I have played both of them and whilst I like them both, I believe that the Clean Channel of the Orange is far superior to that of the Blackstar and whilst the Blackstar overdrive is more like what I am used to using, I also could happily get used to the dirty channel on the TH30. It is far more my kind of sound than the Tiny Terror is. I grew up playing Fat Wreck Chords type punk rock and whilst I'm quite good at it, I have never really progressed far beyond that level of punk/metal. I really want to start learning how to do epic metal solos and some more interesting metal, thrash, sludge etc. I do play more clean music nowadays (although never really progressed beyond playing Britpop/Ska/Sublime etc) and also want to improve my clean playing.
Although the HT5 is cheaper, I am not bothered about the price difference and actually consider the TH30 to be reasonably well priced. My problem is that I want whatever amp I buy to be good enough at bedroom levels whilst also having the option to use it for gigs. I was in a punk/metal crossover band before but am unlikely to be in one for a while, although might have one-off appearances here and there. Anyhow, I would like the option to use my amp in both environments but the bedroom is where 99% of the action is gonna be
With that in mind, I would like to know what your thoughts are on playing the TH30 at bedroom level. I know the HT5 can do it well but if the TH30 is also good at low volumes then I will probably choose it. For instance, if I by-pass two of the tubes and play at 7W, will I be able to play without annoying the whole apartment complex whilst also getting a good tone out of the amp?
Please let me know your thoughts. In the meantime I will keep playing the Micro Crush I bought this weekend to quell the GASing!
