Blackstar HT-5R combo

[BartB]

Any of you guys familiar with this particular amp??
There is allot to find about the HT-5 combo but not the updated HT-5R
I mean reviews of users. There is allot of info on the net of course
Like to hear what you think

Thanks

 

[Rokstar]

I'm getting the HT-5. The HT-5R is exactly the same but has reverb and cost about 40-50 bucks more according to the shop I ordered it from. I've been waiting a month for it already, I didn't get the HT-5R only because I'm not into reverb. Jamie Humphries rocks a track on the HT-5R on Blackstar's site I believe.

 

[fogman]

it's not released yet here in North America.
suppose to be late August/early September.
i can't wait!!!
i've had my eye on it for quiet a while now.

 

[whitestrat]

I have it. The HT5R has a 12" speaker, tone control for clean, and a digital reverb. It's really good. Quite different from the original HT5. Better, if you ask me. Kinda like a mini-mesa.

 

[Phrat]

WHat whitestrat said. I had a little play on the HT5R yesterday as I was trading in my HT5 (for a Series One 45...lovely). The HT5R has 12" speakers so has a much meatier sound and the reverb is very good. The tone control for the clean channel is a welcome addition. I would definitely opt for the HT5R!

 

[Jamie M]

These look great i am thinking off getting one for home. My HT40 is overkill for home use and gardly ever gets used so the 5R would be a good compromise.

 

[spkirby]

These look great i am thinking off getting one for home. My HT40 is overkill for home use and gardly ever gets used so the 5R would be a good compromise.

PM'd.... I have a mint, boxed and essentially unused HT-5 Head for sale. (in the UK!)

 

[Rokstar]

it's not released yet here in North America.
suppose to be late August/early September.
i can't wait!!!
i've had my eye on it for quiet a while now.

Damn, that would explain why it's taking so long! I've been eyeing them up for a long while too. It's everything I want in an amp!

 

[Roubster]

I came across a great solution that my friend had done a long time ago, but makes it easier on the Blackstar amps. Like Jamie M said, sometimes the high powered amps cannot be played or enjoyed properly without cranking the volume. Well, with the direct out you can plug it into a mixer and use headphones to jam whenever you want. I just got a nice little Mackie 4 line mixer, and will give it a shot tonight. I expect that it will not sound as good as when the amp and speaker are reacting together...but I think it's a great solution. As a matter of fact this can be done with any high output amp, by connecting for instance a THD Hot Plate...setting it on Load and running it through such a mixer into the headphones. Now I can look for a beast of an amp without worrying about detroying the neighbors ...and I dont need to resort to an Axe Fx either which I was potentially going to do. I would much rather go with a Mesa Boogie Lonestar, or Custom Audio SE+ .

 

[fbecir]

The Blackstar HT-5 is a nice amp but the guys from Blackstar seem to use the same nasty trick that the Fender guys are using : they put a linear pot for the master volume. Thus you have all the volume when the pot is on 3 ... and after that there is no real difference.
The Fender Hot Rod amps are famous for that. Just read this excellent article :
The Unofficial Fender Hot Rod Deluxe Owner's Guide! | Controlling the Hot Rod's Volume

When you try such an amp in a shop, the volume is on 2 and you are blown away by the volume. Thus you think : "wow this amp rock. When the volume will be on 10, I will be a rock God ! ". But in fact it will not increase a lot and after that when you need to play quietly, you are in trouble.

 

[Jamie M]

The Blackstar HT-5 is a nice amp but the guys from Blackstar seem to use the same nasty trick that the Fender guys are using : they put a linear pot for the master volume. Thus you have all the volume when the pot is on 3 ... and after that there is no real difference.
The Fender Hot Rod amps are famous for that. Just read this excellent article :
The Unofficial Fender Hot Rod Deluxe Owner's Guide! | Controlling the Hot Rod's Volume

When you try such an amp in a shop, the volume is on 2 and you are blown away by the volume. Thus you think : "wow this amp rock. When the volume will be on 10, I will be a rock God ! ". But in fact it will not increase a lot and after that when you need to play quietly, you are in trouble.

I did not know that. A bit of a sneaky trick that is.

 

[Jamie M]

If anyone is in the market for an HT40 combo let me know

 

[browndog]

Never cared much for reverb and my HT-5 is just fine.

If you’re in Toronto and in the market for one, I’m selling.

 

[Spudmurphy]

Just my 2d's worth - for what it's worth (2d?)
For over 40 years I was never a fan of reverb but I've totally changed my mind quite recently.

I was talking generally about sound to a mate who was a sound engineer and we were talking about reverb.
He said (something like [I can't quote him exactly 'cos he does talk quite in depth]) ... ... "natural sound has ambience to it - whether it is muffled because it originates from behind a wall/partition/curtain or whether it has an echo or reverb to it because of the distance between the origin of the sound and the listener, sound has colour blah blah blah " Anyway he basically convinced me to add reverb.

Wind forward a couple of weeks to the Hamilton Loomis Concert in Cardiff. Another mate's band were opening and the guitarist was asking my opinion of his sound from my vantage point. I said that it was flat and dead and needed lifting (he wasn't going thro the PA just his back line). I advised him to use reverb and he initially said that he never used it - he did try Reverb tho' and it improved his sound. So I'm now a convert.

 

[spkirby]

Thats funny Spud, I've been a reverb fan all my life, but recently got a Bogner amp without reverb and loved the sound... it seemed more full, immediate and responsive for want of a few better words! My reverb fitted amps have the reverb on zero now and I'm loving these newly discovered tones! Fickle creatures aren't we?

My HT5 head is still available folks

 

[BartB]

I have played only without reverb until recently a friend let me listen to a song with reverb and the same without the reverb and i was sold immidiatly.. Eventough i knew what reverb soundend like. I love the blackstar sound so i decided to wait for the ht-5r

 

[Spudmurphy]

Thats funny Spud, I've been a reverb fan all my life, but recently got a Bogner amp without reverb and loved the sound... it seemed more full, immediate and responsive for want of a few better words! My reverb fitted amps have the reverb on zero now and I'm loving these newly discovered tones! Fickle creatures aren't we?

My HT5 head is still available folks

Yes we are indeed - trouble is, in the example I gave where the guitar is just through the back line, what may sound good to us on stage isn't a good reflection of what the audience hears.