The PRS HX 50 Head is a PRS amplifier, currently around $2899. Close alternatives include the Strymon Iridium and the PRS HX 100 Head. It pairs well with the Xotic BB Preamp and the Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret Mk2.
PRS HX 50 Head
PRS · amplifier
The PRS HX 50 is a 50-watt guitar amp head driven by a pair of EL34EH power tubes, paired with a custom-designed Straight Edge output transformer and a 100-watt power supply, a deliberate design choice giving it tonal character closer to its larger 100-watt sibling than a typical 50-watt amp would have. It shares the HX 100's 3-band TMB tone stack, 3-way bright switch, high-mid gain switch, and presence controls, along with internally bridged channels and individual volume controls that eliminate the need for a jumper cable.
What stands out
“It shares the HX 100's 3-band TMB tone stack, 3-way bright switch, high-mid gain switch, and presence controls, along with internally bridged channels and individual volume controls that”
— from the listing
“The PRS HX 50 is a 50-watt guitar amp head driven by a pair of EL34EH power tubes, paired with a custom-designed Straight Edge output transformer and a 100-watt power supply, a deliberate design choice giving it tonal character closer to it…”
— from the listing
“Primary use case is players wanting the HX line's Hendrix-inspired, Marshall Super Lead-adjacent voicing at a slightly more manageable stage volume than the HX 100”
— from the community notes
“valued for delivering tonal character unusually close to the full 100-watt hx 100 despite its lower 50-watt output”
— from the community notes
“A strong choice for players wanting HX 100-adjacent tone at a slightly lower, more room-manageable power rating”
— from the reviews
- tonal character
- transformer
- full
- hx 100 adjacent tone
- distortion
- tube
- presence
- mid gain
Good for
- Live
- Studio
Price updated Oct 23, 2026
Genres the PRS HX 50 Head is commonly used in
- Rock
- Blues
- Blues Rock
- Classic Rock
Pedals that stack with the PRS HX 50 Head
Xotic BB Preamp
Xotic
36% matchfills a frequency gapFills in a frequency range the other side doesn't cover, instead of piling more onto what's already there. (bright → smooth)
The BB Preamp's creamy treble boost gives the HX 50's tube-driven distortion a brighter, more focused amp voice to push into.
Goes in front of the amp
Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret Mk2
Catalinbread
35% matchCatalinbread Dirty Little Secret Mk2 is voiced for Marshall-style amps — PRS HX 50 Head gives it exactly that
Goes in front of the amp
Wampler Plexi Drive
Wampler
35% matchPRS HX 50 Head leans into Marshall-style amps, precisely the platform Wampler Plexi Drive wants
Goes in front of the amp
Line 6 DL4 Delay Modeler
pedal
29% matchfills a frequency gapFills in a frequency range the other side doesn't cover, instead of piling more onto what's already there. (warm → bright)
Where this leans warm, PRS HX 50 Head answers back bright — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Sits in the amp's effects loop
Hughes & Kettner Tube Rotosphere MKII The Analog Leslie Simulator
pedal
29% matchThe HX 50's driven, tube-forward voicing gives the Rotosphere's Leslie swirl plenty of saturation to spin through.
Goes in front of the amp
Strymon TimeLine
Strymon
28% matchfills a frequency gapFills in a frequency range the other side doesn't cover, instead of piling more onto what's already there. (warm → bright)
Where this leans warm, PRS HX 50 Head answers back bright — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Sits in the amp's effects loop
Electro-Harmonix Canyon
Electro-Harmonix
26% matchWhat PRS HX 50 Head brings here leans toward full — that's worth building a pairing around — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Sits in the amp's effects loop
JAM Pedals Delay-Llama
Jam Pedals
26% matchfills a frequency gapFills in a frequency range the other side doesn't cover, instead of piling more onto what's already there. (warm → bright)
Run PRS HX 50 Head after it and the warm edge settles into something more bright — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Sits in the amp's effects loop
Cheaper alternatives
Friedman IR-D
Friedman
72% similarityFriedman IR-D recreates this amp's tone in pedal form
Soldano SLO
Soldano
72% similaritySoldano SLO recreates this amp's tone in pedal form
Friedman IR-J Jake E. Lee Preamp
Friedman
72% similarityFriedman IR-J Jake E. Lee Preamp recreates this amp's tone in pedal form
Marshall JCM800 2205 50-Watt Amplifier Head
Marshall
47% similarityShared character: presence, full, lead
Bogner Ecstasy 3534
Bogner
46% similarityShared character: full, stage
Laney Lionheart Tom Quayle Loudpedal
Laney
43% similarityShared character: tonal character, full, lead
Similar charactersee all similar tone character →
Strymon Iridium
Strymon
72% similarityStrymon Iridium recreates this amp's tone in pedal form
PRS HX 100 Head
PRS
64% similarity“a deliberate design choice giving it tonal character closer to its larger 100-watt sibling than a typical 50-watt amp would have”
Wylde Audio Master 100 Amp Head
amplifier
54% similarityShared character: presence control, presence, lead
Two-Rock TRCR100HD 100W Classic Reverb Tube Guitar Amp Head
amplifier
53% similarityShared character: internal transformer, bright, stage
EVH 5150III LBX II
Evh
51% similarityShared character: full, lead
Egnater Tourmaster 412B Cabinet
Egnater
49% similarityShared character: full, stage
See all alternatives to the PRS HX 50 Head (cheaper + boutique) →
Questions people ask
What are good alternatives to the PRS HX 50 Head?+
The closest matches in character are the Strymon Iridium, the PRS HX 100 Head, the Wylde Audio Master 100 Amp Head. Budget picks: Friedman IR-D, Soldano SLO, Friedman IR-J Jake E. Lee Preamp.
What pairs well with the PRS HX 50 Head?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Xotic BB Preamp, Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret Mk2, Wampler Plexi Drive — The BB Preamp's creamy treble boost gives the HX 50's tube-driven distortion a brighter, more focused amp voice to push into..
How much does the PRS HX 50 Head cost?+
Around $2899 (live listing price, updated Oct 23, 2026).