Can a 60-Watt Laney Play Quietly at Bedroom Volume?

Most guitarists practice at home far more than they play on a stage. So the real question is: will this amp still sound good when I can't turn it up? For some Laney amps the answer is a clear yes. For others, headphones are the way to play at night. If you're still choosing between Laney families, start with our guide Which Laney Amp Is Right for You?

Why any amp changes character at "1"

Turn any full-power amp down to "1" on the volume knob and it usually loses some of its body and punch. Three things cause that.

• The speaker barely moves. A 12-inch speaker needs to push air to make its low end and body. At a whisper, the cone hardly moves, so you lose the thump that makes an amp sound like an amp.
• Your ears hear less bass and treble at low volume. This is how human hearing works, not a fault in the amp. Quiet sound seems thinner and more "middly," which is why every guitarist cranks the bass knob at night and then winces at rehearsal.
• A tube amp's power section never gets pushed. Much of the classic tube sound comes from the power tubes working hard. At bedroom volume on a full-power tube amp, they're idling, so you hear only part of the tone.

Solid-state amps (amps built with transistors instead of tubes) have an easier time here. Their distortion comes from the preamp, the first stage of the circuit, so the character stays much the same at any volume. The speaker and your ears still thin things out, but you're not losing a whole layer of the sound. That's why a solid-state 60-watt Laney with a low-power mode is such a good home amp.

Four real ways to play quietly

1. A low-power switch, dial or input

This is the best way to hear a real amp at home. The amp's own circuit makes less power, so you can turn the volume and gain up to where the amp sounds right, and the room stays at a sensible level. Laney does this three ways. The Ironheart Foundry heads have a power switch on the back: full 60 watts, or under 1 watt. The Lionheart Foundry combos have a low-power mode under 1 watt. The Cub-Super tube amps have a separate input marked "<1 Watt"; you simply plug into that one instead.

One thing to know: under 1 watt is quiet, not silent. It takes about ten times the power to sound twice as loud, so dropping from 60 watts to under 1 watt makes the amp sound roughly a third as loud to your ears. That's a huge drop, from band volume to a level you can talk over, but still enough to carry through a thin wall at midnight.

2. The headphone jack

Headphones are the only truly silent option. Most Laney solid-state amps have a headphone jack, and on the Ironheart Foundry heads and the Lionheart Foundry combos it's speaker-emulated. That means the amp shapes the sound to mimic a guitar speaker in a cabinet, so distortion sounds smooth instead of buzzy. Every LX combo and the Mini amps also have a headphone jack.

Good to know: headphones give you the amp's sound without the room around it, and a good speaker-emulated output closes much of that gap. For late nights, it's hard to beat.

3. A direct output into an audio interface

Several Laneys have a direct output with speaker emulation built in: an XLR jack on the IRF-Dualtop, IRF-Loudpedal, IRT30-112, LFSUPER60-212 and LFSuper Top. Run it into an audio interface (a small box that connects instruments to a computer) and listen on headphones or studio monitors at any level. It's the same silent practice as headphones, plus you can record what you play. The L5-Studio goes one better: its USB connection is the interface, so it plugs straight into a computer or iPad.

One safety rule: a tube amp must always have a speaker or a proper load connected while it's on. Running one into nothing can damage it. So on a tube amp like the IRT30-112, a direct output is a way to record, not a way to make the amp silent.

4. An attenuator

An attenuator is a box that sits between an amp head and its speaker and soaks up some of the power as heat. It's the traditional fix for full-power tube amps with no low-power mode: you crank the amp, and the attenuator turns the result down before it reaches the speaker. They're an extra box and an extra cost, and turned down very far the tone can go dull. If you're buying a new amp, one with a low-power mode built in is simpler. An attenuator is worth knowing about if you already own a loud tube amp.

Laney amps at home, compared

Every Laney guitar amp we'd point a home player to, side by side. "Direct out" means a jack that sends a speaker-emulated sound to a mixer, interface or computer.

The best Laneys for playing at home

Best combo for home and band

Lionheart Foundry LF60-112 and LFSUPER60-212

These are solid-state combos with Laney's warmer, British Lionheart voice. Both make 60 watts, both have a low-power mode under 1 watt, and both have a stereo headphone jack. The LF60-112 has one 12-inch speaker and a speaker-emulated headphone output you can also use for recording. The LFSUPER60-212 has two 12-inch speakers, adds chorus and tremolo, and has an XLR direct output with speaker emulation. For a head version with 120 watts, the same under-1-watt mode and the same effects, look at the LFSuper Top ($639).

Pros

• One amp for bedroom, rehearsal and gig
• Tube-style tone that stays the same at low power
• Headphone jack on both combos

Good to know

• The 2×12 is a big, full-sounding combo; the LF60-112 suits smaller rooms
• Footswitches sold separately, so add them to your order
• Solid-state, so it's lighter than a tube combo and needs no tube changes

Best tube amp for home

Cub-Super12, Cub-Supertop and L5-Studio

If you want real tubes at home, pick a small tube amp with a low-power setting. The Cub-Super12 is a 15-watt combo with two EL84 power tubes, and its second input runs it under 1 watt. That lets you turn the amp up into its sweet spot at a volume a family can live with. The Cub-Supertop ($699.99) is the same idea as a head. The L5-Studio is a 5-watt tube head with a 0.5-watt setting, a headphone jack and a USB connection for recording.

Pros

• Genuine tube feel at low volume
• Loud enough for small gigs at full power
• L5-Studio records straight to a computer

Good to know

• The Cub-Super12 uses its under-1-watt input for quiet playing rather than a headphone jack
• Under 1 watt is room volume, not silent: great for evenings, with the L5-Studio's headphone jack for late nights
• Real tubes, with the weight and craftsmanship that go with them

The hand-built IRT30-112 also has a wattage control for turning its 30 watts down at home, plus an XLR direct output. It's a serious high-gain amp that also turns down for home.

Home only

LX and Mini amps: quiet by design

If the amp will never leave the house, a small amp is simpler and cheaper. The LX20R has 20 watts, an 8-inch speaker, reverb and a headphone jack. The LX15 costs less. The battery-powered Ministack-Lion (6 watts, four 3-inch speakers, built-in delay) and 3-watt Mini-Lion fit on a desk, and both have headphone jacks. They're made for home and travel, so if a band is in your future, a 60-watt Foundry amp covers both jobs.

Neighbors, apartments and shared walls

• Get the amp off the floor. Low notes travel through floors and walls far more than through the air. An amp stand, a chair or a thick rubber mat cuts what the people downstairs hear.
• Point it at you, away from shared walls. Aim the speaker at your ears, not the wall you share. Then you can run it lower for the same sound.
• Turn the bass down, not just the volume. Bass is what gets through walls. You'll hear the difference less than your neighbors will.
• Use headphones after dark. Even under 1 watt can be heard through a thin wall. Headphones or a direct output are the only fully silent options.
• Soft rooms are quieter rooms. Rugs, curtains and a full bookshelf soak up sound that bare walls bounce around.

Four mistakes to avoid

• Assuming "60 watts" means "too loud." With a proper low-power mode, a 60-watt Laney is a better home amp than many 15-watt amps. Wattage only tells you the maximum.
• Assuming every amp has a headphone jack. The Cub-Super12, IRT30-112 and L20T-112 don't. Check the table before you buy.
• Running a tube amp with no speaker. Always connect a speaker or a proper load to a tube amp before you switch it on, even when you're only using its direct output.
• Buying a big combo for a small room. The LFSUPER60-212 is excellent, but it's a 2×12. If space is tight, the LF60-112 or a Foundry head with a small cabinet does the same job.

Common questions

Is 60 watts too much for a bedroom?

Not if the amp has a low-power mode or a headphone jack. The IRF-Leadtop, IRF-Dualtop, LF60-112 and LFSUPER60-212 all drop to under 1 watt. Those features are what make a 60-watt amp a great home amp.

Is under 1 watt really quiet?

It's comfortable room volume, roughly a third as loud to your ears as full power. It isn't silent. For silence, use headphones.

Which Laney tube amp is best for home?

The Cub-Super12 for a combo, the Cub-Supertop if you own a cabinet, or the L5-Studio if you record.

Can I use the IRF-Loudpedal at home?

Yes, on headphones or through its XLR direct output into an interface. It has no low-power mode, so through a cabinet you set the level with its volume knob; it's at its best on stage.

Does the Lionheart L20T-112 have a quiet setting?

It's built for stages and studios, so it has no low-power mode or headphone jack. For quiet Lionheart tube tone at home, the L5-Studio has a 0.5-watt setting.