Boss Katana Head ......whadda we think?

SimonC

It all starts to sound familiar if you own a Volkswagen

ICBM

monquixote said:

Yes, but the clean power of a valve amp is meaningless because people don't run them clean. 

For both solid state amps and valve amps the clean sine wave power is of little or no use.

They are not meaningless, they are an exact physical measurement - and they are more use than none. Any *proper* 100W amp - valve or solid-state - will have enough clean headroom to be used with drummer. And a lot of people do use powerful valve amps clean, at least in the power stage, exactly for that reason.

If you allow companies to exaggerate the actual power output as well, where does it stop? At what point do you say that the claim is misleading from a marketing point of view?

If it's fine for guitar amps, what else should manufacturers be allowed to just make up performance figures for based on conditions which don't apply to how the product will be used?

monquixote

The distance to the sun in smoots might be an exact physical measurement, but it's still of no use to me.

The measurement that someone like Roland uses does have a meaning it just isn't the one you have decided they should use.

Amp wattage tells you practically nothing about the sound pressure level and perceived loudness you are going to generate in a typical gig and even if you use the same measurement SS and valve aren't comparable so who cares.

paul_c2

monquixote said:

The distance to the sun in smoots might be an exact physical measurement, but it's still of no use to me.

The measurement that someone like Roland uses does have a meaning it just isn't the one you have decided they should use.

Amp wattage tells you practically nothing about the sound pressure level and perceived loudness you are going to generate in a typical gig and even if you use the same measurement SS and valve aren't comparable so who cares.

I think its fair enough that a buyer would compare a 50W Boss amp, with a 50W Line 6 (or Marshall, or Fender, or Vox, etc etc) amp when comparing which amplifier they might buy, and especially when comparing price vs performance. The problem comes when comparing volume level, since none of the amp manufacturers seem keen on quoting a standardised SPL at a set distance away, which would give an accurate measurement of the loudness. And it gets worse still, when comparing amp heads instead of combos. Is it reasonable to go into a music shop and insist the amplifier is cranked up to full volume? It might be weeks before the amp is needed at that level anyway, meaning a return is problematic (and based on something subjective anyway, without proper measuring equipment).

I don't know why some of these YouTubers such as Anderton Music Co don't actually have a decibel meter when they're doing amp comparisons, it would be more meaningful than a person's subjective opinion on its loudness/suitability, useful though this can be.

Thus, all we have to go on is the wattage, which must relate to something rather than be plucked out of the air. I'd love to know how Boss can justify a 100W music output, when the electrical power input is 47W.

ICBM

You're missing the point. Just because something is not directly related doesn't mean it's no use. While it's true that perceived loudness isn't directly dependent on amp power for a variety of reasons, it's not *unrelated* either. And output power is a properly physically measurable characteristic, using a standard which as existed for a very long time - changing that standard makes things worse, not better.

If you were in the market for a car, and its performance mattered to you, would it be OK for the manufacturer to use a different measurement of engine power than the accepted BHP standard? Would it be OK if a car claimed to produce say 250HP was actually only capable of 120? Even though it's absolutely true that real-world car performance depends on a large range of other factors.

No - it would not just be unacceptable, I think it would probably be illegal. And I bet you wouldn't be happy if you bought one, if performance was one of the deciding factors.

So why allow guitar amp makers to get away with exaggerating for marketing purposes?

Sassafras

I like to know what I'm getting when I buy an amp so I prefer to know what the clean power rating is.
Some amp makers go even further and quote clean power and maximum power. That's a lot more helpful than being left to guess whether an amp can keep up with a drummer and a loud bass player or not.

Beexter

On paper, I though this looked pretty good, along the lines of a Roland Cube but in head form. Having previously owned and enjoyed both a Cube 60 and 80XL, I thought this could have been a great evolution.

 Having listened to the demo, however, it didn't float my boat at all.

Cabicular

why does it have a 5 inch speaker?

Sassafras

Cabicular said:

why does it have a 5 inch speaker?

I suppose so you can use it as a practice amp but it does seem like a gimmick.

ICBM

Sassafras said:

Cabicular said:

why does it have a 5 inch speaker?

I suppose so you can use it as a practice amp but it does seem like a gimmick.

I would think it's better than a gimmick - it will be quieter and less bassy than running it through a proper cab so it will be a practical home-practice solution.

I actually like it, apart from the top-mounted controls and the spurious power output claim.

andyoz

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mark123

Is this better than the blackstar id core100 ? ,as I'm torn between that and the katana, but the reviews seem to say the katana takes pedals well, but no info on blackstar ?sorry to o.p if going off track with this question but the blackstar won best budget amp in guitar and bass mag awards