For decades, low-wattage amps have been the secret weapon in many recording engineers’ arsenals for achieving rich and creamy clean tones and focused drive and saturation. And now, EHX has packaged the low-wattage format into the pocket-sized 5MM, a 2.5-watt power amp that can connect directly to any 8- or 16-ohm speaker. Deceptively simple, the 5MM is equipped with just two controls — volume knob and brightness switch — that can alter your signal dramatically, from a touch of grit to full-on crunch bright enough to rip through any mix. This tiny, tone monster performs admirably outside of the studio, too, especially in small venue settings where you want to crank the distortion without blowing out the audience’s ears.
