Blackstar HT1 Amp Demo and Review

[crossroadresources]

I am loving this unit more and more everytime I hear it.

[BLACKSYNTH]

There gonna unveil a new amp at namm 2012 apparently a digital/modeling amp that sounds like a tube amp. should be interesting. you heard it here first ^^

[leatherwings007]

7:45 ...EFF YOU, I won't do watcha tell me! :D

[doveign]

this amp sounds awesome! this or the bugera v5 hmmm

[ravenshield56]

Got one the other day off a whim, beautiful tones such a good amp its unbelievable!

[Porly62]

This has the be the best 1W amp thats currently out there, no?

[AndertonsMusic]

@Porly62 in a word? Yes.

[Axeman81GT]

@AndertonsMusic As this promotion video was posted over a year ago, is the HT1R still the best on the market?

[HuckFoly]

just ordered one, thanks for putting up the video.. this is a GREAT sounding amp.. will sell allot here in the US for sure. Cheers!

[brooklynstudio]

emulated output or mic'd up speaker for recording... hmm...

[mgyouro]

While using the emulated output does signal still come from the speaker? or does it get cutoff like when you're using an extension cab.

[djworrall]

@mgyouro I too would like to know this.

[AndertonsMusic]

@mgyouro when using the speaker emulated line/headphone out the internal speaker is muted.

[RockerJack97]

lol i pissed myself at the captains face when drew started playing metal :)



[ninjasRfunky]

Hi I was thinking about picking this up soon to replace my crappy Line 6 15 watt. I have a few questions first. 1.) Will this end up being louder then my old 15 watt SS? I play in the local Jazz Band at my school which includes brass drums and 2 other guitarists. Would a Fender Super Champ XD be better? I really want a tube amp. Thank you so much

-Austin

[AndertonsMusic]

@ninjasRfunky I should think it will be about the same but should definitely be loud/quiet enough compared to a 15w SS. As for the Champ well the Blackstar and the Champ are very different beasts when it comes to tone, it's really down to what you want to use it most for. Decide where your priorities lie, the blackstar probably will not handle Jazz particularly well but I would urge you to decide based on what YOU really want it for.

[101theguitardude]

how loud is this. Because I jam with my brothers occasionally just with a piano and an e.bass and sometimes wanna solo over the top. But bringing down my HRDv isn't something that I can easily do. So I am looking at buying one of these, as for the sound quality and the cost is amazing. But would it have enough power and volume to be able to be heard over the piano and bass during a light jam. I don't need it to be stupidly loud, but enough...anyone? cheers

[AndertonsMusic]

@101theguitardude yeah from how you describe it sounds like an HT1 would be about right. Though you may want to check out the HT5 too just in case you wanted to be able to push it a little more sometimes. But an HT1 will be fine with a piano and bass.

[nochix96isnuts]

@AndertonsMusic Is it good enought for Slash,Jimmy Page and Joe Perry kind of sound?

[nochix96isnuts]

@nochix96isnuts I play a les paul...

[bedofrazorsqwerty]

4:57 Who farted?

[perseusbeatkraken]

That's a really good price for a tube amp even if IRS 1W and I see the captains got some chops!

[darklordbaf]

Blackstar + them Les Pauls = BLISS

[GetReide]

5:02 epic face

[JoimaliJope]

Left guy must be Mr Beans son.....

[pleximanic1]

Nees more talking and less playing.  Your take on what is goind on sounds better than the amp.

[MrRhoads23]

HOLY SHIT!

[oldschoolm8]

I got one of these the other day.......Awesome! You can dial in a really nice clean and crunchy tone. Highly recommended.

[soaring138]

Amazing Amp with a beautifull Crunch Sound in the cclean chanel ! I love it !

[Jsparrow64]

got the ht-1r 10% off. fuck yeah.

[yakiburger]

Jaw dropping sound for a 1 watt amp! I have to say it's best clean sounds come from the Strat while the over driven sounds from the Les Paul are awesome --- but isn't that just the way of the World?

[gigy127]

for a one watt it is very loud!! i have one!!!

[klauswhitedreamer]

hello, Blackstar!...

I have just purchased the HT1 R combo, really great little amplifier, I am very happy with it , thank you!...

I have a question : in the video preview it's been presented having the extension sockets for 8 ohms cabinets - mine came having written on it that it's impedance is between 4 - 16 ohms !.... that's means that I should have no headaches which cabinet I would use for the extension sockets?...!... :)

Claudiu - Aeternum

[DrewBlackstar]

@klauswhitedreamer Thats right you can plug it into whatever you want

[klauswhitedreamer]

@DrewBlackstar thank you 4 the answer, great to hear that!... :)

[leatherwings007]

@DrewBlackstar That's what SHE said...

[guitarkidification]

That little 1 watt amp sounds better than my marshall MG 100 Watt

[96lolstar]

What is the difference between digital and analog

[Jsparrow64]

this. sounds. amazing. I'm selling my 15W solid-state modeling amp and buying one of these.

[kingv911]

I should get this! Playing a 100watt amp in an apartment doesn't work.

[svenzia]

The emulated output is awesome. In fact,fantastic.

[MintJustin]

Can you make a video comparison between this amp and the Vox AC4TV?

[rofferdal]

Great! Love your tests of Blackstar gear, and bought the HT-1R after watching and listening to this video. Must say it's got all I need in a home practice amp, except a little bit of extra headroom on the clean channel. A pity I am in Norway, since buying from you means customs and shipping get too expensive. Anyway: Keep up the good work!

[andoo345]

OMG I GOT TO GET ONE LOL that sounded amazing when i first heard the drive at 4;15 and at 5:00 i died lol want to get this as my first tube amp,ben stuck with a spider for 4 now, i think im ready for something little more professional, pedals i have now are a crybaby wah, and a bbe distortion, just need modulaton and delay and verb and ill be happy with my rig :)

[CryWahWah]

how loud is that amp when you compare it to a transistor - amp? (like 10 watts with transistor)

[jacoktm]

this is by far the best review i've seen of this amp! thank you very much!!!

[PLAYER007ONE]

really good idea. strat and les paul alternatively

[twolf422]

I have been looking to get a low wattage tube amp this year. Looks like Blackstar is going to get my money.

[nekromachine]

Good job as usual with useful product demos. Got a HT-5 myself and its stunningly good for the money, May even go for a HT1-H sans verb just so i can push the output at full blast. Either the HT-5 or HT-1 are studio no-brainers

[psychofunksoldier02]

Thanks for the review guys! Never heard of Blackstar until I saw your shootout video with the HT5, Marshall Class 5 etc..., and now I'm a total fan!

[EMGlespaulMESA]

when does this amp go on sale in usa?

also what type of reverb is it?

is it spring? if so is it a tank or is it digitl, if digital can it do hall or room typer reverb?

[EMGlespaulMESA]

when does this amp go on sale in usa?

[ravenshield56]

an extra 40 quid for reverb?? :/ strange

[jimlucas0]

@ravenshield56

nice maths, it's 30 quid (:

[ravenshield56]

@jimlucas0 yeah i realised that after I wrote it :P

[drakonepl]

great amp :). I have HT40 and it's AWSOME!!!

Keep the rock guys.

[spidaman25x]

@drakonepl Is the ht40 "bedroom friendly"?

[drakonepl]

@spidaman25x yes, I've no problem with using it in a bedroom on low volumes. There is a possibility to use it in standby mode (only preamp section is active) and use emulated output as Your headphones socket.

I'm using HT40 at live gigs, rehersals and at home. It shines when master is near 12 o'clock. If You need only bedroom amp maybe you should go fot HT20 or maybe even HT5

[ravenshield56]

Unfortunately Im on limited budget, so one of these or the head version would be great, but how much would a good cab be? Ive never had a decent amp before, Im running a £29 amp atm, so you can tell what IM dealing with :P

[Dickunddoof]

Tune your guitar!!!!!!!!!!!!

[sch2412]

is this really an all tube amp? there are a lot of amps with "all tube" stickers on it (like the engl gigmaster) but what you get is essentially a overpriced hybrid

[summinrandom]

the ht1 has enough power to drive an 8ohm cab.

got this for xmas, 1watt is louder than you'd expect, certainly suprised me lol.

also the isf feature is pretty useful, when reading about it i thought it was a bit gimmicky, but im happy to be proven wrong. it looks gorgeous,the vintage grill cloth is really nice. only thing is it didn't handle my metal muff distortion pedal too well, doesn't bother me much cos it sounds so nice without it haha.

[odgeUK]

So can the HT-1 Head drive a 16ohm cab? Like a Marshall 1960 for instance...

[cikicrocus]

I have got this amp and it is really good. I must say that 1 watt is much more than you need for home. So I cant play at home at full volume for long. But the reverb is not so strong one, I keep it at max all the time. The distortion is good even at lower volumes. Havent tried it with a distortion pedal yet but Im sure it will be good. I play metal mostly and I am not dissapointed with sound. Of course it is not a Fryette Pittbull 100 head that should be kept in mind.recommended...

[Spartan9699]

sounds good for a 1w amp, even the metal riff he played sounds good :)

[theoriginaldimi]

Love the Reef riff at 6:14 

[2SugarsPleeze]

So how does the "little fellow" drive a 2x12 cab, surely that's like slinging a sausage in a bucket?

[bluesmusiccat]

HT1 or the little fender champ 600?

[smaschmann]

@bluesmusiccat Ht1 for sure. It's made in Korea rather than China, and has way more features.

[smaschmann]

@bluesmusiccat 

[skyguitar321]

hey man does the amp get really loud? like a full auditorium loud!

Since my birthday is after Christmas im looking for an amp.

when will it be available in the us?

[llamaluva888]

will it work through a normal combo amp like say a fender frontman 212r?

[pfarina]

How tall is captain? Is he taller than chappers?

[vileguile4]

Holy Andertons Batman! that sounds so good! Crazy! I mean REALLY ! 

[brimill1980]

the captain has the chops :]

[rrippp]

I. W.A.N.T. O.N.E. 

[pcstrat1]

aww....you guys make suh a lovely couple lol

[sy1gnio]

wow! 

[Doddus]

Just wondering, I know there is another model of this amp without reverb. Would the tone benefit from not having a digital reverb in the way of the sound even when its completely dialed off on the model with the reverb?

[AndertonsMusic]

@Doddus Hi there. You shouldn't notice any difference in tone between the HT1 and the HT1R with the reverb at 0.

We think the HT1 without reverb is just for those who never use it or already have a pedal they like and want to save a bit of money! Otherwise there's no reason not to get the HT1R

[baskethilt]

@AndertonsMusic I´n not sure about that, tried both with Gibson LP with P90s, and on the clean channel, with high gain setting, I suspect a better sound with HT1... but its just my instinct and how I remember it. I´ve read the reverb is digital, I don´t have great experience with reverb, but I can´t say I like it. Feels pretty useless for chords, to me most noticeable with lead blues lines, but I don´t know if it enhance anything. And if you have to look for it... it´s not there.

[krajnovic10]

on the overdrive channel, can you get a clean sound by rolling the guitars volume down?

[SR5127CL]

@AndertonsMusic I know it's kind of old but you should do a review of the bloody good amplifier know as the Peavey Vypyr Tube 60 or 120 Tube Head. Thanks

[lokistears123]

does it kill the speaker when you use the emulated output?

[AndertonsMusic]

@lokistears123 Yes - the emulated out is also the headphone output so it does stop the speaker.

[lokistears123]

@AndertonsMusic tnx i tried the ht-20 but it did not kill the speakers when i used the headphones

[RoxxorBidoune]

4:58

Captain's like "OMG this is a monster, should we call the police ??

[nesa407]

Love the demo im buyin thanks guys.How

[nesa407]

Love the demo im buyin thanks guys.Hows it sond with headphones?

[nesa407]

oe the demo im buyin thanks guys!

[sild123]

say i have a large vox combo, and this ht-1 combo, can i plug my ht-1 to vox's effect return as a mean of using it as a extension cab? cuz sometimes all i can find is valve combos. what about direct to mixer or pa/speakers? good?

[elinwar]

Would be really nice if it had an effects loop...

[u2pop2]

nice...good

[KX36]

bit daft that blackstar's HT-110 1x10 cab is 16 ohm and that's fine for the HT-5 which has 8 and 16 out, but the HT-1 only has an 8 ohm out, so it can't be used with blackstar's small cab. Or am I missing something.

[axeman14]

@AndertonsMusic the reason i ask is because the output on the HT-1 is 8ohms whereas the cabs on the HT-5 are 16ohms. Would that be ok? Sorry but I know nothing about the technical side of things :S Cheers.

[axeman14]

Hi just wanted to know if you can use the head version of the HT-1 with one (or both) of the cabs from the HT-5?

[cerebrix]

this is so my next amp

[oursonvie]

Opps, I missed the bottom line of text, so the EQ does EQ and ISF, put his on my must list already, thanx

[MuckersGtr]

I've got an Orange 1x12 cab, with a 16 ohm input. What risks are there, if any, if I plugged this into the cab?

I'm presuming if I was a 16 ohm output and my cab was 8 ohms I'd risk screwing up my cab (too higher load) and the amp (not high enough load connected).

But what about in this instance, where the load on the cab from the amp is lower?

[AndertonsMusic]

@MuckersGtr With Tube amps I'd highly recommend matching the load exactly. This will not only ensure you get the longest life out of your tubes and the amps transformers - you will also get the most efficiency and power transfer.

With tube amps, mismatches that are too low are generally considered more tolerable than mismatches that are too high. In your case, I would definitely NOT plug a 16 ohm load into the amps 8 ohm speaker output.

This risk is not to your cab. It's to your amp!

[AndertonsMusic]

@MuckersGtr You will probably wear out the tubes very quickly, and there is a high risk you will blow the output transformer which you don't want to do!

I would imagine your cab has two 8 ohm speakers wired in series (=16 ohm load). If you're handy with a soldering iron, or know someone who is, you can modify this so they are wired in parallel. This will give you a 4 ohm load on an 8 ohm "tap" which would be better than 16ohms. Nevertheless, I'd still try and use an 8 ohm cab for the ht1. HTH!

[MuckersGtr]

@AndertonsMusic Thanks! The cab only has one speaker (it's one of the 1x12s designed for the Tiny Terror) so no chance of fiddling with impedance there. Looks like the combo for me - it's cheaper than buying the head & extra 8ohm cab. Less space consuming too!

[IAmReallyQuiteBored]

@AndertonsMusic I think you can run 8ohm into 16. Just not 16 into 8.

[IAmReallyQuiteBored]

@AndertonsMusic You can only ruin the transformer if your head impedence is bigger than the cab impedence, hence why most cab now are all 16 ohm.

[dumbtweed]

@AndertonsMusic

Hey guys. Same question but different cab. I just bought a ht5 ext cab( it states 16ohms) cos plan to get a ht1rh, so does this mean that i might not be able to pair them up?

[GibsonTick]

@AndertonsMusic Actually if the cab has a higher impedance rating it will be totally fine....I have the HT-1 head and even though it's a 4-ohm head, it's rated for 4 to 16 ohms, says so right on the head.

[albedo0point39]

@MuckersGtr I'm in the same situation, since I've got an Orange Tiny Terror + cab.

I was thinking that adding a 16ohm resistor across the speaker terminals will drop the overall speaker impedance to 8 ohms. It'll reduce the volume still further, but probably not a big deal.

Easy enough to put a couple of 1/4 inch connectors and a resistor in a little box to do this. With only a 1 watt amp, it's not like there's a lot of power or heat that's going to be involved.

[oursonvie]

Small tube amp is the way to go, really wanna a small tube amp with british tone, to bad this one doesn't have ISF or w/e they called that, lol

[MuckersGtr]

@oursonvie This model does have the ISF feature, as far as I know. So you're in luck!

[Schpudd]

@oursonvie wait what one of the first things they said was 'this has ISF'

[bignickm99]

are the channels foot switchable?????

[AndertonsMusic]

@bignickm99 Hi - the HT1 channels can only be changed via the switch on the amp itself.

[Robertus1989]

@AndertonsMusic thats too bad....i was really looking forward to this amp, it seemed to be exactly what i needed :-( ......they finally put reverb on....but take away a footswitch.....is there no justice???? lol. back to the drawing board i guess.

[DrewGibsonUK]

I see a head and 2x12 in my immediate future :) Thanks for the excellent demo, I need to run my lester through one soon !

[MrGamingGuitarist]

Does anyone know when the HT-1 will be available in the US?

[EdgarBeja]

Great demo! I have a Blackstar HT-5 and I want to know how I connect a HTV 2x12 Cab to it! The cab says (8Ω Mono / 2x16Ω Stereo) What´s the difference between mono and stereo and how do I connect it into my HT-5? Thanks guys!

[AndertonsMusic]

@EdgarBeja Hi. The "stereo" output allows you to connect two 16 ohm cabs. However since there is only one amplifier all you are actually doing is widening your sound in the room (if you place the cabs far apart).

If you only have one cab, I would recommend you connect the 1x8 ohm output on the ht5 to the 8ohm input on the htv212.

[Furtheronmusic]

Awesome!!!! Another killer from Blackstar. I was looking at an HT5 as a practice/recording amp but this is in the mix too now

[chymist66]

@Furtheronmusic

I'm still amazed at the tone from my HT5 stack, puts a smile on my face every time I switch on. You will not be disappointed with the HT5 in whatever format you buy it.

This 1 watt baby has just effectively carved a gaping hole through the solid state practice amp market. Why bother when you can get valves for this price.

[JadenRoseGuitars]

sounds great, im gettin one ;)

[benzakonium]

Amazing value, sounds awesome. I've been wanting somebody to do a decent 1 watt amp for ages... Kudos to Blackstar for cracking the code. I'm loving what they are putting out into the market.

[Robertus1989]

FANTASTIC VIDEO!!!! When I go to England for study abroad in a couple weeks, im definately gonna get this amp. Sounds amazing and is just what I'm looking for.

[BuyOurRock]

0:55 1:00 ... I don't know what I should say.

[Smoothtlknwhtboi]

Lez Paul!! man I just love you guys!! hope to one day get to visit your store

[tony93666]

this pisses all over the Fender Champ 600... BLACKSTAR FTW!

[voodooriders]

What a jawsome little amp!

[j12elliott]

that little thing is bad ass.

[Leviskardsen]

If you want to clean it up, just roll some of your guitar volume down.

[pastorkev777]

This is like a little laneilei maybe better! -PK

[pastorkev777]

When will this be on the Blackstar website? -PK

[jackwontknow1]

where's mr. Chapperz the king of Primates??

[rockpwnsu]

sounds nice for 1watt

[bladerunner12]

Sounds like the LP was driving it too hard. Took away all headroom from the clean channel.

[polishedbullet]

Since when did Brent from Mastodon start demoing amps for you guys?!

[nght5tlkr]

Oh, can you share the dimensions? I'd like to know how portable it is--if it can fit into a small bag or if I were to make a cover for it.

[nght5tlkr]

That amp is too cute to not buy a couple >_< I definitely want one

[GomlaRida]

oh your face at 4:57 was priceless :P

[stevoe1000]

@GomlaRida yeah...it's llike he was thinking WTF this sounds awsome...

[lighteningboy]

The Strat sounds best through it

[RobChappers]

Boom!!!

[davemis40]

Boom ! ... where's the king of the primates ?

Great amp .. may have to buy the head !

[snowiswow]

love your playing captain!

[sirfredofx]

I so want one!

[RaidenNoKishi]

Mmm, tasty. I also wholeheartedly approve of the Cap'n playing "Tie Your Mother Down" - one of my favorite Queen songs ever!

[TomHappyapril]

Nice! but ill stick to my 6w Cornford

[uiterniels]

Can you put the emulated output into a PA?

[KAPICEK]

@uiterniels I don't see why not.

[mean0machine0]

can you please do this exact same style review and demo for all of the blackstar HT venue series?

and at the end make a video where you show how different they sound.

i would really like to see that :)

[ubad00d]

Seriousely, this is third post...IT's getting into metal...AND IT's 1 watt!! It sounds so good.

[tomrichyguitar]

sweet :)

[ubad00d]

Woah!!! How can it sound that Big!!! Sounds huge.

[mean0machine0]

the fattest sounding 1 watt amp ever :)

[ubad00d]

OMG AWESOME!!!

[madews]

The les pauls clean sound isnt that clean :S

[djrice91]

@madews higher output pups

[madews]

@djrice91 I know

[alapunk13]

FIRST! :)