Blackstar HT-1R review

[poderoso]

I just wanna do a little in-depthish review on the Blackstar HT-1R combo and share it with you guys in the amp forum.

 

Maybe you guys cant decide if you wanna get it or not. You can hear a lot of people say its nothing like the HT-5.

 

First of all, let me share my reasons for getting this:

 

1. I bought this because I need high gain tones in very low apartment volumes. I used to own an Orange Tiny Terror head that I plugged into an epiphone valve jr 1x12 cab and that thing sounded good. but my problem is that 7 watts is way too loud for where I live so i looked around for something that suits me better.

 

2. I dont play gigs so i dont need a high watt amp.

 

3. But i do jam with my garage band every week so im gonna need something that can serve that purpose.

 

4. You can call me a minimalist player because I like to use as little effects as possible(an OD pedal and thats it). And the built in reverb is very handy to me.

 

I've never actually demoed an HT-1 prior to purchasing it but i played the HT-5 a couple times. I decided on the HT-1 because I figured if 7 watts is already too loud then 5 watts wouldnt make much of a difference.

 

TONE:

Everyone was right that the HT-1 is no HT-5. It doesnt sound as good.

 

-One of the reasons is the 8 inch 25 watt speaker. It sounds tiny! But its a 1 watt practice amp so that is to be expected.

 

-another reason is the lack of EQ control. Your tone is very limited because all you get is 4 knobs: gain, volume, EQ/ISF, reverb. The EQ/ISF knob is supposed to give you american and british tones but all it does is cut down the treble if you turn it all the way down or make it nasally if you turn it all the way up. But you can somehow get decent tones anywhere else in between.

 

-it has built in digital reverb. It doesnt emulate spring reverb so it doesnt give you that spring twang when you play percussively. Its a more subtle kind of reverb that juices up your tone a bit just so it doesnt sound dry.

 

-a 3 band EQ would definitely make this amp 10x better. but you can always use an EQ pedal for that.

 

GAIN/VOLUME:

-THIS IS NO GIGGING AMP. So dont expect high volumes. I play a Music Man Axis to it and it can only get fairly loud on clean tones. you can have the volume all the way up and the gain up to about 11 o clock before it starts to break up on humbuckers but when i coil tap you can push the gain up to about 1 o clock and get cleans.

 

-the loudest clean tone would be comparable to strumming hard on a dreadnaught acoustic guitar. (very good clean tone btw)

 

-this definitely has more gain than my tiny terror at way lower volumes. You can get that good chug (80's metallica) without an OD but playing through an OD pedal definitely pushes the amp for modern metal tones.

 

-it can get a lot louder on the gain channel although the amp rattles a little bit when its too loud. but the overall volume can be quite loud if you turn the volume and gain all the way up on the distortion channel. Just for comparison, i brought it to band practice and you can hear the amp when the drummer plays with the hihats closed on a simple beat but when the chorus kicks in and the cymbals are smashed you CANT hear the amp anymore. NOTE: i have a soft drummer he uses hybrid straw brushes(not as loud as sticks but not as subtle as brushes)

 

-BUT i did plug it into a 1x12 cab and the issue about the rattling disappeared, it had a lot more bass, more volume and more headroom. It can be heard over a (soft) drummer when plugged in to a 1x12 cab so that gives this amp a couple more tricks up its sleeve.

 

EMULATED OUTPUT/HEADPHONES:

 

-I cant say im impressed with how it sounds. Although I can get the best tones I've had through headphones, it doesnt have that dirty oomph or clean sparkle. I can compare it to using amp simulators on garageband:D

 

-also plugged it into our PA system. It sounds decent but it doesnt sound as good as when it is plugged into a 1x12 cab. But it might come in handy.

 

OVERALL:

 

-this amp gives me all "I" need in an amp. Being a non-gigging guitarist, I need an amp that can play metal, blues, rock, etc; in my apartment and in my friend's garage. I also like the fact that I can play through headphones in the middle of the night. Now this WILL NOT BE the amp for you if youre thinking you want to bring it to small gigs.

 

-i think its overpriced for a $299 practice amp but I got this brand new for $229 and i think thats a more appropriate price for this. Its no Orange Tiny Terror but I prefer this because of the low volumes.

 

-i hope my half assed review can somehow help anyone out there thinking about buying this.

[ShaneV2]

Kinda bummed to hear that it's not as good as the HT-5, I've been considering picking one up. Have you tried playing it through a 4x12 or something to confirm that the speaker is a major part of the problem?

 

Thanks for the review!

[Murdoch]

I've got the HT-1, no reverb, and I really thought the thing sounded absolutely HUGE for what it was. EASILY can do br00tz with no problems at all.

[poderoso]

Kinda bummed to hear that it's not as good as the HT-5, I've been considering picking one up. Have you tried playing it through a 4x12 or something to confirm that the speaker is a major part of the problem? Thanks for the review!

 

hmm...im saying its not as good as the HT-5 because you dont have as much control over your tone because of the lack of EQ. Your control is very limited because they tried to put the EQ and ISF in one knob. Dont get me wrong this is a good amp and this is my main amp. I havent played through a 4x12 but playing through a 1x12 completely changed the tone. It gave the tone more body when plugged in to the 1x12.

 

Bottom line is I love this amp but not to the extent that I see it as a perfect amp. Every amp has its flaws and Im just pointing those out.

[poderoso]

i agree about the gain. The 1x8 speaker is good enough for me during bedroom practice but you can immediately tell the difference when you plug it into a 1x12. anyways, i love how it sounds through both speakers:D

[newholland]

is it 'not as good as an ht5', or is it '1/5 the power of the ht5 with a smaller speaker'?

 

i'd be curious to see what it'd sound like with a mic in front of it recorded in similar conditions, 'cause it sounds like it's a good amp, just not as LOUD or as bassy as an ht5.

 

not busting yer balls-- just wonder if it's ACTUALLY worse, or just less preferential to you being smaller and lower powered.

[poderoso]

 

is it 'not as good as an ht5', or is it '1/5 the power of the ht5 with a smaller speaker'? i'd be curious to see what it'd sound like with a mic in front of it recorded in similar conditions, 'cause it sounds like it's a good amp, just not as LOUD or as bassy as an ht5. not busting yer balls-- just wonder if it's ACTUALLY worse, or just less preferential to you being smaller and lower powered.

 

 

good point. I dont have an HT-5 to do a head to head demo though. But when i was writing the review. I tried to look at it in a more critical perspective thus, the criticisms regarding tone. But honestly, I prefer having a 1 watt low volume amp because i live in an apartment. So i wouldnt say i dont like it coz its lower powered.