Seems like the HT would be perfect for a dorm . I ' d suggest something like the Zoom G 3 amp modeling , multifx , looper , drum beatsmetronome , sounds good through headphones and is cheap and some decent headphones . Check out the Egnater Rebel , it has some interesting features that some think gimmicky but they actually come in handy if you ' re using the same amp for bedroom and sharing the stage with a drummer volume . It sounds good at tv volume but when cranked with the tubes cookin ' it has a fierce growl that ' ll make your balls drop a lil lower . The 20 w head works with any cab , any ohm , so you can leave a 112 in the dorm and a 212 412 ? ! in the van . Every amp has a volume knob but a master volume amp is especially cool if you wanna play an amp quietly . Those amps let you control preamp and power amp volume so you can dial in more gain at lower volume . Not all of them keep their charm at whisper quiet but the Rebel does , and probably better than any amp I know of . As far as 15 w vs 50 w , what are you playing ? If you need clean cleans andor stage thumping brootz , you need power and the more the better . If you don ' t need either raunchy blues to crunchy hard rockpunk and alternative somewhere between I guess , a Blues JrAC 15 and pedals will suffice .