Highly recommended, but buy a larger amp
930283
I really like playing this instrument! It is clear that whomever set this instrument up knew what they were doing. Other instruments at this price will often have issues, like a bridge that is too high, improperly spaced strings, a nut that is too high, etc.  This instrument is either manufactured well or the Kennedy luthiers are good at making adjustments. The bow is quite satisfactory. Another review mentioned a warped bow, but mine is quite straight.
My only complaint might be the heavy weight of the instrument, but with a shoulder rest I barely notice a difference. Also, the amp is your typical battery powered practice amp, so the sound you'll get from it is very unsatisfying. You'll want to upgrade quickly to a larger guitar/keyboard/bass amp.
1654348
Recommended by a friend, you won't find a smaller better modeling amplifier than this Yamaha.  If you want to read someone's pro's and con's there's a lot of people who will write you a dissertation.  All I'll tell you is HELL YES great practice amp.

Note:  You can not use this with external speaker cabinets.
212473
When I originally started playing guitar, I purchased a 40w amp that could be adjusted to 20w, and I ended up not playing it much because it is just too loud for the space where I practice.  I went with the 40w because the price point was only $100 more than the Blackstar and other small tube practice amps that I had tried.  More is better, right?  Wrong, when it comes to amps you really have to consider the space that you are going to primarily play in.  Since the amp I was looking for was just for at home practice, I should have went with the lower wattage.  Now that I have the Blackstar, I am really happy and play it all the time.  The amp sounds amazing and I enjoy being able to crank it up and play comfortably.  My only regret is not purchasing it a few years ago.
1412550
This is a very expensive item, but does exactly what I want: processes and outputs high-quality 5.1 sound without requiring a separate amp.  This made sense for me, since I already had a good speaker system that I wanted to continue using.  It required RCA audio cables for each channel, whereas most amps with 5.1 and HDMI support would only output directly to speakers.  So my decision was whether to replace my speakers, or at least the sub/amp that operates them and also get a 5.1 amp with HDMI input...or just get this device from Gefen.

I'm very happy with it...it's compact, keeps cool, looks nice, and works very well.
210667
My amp is actually the Boyuu A9 , which is sold by Douk audio and may be rebadged as a Nobsound, their other trade mark.
I have bought a few things from this company, namely a nice little TPA3116 digital amp that I use with the computer, a phono preamp, the Little Dot MK2  headphone amp.
These single ended EL34 amps are all based on a similar circuit.
They run in pentode ultralinear mode , class A (but people have installed switches to get them to run in tetrode mode - less power but aparently purer sound)
Mine arrived well boxed, looked superb and I had it up and running in minutes.
They come with stock shaguang valves - OE equipment in many guitar amps (my ruby`s that I run are basically these stock tubes)
You can tube roll, but let them burn in first, as the soundstage from the OE tubes is superb.
Lets get a few simple things out of the way.
These amps are best at low to moderate volume.
They will work with any speaker, but are best with those more sensitive than 90db at 1m
They have reasonable bass but if you like your floor to rumble add a powered sub.

These do mids and highs best
The sound is very rich and transparent.
If you are going to use them mainly to sweeten your mp3`s Id suggest sticking a little bear P5 buffer or similar in the signal path
It just sounds much better than direct connection

My wife, who is no audiophile loves the sound of this. She commented on how "rich" it sounded.

As to some of the ranty reviews, - as far as quality control is concerned, I have no issues.
Buy from amazon and get their superb buyer protection
1334409
I have 2 of these amps and love them!  They are totally reliable and put out solid 100 Watts of power with minimal input - ideal for HT use.  I use it to host FM simplex nets here in Southern California and get excellent signal reports feeding it 5 watts from my 897D.  Some people are a bit unsettled when using the SSB setting because the relay chatters (off in the absence of modulation, on when present).  The preamp is very useful for weak signals, adding a little compression to help bring up the weak station's transmission.  The cooling fan works well, but I added some feet and an external USB powered whisperfan (see picture) because of the high summertime temps here in the valley, and I tend to talk a lot.  Mirage is a very well respected brand and I will buy more amps in the future.
801258
From what I gather this is a popular amp to pair with various types of bookshelf speakers in a similar price range. I have it hooked up to a set of Wharfedale Diamonds, and the sound is clear, neutral and accurate in "Direct Mode" or with the bass and treble controls at 12 O'Clock. If you turn off Direct Mode and increase the bass and treble to get a more "tuned" punchy sound. Of course, a lot of audiophiles will turn up their noses at doing this, but the option is there in case you prefer a less neutral sound.

The included remote is a little large because the top portion is meant to be used to control Cambridge's Azur CD player or one of their Apple device docks. If you're not using those, you'll just be using the input and volume controls, which is strange with a remote of this size. The amp is fairly heavy (around 13-14 lbs.) and appears to be well built with one large transformer inside. Some slightly higher wattage amps from some of Cambridge's competitors utilize more than one transformer. I'm not sure if that would make a difference when a 45 watt amp like this.

The amp does not include a phono stage, so if you want to run a turntable you'll probably need a separate outboard unit unless your turntable has a built in one. I already had a couple of stand alone phone stages, so this is no big deal. There is a DAC included with a USB input in the back of the amp. This model is a few years old so most would consider the onboard DAC out of date at this point. It only goes up to 16/48. Nowadays 24/96 or 24/192 is standard, so if having a built in DAC is a big requirement for you, I'd look at something else. If you're just dipping your toe into hi-rez digital audio, you probably don't care too much about that.

One thing I do not like about this amp is the misleading speaker terminals on the back. These are designed to work with bare, stripped copper wire only, according to the fine print in the manual. From pictures, it would be easy to assume these are like the 5-way binding posts that are on nicer speakers these days but that is not the case. I've heard some people say you can make banana plugs work with these posts but I would not count on that. Spade connectors do not work, period. I had a set of nice speaker cables with spades at each end and had to cut off them off at the end of the speaker wire that goes into the amp. Really disappointing, and the bare wire is a lot more of a pain to deal with than other solutions. Oh well.

The price on this can vary as much as $100 or more depending on where you buy, so shop around. If you shop around, this should be cheaper than Cambridge's current Topaz range of amps, which are supposed to be a step below the Azur line. Keep in mind this is an older model that was originally released a few years ago. I'm sure Cambridge will be coming out with the next generation of this model in the near future, so when that happens, it should become more affordable than it is now, even with current discounts through some dealers.

One more: I see a lot of pictures online where people are stacking components on to top of their integrated amps like this one. See all those vents in the top of the unit? They need to breathe or the unit will overheat. If you are stacking components because you have them on a table, dresser, bookshelf, whatever, consider getting an audio rack. Amazon has some inexpensive A/V racks that will do the job.
1284126
I just picked up this little beauty a couple weeks ago from a local guitar shop. I really love the built in 22 amp settings as well as an integrated effects pedal. Saves a ton of money. The 30 watt power supply is plenty of volume for practicing or a small gig.

The only words of caution I would have are this: 1. There isn't a line-out (other than the headphone jack) so you can't use this as just a pre-amp and run it to a sound board or anything; you would have to still get an effects pedal if you needed it for that, 2. It isn't made for huge gigs, 30 watts is plenty of power at home and at church but if you're playing big gigs with a crazy drummer, you're going to want to go with something with some more oomph.

Overall I love this amp. You can't beat the price; so it is a wonderful value and a trusted brand.
4804561
I have been playing guitar for 11 years as a hobbyist and this is the fifth amp I've owned. And the first non-Fender amp I've owned. I bought this from my local Sam Ash, and I really wanted to write a review, especially after seeing a couple of the negative reviews here. So first of I want to talk about its tone, the PAF Infinite Shape Feature shifts from and American Style Tube to a British Style Tube and any mix of the two. At zero you are at 100% American and you get a tight sound very Fender-ish in my opinion. At 10 you are at 100% British sound and you get a darker warmer crunchy woody sound, more of a Marshall-ish feel. The ISF works on both clean and dirty. It has full EQ that actually boosts or cuts the respective Bass Mid or Treble, which in turn boosts or cuts the overall volume (a trate of tube amps). Which brings me to my next point. One of the previous reviews says that the amp is "only half tube". I am not sure if this is true or not, however other companies like Orange boast about hybrid tube/solid state amps. Seems odd Blackstar wouldn't say anything about that. But more to the point, all effects pedals are transistors and chips so you're interfering with the electrical signal anyway, the only way to get an entirely tube signal with high gain distortion is to crank the amp really, really loud, like Hendrix levels of loud. So as with all tubes to get really good metal distortion at a low volume you do need a decent Drive or Distortion Pedal, However the HT-5R does really well without. I bought a Joyo Vintage Overdrive (it's an awesome TS9 clone) to boost the Drive channel and to give more of a drive range at lower volumes and on the the clean channel. I live in an appartment with thin walls and this amp is playable at low enough volumes that no one complains!
On the Flip Side, This amp gets pretty loud, I will be testing it with my drummer soon to see if it holds up there, but if it doesn't a 1x12 extention cab can be used, there are three output ports on the back of the amp: 1x16 Ohm, 1x8 Ohm, 2x16 Ohm. The 1x8 and 2x16 are the only two that can be used together, and when used to together they both function as 1x16 Ohm. The previous comment that said this you can't use the internal speaker with an extension cab did not read the entire manual, the internal speaker goes into the 1x16 when used by itself and the 1x8 when used with an extension. This combo is identical in specifications to the HT-5R head. So you can make a cute little mini stack if needed. I bought this amp to replace my Fender Mustang, which is the most versatile solid state amp that exists. But the Mustang line doesn't really do Non-Fender tones right, especially hard metal style distortion, so I went on the hunt for an upgrade and the guys at Sam Ash showed me the HT-40 and HT-5R and that was the end of it, I really wanted a Tube and the versatility this little monster has is extraordinary! I still haven't covered everything about this amp, but it's not for lack of trying. Buy the amp, it's awesome, people who say it's not are stuck on their band names, but you can't beat what this amp has to offer!

So for a review:

TONE: 10
LOUDNESS: 9
VERSATILITY OF VOLUME: 8
VERSATILITY OF TONES: 10
INTERACTIONS WITH PEDALS: 10
EXPANDABLITY: 9
LOOKS: 10
EASE OF USE: 10
780784
This is a great little amp, and surprisingly powerful. It's very clean sounding, like the more expensive Fishman amps, but still quite small. I've played an outdoor picnic and at church with it so far, using a mid size Martin guitar and SM58, and I'm very pleased with the purchase. Definitely the best acoustic amp on the market for the money IMO.
3185336
I really want to give this a 5 star rating, but can't. I picked mine up used and overall, it works really well. It came with a set of JJ powertubes. I haven't checked the preamp tubes yet, but will tear it apart soon for a good cleaning. After playing for over 30 minutes, it'll randomly start to crackle a bit and the sound level will drop significantly. If I play with the volume knobs, I can usually get the sound to normalize. I'm guessing I need to check my tubes. Also, my Peavey light doesn't work. There's a short in wire somewhere. So aside from those anomalies, the amp is great for metal. Out of the box, the clean channel isn't that spectacular and I'm thinking I may have to swap out a preamp tube on the clean channel with something that'll produce less breakup. I'm sure the bias mod would help too. This amp shines in the lead channel. Alone, the lead channel produces a nice, in your face, metal tone with the pre gain set to 6.5. I went a step further and modded my Boss MT-2 with the Monte Allums Tri Gain Sustainia mod. I'm running the pedal strictly as a booster and therefore have the distortion set to 0. The level is sitting at 3:00. The pre gain on the amp is at 10:00 (4) and this is by far the best distortion sound I've ever come across. I also have a Digitech RP1000 that I have set up using the 4 cable method. Overall, I love this setup, but I still have some work to do with the amp.
662843
Although I got mine used, I want to pass on my observations and impressions. It's bigger than it seems in the pix. Roughly 2x2x1 and sturdy. There are several features setting it apart from older models and makes. The power cord removes and is exactly a computer power cord ... if you loose it, no problem, take it off when transporting and you won't trip over the cord like most amps. The single input can be for active electronics or normal. The RCA CD input has no volume control, but it's nice to be able to play along with a recording or radio. The Effects SEND also functions as a Line Out so you can feed another amp or monitor. I have not used the XLR line out but just be assured that this amp is quite versatile. 4 Tone controls are more than enough to hear what you want to. Turning it up to 6, the deep and powerful bass notes almost made me dizzy and several things vibrated off my shelves and fell to the floor before I realized how loud it was.... is that cool! Just don't set your beer on it while you're rehearsing. Read other reviews as well, but I wanted to say what was NOT said in other reviews. This is an excellent amp for $350 (got mine Used @ $180) and it literally 'blows' away other amps I've used over the years!
1978368
After a few hours playing with my new HT-1R, I think the sound of this amp is fantastic, and the ISF feature permits a very wide range of different tones.  However, the amp really cannot handle large amounts of overdrive (nor is it meant to). Using the "clean" channel gets very nice traditional blues tones.  Keeping the gain at noon or below while adjusting the volume on the "overdrive" channel gets some really good hard rock tones. More than that on the overdrive channel, though, there is too much noise to make it worthwhile, especially if the volume is past noon as well.

The amp is very good for what it does (overdriven tube sounds at low volumes), but it is not meant as a high gain amp and falls down in this area. There are some reviews online that claim the amp gives a good high gain tone when both gain and volume are cranked all the way on the overdrive channel.  In my experience this is not the case.  This is not a knock against the amp, but personally I have had more enjoyment out of it when keeping my expectations in line with what it can deliver.

Quality wise, the amp seems well made, with a few small gripes.  The power cable is a little loose in the back of the unit (this happened in two of these amps that I had), and the cloth covering the speaker is not really taut (as it is on some of my other amps, even lower-priced ones).  I don't think it would take much abuse, but again as a bedroom/practice amp it should be fine.
1154817
Love this amp! I'm using it to drive two Aura Shakers wired in series. It does an excellent job powering the devices and has exellent bass response.

I've used the front aux input as a headphone amplifier - using 1/4 to 1/8 cable from my receiver to the amp and using my Sennheiser 650s from the dayton 1/4 out. The sound stage is lovely, bass isn't muddy, treble has great clarity. Well worth the price considering most amps this size have a very low quality build or have output wattages which are far lower
4212092
I connected it to a pair of quality bookshelf speakers and was delighted (with both the speakers -- which had been connected to an inferior amp before -- and the Lepai). And the interface: three smooth-acting knobs and an on/off switch. Could anything make more sense? Did I mention the cool blue light that surrounds the volume control? All in all, a truly worthwhile little amp that I recommend without reservation.
3827339
Great amplifier! I'm using it in bridge mode to drive a large subwoofer (1200 watts rms at 8 ohms) and it has no problem keeping cool or with clipping. There is still plenty of headroom left in bridge mode. I used it in stereo mode to test it out right away with two loudspeakers (500 watts rms each at 8 ohms) and drove them pretty well, even though the amp comes in at 400 rms per channel at 8 ohms. No complaints, just know how deep this amp is, because I had to modify the back of my rack slightly for this to fit. All in all, I will buy again if needed! It would be nice if the fan were thermostatic, but it's not overly loud. I would compare this to a Crown XLS 2502, just a little simpler...and half the price!
1572666
I purchased this amp while looking for a small "beat around" practice amp and the portability caught my attention (it also runs on 6 AA batteries, which gives you about 5 - 6 hours of use on batteries (depending on how it's used of course, which is pretty damn amazing).
I looked into some reviews and researched the product, but never actually heard it before I made the purchase, but I was aware of the Roland brand and their quality having played through their other "big" amps (Keyboard and guitar).
It actually turned out to be one of the best purchases I've ever made.  I can't speak for it's lifespan considering it's only been a month, but this little amp impressed and continues to impress me.  It is much louder than I expected, considering it's rated output is only 2W RMS through a 5" speaker.
With the built-in effects (chorus, phaser, flanger, delay) and different amp models ranging from "Acoustic clean" to "Ozzy overdrive".  This amp is equivalent to the Marshall MG series and Fender Mustang series, but much smaller and portable.  It also takes up much less space than it's competitors and I strongly recommend this product to anyone looking for a practice amp.  An AC adapter is included, but batteries are not included, so I would suggest looking into a rechargeable AA (6pack) set for those who want to play outdoors often where no "juice" is available.
I guarantee this amp will impress you.