Not a real tube overdrive

[SonicExplorer]

The HT5 is definitely NOT a tube amp in the traditional sense. It uses cascaded gain stages of a chip/feedback circuit. That much I know from glancing at the schematics and talking with other boutique amp builders. It has less to do with the rumor of a diode clipping and more to do with boost, somewhat like the result of slamming a preamp tube with an overdrive pedal (drive on zero, level on 10). But having said all that, the HT5 does a tremendous job, especially at the price point. It offers a rediculous amount of tone and features for the money. In other words, the HT5 offers a great VALUE.

If an the HT5 was A/B compared against a comparable real all-tube 5 watt tube amp, you'd hear the difference. Is the avearge bedroom player going to notice or care? Probably not. But for people who've been playing real tube amps for years, or people who want a low-wattage amp for high-quality recording purposes, the HT5 might fall short. But even then, not by a whole lot. And FWIW, you'll also hear a bigger difference at louder volumes, which is somewhat counter to the purpose of a 5W amp anyway. So again, it's all about a balance of intended purpose vs. VALUE.

Sonic

[darkirish]

After a few hours analizing the lead channel signal path with a oscilloscope I found that the HT5 distortion is not a result from the 12AX7 saturation but from a ingenious ampops/diodes simulator.

I switch the stock 12ax7 for a Tung Sol and it made a huge difference in my sound, just better with that one (also try a Sovtek 12ax7LPS got a different sound too), So I believe that the 12ax7 had something to do in the overall sound of the amp.