REVIEWED


Blackstar HT


-1R BLACKSTARHT-1R


This diminutive tube combo’s sound belies its compact size...


Words: Tim Slater


Blackstar are definitely one of the most happening amplifier brands at the moment and the new Blackstar HT-1R reflects the current vogue for small low powered tube guitar amplifiers that can be coaxed into delivering sounds much larger than their diminutive size may otherwise suggest.


Cabinet & Speaker The HT-1R is rated at only a single watt but it is designed in a clever way that allows it to double as a stand-alone combo for practicing or else it can also be connected to an external 8 ohm speaker cabinet for a bigger tone when recording, an option that demonstrates what a


BLACKSTAR HT-1R


SRP £199.00


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ACT


Blackstar Amplification T:


W: 01604 652844 blackstaramps.co.uk 22 3pickup


remarkable amount of volume can be squeezed from a one watt amp! Starting with the basics, the closed back combo features a single 8-inch driver but we were still impressed by the breadth and warmth conveyed by this tiny speaker. This little combo produces a fulsome resonate tone with virtually none of the thin, tinny sound that you might be forgiven for assuming you’d get from such a small box. The cabinet is finished to the same high standard as its larger siblings in the Blackstar family; you get proper steel control knobs, shoulder protectors and a well finished vinyl covering complemented by Blackstar’s distinctive dark maroon grill cloth and bold white logo. You even get a lovely little padded carrying handle! Besides Gain and volume controls a single rotary EQ uses Blackstar’s ISF system to dial-in British and American-style amp tones when the tone pot is at either extremes of its travel, with a blend of both voices when the pot is set dead in the middle. There is also a built-in reverb with a mix control that delivers a surprisingly lush reverb from such a little box. A speaker emulated output doubles as a headphone socket and there is also a line level input for connecting an MP3 player or iPod.


Preamp & Poweramp Tube amp design usually dictates that the circuit uses preamp and power amp tubes that are specifically designed for their purpose but the HT-1R uses an ECC83 (12AX7) in the preamp and an ECC83 (12AU7) in the output stage. This might look a bit odd on paper but the ECC83 is integrated into the circuitry to enable the HT-1R’s output stage to be coaxed into emulating the similar dynamic response of a much larger amp of around 100 watts. To this end Blackstar has opted not to go for a typical open ended Class A power amp and instead the HT-1R output stage is a more wide open sounding class A/B design whose push/pull characteristics are much better suited to emulating the greater headroom of a big amplifier. This seems to ring true; at least judging by how gargantuan this small combo sounds when it is hooked up to a decent extension speaker cabinet.


Sounds The HT-1R is a two channel amp and the gain switch toggles between the amp’s dual clean and overdrive modes. For a one watt amp this little beast kicks out a staggering amount of volume, granted it won’t exactly fill the Albert Hall but you are unlikely to find yourself welding the master volume to the maximum limit of its travel, either. For home use there is bags of headroom and volume to spare, with a very natural sounding breakup when the gain knob is nudged just over the threshold


between clean and overdriven tones. When the high-gain mode fully engaged an element of top end fizziness begins to creep in around the edges but the core of the sound remains sweet, albeit with a toothy snarl, and there is no shortage of natural sustain. High gain levels have an authentic heavy metal vibe which suits the tightly focused, dare we say borderline processed, tone when the overdrive is operating close to full capacity. The ISF control seems to scoop out a reasonable dollop of midrange at one extreme (which is the US-flavoured tone) whilst the other end has a slightly fatter more mid focused tone. With the gain backed off and a humbucker equipped guitar introduced into the mix this sounds really sweet and bluesy. PM


SHOULD I BUY ONE?


Blackstar have filled a nice little niche with the HT-1R. It makes an ideal home practice amp that can be coaxed into sounding ten times its size when matched with a decent extension cab. Its build quality and general ruggedness also feels much more grown up than your typical small practice amp. This is an extremely capable amp for recording big-sized guitars in a small home studio where space and noise limits are both important considerations.


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