Sounds quite harsh/overly trebly to me..?
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Like a lot of modellers it seems to do heavy and clean, but is unconvincing at mid gain (the AC30 sounded nasty).
It seems a bit lame to go on about how they aren't modellers and then spend the whole demo chasing iconic amp sounds.
It does seem to have some nice features though so I hope the range does well for them.
I personally quite liked it and am really interested to test one out.
It would be interesting to see how they take pedals, particularly overdrives/distortions as that's how so many of us who own these iconic amps they model (yes i agree however you gift wrap things it's still a modelling amp) add extra colour etc.
This TVP thing...there's no magic way to make an amp louder is there? I mean, it just must be significantly over-powered. The bit in the video near the end where they turn the TVP on and off and go "so this is what other digital amps sound like, but HERE is the Blackstar magic!"...that's a load of poo surely? I mean, presumably what you could do with those "other digital amps" is just turn up the volume?
It just looks like smoke and mirrors to me.
And the whole thing at the start about how they were designed differently from other digital amps by modelling the signal path of a valve amp...is that not a bit insulting to every other amp manufacturer? I don't know much about amp design but I'm sure the likes of Vox and Line 6 are using the same principles. I know the power section in the Valvetronix range was designed to mimic the characteristics of a valve power amp.
It just irks me the way they make out they are such innovators - I'm just not convinced. The whole ISF thing that they make such a fuss about seems very reminiscent of the Texture control that Peavey have been using on the Valveking amps for ages.
Originally Posted by Newton Faulkner
+1 to everything you said
I do like Blackstar amps, particuarly the S1's, and the ID series may actually sound better than other modelling amps, I'll judge that when I hear one, but they are so full of bull it's hard to believe some people actually believe it.
FS Marshall 2266c, TC Nova System
I really loved the HT-5 amps...I think they were one of the best sounding amps I have ever heard. I haven't really liked the other ones I have tried though. I had hoped the HT-40 would be a louder HT-5 but it just wasn't (maybe due to the poor speakers they seem to insist on using).+1 to everything you said
I do like Blackstar amps, particuarly the S1's, and the ID series may actually sound better than other modelling amps, I'll judge that when I hear one, but they are so full of bull it's hard to believe some people actually believe it.
I've tried a HT head, can't remember which one through a variety of cabs, and relly didn't think much of it at all.
FS Marshall 2266c, TC Nova System
I've been bothering Dave (ecc83) about it, and it seems there is a bit more to it than just using more power - and which also addresses my concern about overpowering a speaker rated for the amp's claimed output power as well, at least to a large extent. It's all a bit technical - and since I don't work for Blackstar I'm not allowed to know the details! - but it sounds like they're using the higher power *capability* to achieve valve-like dynamics, while limiting the maximum continuous power it can actually put out. For what it's worth this should also make it very reliable.
What really irks me is that in many ways they *are* genuine innovators - the HT-5 in particular is a clever use of hybrid technology that puts the valves where you need them most (tone stack stage, and final output stage), runs the output valve in a configuration that's very unusual for a low-powered amp but which sounds arguably more "big-amp-like" than the typical cathode-biased single-ended scheme, and uses solid-state for the parts where valves either aren't as necessary or even cause trouble (eg with microphonics in the first gain stages), as well as keeping the cost down. But then instead of being justifiably proud of this, they market it as a "valve" - with the now-denied claim that they ever said "all valve" - amp.It just irks me the way they make out they are such innovators - I'm just not convinced.
The same with this new series - they should honest about what it is and how it tries to emulate a valve amp, which can be done without actually giving away the trade secrets. (I think - since I understand the principle and I don't know any of the details.) But it seems the marketing department holds full sway over the engineers, which is a shame - and yes, I know that it's sometimes necessary in order to get past customer prejudices, but not to the extent Blackstar do, I don't think.
Last edited by ICBM; 23rd November 2012 at 11:26 AM.
"Just because I don't care doesn't mean I don't understand" - Homer Simpson
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Hmm...ok, well that does actually sound quite innovative and clever and maybe I have to eat my words. I'm all for Blackstar coming out with a cool new affordable great-sounding digital amp but I think their marketing is annoying. As you say, if they have done something clever, tell us about it! That said, it just didn't sound good to me in that video. I'm looking forward to trying one in the flesh though, or at least seeing some YouTube comparisons with other amps.
Maybe calling it EVP would have been better I.e. equivalent valve power
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