On the supplied evidence — Line 6's, Boss's and Fender's spec sheets with Sweetwater's dated listings — a digital modeler like the Line 6 HX Stomp at $699.99 street as of Sweetwater's June 2026 listing is the documented choice for home recording and quiet playing, and a tube amplifier like the Fender Blues Junior V at $799.99 remains the choice for players who play loud with a band and want one sound rather than a hundred. The decision rests on documented facts — power output, weight, connectivity — not on tone mythology, because no supplied source measures tone. Strum Magazine writes sourced guides; here is where each format's sheet genuinely wins.
One documented fact belongs in the second paragraph, not buried: hearing health. Mayo Clinic lists prolonged exposure to loud sound as a leading cause of noise-related hearing loss, and a 15-watt tube amp driven to its sweet spot is well past comfortable conversation volume. Modelers with headphone outputs let you play at any volume; that is a medical consideration, not a tonal one.
Where do the numbers come from?
Specifications come from the makers' published sheets for the Line 6 HX Stomp and Headrush MX5 (modelers) and the Fender Blues Junior V and Boss Katana-50 MkII (amplifiers). Street prices are as of Sweetwater's June 2026 listings. Every claim about what each product does is the maker's own; no independent published measurement of modeling accuracy or amp output was supplied for this guide.
What do the spec sheets document for each format?
Line 6 HX Stomp: per Line 6's sheet, the company's HX modeling engine in a compact chassis — amp, cabinet and effects blocks documented at a stated block limit of eight simultaneously — with USB audio interfacing, headphone output and a stated weight under a kilogram. Headrush MX5: the maker documents a touchscreen interface, a stated amplifier and effects library, and built-in expression pedal, at $399.99. Fender Blues Junior V: Fender documents a 15-watt all-tube amplifier with a 12-inch speaker, spring reverb, and a weight around 31 pounds. Boss Katana-50 MkII: Boss documents a 50-watt solid-state amplifier with five amp character types, built-in effects from the maker's pedal lineage, a power scaling control to half a watt, and around 31 pounds as well. The table is where the formats separate.
| Spec (per maker sheets) | Line 6 HX Stomp | Headrush MX5 | Fender Blues Junior V | Boss Katana-50 MkII |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Modeler/floor processor | Modeler/floor processor | Tube combo amp | Solid-state combo amp |
| Documented output | Line level, headphones | Line level, headphones | 15 W tube, 12-in speaker | 50 W, scalable to 0.5 W |
| Weight (per sheet) | Under 1 kg | Approx. 2.3 kg | Approx. 31 lb | Approx. 31 lb |
| USB audio interface | Documented | Documented | Not listed | Not listed |
| Street price (Sweetwater, Jun 2026) | $699.99 | $399.99 | $799.99 | $299.99 |
What are the strengths and trade-offs of modelers?
Modeler strengths, per the makers' sheets: headphone outputs for silent practice, documented USB interfacing straight into a recording setup, every connection a gigging player needs on the floor, and portability the weights make obvious — under five pounds against thirty-one. Trade-offs: the tonal accuracy of the models is entirely a maker's claim, and no supplied source verifies it; menu-driven editing replaces physical knobs, which the sheets confirm by their very control definitions; and a floor modeler still needs a monitoring solution — powered speaker, headphones or a PA — that the street prices above do not include.
What are the strengths and trade-offs of amps?
Amp strengths, per the makers' sheets: the Blues Junior's documented all-tube signal path and spring reverb; the Katana's documented 50 watts of headroom for band volumes; physical controls with zero learning curve; nothing between guitar and speaker but the circuit. Trade-offs: weight at thirty-one pounds; the tube amp's volume ceiling — 15 watts is loud before it sounds the way its fans want, per Fender's own positioning; recording requires a microphone or documented line output the sheets partially list; and tube replacement is a documented maintenance cost modelers do not carry.
Related stories: Strat vs Tele: The Sourced Comparison · Electric Guitars Under $500: Sourced Guide.
How do you choose based on where you play?
Apartment and home studio: the sheets point to a modeler plus headphones or studio monitors — the HX Stomp's documented USB path and the MX5's touchscreen make either a recording centerpiece, and no amp at any price solves the volume constraint as cleanly. Band practice and small venues without PA support: an amp is the documented answer, because 15 to 50 watts into a real speaker is a specification a modeler without a monitoring system cannot match on paper. Venues with PA support and in-ear monitoring: modelers return to the front, because the physical speaker is no longer doing the work. Home player who gigs monthly: the Katana-50 MkII's documented power scaling — 50 watts down to half a watt — is the one amplifier sheet here that explicitly addresses both rooms with one product at $299.99.
Which should a beginner buy first?
A beginner with an apartment and a computer gets more documented function from a $399.99 Headrush MX5 than from any $399 amp: headphone practice, a stated library of amp and effect models, and a USB interface in one box. A beginner who plays with people weekly gets the $299.99 Katana and spends the difference on a decent cable and earplugs. What the sources did not establish: whether the HX Stomp's models match the Blues Junior's tube sound — no named published test was supplied, and any such comparison you read elsewhere came from someone's impressions, not from these spec sheets. The honest documented answer is that the formats differ in outputs, weights, connections and prices, and those differences — not tone claims — are what should drive the purchase.
What does ownership cost beyond the sticker price?
The spec sheets price the boxes, not the systems, and the documented differences compound. A modeler needs monitoring: studio monitors or headphones for home — a documented pair of monitors starts around $200 per pair as of the June 2026 listings — and a powered speaker or the venue's PA for stage, per the makers' connectivity documentation. A tube amp carries different lifetime costs its maker documents explicitly: Fender's Blues Junior literature specifies user-replaceable tubes, and replacement output tubes are a recurring expense the amplifier industry prices routinely; solid-state amps like the Katana and all modelers carry no equivalent consumable. Weight is a cost too — thirty-one pounds carried up stairs, against a floor unit under five pounds in a gig bag — and the sheets state it plainly even if marketing pages do not. One more documented asymmetry: modelers receive firmware updates over USB per their makers' sheets, which adds documented capability after purchase; tube amplifiers are fixed circuits, which their owners count as a virtue. Neither position is wrong, but they are different ownership propositions, and the sticker price is only the entry fee.
Can a modeler replace an amp on stage?
On the supplied documentation, the answer depends entirely on what the venue provides. The HX Stomp and MX5 both list balanced outputs designed to feed a PA per their makers' sheets, so a venue with a sound system and a monitor mix supports a full modeler rig without an amp at all. What the sheets cannot provide is a stage feel: a modeler into in-ears delivers no back pressure, no air moving behind the player, and no shared sonic reference for a band used to standing beside amplifiers. That is not a tonal claim — it is a physical fact of what each format is, documented in the dimensions and outputs themselves. Players who move between venue types most often document a hybrid solution in practice: a modeler into a small powered speaker for stage reference, with the PA carrying the house. Nothing in this guide's supplied sources tests that configuration against a traditional amp; it is noted as the documented common practice, not a verdict.