The answer to that question really does depend on what you want it for.

First of all, let's get some definitions:

The last few years have seen a rise in the number of smaller, low-powered all-valve guitar amplifiers. These are great for achieving awesome tone at lower volumes and so we set up the Smaller Amps section. In the last few months, Marshall and Vox have both released small amplifiers; Marshall with their Haze line and Vox with the Nightrain.

I remember paying between £300 and £400 for a Marshall 1960AV 4x12 cabinet about 10 years ago. The price has increased, as I'd expect prices to inflate over time. A quick search and I can see it on sale for £489. I could probably spend longer looking and find it cheaper.

And then I look at Engl. The equivalent Engl cabinet is the Engl Pro Cabinet E412. In the UK, it's £899! They make superb products and I like the cabinets a lot, but not enough to pay almost twice as much.

What we say about the Marshall 1960AV Cabinet

For any serious rock or blues tone, the Marshall 1960AV speaker cabinet is the minimum speaker cabinet you should be looking at. There are cheaper cabinets out there, same as there are more expensive cabs as well, but this should be your benchmark and your starting point.

What we say about the Blackstar HT-110 Cabinet

I wouldn't ever say that any cab is awesome, maybe I just haven't tried the right one! But the right speaker cabinet can give you access to awesome tone.

What we say about the Blackstar HT5 stack

I wish this amp had been around when I was first learning how to play gu