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The main things to consider when choosing an amp are price, your core tone desired, versatility, reliability, and power. Most amps are designed for several tones and have a tonal signature that is difficult to find elsewhere. This doesn't mean you should or shouldn't like any amplifier's signature characteristic - you may prefer other aspects of it, or a channel or feature that doesn't get the same love as other tones it can produce. However, when trying to figure out what amp you want, it's a lot easier to listen to lots of clips and choose which tones you like and narrow that down to a list of amps that can do that tone well than it is to aimlessly try every amp on every channel.
The modern amplifier generally has 2 to 4 channels that you can switch between. This will give you that many distinct tones that you can access on-the-fly. Some amps have completely independent controls for each channel, while some amps share some controls across channels which may make them less versatile. Beyond that, some amps have controls that affect all the channels. Outside of tweaking the controls provided on the amp itself, using boost/overdrive pedals, EQ, or other affects effects can be used to strongly alter the tone.
== Pre-Amp vs. Power Amp ==