Blackstar HT-1R vs Yamaha THR5: Which One Works Better at Apartment Volume?

If you mostly play guitar at home, choosing between a small tube amp and a desktop modeling amp can feel like a never-ending rabbit hole. The Blackstar HT-1R and Yamaha THR5 are two of the most popular options for apartment and bedroom players – but they solve the “home volume” problem in very different ways.

In this guide, we’ll look at both amps from a real-world, home-player angle: how loud they actually feel in a room, how they react to overdrive pedals, how easy they are to live with, and which type of player each amp suits best.

Quick overview: HT-1R and THR5 in one glance

Before we get into the details, here’s what each amp really is in practice:

Blackstar HT-1R
1-watt tube combo with a real power section
Simple control layout (gain, volume, ISF tone control, reverb)
Feels and reacts like a mini version of a traditional amp
Wants to be turned up a bit to feel “alive”
Yamaha THR5
Desktop modeling amp / practice system
Multiple amp models, effects, USB audio
Designed to sound “finished” at very low volume
Doubles as a small hi-fi style speaker on your desk

On paper, they both look like home amps. In actual apartment use, they behave very differently.

Volume and feel at home levels

How loud are they really?

At first glance, 1 watt vs 10 watts (THR5’s rated power) sounds like a huge difference. In a real living room, it’s not that simple.

Blackstar HT-1R
Even at 1 watt, the built-in 8″ speaker moves air.
At “TV volume” levels, the amp can feel a bit compressed and closed.
Turn the volume up and the amp starts to push, open up and feel more like a real stage amp – but this may already be too loud for thin apartment walls at night.
Yamaha THR5
Voiced to sound complete at very low levels.
You can get usable tones at volumes where you can still clearly hear your pick scraping the strings.
It doesn’t move air like a combo; it feels more like nearfield speakers right in front of you.

If you need whisper-quiet playing late at night, the THR5 wins.
If you can play at moderate levels during the day and want some cone movement and push, the HT-1R starts to make more sense.

“Amp feel” vs “polished sound”

This is the real dividing line between these two.

HT-1R feel:
Has that small-amp “give” when you dig in.
The transition from clean to crunch can be very touch-sensitive when the gain and volume are balanced.
Chords feel like they live in the room, not inside speakers on your desk.
THR5 feel:
Feels more like a great recorded guitar sound being played back at you.
The dynamic feel is there, but it’s controlled and smoothed.
Perfect for hearing yourself clearly in a mix or backing track, not for chasing the physical punch of a cab.

If you’re chasing “how it feels in the fingers”, the HT-1R has the edge.
If you’re chasing “how it sits with backing tracks in a small room”, the THR5 is usually easier to live with.

Clean, crunch and lead tones

Blackstar HT-1R: simple but responsive

The HT-1R doesn’t have a million options, but what it does is familiar:

Clean / edge of breakup
Set gain lower, volume higher.
You’ll get a slightly gritty clean that reacts well when you hit the strings harder.
Great base for pedals or classic rock rhythm tones.
Crunch
Increase gain until open chords start to growl.
The amp’s ISF tone control lets you sweep between more “British” mid-range and “American” scooped character.
With the right balance, it gives a convincing classic-rock crunch, especially with a humbucker.
Lead
Push the gain higher and add a boost or overdrive pedal.
Single notes sustain more naturally than you’d expect from a 1-watt combo.
At apartment levels, you’ll want to keep an eye on volume, because the sweet spot usually isn’t at whisper-quiet settings.

Yamaha THR5: many flavors, always controlled

The THR5 approaches tones like a small recording studio in a box:

Clean
Multiple clean models, all designed to stay well behaved at low volume.
Very friendly with single coils and funk / pop rhythm parts.
Feels less “amp in a room”, more “recorded clean track”.
Crunch / edge
Several crunch / classic amp models that break up nicely even at very low levels.
Easy to dial in subtle drive that doesn’t overwhelm backing tracks.
Great for indie / pop / classic rock rhythm at home volume.
High gain / lead
Modern drive models give you more gain than you’ll realistically need for apartment practice.
Built-in delay and reverb make it very easy to dial a lead tone without touching pedals.
Perfect if you don’t want to deal with a pedalboard at all.

If you like to experiment with different amp flavors and you don’t want to think about mic’ing or volume sweet spots, the THR5 is super convenient.
If you prefer one or two “real amp” voices that you learn deeply, the HT-1R’s simplicity can be more satisfying.

How they take pedals

HT-1R with drive and boost pedals

The Blackstar HT-1R behaves like a small real amp, which is great news if you own pedals:

Overdrives and boosts
An overdrive into a pushed HT-1R can feel surprisingly big.
Transparent drives and mid-hump pedals both work well for separate rhythm / lead levels.
Reverb and delay
The built-in reverb is usable; subtle and musical at home levels.
External delay and reverb in front of the amp can get a bit mushy on higher gain settings, but for classic rock and blues it’s fine.

Overall, if you enjoy stacking drives and shaping your tone from the board, the HT-1R responds more like a shrunken version of a full-size tube amp.

THR5 and the “no pedal” lifestyle

The THR5 can take pedals in front, but most players don’t even need to:

Built-in delay, reverb and modulation cover most home practice needs.
Amp models already range from clean to heavy gain.
Because of the way the input and internal processing work, external drives can sometimes feel redundant or less interactive than with a real amp.

If your ideal setup is guitar → cable → amp → backing track, the THR5 is designed for that.
If you want to build and tweak a pedalboard over time, the HT-1R plays that game more naturally.

Practical stuff: size, connections and living with the amp

Space and portability

HT-1R
Small combo, but still a “box on the floor” or on a stand.
Easy to move, but not something you’ll put on a crowded desk.
Works well in a corner of the room as a dedicated guitar spot.
THR5
Desktop form factor, lives happily on a shelf or desk.
Very easy to move around the apartment.
Fits the “laptop, interface, small speakers” type setup nicely.

Headphones, recording and neighbors

Both amps can be used without annoying your neighbors, but in different ways.

HT-1R
Has a headphone / line out.
Still feels more natural through the speaker than in headphones.
For late-night sessions, headphones are useful but not its main strength.
THR5
Headphone out sounds very close to what you hear through the built-in speakers.
USB connectivity makes it easy to record ideas straight into a DAW.
Excellent option if you want to combine practicing and simple home recording.

If silent or near-silent practice is a big part of your life, the THR5 has a clear edge.

Reliability and build

Both brands have a solid track record, but they give off different vibes in person:

Blackstar HT-1R
Feels like a scaled-down real amp – metal corners, traditional box construction.
Simple control layout means fewer things to go wrong.
Tubes will eventually need to be replaced, though at 1 watt they tend to last a long time for home players.
Yamaha THR5
More like a piece of well-built consumer electronics.
No tubes, so there’s no tube maintenance.
Digital guts mean long-term support depends on the platform, but THR units have been around for years with a good reputation.

If you like the idea of owning a “real amp” you could keep for decades, the HT-1R fits that story better.
If you prefer a flexible practice tool that just works every time you power it on, the THR5 wins on convenience.

Which one should you buy?

Here’s the honest breakdown based on how you actually play.

Choose the Blackstar HT-1R if:

You care most about amp feel and dynamics, not just the sound coming out of the speakers.
You already own – or plan to build – a small pedalboard.
You can play at moderate volume during the day without constant noise complaints.
You want a tiny combo that behaves like a serious amp in a rehearsal room, just at smaller scale.

The HT-1R shines when you treat it like a little grown-up amp, not just a quiet practice toy.

Choose the Yamaha THR5 if:

You need very low volume tones that still sound finished and inspiring.
You like playing along with backing tracks, songs and DAW sessions.
You don’t want to deal with external pedals, extra cables and space on the floor.
You want a neat-looking desktop amp that can double as small speakers.

The THR5 is ideal if guitar is your daily habit and you want an all-in-one home setup that fits your apartment life.

Final thoughts

The Blackstar HT-1R and Yamaha THR5 both solve the “how do I get a good tone at home?” problem, but from opposite angles.

The HT-1R is about feel, interaction and the satisfaction of pushing a real amp, even if it’s just 1 watt.
The THR5 is about practicality, low volume control and having multiple amp flavors and effects in a single, compact box.

If you can, imagine where the amp will physically live in your space and how often you’ll realistically plug in.
That usually answers the question faster than specs:

If you see yourself standing in front of a little combo, tweaking pedals and feeling the speaker push air, the HT-1R will make you happier.
If you see yourself at a desk with a laptop, headphones and backing tracks, the THR5 is probably the smarter move.