Blackstar HT5 - Old vs. New Version

[SonicExplorer]

Hi,

 

I actually spoke with Blackstar today on this subject. A lot of things were discussed, some of which follows:

 

- The tone controls and ISF no longer function for the clean channel, they are dedicated to the gain channel now. The clean channel has one tone pot that is now dedicated to the clean channel.

- The gain channel does indeed have more gain now.

- The voicing of the amp has also been altered.

 

It would be really hepful if some members on this forum could do some comparison testing.... maybe someone owns both versions or maybe had the older version and now has the newer version, please share your findings.

 

The only comment I can offer is that, since I could not find heads to compare locally, I compared the combo's: the original HT5 combo vs. the new HT5C w/reverb version. I did not like the new version at all. The new tone control on the clean hardly did anything, which I felt was too much a sacrifice - giving up the all tone controls (plus ISF) on the amp just to have a dedicated tone knob for the clean. I did not notice a gain difference on the gain channel but then again I honestly wasn't listening for that. The voicing/tone I simply did not care for compared to the older model, however I suspect much of this mght be due to the 12" Blackbird speaker compared the 10" Celestion in the older version. It is possible the reason Blackstar chose to alter the amp voicing is because now the HT5 heads and combos are being paired with 12" speakers, instead of 10" speakers. I know a lot of people have commented about the older versions sounding a bit boxy, but to my ears the newer version now sounds too scooped and lost some of the important growly/grindy midrange. It's not a subtle difference but definitely noticable.

 

We need some forum members to compare the HT5 HEADS (old vs. new) keeping everything else constant and report back to let the forum know what's really going in with regards to gain and tone changes.

 

Thanks,

 

Sonic

[SonicExplorer]

Ok guys,

 

So, I drove quite a ways tonight to the only store around to try and get to the bottom of things. The store did not have the heads in stock but they had the combos (new and old versions ), and a Blackstar 12" cab with Celestion that I was able to route them through. While the testing wasn't perfect, I was able to determine a few key things:

 

1) The new version definitely has more gain, no question. Is it "lots" more? No. But it's noticable.

2) The voicing is different on the new model but the difference is slight and can be dialed to match the old. HOWEVER, having said that I cannot vouch for what happens at louder volumes, I was only able to play the amps about half volume. I got a sense the old version is probably a hair more organic sounding, and this would transpose mostly in the higher volume levels, and lower gain levels, which I was not able to blast at the store tonight.

3) The Blackbird speaker is an absolute PILE, which confirms what thought the first time I tried it. I would not recommend that speaker/cab for hard rock or metal. Maybe it will work for other styles though.

 

I need to decide now whether I want the new or old version of the head. LoL

 

One thing is absolutely irrefutable: Anybody who likes the mild break-up or overdrive on the clean channel, or likes to pedal-boost the clean channel needs to go with the old version and steer clear of the new. Reason being, there is almost no EQ control any more, just the one tone knob, which acts basically like a guitar tone pot, ranging from dull to full open (so to speak). So there's no true tone-shaping anymore via ALL the amp controls on the clean channel.

 

Will post more if I learn anything else...

 

Sonic

[tlbonehead]

Ok guys, So, I drove quite a ways tonight to the only store around to try and get to the bottom of things. The store did not have the heads in stock but they had the combos (new and old versions ), and a Blackstar 12" cab with Celestion that I was able to route them through. While the testing wasn't perfect, I was able to determine a few key things: 1) The new version definitely has more gain, no question. Is it "lots" more? No. But it's noticable. 2) The voicing is different on the new model but the difference is slight and can be dialed to match the old. HOWEVER, having said that I cannot vouch for what happens at louder volumes, I was only able to play the amps about half volume. I got a sense the old version is probably a hair more organic sounding, and this would transpose mostly in the higher volume levels, and lower gain levels, which I was not able to blast at the store tonight. 3) The Blackbird speaker is an absolute PILE, which confirms what thought the first time I tried it. I would not recommend that speaker/cab for hard rock or metal. Maybe it will work for other styles though. I need to decide now whether I want the new or old version of the head. LoL One thing is absolutely irrefutable: Anybody who likes the mild break-up or overdrive on the clean channel, or likes to pedal-boost the clean channel needs to go with the old version and steer clear of the new. Reason being, there is almost no EQ control any more, just the one tone knob, which acts basically like a guitar tone pot, ranging from dull to full open (so to speak). So there's no true tone-shaping anymore via ALL the amp controls on the clean channel. Will post more if I learn anything else... Sonic

Is the clean channel still as dull?

[SonicExplorer]

 

Is the clean channel still as dull?

 

 

I didn't hear a noticable difference between the old and new versions as far as any improvement to speak of, but to be honest I didn't focus on the clean channel much. Blackstar did mention they improved the clean channel a bit with the addition of the tone control. But seeing as that tone control came at the expense of loosing the rest of the entire EQ section on the amp, I'm not sure how that qualifies as an improvement. LoL

[tlbonehead]

I didn't hear a noticable difference between the old and new versions as far as any improvement to speak of, but to be honest I didn't focus on the clean channel much. Blackstar did mention they improved the clean channel a bit with the addition of the tone control. But seeing as that tone control came at the expense of loosing the rest of the entire EQ section on the amp, I'm not sure how that qualifies as an improvement. LoL

except that before I had to dime the treble and keep the mids and bass low to get any sparkle at all, which also equated to a horribly thin gain tone. It was a huge compromise.