I had the 5 25 for a while and opted for the 5 50. The comparisons I drew from the 5:25 are the cleans surprisingly reminded me of Fender cleans.....The crunch sound to my ears was a little more akin to a Marshall......of course truthfully it sounds like a Mesa. It is such a versatile little amp. The one I had though was very noisy, never did try replacing any tubes.