YAMAHA THR-10 review!

[upl8tr]

Thanks for the great review!

[Rhust]

with the 5, can you adjust the bass/Mids/treble using the software? or is the tone knob all you get there too?

[djphelan01]

Got my 10 this week and so far I like it a lot. Today I downloaded cubase but didn't get a chance to try.

[BuzzHaze]

Originally Posted by Rhust

with the 5, can you adjust the bass/Mids/treble using the software? or is the tone knob all you get there too?

I am not sure since I have the 10 but the editor shows the control panel from the 10. I would assume that when you fire up the editor on the 5, it will show the controls from the 5.

so, I doubt it. Perhaps someone with a 5 will post a reply.

[Kyle76]

All three tone knobs are available in Editor for the 5.

[tzd]

9/10 has come and almost gone. Has anyone heard or seen anything about the new THRs yet (I haven't)?

[BuzzHaze]

I think it was scheduled for mid October.

[Kyle76]

No one has heard anything yet, that I have seen. I guess the 9/10 date listed on the now-removed YouTube video was wrong.

[tzd]

I wonder if 9/10 means October 9th instead of September 10th? The YouTube account is registered in the UK.

[tzd]

So, I actually ordered the THR10 over Labor Day, and received it on Monday.

I must say I really like the concept - a small lightweight portable bedside amp that also doubles as a really good iPod speakers.

But I really do not like how it sounds with my guitars. I find the sound to be overly digital, very artificial. Although it processes the high frequencies very well - cleans are crisp and clear, while distorted high notes are nice and crunchy - the low frequencies come across as very weak and muddy and if you try to play a full chord, it just sounds 'off' because of this imbalance in frequency response (yes I did try all combinations of tone, pickup position, treble/mid/bass etc).

I think it will work well as an acoustic amp or just for bright clean sounds, especially if you like your sound with a lot of modulation. For me I think the effects kick in a little too strong - just turn the Chorus knob up one tiny millimeter and you get drowned out in the chorus. There is no gradual in-between.

TL;DR high end too bright, low end too muddy and too digital. I can get much better tones out of my Pod XT Live. Yeah I'm putting it back in the box to return it. I still think it is a great idea, and I might consider a future model if they are able to improve on it.

[jwesdwin]

I have the Thr10 and love it ...
Ive played alot amps in 40 years but this one is a keeper my marshals and
peavys, line 6 mostly sit unused . You guys think this little amp box sounds
good. Well i moded mine..... install external speaker jacks now running
through my costume 40 watt 16ohm 10inch skumbacks in stereo . the sound
is incredible at 5 watts a channel this little amps sound like 50 ,friends can't
believe how good it sounds. I can get sustain and feed back better than
my marshal and at lower volume. Im not recommending anyone do this
as it negates the 5 year warranty and Im a electronics tech but it was worth it.
and a simple mod if your careful. People complain about no bottom end well
with 6 ohm 2inch speaker what do you expect. add acouple of real speakers
and well ....... with the exjack just unplug and your back to the stock sound.
most worth while mod iv'e done. O yah plugin a set of studio monitors and
you mp3 player and man what a sound.
FYI

Ok here are pics







__________________________________________________ ______
If people want details on this mod I guess I could advise not
sure this is the place to post that info. I will say that the
key to this mod is finding a connector that matches the pc board
speaker output connector . diden't want to cut or damage any
internel parts. That said I was able to find a connector that worked in
my pc parts supply. It.s a fairly standard 4pin connector. Also exjack
locations are not the same on both ends as you have to account for the
pc boards inside, it's a tight fit. need to be vary carefull take your time
double check all your measurement before you drill any holes. If you do
mod your THR unit be careful and make sure your external speaker are
6 ohms or more, remember ohms law about resistance/current. As I said
I'm using 16 ohm/ 40 watt speakers and sound great. I recommend the
THR10 it.s a little more money but the extra features are well worth it.

The next mod is going to be a external foot-jack to access the
user memory. I'll let you guys know.

One last thing. The usb interface has a drie / wet out but most DAWs
only let you select one to use. But with Harrision Mixbus Daw you can
record wet and drie at the same time and that is real cool. opens up
alot of possabilities .

[BuzzHaze]

Originally Posted by tzd

So, I actually ordered the THR10 over Labor Day, and received it on Monday.

I must say I really like the concept - a small lightweight portable bedside amp that also doubles as a really good iPod speakers.

But I really do not like how it sounds with my guitars. I find the sound to be overly digital, very artificial. Although it processes the high frequencies very well - cleans are crisp and clear, while distorted high notes are nice and crunchy - the low frequencies come across as very weak and muddy and if you try to play a full chord, it just sounds 'off' because of this imbalance in frequency response (yes I did try all combinations of tone, pickup position, treble/mid/bass etc).

I think it will work well as an acoustic amp or just for bright clean sounds, especially if you like your sound with a lot of modulation. For me I think the effects kick in a little too strong - just turn the Chorus knob up one tiny millimeter and you get drowned out in the chorus. There is no gradual in-between.

TL;DR high end too bright, low end too muddy and too digital. I can get much better tones out of my Pod XT Live. Yeah I'm putting it back in the box to return it. I still think it is a great idea, and I might consider a future model if they are able to improve on it.

I think the Yamaha sounds great for a SS 10w amp. I can make my guitars sound any way I like with it, clean and warm or crunchy and overdriven. The amp doesn't have a lot of bottom end but I wasn't expecting that. I already have a few big tube amps that will do that.

To each his own. Sorry it didn't work out for you.

[Kyle76]

Originally Posted by jwesdwin

I have the Thr10 and love it ...
Ive played alot amps in 40 years but this one is a keeper my marshals and
peavys, line 6 mostly sit unused . You guys think this little amp box sounds
good. Well i moded mine..... install external speaker jacks now running
through my costume 40 watt 16ohm 10inch skumbacks in stereo . the sound
is incredible at 5 watts a channel this little amps sound like 50 ,friends can't
believe how good it sounds. I can get sustain and feed back better than
my marshal and at lower volume. Im not recommending anyone do this
as it negates the 5 year warranty and Im a electronics tech but it was worth it.
and a simple mod if your careful. People complain about no bottom end well
with 6 ohm 2inch speaker what do you expect. add acouple of real speakers
and well ....... with the exjack just unplug and your back to the stock sound.
most worth while mod iv'e done. O yah plugin as set of studio monitors and
you mp3 player and man what a sound
FYI

How about some pics?

[Smashing_tv]

I tried a THR10 earlier this month, and mannnn what an AMP!!! My favorite sound is the crunch channel with master cranked and gain adjusted to liking. It sounded very Marshall to me.

I love the master volume on that thing, the more I turn it up the more crunchy and full the sound gets. It seems replicate the power amp crunch pretty well, better that other modelling amps I tried doesn't seem to capture.
I was sold just on trying the clean, crunch, and lead. I didn't even bother with hi gain sounds and all the FXs . I am normally straight into a crank Marshall guy anyway.
For those who said it sounded thin and process, I suggest you crank the master and adjust overall volume via the knob labeled "guitar" on the amp. The overdrive and distortion do sound pretty bad at low master volume.

The bad news is the 1st shipment that shipped to my country was sold. So I have to wait for 2nd shipment which is supposed to arrive in a week or two. Can't wait to try it with my Les Pauls.

One more thing, this amp is supposed to sound pretty good as a hifi computer speaker as well. That is one neat application

[dattaa]

jwesdwin - your photobucket.com jpg links are not working.

Is there any way you could re-upload them and post the new links here?

Looking forward to seeing your THR10 mod. Could you make a YouTube showing the mod in action and demoing the actual sound of the THR going through bigger external speakers?

Thanks for your interesting and intriquing post!

dattaa

Originally Posted by jwesdwin

Well i moded mine..... install external speaker jacks now running
through my costume 40 watt 16ohm 10inch skumbacks in stereo . the sound
is incredible at 5 watts a channel this little amps sound like 50 ,friends can't
believe how good it sounds. I can get sustain and feed back better than
my marshal and at lower volume. Im not recommending anyone do this
as it negates the 5 year warranty and Im a electronics tech but it was worth it. and a simple mod if your careful. People complain about no bottom end well with 6 ohm 2inch speaker what do you expect. add acouple of real speakers and well ....... with the exjack just unplug and your back to the stock sound. most worth while mod iv'e done. O yah plugin a set of studio monitors and you mp3 player and man what a sound.

Ok here are pics

http://i1278.photobucket.com/albums/...ps4a4aba48.jpg


http://i1278.photobucket.com/albums/...ps9fc3de16.jpg

http://i1278.photobucket.com/albums/...pseef66932.jpg
__________________________________________________ ______
If people want details on this mod I guess I could advise not
sure this is the place to post that info. I will say that the
key to this mod is finding a connector that matches the pc board
speaker output connector . diden't want to cut or damage any
internel parts. That said I was able to find a connector that worked in
my pc parts supply. It.s a fairly standard 4pin connector. Also exjack
locations are not the same on both ends as you have to account for the
pc boards inside, it's a tight fit. need to be vary carefull take your time
double check all your measurement before you drill any holes. If you do
mod your THR unit be careful and make sure your external speaker are
6 ohms or more, remember ohms law about resistance/current. As I said
I'm using 16 ohm/ 40 watt speakers and sound great. I recommend the
THR10 it.s a little more money but the extra features are well worth it.

The next mod is going to be a external foot-jack to access the
user memory. I'll let you guys know.

One last thing. The usb interface has a drie / wet out but most DAWs
only let you select one to use. But with Harrision Mixbus Daw you can
record wet and drie at the same time and that is real cool. opens up
alot of possabilities .

[jwesdwin]

I will get some pics posted and a youtube vid sounds like a good idea but
no time right now. Some good news I have the THR10 working in AVlinux 5.3
with a kernel mod. Getting a solid 5.3ms in Mixbus and the editor works in wine 1.4 . and Yamaha is coming out with 3 more models THR10C, THR10X,
and THR5A . I will post some pics at AV Linux - Install...Create...
forum.
avlinux > need help with kernel build to get yamaha thr10 working

Wes

[jwesdwin]

Here's a pic of the yamaha thr10 externel speaker jack mod

[chipwich]

Looks like a great mod, but what about just coming off of the headphone jack?

[BuzzHaze]

Originally Posted by chipwich

Looks like a great mod, but what about just coming off of the headphone jack?

The headphone output is heavily limited and only puts out a % of a watt. A full 10w through headphones would damage your ears.

[chipwich]

Yes, that makes sense. So, you could do that if going to a PA or other amp, but the power would not be enough to drive a speaker cabinet, which is what the jack mod is meant to do. The other amp or PA might color the sound so in the end, it might not be the THR10's voice.

[5-0 phonebooth]

Originally Posted by chipwich

you could do that if going to a PA or other amp, but the power would not be enough to drive a speaker cabinet, which is what the jack mod is meant to do.

If I'm correctly understanding your comment...
The headphone jack cannot properly power a basic external cab, the ext. speaker/s have to be a self-powered unit.

[BuzzHaze]

Originally Posted by 5-0 phonebooth

If I'm correctly understanding your comment...
The headphone jack cannot properly power a basic external cab, the ext. speaker/s have to be a self-powered unit.

Yes, the headphone output is so low, it would not drive an extension cab correctly but you could take the headphone out to a PA or amp and it would work....would it effect the tone? Depends on what you're plugging it into. A super clean source would be best, like going straight into a PA. If you output the headphone jack to another guitar amp, it will color the sound to some degree.

[jwesdwin]

A couple things to consider when you build a combo amp the speaker used are important. Now the 3inch speaker in the Thr10 are real good sounding for sure but this little amp was begging more. I had to hear it with 12inch pre rola's incredible. Micing the 3 inch speakers is not the same and the head phone jack into a P.A.not even close. with the external speaker jacks you can decide what kind of speakers you want and the sound. It's that simple. My scumbacks sound great. As soon as the Thr10c comes out I'll mod it too. I play the amp every day and love how it sounds.

[Jonah Hex]

Originally Posted by jwesdwin

A couple things to consider when you build a combo amp the speaker used are important. Now the 3inch speaker in the Thr10 are real good sounding for sure but this little amp was begging more. I had to hear it with 12inch pre rola's incredible. Micing the 3 inch speakers is not the same and the head phone jack into a P.A.not even close. with the external speaker jacks you can decide what kind of speakers you want and the sound. It's that simple. My scumbacks sound great. As soon as the Thr10c comes out I'll mod it too. I play the amp every day and love how it sounds.

How about detailing how you did this modification with some photos as well please?

[5-0 phonebooth]

Originally Posted by Jonah Hex

How about detailing how you did this modification with some photos as well please?

McDitto!

[laverda]

Originally Posted by jwesdwin

__________________________________________________ ______
If people want details on this mod I guess I could advise not
sure this is the place to post that info. I will say that the
key to this mod is finding a connector that matches the pc board
speaker output connector . diden't want to cut or damage any
internel parts. That said I was able to find a connector that worked in
my pc parts supply. It.s a fairly standard 4pin connector. Also exjack
locations are not the same on both ends as you have to account for the
pc boards inside, it's a tight fit. need to be vary carefull take your time
double check all your measurement before you drill any holes. If you do
mod your THR unit be careful and make sure your external speaker are
6 ohms or more, remember ohms law about resistance/current. As I said
I'm using 16 ohm/ 40 watt speakers and sound great. I recommend the
THR10 it.s a little more money but the extra features are well worth it.

The next mod is going to be a external foot-jack to access the
user memory. I'll let you guys know.

One last thing. The usb interface has a drie / wet out but most DAWs
only let you select one to use. But with Harrision Mixbus Daw you can
record wet and drie at the same time and that is real cool. opens up
alot of possabilities .

Hi, just came across this thread from a link on thegearpage. I'm going to do the speaker mod asap but thought I'd let folks know that I've done a footswitcher.

Here's the link to the youtube vid which also has email details links to some pics.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QP3Ug3_hIrI

Cheers,
Mick

[Rhust]

btw, the THR10 is on sale again today at hello music for 219

if I had my tax money back I'd get one for a computer-amp

[Hamtone]

I just tried one of these out the other day, quite impressive for what it is. Granted its not my 100 watt rig bit it is certainly a GREAT practice amp. I have tried a bunch of the practice sim amps and was entirely unimpressed but this little thing was great and I know with some tweaking it would be an excellent unit.

[Rhust]

yea, if I was shitting money I would pick one up just for a recording interface to the computer...

[Hamtone]

Im looking at it as a way for me to get back playing without the neighbors shooting me. In my old place I could play my hiwatt cranked and no one cared. The new place welll ummm that would be an issue.