Ok, disclaimer first - I run my amps as clean pedal platforms. Dirt of any kind comes from various pedals so this post is not aimed at people who want any kind of gain from their amps, because in that context, I agree - valve amps do sound crap at low volume.
But (and it may be my philistine ears), I have never thought a clean valve amp running at low volume sounds bad. I hear a lot of folk talking about how they so "thin and weak" when quiet, but they "come alive" when they get past a certain volume. Again, don't know if they're running their amps dead clean like me, but I've never thought any of my valve amps sounded bad, even at very low volume.
And I'm running a wet/dry rig with an AC15 and Fender Pro Reverb (switched down to 12.5W). The volumes on both barely past 9 o'clock.
Am I alone?
Do they sound better louder - well yeah obviously, but I suspect a large amount of that is due to the impact of the sheer volume and resonance itself.
Thoughts?
Comments
There are a few amps that sound a bit shit really quiet, but most sound fine and it's absolute volume that really matters which is true also for solid state etc.
I think you also have to consider that when some people say "quiet" they mean like "can still hear the strings" quiet which just never works for any amp really other than THR / Roland Cube type things.
My DSL 40CR sounds really good at fairly sensible levels.
Even more controversial opinion, most flat out cranked amps sound shit.
On the flip side my hearing is weird in that I find the louder something is, the less detail I can hear - I inhabit a very quiet world where I speak softly and even the noise of cupboard doors closing can make me jump so it's horses for courses.
You have two lovely amps with great clean sounds so they will sound good - and you sound happy with them so all power to you
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Has to be said though I don't bother because I just run pedals through a JC40 which is super clean, much easier to control at lower volumes and the only difference in sound is due to the speakers but at that volume it's pretty irrelevant.
Even with the wattage argument of using lower wattage amps for lower volume.
I've personally never found a low wattage valve amp to do what I need as well as a higher wattage one turned down to the same level.
I do 90% of my playing at levels most would find obscenely low.
For example my wife can come in my room and talk over it with only a slightly raised voice.
If they will.also be used at the kinds of volumes they were designed or expected to be operated at then that's different - the physical response is harder to replicate when used like that.
My Mesa Trem-o-verbs - 100W, with two V30s - sounded good at right down to guitar-string volume. Of course they sounded even better turned up a bit, but still nowhere near crap at 'bedroom' volume (if I could have got them up the stairs!). I never turned them up full usually - I did sometimes use attenuation, but even then there was a point beyond where they didn't sound as good as a bit quieter.
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My little Fender Mustang I is actually more satisfying to play at even fairly loud house (75-80dB a few feet away) volumes. Through a big cab, even more so.
I'll talk about how it relates to recording.
Most people here haven't tracked low volume amps next to high volume amps under ideal conditions and compared once level matched.
I have, as have a few others here.
Tracking louder means you get more power amp and more speaker.
Lower volume is mostly preamp.
I prefer tracking louder, there is a fullness to the sound that you can't simply EQ into the track.
You also get more feedback which is always awesome.
Then there is the aesthetic difference between a 100w Marshall wound up vs something like a Champ or a Princeton.
The blown out sound of a smaller amp is very characterful but it doesn't suit all genres.
It is a bit of a rabbit hole to go down though and when I practice it is mostly a Princeton style amp with pedals for gain.
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With attenuators I can do this to record and rehearse and gig at any volume I like and no they don't sound crap. you cant replace the physics of a really loud amp in the room with the guitar there close to it and you never will.
I keep my amps under the stairs in a large cupboard. There's a mic in there I can put on any of the 3 amps and I monitor that through my DAW. It occurred to me that anyone who wanted a similar setup who didn't have a cupboard could just build a large box and put it in the garden. Maybe even dig a large hole for the box. install a couple of cabs and some mics and cover it back over. I might do that myself