Any number of headphone amps will work great with a decent set of powered computer speakers.

I still say find a used Fender Champ though.

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Custom Shop '59 Strat with John Cruz Master Design Pickups
Vibro King
Fulltone Clyde>Deja-Vibe>TS-808>TS-9>Boss Tuner

I have a choice between my Line6 Guitar POD 2.0, Vox DA-5 or Peavey TransTube 258 EFX. I use the Line6 and Vox more often than I do the Peavey 'cause, even at 25W, it's plenty loud. The Auto-Wah on the Vox is also a helluvalot better than on the Peavey.

I've tried several of the Vox ValveTronix combos, with my favorite being the AD30. The first time I'd tried the AD30, the salesman (mom & pop kinda store) wanted to prove to me that it was capable of a believable surf tone. For being a solid state, modeling combo amp, he was right!

Matt

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Fast Cars & Loud Guitars!

personaly go for the Vox AD100VT -XL combo
or the 50 watt version. plenty of power. you can adjust
the power and its very good for all styles of playing.
it has built in effects. tap delays its a fantastic amp.
it give you that tube warmth and power.

I bought the Vibro Champ XD for the same reason -- I live in a condo and I have to keep the volume low at night. The DSP sounds pretty good and it's a tube amp . . . I mean a valve/tube amp. (Is this the precursor to another British Invasion ?!) Of course, no headphone jack.

I use a Line6 Microspider which can give me some pretty cool tones so you might want to check out some of their larger offerings.

Am looking very hard at the Vibrochamp XD as well now because I'd really like some good old tube / valve tone at reasonable volume levels. Only thing is there's no headphone socket but as its only 5 watts you shouldn't have to crank it too hard for some good tone.

Ultimately you have to try them yourself.

the Roland Cubes mentioned earlier are fun little amps to play. But I went with a G-Dec Jr when looking for an inexpensive practice amp. It's easy to move around the place, has reverb, sounds real nice, and the price was right--in my case those were the 4 things I was looking for. The Rolands were close, but the Jr won the day. Still they're nice. Also Vox makes a small modeling amp that a friend has--it's fun too. The options & sounds are bit different in each, but there is overlap. Sometimes it's nice not having to pull out the effects pedals and use the ones on the amp.

You may prefer the sound, features, or price of something else. That's fine.

Some people worry about resale value. I tend not to, I plan on keeping my gear, but you never know. As for which one would have the best resale, if you're into that--I don't know. I know I bought it as a practice amp, it didn't cost much, and so I'm covered that way.

My Jr is just a blast to play.

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It wasn't Willy-Nilly, it was at crows.

I know they don't get that much love around Fenderville, but my Line 6 Spider iii is a perverbial monster. My rig, though, is different than other L6 setups in that my head drives a non-L6 cabinet with EVM 12Ls (bought right out of the Mesa Boogie factory in Petaluma, CA about 25 years ago). Having the huge pallette of tonal variation, presets, and huge tone all in one package is just amazing. There is no question that you really need to tweak with a SSS Strat to get it really dialed in. But when you get "there", the amp has some severe sweet spots that really let you commune as one with the guitar. And with a nice humbucker guitar like my modded Gibson SG std, the tweaking is even much less. I am not saying the Spider iii's are better than this or better than that ... just that they are really friggin' good.

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Laughing out loud with fear and hope, I have a desperate plan ...

the vibrochamp is good but not without its faults. The speaker needs improving and some of the model selections seem to me to be fenders take on 'look how much better we are than -----'. Still those faults are common with all manufacturers in this price point. The only exception being line6 who's only loyalty is to themselves really. They certainly dont get any dark looks from me.

Back to the vibrochamp its lack of headphone option isnt really a problem. The thing sounds ok even when its lower than most tv viewing volumes. Its classA and modeling function dont provide quite the power valve scream you'd expect from other classA amps. But there is a certain flavour in its power section that is quite sweet. Also the effects modeling ranges from divine to useless. All the effects have a good preset sound and a bad preset sound to my ear. Their lack of editing options is a bit annoying though. Still its a pricepoint thing. Want the all singing all dancing fender option then get a cybertwin and pay accordingly.

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No no and no

Take a look at the Vox Valvetronix AD series. They do a very good job of modeling, have a nice selection of effects, and have 2 learning channels with a footswitch jack. Starting with the AD30, you also get an output wattage adjustment that allows you to get overdrive sounds without blasting your neighbors.

Just to toss something else into the mix. I know this is not a new idea on the Forum, and I know it is not the answer to all the OP's requirements.

But my wife recently gave me a little gift of one of those Vox AmPlug thingies. Hate myself for it - but it is stupidly good fun. I've gone strolling round the garden playing my Strat through in-ear headphones, to the confusion of the neighbors.

Frustratingly, the Missus had no idea what this gadget was and just picked it up on the off-chance. Unfortunately, she chose the "metal" AmPlug, which ain't quite ideal for me. So now I need to go and buy one or two others. I believe they've just brought out a bass model too. "You get one, think you can handle it, and before you know it you're hooked..."

Harmless enjoyment.

Cheers - C

Pod with headphone is a good idea.
I use it at home also and the Boss Micro BR for the fast and small solutions.
You will get sound here from clean till metal and some freaky sounds.
And it fits in every back (Boss Micro BR, AC Adapter, Headphone)

Cheers

i'd get a vox ac30 amplug, or a vox pathfinder. best solid state amp under 20 amps, hands down. i'd put it up against that orange any day. it's louder, and at higher volumes sounds like it has a tubed-pre. great reverb, and tremolo and it's fool proof. plus if you ever get the balls, you can put it through a 4x12 for some real rock.

trust me. it's cheaper, and sounds a shitload better than anything else i've heard. i have 3 of them in some incarnation or another (pathfinder 15r, cambridge 15 w/12ax7, and pathfinder 15r head & 2 10" cab) and i play them more than any of my other amps.

plus the look is total vintage:

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anti-rhythm circuit

It is a vintage look--so is the G-Dec Jr.
Even moreso I think.

But I did give the Voxes a good reference in my post above as well.



http://www.fender.com/products/search.php?partno=2351000000

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It wasn't Willy-Nilly, it was at crows.

i guess i'm more partial to non-modelling amps. something a little more pure about it IMO.

if i had to play a fender, do they make one like the G-DEC JR that's non-modelling/effectless?

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anti-rhythm circuit

I agree. I bought the Vibro Champ XD hoping I could bypass the DSP, in fact, I thought the clean channel on the Super Champ XD was pure tube tone. I was wrong, you have to pass through the DSP in both amps. Still I'm pleasantly surprised with most (but not all) of the tones.