Hughes & Kettner Spirit of Rock

The new range of Spirit Nano Heads from the amp specialists at Hughes & Kettner are a trio of ultra-compact guitar tops based on the successful H&K Black Spirit: they all deliver an authentic and dynamic sound that's almost indistinguishable from a real tube amp. The Spirit of Rock, more specifically, recreates those bold, punchy rock sounds that American and British models from the 1980s and 1990s are famous for. It's equally at home in rehearsals or on stage, thanks to its powerful output of up to 50W into a 4-ohm load. With a headphone connection and an aux-in, this little black box is also ideal for practicing in at home, while the line-out makes it easy to record directly to a computer or laptop.

At the heart of the Spirit Nano amps is the newly developed "bionic" Spirit Tone Generator, which reproduces the complicated analogue workings of a tube circuit in exacting detail. This technology combines the sound and dynamics of a tube amp in a genuine analogue circuit that's small enough to fit into the Spirit of Rock's phenomenally compact housing: It measures just 190x90x90mm – not much larger than a thick paperback – and weighs just 1.1kg, or less than 2.5lbs. In addition to a gain pot, a tone control, and a master volume, the control panel features a control labelled "Sagging", which can be used to saturate the power amp even at low volumes, giving the dynamics a really noticeable kick. This ensures punchy, articulate crunch tones and bold, driving riffs, or a deep, saturated foundation for soaring leads. Either way, anything played through a Spirit amp will also sound great on headphones, as Hughes & Kettner have wisely integrated the cab simulation functions of their legendary Red Box here.

Beginners and experts alike will have a lot of fun with the Spirit of Rock. This extremely compact top offers an unusually "tubey" sound with terrific dynamics, all for a genuinely fair price. It's versatile, too: Thanks to its AUX in and headphone output, it's the perfect companion for practicing at home – and with its 50W power amp it'll fill any venue with crisp, typically British crunch sounds or the singing lead sounds of legendary US amps. Beginners will feel right at home because the Spirit of Rock is so easy to use; equally, pro musicians will appreciate the compact dimensions, maybe even enough to leave the big guns at home for their next gig!