Since I didn't have a more fractional rating system, I resorted to giving this small amp a 3.0/5.0, though the grade should have probably been slightly higher, given the price point (but not a full 3.5, mind you). Why?
Well, on the plus side, the Joyo MA-10E is:
- Decently equipped for its price, providing both a clean and an overdrive channel, as well as a Gain control.
- Rather decently sounding on the overdrive channel, especially if you use it on batteries (it uses 6 AA batteries), which eliminates the inherent noise that these amps seem to have when plugged in an outlet.
- Easy to use and understand.
- Among the few mini amps to come with an included power adapter (see how expensive these can be for other brands).
On the minus side, though, the Joyo MA-10E is:
- Very quiet for its supposed power. A Spark Go, for example, which is 1/4 its size, will sound about two times louder (I know these are different brands, but why take up so much size with a speaker you won't use?). This is very visible on the clean channel which is very weak, even compared to smaller amps.
- Kind of bland, especially since it lacks any kind of reverb.
- Pretty noisy on outlet power, so you might consider a noise gate.
- Mediocrely built, which is something you'd expect from a plastic amp. It doesn't look bad at all, but you won't have any great surprises either. My main problem was with the foil that was meant to protect the device and which ended up blocking its knobs and buttons.
- Prone to having its on/off button switched, as it is poorly placed. Not a problem if you run on outlet power, definitely a problem if you run on batteries.
All in all, for this fantastic price, the Joyo MA-10E is a great bargain, just don't expect too much of it.
