Lunchbox amps vs proper amps listening experiences

Haych

I'm not wishing to compare tone between the likes of Spark or THR10 type amps with their bigger cousins or the versatility of an old tube amp compared to a USB desktop amp, but I wonder if anyone has noticed a similar phenomenon to what I have.

When playing through any kind of lunchbox/desktop amp with a small form factor and quite small speakers, I notice that my hearing fatigues much faster than if I'm playing through a "proper" amp with full size 10" or 12" speakers for an equivalent volume.

I can play through my Fender Hot Rod for hours at a reasonable volume and never get tired, but my Spark or THR10 at a similar volume seems to fatigue my hearing very quickly and I just have to stop playing.

Anyone else noticed this?  Is there any science behind why?

ICBM

I don’t think it’s the speaker size. I’ve found the Boss Katana and the Blackstar ID Cores very fatiguing too, the Katana especially. 

Sassafras

Orange Micro Terror is fatiguing through any sized speaker.
I also find high gain very fatiguing after about 20 minutes.

Haych

Sassafras said:

I also find high gain very fatiguing after about 20 minutes.

That’s quite true!

Snags

ICBM said:

I don’t think it’s the speaker size. I’ve found the Boss Katana and the Blackstar ID Cores very fatiguing too, the Katana especially. 

And we all thought you loved the Katana

ICBM

Sassafras said:

Orange Micro Terror is fatiguing through any sized speaker.

This too. I was trying to avoid sounding like a stuck record though .

Interestingly, it’s not quite as bad at 16 ohms - and I don’t think it’s just the slightly lower volume, so I think it’s some characteristic of the power section.

monquixote

I've found the Nux mini amps are pretty good. 

barnstorm

Haych said:

I'm not wishing to compare tone between the likes of Spark or THR10 type amps with their bigger cousins or the versatility of an old tube amp compared to a USB desktop amp, but I wonder if anyone has noticed a similar phenomenon to what I have.

When playing through any kind of lunchbox/desktop amp with a small form factor and quite small speakers, I notice that my hearing fatigues much faster than if I'm playing through a "proper" amp with full size 10" or 12" speakers for an equivalent volume.

I can play through my Fender Hot Rod for hours at a reasonable volume and never get tired, but my Spark or THR10 at a similar volume seems to fatigue my hearing very quickly and I just have to stop playing.

Anyone else noticed this?  Is there any science behind why?

Always wonder if I'm just a fusspot about this sort of thing, so nice to know I'm not alone!

When I first got a THR10C I played through it for a few weeks and put it back in the box for ages. While I couldn't tell you exactly what was fatiguing about it, I was able to dial it out when I finally bothered to plug it into the computer and fiddle with the presets. No issues with it now ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.

Will take ICBM's word for it that it's not a function of speaker size, but the only other gadget I've ever had that was as bad was a little all-in-one CD/radio/streamer – absolutely hated it, and there was no fixing that one, unfortunately.

barnstorm

(As an aside, fiddling with the THR10's software also fixed a weird metallic overtone that bothered me tremendously. Also have no idea how that worked. I find my ignorance in these matters quite frustrating sometimes, but obviously not frustrating enough to do anything about it.)

slowpilgrim

I'm going to default to the voodoo answer - maybe it's the lack of subtle dynamics and non-linearities that you get with a decent valve amp? Same thing with VSTs. Without getting into an analog/digital debate, a real tape echo has a certain candy to it that you could just listen to forever, vs the best emulations; same with synths.

Anacharsis

I've never experienced this problem - with any amp, sim, or plugin. I read about it an awful lot, so I'll count myself lucky