Yamaha THR5 vs THR10 

We are going to compare the latest guitar amps from Yamaha that are targeted at a very specific niche, Yamaha THR5 vs THR10. These amps are designed to give you the quickest and simplest way to get a sweet, tube-like sound in your studio or bedroom, as well as the flexibility of an entire studio monitoring system.

So, which one is better? Continue reading to find out more about:

  • The design and build quality of each amp here
  • The available inputs and outputs on each model
  • The on-board features of Yamaha THR5 and Yamaha THR10
  • The performance comparison of Yamaha THR5 vs THR10
  • Which Yamaha THR guitar amp that is generally more recommended for you

Yamaha THR5: Design

The small Yamaha THR5 is standing in a category of its own. It offers a hi-fi stereo sound with classic effects modeling and amps, along with a nice recording interface and an impressive software bundle. This is an ideal amp for small studio and home use.

The amp is suitable for guitarists who want to rehearse with “real” sound and not some cheap distortion, as well as those who want to record and playback tones in hi-fi quality. The warm, natural, and responsive tones demonstrated by Yamaha THR5, along with its impressive effects modeling, clearly show the company’s effort in introducing a practice amp that is actually good.

Yamaha THR5 also has a built-in chromatic tuner, and is able to run on battery for a maximum of 7 hours. Combined with its very compact and lightweight body, this makes Yamaha THR5 perfectly portable. The smooth beige color and unique chevron pattern will allow the amp to sit nicely in any room.

When you turn the amp on, a warm orange glow will shine from behind the grilles. This is a virtual tube illumination which imitates the effects of vintage warm tubes. While it is mostly just a gimmick, it is still a nice, enjoyable light show.

Additionally, the company has released THR Session, an iOS app that you can use for free to practice with your iPhone, iPad, or iPod. You can play a song from the device’s library and mute the song’s guitar and/or bass, play only the guitar and/or bass, and loop a section of a song to learn by ear.

Yamaha THR5: Features

The compact hi-fi amp that doubles as a recording studio is well-optimized for home studio use. If you connect it to your computer with a USB cable, you can benefit from the near-zero latency. There is virtually no lag or delay between the actual sound and the recording. Yamaha THR5 vs THR10 can also be used as a monitor speaker, as it will allow you to adjust the computer’s sound from its on-board knobs.

 Yamaha THR5Yamaha THR10 
Best Offerclick hereclick here
Shipping Weight6.7 pounds7.69 pounds

This ability is particularly useful if you often need to record tones with a cranked stack., yet you are unable to mic cabs or use an isolation booth. The amp is able to mix the guitar output and the hi-fi stereo playback very smoothly. People who don’t know any better will be fooled into thinking that you are a part of the band.

Yamaha THR5 is bundled with the Cubase AI digital audio workstation, a recording and editing software with lots of recording, songwriting, and practicing tools. The software alone is worth hundreds of bucks, so this put a great value to the overall bundle.

Yamaha THR5 is armed with two 3.15-inch speakers with a total output power of 10 Watts. Despite the small size, the amp is able to deliver loud sound with excellent quality. The company has implemented what they call as the Extended Stereo Technology into this amp to allow broad, expansive sound. When you are not playing a guitar, you may want to use the amp to play your favorite MP3 tracks through the AUX input jack, just to enjoy the sheer quality of the sound.

Yamaha THR5: Sound and Power

Yamaha THR5 is able to deliver such warm and responsive tube-like sounds and believable analog-like effects due to the company’s Virtual Circuitry Modeling (VCM) tech. Yamaha’s VCM goes beyond just emulating analog circuitry operation; it also mimics the interactions between individual components in order to deliver authentic analog qualities. As a result, the produced sound is a precisely accurate digital simulation of the vintage analog hardware.

The five amp settings on Yamaha THR5 (Modern, Brit Hi, Lead, Crunch, Clean) are actually modeled after Mesa Boogie Rectifier, Marshall JCM 800, Marshall Plexi, Vox AC30, and Fender Twin classic amps. By adjusting the Master, Gain, and Tone controls, you can get very similar sounds to those classic amps, even when playing at low volume.

The effects such as chorus, tremolo, phaser, and reverb also benefit from the VCM technology. According to the company, each effect on Yamaha THR5 vs THR10 has been analyzed to perfectly resemble the analog versions that they are based on. However, you can still tweak the amp settings and effects through the THR Editor software, and you can also use compressor or noise gate functions if you want.

Yamaha THR10: Design

Yamaha THR10 is the larger, more featured sibling of Yamaha THR5. However, it is still designed to fill a unique niche, which is an amp suitable for pretty much any use with true hi-fi sound and a full range of audio boffins.

Build quality is on the top of the class. Size-wise, Yamaha THR10 is indeed bigger and heavier than Yamaha THR5. This may pose a minor problem to the portability. But Yamaha THR10 can still run on AA batteries, so you don’t need to worry if you need to bring it along to gigs. It is a complete modeling, monitoring, and recording system with exceptional sound.

In terms of design, you can easily see how Yamaha THR10 is similar to Yamaha THR5. It sports a warm beige color and the same chevron grille pattern. It is definitely a good-looking unit.

Yamaha THR10: Features

Yamaha THR5 vs THR10 come with five amp models. However, Yamaha THR10 offers higher levels of gain and bass, along with flat and acoustic settings which you can use simply by tapping.

In the flat mode, the output will bypass the modeling so that you can hear the clean sound of the guitar and effects. Meanwhile, the acoustic setting is actually not an acoustic modeler, and instead is a mic emulation for playing with an acoustic guitar. It works quite well.

As usual, the effects are of Yamaha’s high quality. The delays, reverbs, and mods are awesome. There are more controls available, so they are not basic effects that are ingrained in modeling amps. One cool capability of Yamaha THR10 is that it can use reverb and delay at the same time, and you can use the tap tempo to get the perfect delay sound.

More than that, perhaps the biggest selling point of Yamaha THR10 is its ability to capture those tones through the USB connection. You can monitor everything through your DAW. This makes Yamaha THR10 a reliable soundcard and monitoring system. It also comes with Cubase AI, so you can start recording right out of the box.

Yamaha THR10 will allow you to record the clean signal in one channel, which is useful for future re-amping, while recording the wet signal with effects on the other channel. Monitoring the computer’s output via the built-in speakers is great. The speakers have even more power and volume. You will get a very good stereo image. All in all, Yamaha THR10 is such a cost-effective unit for applications that require more power than simple bedroom practice.

Yamaha THR10: Sound and Power

Just like Yamaha THR5, Yamaha THR10 offers authentic-sounding amp models that respond like real tube amps. The company has been very thorough with their VCM technology. Both the EQ and gain structure work precisely according to expectation on each amp model.

For example, the EQ controls on the Clean setting will be able to cut the sound completely if you fully attenuate them. Whereas the EQ controls on the Brit Hi setting are much less responsive. Knowing that the EQs will respond just like on the actual amps will allow you to play in a familiar way.

As mentioned above, Yamaha THR10 not only has more power, but also more features. You can get a wide range of tones, from super clean to overdrive to death metal. Such flexibility may feel overwhelming, but Yamaha THR10 will reduce the effort required by giving you five user presets. You can assign settings to these presets, and you will be able to use them quickly via the small switches on the top left. This is simple yet very effective.

Yamaha THR5 vs THR10

 Yamaha THR5Yamaha THR10 1
Best Deal*Save Money Please click hereSave Money Please click here
Brand YamahaYamaha
Key features- Includes five classic amp models and a range of effects processing, driven by Yamaha"s signature VCM technology
- Lightweight, portable amp that can run on AC power or batteries.
- Developed with Yamaha"s award-winning AV division to offer true hi-fi stereo sound and a new experience in guitar amplifiers.
- Effects processing driven by Yamaha's signature VCM technology
- Includes Cubase AI recording software. Rated Output - 10W (5W + 5W)
- Five classic amp models, plus bass, acoustic, and instrument modes.
Price
Customer Ratings*4.5 out of 5 stars4.5 out of 5 stars

Conclusion

NOTE : Product prices, availability, ratings and save money information are accurate as of the date/time indicated on post time (as seen right bellow the tittle) and are subject to change. Any price, ratings, availability and save money information displayed on Amazon Site at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.

All in all, Yamaha THR10 is generally more recommended. While Yamaha THR5 indeed already offers great sounds, Yamaha THR10 is superior in terms of power and features. Yamaha THR10 is an extremely versatile amp that can function as a recording interface and monitor speaker. The presets are particularly useful if you often need to play with different tones.

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