 3 do sound more natural. The Marshall Class 5 with something like the Tubescreamer would be great. Personally I prefer the Fulltone OCD to the Tubescreamer, or for more gain check out the Blackstar HT Dual pedal. We should be doing a drive pedal shoot out soon, so hopefully that'll help.

[@greciamagallanes4156]

You guys are awesome! Just helped me decide on my setup

[@TomReinerDE]

Just stumbled across this old Andertons video. Laughing my a... off!!!! The Captain almost a child...

[@rockstarim]

the blackstar sound amazing i have no words

[@maxsalasr]

the blackstar sounds great

[@andertons]

@mingoos4294 that's a very good question. The answer is that if you're thinking of using the Tubescreamer to add a little grit than it will deal with it fine if on the other hand you want to use a tubescreamer to really cook the tubes you might be better off looking at the more expensive Fender Blues Junior which is the smallest of Fender's pro range of tube amps, which if a fantastic clean sound that is perfect for cooking tubes into overdrive with a tubescreamer. But that is quite an upgrade.

[@neoaureus]

Wow ! what a change .....the setup.. the micing... the presentation... whoa

[@MontysMotos]

Yes. I used mine with the Germania treble boost which sounded fantastic.

[@Murphy_R9]

I have demo'd all of these in person and they all sound so much better than what is on this vid! the blackstar has the best overall tone out of the box then the fender SCx2 if it is tweaked with FUSE, then the marshall and the Vox last

[@supraludwick83]

Fender Super champ XD destroys them all.... Real tube, built in effects..... REALLY LOUD!!!..... The best!

[@jamesbarros950]

This is amazing. I enjoy your videos so much, but you should take some time to look back and see how far your production and quality has come. This is great.

[@baabaabaa2293]

Times have changed on the Andertons demo clips!!

[@psychofunksoldier02]

Nevermind...I bought the HT5 and it is awesome! Thanks for the video shootout!

[@AcousticFelipe]

Wow guys, I loved the video. I was looking at these excact amps (Super Champ, HT5, AC4TV) when I found your video. Great Job...the Super Champ shall be mine....soon...ish...

[@Kennethrandallross]

The Vox and the Marshall

[@NicStride]

The world was a sad place before Rob came to Andertons. :)

[@phillyfrankb]

As always, another great, and informative video. Would love if you guys did one on the next step up tube combos - like the AC15/30, Marshall DSL 40C, Blackstar 40, Hot Rod, and/or whatever else you crazy UK chaps can come up with to compete as a gigable, affordable 1X12/2X12 tube amp.

[@topheytophezz]

I bought that Blackstar and it's a very versatile amp, clean sound is a lot mid range on the 1 watt blackstar but the 5 watts and more have EQ to counter that amound of middle. Really nice amp.

[@yongadog]

I had an affinity for the AC4. But the Super Champ is cleaner and definitely is more versatile. The Marshall has the right growl. And I love those clean tones from the Blackstar..

[@daniyalahmed97]

I'm a proud owner of a blackstar HT 50 with a 4x12. But I think I'll take the super champ for some blues tones now! I highly recommend the Blackstar HT5 btw!

[@normh4856]

Just discovered your reviews this morning. Thank you for your insight and keeping it light. Some of us appreciate your humor. For you Brits...that's humour. :-)

[@altrock86]

glad I watched this. I really thought I wanted a vox but after watching I want the fender.

[@redlored100]

I will say, Fender does use some very good output transformers for their amps. I've plugged a couple different amplifiers into a sine wave generator and took them up to a 100Khz viewing on a scope. No surprise that Fenders handle highs like no tomorrow. The Blackstar does have a good sound for a little amp so Fender and Blackstar in my opinion.

[@captainflamson]

The pound joke is just that, not an insult to Americans. Nothing wrong with some good natured ribbing ;-) Andertons seems to be my kind of shop...they have a sense of fun and humor (humour!!!) Cheers to another great clip!

[@andertons]

It's tough to do well in a tube amp! Marshall JVM does awesome gains and fairly good cleans, Fender Hot Rod does awesome cleans and can just about eek out some fairly good crunch. It's fairly rare to find an amp that does both perfectly but some come pretty close!

[@l07smitty]

Wish more demos were like this.

[@JEC920]

You guys have come such a long way! Love what you do, keep it up!

[@mosharybobo]

@hutchfromba i recently purchased my vox ac4 and i have no regrets.....you can get some really great tones from this amp......i also live in an attached house and i asked my neighbors if they can hear me.....havent received a single complaint yet....fingers crossed...

[@fossilmatic]

Gotta love the production quality. Trademark humour already coming through from Lee: “You can buy them all here,...except the presenter”. I see the tradition of player demonstrator having out there hair started early. Whatever happened to Jay?

[@bartni]

2:18 "this is about as clean as it gets with humbuckers" good point, thank you!

[@Dunkaroos248]

I have the blackstar ht1r and at first I was a little iffy about what 1 watt would sound like, but it's the perfect amp for a small space. It lacks volume if it's all the way clean, but add a little gain and it picks up steam. I've done a 180 on blackstar, they make a great product, any nonbelievers would be advised to go play one.

[@IAmRileyMan326]

Love this guy's playing!

[@hihowareyouitsme]

5 watts is a nice mix of the two. This gives it a Plexi-like quality (channel 1 is .1 watt, channel 2 is 1 watt, and jumping the channels is 5 watt)

[@MontysMotos]

I had the vox for a couple years, it's much louder than one would expect and fine for studio. Live i don't know, you'd have to mic it just for the fact that it focuses the sound directly where the speaker is pointed and doesn't disperse too well.

[@DonnieSmith1]

I own the Vox..I like the Blackstar the best of the four..Cleans were brighter the overdrive much thicker..The Marshal 2nd , the Fender 3rd and last the Vox.. Thanks yer video just convinced me my amp sucks..

[@piratepatch]

I bought my HT-5 mostly based on this video back in the day :P Still got it too!

[@adaptiveagile]

That was very interesting. Thanks for the great review. I was really impressed with the Blackstar -- seems to do everything well from clean to heavy distortion. Not what I was expecting. All amps had beautiful tones (to my ears) although I find Vox chime to be a little harsh -- but I could live with it!!

[@ProficiencyMusic]

i was really impressed with the blackstar, might pick one up tomorrow!

[@chymist66]

The Blackstar blows the rest away. Reading between the lines I think you like it best too!

[@dragonheart1947]

Great video, I think the shootout comes down to the Marshall and the Fender, both sound great, the Fender might have just a little edge on the Marshall, but that's my opinion.

[@Adamshredsify]

the blackstar sounds soo freakin sweet!

[@morrisdane]

Blackstar by far !!!!

[@doctorwhofan2563]

A Rush fan! I agree. The Blackstar is the only one that really sounded good at all. It's probably just the bad recording setup, though.

[@jakewise3742]

I use only low watt amps. I have the Blackstar head it it is very versatile. Takes peddles nicely and has an effect loop. The Class 5 fell a little short for me and I got rid of it and went to a DSL 15 and then to a DSL 40, which I am very happy with, I just purchased the VOX AC4TV and it sounds much better than demonstrated here and it really likes effects peddles well. I also run each through a Marshall 1960 Lead 4x14 and they each sound even better. I haven't tried the Fender but I am not a big fan of Fender Amps, but this one sounds pretty good and would likely make a pretty good travel amp given the built in effects.

[@cherrypickerguitars]

In "real life" the Vox sounds the best, and with pedals, which it takes very well, extremely versatile. I like and use clean and overdriven tones and all these amps do it well. My ears pick the Vox, though. And......boy, have you guys come a long way in 4 yrs! Started watching your vids a few months ago - this is the oldest one I've watched. Had a Chapman guitar show up in a local music store today (Bellone's)! Cheers from London Ontario, Canada!

[@Stevegio301]

I think the VOX (in real life) was the most overrated worst sounding small amp I have ever played but that's my opinion. I use a Blackheart HT5R and an Egnater 15 watt Tweaker and a VOX AC15C2 with2 Celestion Greenbacks.

[@SnaFOo75]

@@Stevegio301 that sure is your opinion

[@andertons]

I think we're going to do the Mesa Mk V when Chappers is next in - probably mid April - it's such a complicated beast that we want to make sure get the demo right!! We could probably do the other 3 heads in one shoot out - thanks for the suggestion - more videos coming soon!

[@razorrick1293]

Blackstar HT-5 is a hybrid SS and tubes in the preamp and tube power amp

[@eyeballtat2]

thanks for the reply, i will check out both of those amps..Love the videos keep up the good work guys

[@andertons]

If you have a Boss GT8 then you really want to use it with one of the amps with a better clean sound & as much headroom as possible. I would suggest either the Super Champ XD or the Blackstar HT5. Not sure what ypu mean by "are they the same load" - they're all running into their own internal speakers - not sure what the impedence of each speaker is - I expect 8 ohm. You'd have to check the spec of each amp on the manufacturer web sites if you need more info.

[@mennoosmusic]

Amazing demo and a very helpful shootout! Thanks!

[@andertons]

@mingoos4294 well you would get a distortion over distortion tone so it would definitely get saturated but I'm not sure it would achieve the classic Tube Screamer 'pushing the tubes to the limit' tone (which isn't usually over saturated just pushed).

[@FullMetalHippiecom]

I've been checking out the Blackstar 5 and the Marshall Class5 heads and I plan to buy the Marshall just after X-mas when the prices are at their lowest. While the Blackstar HT 5 has all the features, it's distortion is not tube, it's a hybrid amp, and the tone seems a little too polished and doesn't have the same low end. I do kind of like the Blackstar HT-1 with the gain topped out on the clean channel, but it still doesn't have the same EL84 tube sound that the Marchall C5 has.

[@DaveWilliamsScaryPedals]

thanks for the shootout, and screw the people who can't take a little joke (jeese!) but i wish you would have mic'ed the amps! video camera audio does not give an accurate picture of the tone. again though, thanks!

[@TheBrad654321]

I have the Fender Super Champ XD. It's versatility works great. With the line out , I can slave my SS Fender Stage 112SE for gigging power with the SS as an onstage backup. A chorus pedal between the two amps creates true stereo sound also. Fender wins. However, I want one of each.

[@andertons]

@RichMJ79 Hi dude. I actually own the Ac4. The 1/4 watt setting still isn't whisper quiet. I dont hesitate to crank it at 1/4 watt during the day, but it's probably still a bit loud for the night depending on where you live. From 12 o clock to 6 o clock on the dial, there's not a lot of volume difference - only gain/saturation. Hope that helps. Andy

[@jonnysophisticado]

wow, rob chapman used to be latino!!!

[@user-ge9ft4cu5m]

+Jonathan Schmidt Lmao

[@acky3000]

no, that's rabea!

[@jjbast]

Rebea used to be skinny?

[@chuckstoddard5491]

Roberto Chapmano

[@jeffbarnes2596]

I chuckled audibly :) Well done sir!

[@andertons]

@trojanadm1980 Hi Trojan - I'm afraid we shot this video about 8-9 months ago & I really can't remember how we had the HT5 set. It's a pretty easy amp to work with - there aren't really any bad sounds in it.

[@coppulor6500]

I have the Fender super champ x2. unreal tone. not just for the $$. unreal tones period. I have several tube amps and the fender sounds the best. Very frustrated that they don't sell a version with presets and a foot controller etc. Fender is missing the boat. With the Mooer GE300 about to hit the stores, their window has closed. I'm really stunned at the high gain tones I can get out of it too, not just the amazing SRV tones (which are extremely difficult to nail IMO).

[@hihowareyouitsme]

Both of these amps would be great for you, but personally I would tell you to get an amp not mentioned in this video: the Bugera V5. It has its own unique sound quality, a Gain, Tone, and Volume knob, and is essentially 3 amps in one due to its attenuator. It goes from 5 watts to 1 watt to .1 watt, and each mode has a totally different tonal quality. .1 watts is very bright and trebly even when the volume is max. 1 watt is very bassy and offers a sharp contrast to .1 watt. (Continued)

[@jtm45stratman69]

having owned one the blackstar by longshot..and foot switchable also

[@elena1997rock]

Blackstar ht-5 Just love it.

[@kevqueenrocks]

i think , the most versatile amp is the balckstar . all the guitars sound good !

[@DanielProfitt]

Thanks, mate,,,,best review out there....made my decision...blackstar

[@baldybonce29]

Blimey things have certainly changed since these days!!!

[@niptodstan]

I've got an HT5 and I run it through a H&K 4x12. It's so loud, you can gig with it and if you take the out from the effects loop, you can use it as a pre amp and run it into a larger amp.

[@ericlpz12]

he was soo young

[@joseaquino8773]

Good one! I'll get me a Blackstar

[@andertons]

@RichMJ79 I havent played through the TV8 but I tend to find the 10" speaker in the AC4 is cool for jamming at home but doesnt sound as good as going through a 1x12 or 4x12. I reckon the TV8 might sound less clear than the AC4 in the midrange since the 10" speaker sounds a bit muffled compared to a 412. OTOH, thats always to be expected and 8" will mean less disturbance if you want to play at home. Both amps have an external speaker jack so you could play thru a nice cab when noise isnt a prob

[@PrashantSamlal]

Blackstar had the most balanced sound ! Both clean and dist

[@evelasq1]

For the clean tone on the Vox AC4TV combo, I believe it could get better by swapping the speakers with the Eminence Speakers. I have done that to my VOX AC4TV mini stack & even though the speaker is a 12 inch compare to the combo's 10 inch. The 10 inch could probably break up faster due to size & maximum wattage rating. I have a 75 watt Eminence Wizard speaker & I could get the clean tones on my Les Paul without any distortion. It still has the classic rock tones when it is overdriven.(Flood)

[@3radHill]

If I could I'd own them all I would but for pure visibility I'd have to go with the backstar. I don't think it does "better" what the others do. But it does them all very well plus much more. If you only play one type of music then pic the one that suits you. They really are all great amps.

[@erogeguy8887]

Damn, vintage Andertons videos.

[@prodchibi]

Damn, vintage comment

[@wohltemper]

I don't know why people always demo the Vox AC4TV with random, jangly "indie" strumming. It is a bit of a one-trick pony (no reverb, modelling etc.) but sounds best slightly overdriven on rock/blues. Has a real sweet spot on 4w with volume around 6 'o' clock.

[@pstrokeslibsarctic]

How is that an “indie strumming”

[@wohltemper]

pmellow what he does on the vox at 2.12. Kinda strumming away like you don’t really know how to play an electric guitar. Not what the vox does best.

[@BionicSammich]

Marshall Vintage Moder 2266c. Great amp. I'm selling my because I just bought a YJM100 and a 4x12.

[@TheKarimamrmostafa]

Blackstar makes the best amps for metal IMO

[@andertons]

@bluesbystrat sound very much in the Blackstar HT5 camp

[@andertons]

@ClearTheHaze Chappers has just finished 2 days of shooting here at the store, so expect to see another 7-8 videos come online over the next 2 weeks. We didn't do an Explorer video - sorry!! We'll try & do something next time he's in.

[@marlonborreo]

clean or driven, the blackstar's tone is way better than the other 3, in this video at least.

[@andreapasillas8478]

I had both the Vox AC4 and the Blackstar HT5R. I really tried to like those amps but eventually sold them and bought the Fender Superchamp XD. It was only 40 bucks more than the Blackstar so the comparison is fair with the Fender. After playing it for a day, I realized I should have bought the Fender first. It has great tones, especially for the clean sounds I love and for playing blues. Everybody has different tastes. I just thought the other two amps were very limited in what they could do and the reverb on the Blackstar was so bad, I had to buy a good reverb pedal.

[@therflcommish]

Holy throwback

[@TonyHookedonVanlife]

another great vid! Blackstar was #1, great tones and versatility too. Best dirty tones - Black Star and Marshall. Best clean tones - the Fender. The Vox was pretty 'blah' all around.

[@roarzish]

really impressed with that blackstar o.0

[@stinga72]

recording room's come a long way

[@cigaromn]

I think you guys should check out a Savage Macht 6 and compare it to these four. It's a bit more expensive but the tone is significantly better.

[@andertons]

@MrPaolo101 The Blues Junior isn't really in the same catagory as these amps. It certainly is small but at its heart the Blues Junior is a gigging amp whereas these are really home/recording/practise amps. The Blues Junior is 15w and about £450 which makes it much much louder and in some cases nearly twice the price. In tube terms 15w is a lot louder than 5w

[@angadmalli]

@hutchfromba Try the vox ac4tv. it has a quarter watt setting that get pretty low. Or, the vox vt 20 +(it is a hybrid). But, is a wonderful amp. and you can get wonderful tones at very low volumes.

[@andertons]

@SnappingTurtle90 Physically can you? Yes of course, you can with any amp. If you mean does it sound good with distortion pedals then it does but bear in mind that at 4w when it cranked up to a high volume it's already going to be pretty dirty from the poweramp tube so you may find it doesn't need any extra help

[@pingpongthegreat]

@jesseaustinchannel i assume ur talking about the marshall amp? if so it only has 1 channel, clean. i guess they were trying to show some sort of comparison with the Gain channels of the other amps.

[@DanielProfitt]

Thanks, mate,,,,best review out there....made my decision...

[@MrRFasters]

The fun thing actually is ... within the Fender voicings there are 3 gain stages each for a Champ, a Blackface, a Hot Rod, a Brit combo (ie VOX) & a Brit stack (ie Marshall). End then there are 2 Mesa sounds, there is a super clean Jazz amp (like the old Gibson one) and there is an acoustic amp emulation. So: the Fender has it all, beside a pure tube pre- and post-amp. OKay, I'm not objective, owning the Fender Champ XD ... To your knowledge: I like it better over my Mesa Express 5:25 12".

[@JosephODonnellMusic]

Would love to see the same kind of video but with Bass Amps (:

[@noahr4951]

Now this is sweet. Please remake this. I think maybe the sound and video quality could be improved.

[@vastei13]

thanks, now this is a helpful video!

[@krispatel1]

there are loads of good amp manufacturers for metal. A few include Orange, Mesa and Bogner