Katana 100 v Marshall DSL5cr v blackstar ht-5 mkii ?

blacknblack

I’ve got the katana but I can’t help wanting a tube combo.  I want to make this my last amp decision for many years!

I’ve narrowed my choice down to these three.  I live miles away from shop so testing them isn’t possible. I’ve got a MIM strat and a epiphone Les Paul.  I mainly play rock ACDC, Zep, Sabbath, Pink Floyd etc.  I don’t play out at all so am attracted to the lower power options on all three of these amps.  Just want an amp for decent tones at home volumes.  I realise it’s subjective but ...

anyone got an opinion or advise?

Thanks

olafgarten

blacknblack said:

I’ve got the katana but I can’t help wanting a tube combo.  I want to make this my last amp decision for many years!

I’ve narrowed my choice down to these three.  I live miles away from shop so testing them isn’t possible. I’ve got a MIM strat and a epiphone Les Paul.  I mainly play rock ACDC, Zep, Sabbath, Pink Floyd etc.  I don’t play out at all so am attracted to the lower power options on all three of these amps.  Just want an amp for decent tones at home volumes.  I realise it’s subjective but ...

anyone got an opinion or advise?

Thanks

I don't think either of these will sound as good as the Katana at home volumes. 

markslade07

The Katana is great at home....in a full band setting, it appears to be a different matter. Also, don’t forget with the Katana you can download loads of additional presets so you can change the sound to your hearts content

LordOxygen

I have a dsl5c (non r version) and with the power reduction button pressed along with the deep switch it sounds great at low (bedroom) levels, both clean and gain channels. 
The FX loop is very decent as well. 
I dont like the katanas, they feel cheap where as the marshall and the blackstar do not. Shallow of me i know.

Depends if you want the flexibility of a modelling amp or a proper valve amp. If the latter then the Marshal is the choice as the Blackstar is a hybrid.

Only way to be sure is to demo them and decide for yourself.

Theres a black star and a marshal in the classifieds at the moment, both under £200. At they price you can't really go wrong. 

dazzajl

Buy something you really love the look of. Because folks have said, unless you’re going to push a substantial amount of air, the Katana will sound bigger and more complete. 

I used to carry a hefty prejudice against digital amps but these days, it’s all I use at home and that’s with some stunning valve amps to use too. 

That said, the current Vox AC10 gets nothing but praise from all quarters......

munckee

Super champ x 2 is bit of both worlds, I've never been amazed by them but only tried them for a few minutes.  Owners seem to really like them.

pintspiller

Of your listed choices I'd go for the DSL5.

I don't think I've tried a Katana, but I prefer the 1w DSL over a 1w HT. 5w versions could be different

blacknblack

Thanks for all your comments. Much appreciated. think the Marshall is most appealing.  Just hope it’s significantly better than the Katana

HandwrittenHero

My DSL5C is getting picked up tomorrow morning by it's new owner hopefully. Amp has served me really well. Pop in a greenback speaker if you've got one around and it's spot on classic rock territory. Although the stock speaker is also fine, just brighter and a bit fizzy for my liking under higher gain.

If you've got a few more pennies around though...the reason mines off is because I managed to grab one of the 50th anniversary combos...the Plexi one, but pick your poison. They're 1w switching down to 0.1w...for me it's just that little bit more neighbour friendly and the 1w mode still moves enough air to have real balls to it. I'd really suggest tracking down one of those if you're hoping for an amp to last years.

Alternatively, a tweed champ type of amp...Much more difficult to find one that will play nice at home volume (seriously...5w and 8in speaker don't care, it's loud) probably the most fun I've had with an amp is when I can crank my 57 champ properly. I've never got round to trying a tone king gremlin, but if it does what it says on the tin with attenuation that could be a good bet.

monquixote

The Katana is a really nice sounding amp so don't expect either of the alternatives to sound radically better.

I'd probably avoid the Marshall because it has a 10" speaker and I'm yet to hear a small combo with a 10" speaker that sounded good.

The other option you could consider is a Jet City as they are great and stupid cheap.

monquixote

I think it's interesting that there is an HT 5 for sale in the classifieds by someone who is keeping a Katana.

fretmeister

Home use- katana all day. 

HandwrittenHero

monquixote said:

I think it's interesting that there is an HT 5 for sale in the classifieds by someone who is keeping a Katana.

From the looks of that ad it’s because he values being able to play out with the Katana - user here is looking purely for best tone at home.

impmann

The HT-5 mk2 has a 12 in speaker, totally different voicing (and circuitry), designed by a completely different guy (Paul Stevens) And sounds dramatically different to the mk1 in the classifieds.

But hey, let’s wait for the usual Blackstar negativity from the same corners...

crunchman

HandwrittenHero said:

monquixote said:

I think it's interesting that there is an HT 5 for sale in the classifieds by someone who is keeping a Katana.

From the looks of that ad it’s because he values being able to play out with the Katana - user here is looking purely for best tone at home.

As a former HT5 owner, get a Katana.  It just sounds better.

If you want a 5W valve amp, the VHT Special 6 sounds a lot better than an HT5, although you will probably need a pedal for drive.

blacknblack

Well thank you all for your opinions, all of which were very helpful.

I decided on the Marshall DSL5CR.   I’ve had it a couple of days.  It sounds great to me.  I’ve done a bit of AB with the katana.  I think the katana is a great amp especially for the money.  But I can certainly hear the difference in the Marshall.  (And hopefully that’s not just me trying to justify the purchase to myself).  To my ears I get a warmer tone and it really accentuates the dynamics in my pick attack.  Actually, in a way it exposes lots of weakness in my playing.  Maybe the katana is more forgiving.  Anyway, at my stage of learning the guitar I now think that I would have missed out on a lot of opportunity had I not bought a valve amp.  Well we will see!

There will most likely my a FS: Katana 100  (mint condition) if anyone is interested.  

HandwrittenHero

Grats on the new amp. I didn’t sell mine because I was unhappy with it so much as the JMP1C being even more neighbour friendly and me leaning towards my tweed champ when I could turn it up a bit more. Too many amps stepping on each other’s toes and you’re talking amps at multiples of the price.

If you wind up wanting a warmer, more classic rock sound still I’d really give two thumbs up to popping a greenback speaker in. Takes about 10 minutes with a screwdriver and completely reversible. Not mandatory by any means though. If you know anyone with a cab which has greenbacks in you can even road test it that way first!

Regarding responsiveness - valve amps will definitely give you that. Although the tech is definitely coming on elsewhere and my Yamaha THR10C surprised me for just how good a job it does as a late night practice amp that still lets me know when I’m too sloppy.