Is a 22 watt tube amp suitable for home use?

[HedonismBot]

Hi all,
I just got an opportunity to buy a used DRRI head for a really good price. I've been wanting a tube amp for a while now (my first amp was a Blues Jr copy, sometimes I miss that thing). The problem is, even though I'd like to start jamming again someday, I'm currently not in a band and for home use this wattage seem to be a bit of an overkill. I know there are volume pedals and such, but I'd strongly prefer not to buy any unnecessary paraphernalia. Is it silly to get a 22 watt tube amp and not enjoy it's full potential? Can I even get a nice tube drive out of this thing without scaring anyone? It's been a while since I owned a tube amp but, if memory serves, my old Junior copy was 15 watts and I used to get a nice drive out of it without bothering the neighbors... So far I've heard mixed opinions on 22 watts. Your thoughts?

P.S: If you're wondering what my definition of "bedroom volumes" is - I've been using a Champ 30 DSP lately and I barely ever turn the volume knob past 3.

[sookwinder]

does your home have 20 acres of land and separate wings with sound proof walls?

22 valve watts is damn loud.
If I am playing just for myself (not recording) at home I use a 5w VC

[andy_tchp]

DRRIs are damn loud. Most of your street will know if you've fired it up if using natural overdrive.

I have a dead on clone of a BF Princeton Reverb (12-14W, 1x10" combo) and live on acreage. Even that would be too loud getting 'tube overdrive' sounds without being a bit anti-social. Last time it was doing that was on the back of a truck at an outdoor gig.

[Trout]

5 is more than enough imho. I think my neighbours would agree too

[jthomas]

I got a 68 Custom Deluxe a few years ago at a good price and play at home. Volume is typically at 2-1/2 so I am not cranking it. It sounds great. YMMV.

[JSett]

I bought a DDRI for home. Too loud.

Swapped it for a Princeton. Too loud

Now on a 5w VibroChamp. It's still kinda too loud but I can deal with it...or rather, my wife and neighbors can.

[Embenny]

Honestly, anything over 2 watts is probably too loud to get power tube distortion out of in a small room without risking hearing damage.

I've had 5-watt tube amps that I had to rely on preamp distortion with. My Traynor Dark Horse had a 2W mode, and even then, I had to give it a little preamp juice to drive it at bedroom levels.

I suppose you might find a really inefficient speaker to make 5W work, but if you must have power amp saturation at bedroom levels, an attenuator and single-digit wattage amp are your friends.

[Unicorn Warrior]

If you’re playing clean and getting distortion from pedals? Yeah. IMO it works. But like others have said..if you’re looking to get the natural drive, you’re going to kill your ears.

With that said, if you don’t have luxury of have 2 amps and need it for home setting and live, then the DRRI is a good practical medium for both if you learn how to utilize pedals etc.

[Larry Mal]

It's a very good amp, I would like to buy another.

So, if you feel you might use it in a band setting down the road, great, for now you can get an attenuator and saturate it with volumes you and your neighborhood can stand.

I have a built in one on my lemon of an amplifier, but you can buy them for other amplifiers like this one (assuming the DRRI has an effects loop which I forget):

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail ... attenuator

Anyway, that might give you the best of both worlds.

Edit: I see now that a DRRI does not have an effects loop, so my advice isn't particularly strong. Maybe it'll be useful if you like the concept and consider another amp, though, so I'll leave it up.

And regardless, if this price is good, well, it's a very good amp.

[HNB]

My newest one is a 1 watt dirty channel 1/2 watt clean and it is loud enough for my living room. (And it won't piss off my neighbors or kill my hearing.)

Those little Orange amps that are like 5 watts I think are plenty loud for at home. 20 is probably more volume than I need at home. That is probably loud enough for a small club.

[tdbajus]

I've tried a couple of attenuators, and really couldn't dig on any of them, until I tried one of Gerald Weber's (Kendrick) Solo 7 amps.

My old neighbors' living room was about 6 feet from my garage, and even my Vibro Champ was bugging them, so I got one of those Marshall JTM-1 amps. Now they cost a million dollars; back when you could actually buy them they were giving them away. I think I got mine for half price, and the salesman looked visibly relieved to get it out of his stock room.

It sounds pretty good playing it, but for some reason, that one watt bastard sounds absolutely incredible recorded. It also has a ridiculous amount of spongy compression.

I was intrigued, and got a deal on a Solo 7. It's the same basic idea, but instead of running a 12AU7 it drives one or two 12BH7 tubes in push pull. It's much tighter - i think it's supposed to feel like a smaller Super. The attenuator that's built in sounds amazing.

It's about the same volume as a black Princeton, but can go down to one watt levels and still sound great.

[HedonismBot]

Hey everyone, thank you very much for your responses! For better or worse, the amp sold tonight (1 day before I could get to it)... $550... Mint condition

[Fiddy]

I got a 50 watt amp in my bedroom.

[andy_tchp]

I suppose you might find a really inefficient speaker to make 5W work, but if you must have power amp saturation at bedroom levels, an attenuator and single-digit wattage amp are your friends.

Inefficient speaker is key. Now I remember I have one of these:
https://www.musiciansfriend.com/amplifi ... r-amp-head

1/4W!

I had to modify it with pots to make use of the tone stack (to turn the awful overkill bass down) but paired with one of those cheap Vox cabinets that came with with a Greenback it's usable at 'home' volumes (ie conversation). Sounds nothing like a DRRI though, but probably could be useful for recording.

Man I really need to sell off some of this extra 'stuff' I have lying around. I'm not even in a band at the moment.

[MattK]

I got a 50 watt amp in my bedroom.

go hard *and* go home!