![]() ![]() Otherwise, the H620 does more or less pick up where the H605 leaves off in terms of overall performance, bringing on the crunch in the same way – only a lot louder, of course – and requiring the same kind of caution when playing clean-ish with single-coil pickups. Is it too late for a rethink on this, Harmony? This is odd but judging by the sound samples on the Jensen website it’s to be expected: the Falcon is distinctly darker and more middly than the Stealth. Because as soon as we unplug the internal Jensen Falcon 50 and patch out to the Jensen Tornado Stealth 65 in the H650, everything opens up beautifully. The reason for this, it turns out, is the speaker. We’re not quite so enamoured with the reverb, which is so deep and resonant that it can get overbearing. Note also that the boost makes a big difference even when the gain is already set high, allowing you to flip from chunky but snappy to ever so slightly out of control. There’s a lot of hard-rocking entertainment to be had in this amp’s angry zone, with special mentions going to the presence and mid controls for their ability to reshape its voice just about however you want it, and to suit whatever guitar you’re playing through it. ![]() ![]() Things can get scratchy on the transient attack with brighter-toned guitars, and we find ourselves leaning towards humbuckers rather than single-coils to avoid that, but it’s less of an issue when we turn up the gain – or even better, pull up the knob to engage the boost. The playing feel has that relaxed intimacy that so often makes single-ended combos feel like an extension of the guitar, and this is coupled with an almost inaudible noisefloor. But that doesn’t mean we’re hurtling straight into frazzled fuzz: with preamp gain and master volume both set conservatively low, we get a well-balanced tone with just a modicum of scuzz around the edges. Nobody buys a five-watt amp for shimmery clean tones, so we’re hardly surprised by the lack of headroom on offer here. Note, however, that we haven’t yet been told of a UK release date, so for now we’re testing US-voltage amps with the aid of a step-down transformer. We’re getting an early sight of these amplifiers because Harmony’s parent company is BandLab Technologies, which also happens to own. This does make them a tad inaccessible, but don’t start ripping out the whole chassis in a fit of rage just yet: they can be reached from below if you unscrew the vented metal panel at the bottom. Removing the back board of each amp reveals that the valves are mounted to the front of the chassis, facing out into the void behind the speaker baffle. The output stages of all three amps use 6L6s: a single in the H605, pairs in the H620 and H650. Certainly in the case of the little H605, it’s hard to think of another five-watt valve combo that packs in so much functionality. Round the back, meanwhile, you’ll find a four-way rotary attenuator switch, letting you drop the output down to one watt, 0.1 watts or zero for silent recording via the line output. ![]()
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