OK here's the mathematics of it.
For a 3dB increase in volume you have to double the power output.
This means:
a 10 watt amp is 3dB louder than a 5 watt amp
a 20 watt amp is 3dB louder than a 10 watt amp
a 40 watt amp is 3dB louder than a 20 watt amp
a 100 watt amp is 3dB louder than a 50 watt amp

OK, back to the OP: is a 5 watt amp loud?
It's roughly 12-13dB quieter than a 100 watt amp.

Of course your ears don't percieve volume mathematically so a 100 watt amp seems loud. But a 5 watt amp is loud too.

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Just think of how awesome a guitar player you could have been by now if you had only spent the last 10 years practicing instead of obsessing over pickups and roasted maple necks.

I do it with my Vibrochamp. It's ok, you'll never push the speakers at all but it seems to be clear enough.
The one thing that usually lets these smaller combo's down is the speaker. Your absolutely right a 2x12 would be better for home use, maybe better still a 2x10. I'm just too tight to pay out for a 2x12 cab when I have a 2x12 combo and a 4x12 cab.
Also it's fairly easy to wire a 4x12 with 4, 16ohm speakers into 4ohms. I dunno if I'd trust a small 4ohm head/combo to deal with a impedance mismatch for long. I'd have to try it to see.

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No no and no

Hi Nevin: good advice. And he may end up buying that Marshall Class 5 too. I've played them in stores and I really like 'em. I seriously may end up dragging one home shortly - and I need another amp like a hole in the head!

(Shop near me has a custom order of Class 5s in Racing Green livery with pinstripe grille cloth. I love it! Could I BE more shallow??? )

Cheers - C

+1 on the Vox AC4. It's probably the best (reasonably priced) low-power amp on the market these days. The thing sounds great, and the on board faux-attenuator is a great feature.

The other small tube combo I've been interested in is the Bugera V5. A friend of mine recently purchased one and I was alarmed to discover how versatile it really is. It has a decent on board digital reverb, as well as a means of switching wattages similar to that of the AC4. I've heard some people complain that Bugeras are shoddily constructed but the one I mucked about with appeared relatively sturdy. For the money, I think it's almost as good as the AC4.

I use a Laney Cub 10 its got good features (vol, tone, gain, hi and lo inputs, speaker out) and has much better clean headroom than the vox...

From reading the add it looks like $350 just for the head . Whats the price for the speaker ? 5w amp head 350 !

The Blackhearts are fantastic "bang for the buck" amps. The sound and build quality are very good. Are you totally committed to the Little Giant half stack? I just checked Ebay and there are a couple of Handsome Devil combos (7/15 watt switchable) new from music stores for $349 with free shipping.

Seems like a better deal to me

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"Life is like eating jalapenos. What you do today may burn your arse tomorrow"

Gibson Les Paul Jr. goldtone GA-5!
There is one on ebay for $350......snap it up.

Sorry Dude, I didn't catch the fact that you're in Canada.

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"Life is like eating jalapenos. What you do today may burn your arse tomorrow"