Yamaha THR5 V2

You've probably read tons of great reviews about the THR5, and indeed I agree with all of them in terms of sound quality, clarity, versatility, design, and so on. However, I want to add here a point of view about something not a lot of people share: recording via USB. As you know, you can connect your THR5 to a computer and use it as an audio interface for recording. If you're looking for a really minimal setup for your home studio (like I was), I'm sad to share that the THR5 doesn't do a good job in this area.

If you want to record one of the processed sounds of the amp ("clean", "crunch", "lead", etc, which are send through input signals 1 and 2), you might be happy with the outcome. However, if you want to use a digital amp sim like the ones from your DAW or NeuralDSP plugins, for example, you may prefer to use the DI inputs (3 and 4). Despite THR5's Impressive low latency, here are the main problems:

The output signal for DI is very low, and there's nothing you can do to control the gain for DI. All the settings for master, volume, and gain control affect only the processed sounds, not the DI. In my case, my guitar signal was peaking at -34db when recording, which is pretty low, creating a bad signal to noise ratio. When compared to Focusrite Scarlett Solo, for example, the difference in quality is gigantic, so I recommend you to use a proper audio interface for better sound recording instead of the THR5.

All in all, I really like this Amp for daily practice. I just had the wrong expectations in mind for recording when I bought it.

Only one word: great!

I use this amp for home practice and recording of demos.
This is a good amp under every aspect. Plenty of words of appreciation have been written over the years and I agree with every single one of them.
Sounds great and the modeled amps and effects provide all the basic options you need for practice and simple recordings.
The drivers' installation on PC is straightforward and no issues whatsoever have emerged while recording with Cubase (included with the amp) and other popular software.
The building quality is flawless and the amp is so compact and light that you can play literally wherever you want.
Only feature I miss: bass/mid/treble knobs available right on the amp (but you have to consider the size); anyway they can be set using the PC application (which offers extended settings and options).

For practicing guitar at home, at low-to-moderate volume levels, it makes a whole lot of sense to have a small desktop amplifier that would project the sound more or less at the player's face, making the experience much more pleasant than when using a regular combo, which would usually be placed at (or even below) the player's knee level. It was truly ingenious — and also rather bold! — of Yamaha to release the THR (a.k.a. The Third Amp) series, which has since inspired a multitude of copycats. The THR5 not only looks right at home on my desk (like a vintage radio), but it also sounds great! It was, to my knowledge, co-developed with the Yamaha's Hi-Fi department, so it is not by accident that it sounds as good as a stereo loudspeaker as it does as a guitar amplifier. I connect it to my laptop and use it for watching movies and listening to music. Yes, the transducers in the THR5 are rather small, but they are still much larger than the ones in my laptop, so the low frequency response is greatly improved. As an amplifier, it is rather simple. The biggest shortcomings (for me) are the lack of separate treble and bass controls (it only has a single knob, labeled “Tone”) and the difficult-to-dial-in tremolo effect (even at its lowest setting, it is still too fast for my liking). The latter issue, however, could likely be resolved with the THR Editor software (I have not had the time to download it yet). The built-in chromatic tuner is as basic as it gets, but it gets the job done; and the tap tempo function is a nice touch. I only wish it worked for the tremolo too, not just for the delay. When it comes to reverbs, the hall sounds great, but I found the spring to be somewhat underwhelming. First of all, it seems a little bit “darker” than what I am used to hearing from my Fender. Secondly, it lacks the so-called “drip”. For the price, it is great, but do not expect it to replace a real spring unit. Summing up my review, I can say that the THR is well built for what it costs, the only potential weak point being the power supply. The problem is that the THR5 uses a DC power supply (similar to what old laptops used to come with) instead of the usual IEC cable. And not only that: it is also 15 volts, making it more or less proprietary (most pedal power supplies are 9, 12, or 18 volts), and it connects to a PCB-mounted power jack. Since I keep my THR5 on my desk and never move it, it is not an issue, but if you intend to be carrying it around, you will have to be careful. Mind you, it is the case with nearly all practice amplifiers that can also be battery powered: Roland Mobile Cube, Boss Dual Cube LX, etc. Another problem with a bulky power supply is that you have to carry more things: not just the amplifier and the power cable, but also a rather hefty “power brick”. But for me, the biggest flaw by far of this lovely amplifier is one of its trademark features — when you turn the unit on, two orange LEDs behind the speaker grille gradually turn on, producing a tube-like glow. It does look nice, and it sets the THR5 apart from all the others, but for someone like myself, who enjoys playing in the dark while watching movies, having it glow next to my laptop screen is a big distraction. I suppose, I could remove the LEDs or stick some black tape over them if I really wanted to, but I wish I were able to switch them on and off. Other than the aforementioned flaws, the THR5 is the highest quality, the best sounding, and the most practical practice amplifier that I have ever owned!

Excellent amp, I leave in an apartment and I use it to practice almost every day. It's much more convenient than my big amp, I recommend it especially if you don't have that much space where you leave and if you want to be able to practice at a reasonable volume.
It's simple to use, I play mostly blues but the amp is versatile enough to accommodate all kinds of musical styles.
As usual with Yamaha, the product looks pretty solid, I think it will last.
And I love the "retro" look !