Blackstar Ht Series Ht 5R Tube Guitar Combo Amp For Sale (2024 Update)

Great sounding clean tones for playing at home, which is why i bought it – my beloved Mustang 1.1 started having issues and I MUST have a great clean tone to relax. Wanted a tube amp and did my research. Decided on the Blackstar. I must say I'm extremely happy with it. The reverb is KILLER to my ear and does a great job at adding shimmer without destroying the tone. No external effects are needed to get a gorgeous clean tone – I use my Zoom G3Xn into the front end to get univibe and compression. The effects loop is very functional. The amp can be very bass heavy, depending on your instrument, but if you run a 10 band EQ (go with MXR) in the loop you amp can achieve any tonal result you want. My best sound comes with everything at 12, with some of the bass rolled off with the MXR EQ – but its just a matter of taste i guess. This amp moves a lot of air when you use the drive channel, and if your not pleased with the amps distortion it does respond really well to distortion pedals. I'm mostly in the clean blues zone but must brag on the amps darker side: it can get very loud and stay rich. I haven't tried any of the direct recording features. The 2 selectable characters of clean that the amp offers thrill me and ,again, the reverb is classy and a bit different from other amps ( I read that is a room reverb). Highly recommended.Tim H.

This amp out of the box sounds fantastic. Crystal clear clean tones and a snarly gain channel that lets you choose between a more American gain tone and a British gain tone. I would say ‘cater for everyone’. But, I received my first amp and within an hour of playing I’d noticed a loud ‘POP’ when changing channels. This pop occurred if a note was being played at the same time as the channel change. (Footswitch and Amp buttons) So, of course I returned the Amp to PMT. they arranged DPD next working day collection for me, completely hassle free. I awaited my next amp, as a direct replacement. A few days later the next Blackstar HT-5R mkii arrived, box fresh like the last. I plugged the amp in, let the tubes warm and away I went. Within minutes of found a great tone again, but the loud ‘POP’ I heard from the first unit was there again on this amp. I tried 4 sockets in the house in case there was any kind of interference/static, but to no avail. Absolutely gutted, I called PMT again. The amp was returned for the second time. Apparently this hasn’t happened to anyone else, I may just be unlucky or the amp may not get along with the electrics in my home. Just check this out as soon as you buy one. I’ve tried two other valve amps on my house since, including a Blackstar Artist 10 AE and an Orange terror with cab, and there’s absolutely zero noise with these. Very important to note here, this is not a slam of PMT, they’ve been absolutely brilliant throughout this whole thing. Customer service is second to none and they are very easy to contact. Used these for a very long time and I will be returning once stores open to try out a new amp.Jack H.

I recently bought a Fender Blues Jr NOS and was quite happy, good natural clean and grind. Takes both pedals and my X3 Live outboard gear very well, but I was hoping for an amp that had the clean and the hard rock tones without needing to schlep a distortion pedal or my X3 Live. I bought an HT-5R used at MF's sister company hoping it would meet my needs. First, the HT-5R can be very loud. It also has a decent clean, pure for my EMG 60 and a nice blues edge with my EMG 85. The test of any amp is how it handles the hard rock or metal tones tho and the HT-5R falls sort of short… until you add the required Decimator G String Noise Reduction and BBE Sonic Max thru the effects loop. Those two outboards save this amp without running pedalboard effects. Just know, the BBE and G String are not needed nor are they compatible with the X3 Live, the thing buzzes like crazy when I run the X3L thru it with the BBE and G String. The X3 Live sounds great without them tho. I don't have any other modeling/multi-effects systems so I do not know if the Boss ME-70 or similar items are compatible with the BBE or Decimator thru the HT-5R effects loop. I also tried hooking up my Haze 112 straight cab as an external along with the internal speaker, sounds very fine. These two brands of speakers probably play better together than the two companies. Bottom line… I can run this amp without a distortion pedal on the clean channel unless I want crunch (I do). The OD channel doesn't need a distortion pedal but only sounds real when I use BBE and Decimator. I can also use the X3 Live. Both setups can produce awesome results. By itself? Not so much… but I'm still keeping mine for grab and go and gigs with small stages, but I'm keeping my Fender Blues Jr NOS too for when I'm willing to bring my pedal board or X3 Live along.Travisty7

Kind of puzzled by the negative reviews of this bad boy but to each his (or her) own I guess. The Blackstar HT-5R to me is a fantastic little amp. It is solidly built and delivers tube warmth & punch that digital amps can't touch. It's simple layout allows for a versatile array of quality tones without slamming the user with option overload. There are lot of well-thought out features one doesn't usually find on affordable small tube amps such as the excellent emulated output and an FX loop. The clean channel is very serviceable. It's not a mind-blowing Fendery clean but it is very clear and is very responsive to difference guitars and pickups. If you are a country guy, don't bother. If you like gain, keep reading. The star here is the Overdrive channel. There is lots of gain on tap, plenty for most rockers and classic metallers. The tone is a little more rock than pure metal – the palm mutes are reasonably chunky but you won't get Pantera chug without a boost pedal. This is true for most high gain tube amps though, that's why so many bands and producers rely on Tubescreamers to tighten things up. I get a killer warm tone straight onto the amp at any gain level. After setting the gain anywhere above 5 and flicking on my TS-9 (set to zero gain and a just a slight level boost), this thing turns into a fire-breathing crunch machine! Tasty metal riffs abound. The HT-5R is highly recommended for anyone looking for a punchy, rockin' amp for home use or in the studio.Juice Maloose

This amp is a little gem. It pretty much covers all angles from Bedroom practice to Studio, Rehearsal and Live Gigging. With many sound setups in venues using monitored sound systems the requirement for loud backline Amps is a thing of the past and gigging with one means basically not being able to play it at any volume above number 2. A small , but powerful amp with both the monitoring capability and the Emulated MIC capability to go straight into a Desk means that you can have the best of both worlds if needed. You can play it on stage a reasonable volume or you can play through the monitoring if needed. The channel switch and Cab / Speaker options mean you can setup the whole for bigger things if you want to carry the Cabs about with the option to plug in extension speakers galore. The Reverb is smooth, Roomy to Arena and the ISF gives you tonal variation that allows great contrast. If you want a negative… well the sockets on the back are all hidden under the edge of the back panel making them hard to find in the Dark and the foot switch cant be dropped into the back of the Amp for storage…but thats about it! small price to pay for a great piece of Kit.daveperrym2

Sorry, prior review title contained a date error. Original review written 11/7/11. I guess the 7 stuck in my head stronger than the 11 did, hence the title "Update to the July 2011 Review." I should practice what I preach and proof what I write. Sorry for any confusion. Still mean every word I say though. Would of written more, but it was very early in the morning when the notion to update the review hit me. Oh well. Still, though, would someone out there that makes these decisions, decide to give the guitar-playing market (that's quite a large market) a fractional-wattage amp head, or combo, with all the bells and whistles given to their top-of-the-line 100-wt. stadium-rocking machines. I sound like a broken record, but ANYONE giving us the dream rig we've been dying for, and can play at home, will draw an awful lot of attention to their whole line of products. I bet you would see an increase in sales across the board by showing that you understand, and care, what the guitar-playing population needs. After all, after the tour, doesn't everyone go home? Make a "home" amp that doesn't leave anyone wanting for anything, and the world will beat a path to your door. It's the age-old adage of, "build a better mousetrap…" So, give us a feature-laden, fractional-wattage amp, with power settings for each of at least three channels (0.1-wt. to 5-wts. would be about perfect, and doable,) with at least a 12" speaker of top quality, or preferably, a head so we can use whatever cabinet combination we want, and you will satisfy a very hungry crowd of guitar players dying for that sound only a fully overdriven preamp and power amp can lend to any quality guitar, and player, or up-and-coming determined player, and we will pay a fair market price for it, regardless of what that has to be to satisfy the needs of countless thousands of players out there, from home recorders to headliners. Can't you see the light, and find your way home to us, the consumers of the full-range of your products. As of now, no one cares enough to give us enough in a low-wattage amp. Seems that low-wattage means low everything across the board on the amp. Give us the Caddy Elvis, and we'll be playing Elvis amps regardless of what we need. We just need a manufacturer to care about the little needs of the little guys to the rock stars. We all live in houses and play in those houses. Don't we all deserve a flagship amp for where we lay our heads each night. Just try, more than half heartedly, and you'll realize a return of benefits equal to what you give. That's the way of the world. Just DO IT! Blackstar, you gave it a good shot, but fell just outside the infield. We need a grand slam homerun. You already do it, just tone it down to manageable volume levels, even for the same price, and I'll buy at least two right out of the gate. Then I'm going to take a good, long look at the rest of your lineup for my needs in other areas. Charity starts at home, right?aj0206

I just received this amp today and I've got to say I'm amazed. It's surprisingly loud for just 10 watts, but that's not why it got it. I wanted something to record with and wanted rich British tone and gain. It delivers that, but so much more. This amp is rich and full sounding at all levels! It gives warm cleans, crisp crunch, and the best sounds are with the gain about 1 o'clock and the Master maxed out…it's loud, but oh so good! Thick, rich tone. The real bonus is that it sounds so good with pedals, as well. You have to play with the relationship of the gain and the master if you turn down low and put an overdrive pedal to make it sound natural, but it's well worth the effort. I also put a delay in the loop to try that. I don't think I've ever been happier with an amp right out of the box. I've got some vintage and boutique amps (and I love them), but they are TOO loud to record with to crank to get saturated tube tone. THIS amp solves that problem. I may get the 6L6 version as well…these amps are that good!Lloyd W

Back again for a few more words on the Blackstar HT-1, 1-wt. amp head. Well, it's three years later, and I'm getting ready to turn 56 early next year. I don't know how much longer I'll be playing. I'm not having any problems other than a trigger-finger release procedure done on my fretting hand, middle finger, which has caused me to incorporate my pinky into playing more than I ever cared to in the past. Too bad really because some longer-reach pull offs sound cleaner, and the triplet timing, cleanness, and sound are better than I remember them being doing the three-finger, traditional, lazy, blues player's way we've all seen and done before–that includes all the rockers out there too. Still have the HT-1, and use it and its sister head quite a bit. I play every day, and use these a lot of the time. I enjoy the sound I get out of them using whatever I front them with, which is always something different or new. I NEVER just plug into these amps and find a sound I want to lay a track down to on just about anything except something really clean; and again, the main culprit stopping that is the weak reverb, which hasn't been changed or updated in three years that I can tell. Blackstar actually came out with a new 1-wt amp head for Metal players, and I've yet to get my hands on one of them. It just doesn't seem all that attractive to me feature wise. The reviews, as well, seem to not be the best. It basically seems to be the same head with a different voicing to coax more gain, hence noise, out of an already too-noisy preamp architecture. No one has really answered my call to action to provide a top-of-the-line fractional wattage amp, save a couple of exceptions, for the home-recording, buddy jamming, solo-screaming crowd out there that surely has more residents than just me. The "Appetite for Destruction" 100-wt. down to 0.1-wt. head with Slash's signature on it from across the pond seems to be the leading contender out there so far, and it's been discontinued for a few years. Right before or after this came out, if I remember correctly. The ne AFD amp is a combo from 5- or 1-wt. that is still weigh too light on features, but not pounds, as in weight or the currency of its maker's country. The demise of the original, full-sized head might of had something to do with its two grand entry fee. I don't mind the size really, but it just seems someone could put out an amp that doesn't have to be "lunchbox-sized," but could pack in all the features without the huge transformers and big power soaks to actually tame a monster down to a teacup. I've tried the Special Ultra 6 that seemed promising, but I've had problems and problems with them until I'm about to give up. Alone, they sound more like the amps I watched guys play through when I got all jazzed about playing while in the sixth grade. Still, if you can get a good clean sound out of an amp, you can doctor the front-end with whatever you want. This practice seems to be what we're stuck with to get nice "simulated" overdriven power sections. All the major brands still think a low-wattage amp is in the ballpark of 5-wts, to maybe 1-wt. Too loud most of the time! Ever read the specs on speaker efficiency ratings? The dB sensitivity rating is measured at 1-wt 1 meter away, and you get sound level ratings hovering around 100dB. Definitely not a neighbor-friendly, let alone apartment-friendly sound level. C'mon guys, SOMEONE out there has got to get it into their heads that there is a whole untapped market out there waiting for a masterpiece to be released that is rated from .01 to 1-wt., or even up to 5. Ten is fine, but give me the option of turning it down to a normal level to jam with your friends and still carry on a conversation without a noise hangover from screaming at each other, or stopping playing every time you want to make a point. Across the pond they have a revived 1-wt. mini head or combo, for nearly a grand, that has a low-power switch down to 0.1-wt.. It lacks all the features you want and need to do what you really want an amp to do, plus it's paired with an 8" speaker. I don't care if it is a Celestion, you have to have a 10- or 12-in. speaker to move the air you need to emulate the sounds you want to emulate at a lower volume. Why is it that low wattage means low features and the ashcan end of everything else? Why can't someone bring out a feature-rich amp at a fractional wattage rating that will make half the guitar-playing population grin from ear to ear. After all, how many of you can really say you need, or can commonly utilize, a 100- to 120-wt. stadium sized stack, or even combo. Even the rock stars are at home sometime, and I'd bet they'd love to have an amp capable of reproducing the sound, harmonics, and all else that comes from their stage setup at a reasonable volume at home. I don't drink, but I betaj0206

Great sounding clean tones for playing at home, which is why i bought it – my beloved Mustang 1.1 started having issues and I MUST have a great clean tone to relax. Wanted a tube amp and did my research. Decided on the Blackstar. I must say I'm extremely happy with it. The reverb is KILLER to my ear and does a great job at adding shimmer without destroying the tone. No external effects are needed to get a gorgeous clean tone – I use my Zoom G3Xn into the front end to get univibe and compression. The effects loop is very functional. The amp can be very bass heavy, depending on your instrument, but if you run a 10 band EQ (go with MXR) in the loop you amp can achieve any tonal result you want. My best sound comes with everything at 12, with some of the bass rolled off with the MXR EQ – but its just a matter of taste i guess. This amp moves a lot of air when you use the drive channel, and if your not pleased with the amps distortion it does respond really well to distortion pedals. I'm mostly in the clean blues zone but must brag on the amps darker side: it can get very loud and stay rich. I haven't tried any of the direct recording features. The 2 selectable characters of clean that the amp offers thrill me and ,again, the reverb is classy and a bit different from other amps ( I read that is a room reverb). Highly recommended.Tim H.

This amp out of the box sounds fantastic. Crystal clear clean tones and a snarly gain channel that lets you choose between a more American gain tone and a British gain tone. I would say ‘cater for everyone’. But, I received my first amp and within an hour of playing I’d noticed a loud ‘POP’ when changing channels. This pop occurred if a note was being played at the same time as the channel change. (Footswitch and Amp buttons) So, of course I returned the Amp to PMT. they arranged DPD next working day collection for me, completely hassle free. I awaited my next amp, as a direct replacement. A few days later the next Blackstar HT-5R mkii arrived, box fresh like the last. I plugged the amp in, let the tubes warm and away I went. Within minutes of found a great tone again, but the loud ‘POP’ I heard from the first unit was there again on this amp. I tried 4 sockets in the house in case there was any kind of interference/static, but to no avail. Absolutely gutted, I called PMT again. The amp was returned for the second time. Apparently this hasn’t happened to anyone else, I may just be unlucky or the amp may not get along with the electrics in my home. Just check this out as soon as you buy one. I’ve tried two other valve amps on my house since, including a Blackstar Artist 10 AE and an Orange terror with cab, and there’s absolutely zero noise with these. Very important to note here, this is not a slam of PMT, they’ve been absolutely brilliant throughout this whole thing. Customer service is second to none and they are very easy to contact. Used these for a very long time and I will be returning once stores open to try out a new amp.Jack H.

I recently bought a Fender Blues Jr NOS and was quite happy, good natural clean and grind. Takes both pedals and my X3 Live outboard gear very well, but I was hoping for an amp that had the clean and the hard rock tones without needing to schlep a distortion pedal or my X3 Live. I bought an HT-5R used at MF's sister company hoping it would meet my needs. First, the HT-5R can be very loud. It also has a decent clean, pure for my EMG 60 and a nice blues edge with my EMG 85. The test of any amp is how it handles the hard rock or metal tones tho and the HT-5R falls sort of short… until you add the required Decimator G String Noise Reduction and BBE Sonic Max thru the effects loop. Those two outboards save this amp without running pedalboard effects. Just know, the BBE and G String are not needed nor are they compatible with the X3 Live, the thing buzzes like crazy when I run the X3L thru it with the BBE and G String. The X3 Live sounds great without them tho. I don't have any other modeling/multi-effects systems so I do not know if the Boss ME-70 or similar items are compatible with the BBE or Decimator thru the HT-5R effects loop. I also tried hooking up my Haze 112 straight cab as an external along with the internal speaker, sounds very fine. These two brands of speakers probably play better together than the two companies. Bottom line… I can run this amp without a distortion pedal on the clean channel unless I want crunch (I do). The OD channel doesn't need a distortion pedal but only sounds real when I use BBE and Decimator. I can also use the X3 Live. Both setups can produce awesome results. By itself? Not so much… but I'm still keeping mine for grab and go and gigs with small stages, but I'm keeping my Fender Blues Jr NOS too for when I'm willing to bring my pedal board or X3 Live along.Travisty7

Kind of puzzled by the negative reviews of this bad boy but to each his (or her) own I guess. The Blackstar HT-5R to me is a fantastic little amp. It is solidly built and delivers tube warmth & punch that digital amps can't touch. It's simple layout allows for a versatile array of quality tones without slamming the user with option overload. There are lot of well-thought out features one doesn't usually find on affordable small tube amps such as the excellent emulated output and an FX loop. The clean channel is very serviceable. It's not a mind-blowing Fendery clean but it is very clear and is very responsive to difference guitars and pickups. If you are a country guy, don't bother. If you like gain, keep reading. The star here is the Overdrive channel. There is lots of gain on tap, plenty for most rockers and classic metallers. The tone is a little more rock than pure metal – the palm mutes are reasonably chunky but you won't get Pantera chug without a boost pedal. This is true for most high gain tube amps though, that's why so many bands and producers rely on Tubescreamers to tighten things up. I get a killer warm tone straight onto the amp at any gain level. After setting the gain anywhere above 5 and flicking on my TS-9 (set to zero gain and a just a slight level boost), this thing turns into a fire-breathing crunch machine! Tasty metal riffs abound. The HT-5R is highly recommended for anyone looking for a punchy, rockin' amp for home use or in the studio.Juice Maloose

This amp is a little gem. It pretty much covers all angles from Bedroom practice to Studio, Rehearsal and Live Gigging. With many sound setups in venues using monitored sound systems the requirement for loud backline Amps is a thing of the past and gigging with one means basically not being able to play it at any volume above number 2. A small , but powerful amp with both the monitoring capability and the Emulated MIC capability to go straight into a Desk means that you can have the best of both worlds if needed. You can play it on stage a reasonable volume or you can play through the monitoring if needed. The channel switch and Cab / Speaker options mean you can setup the whole for bigger things if you want to carry the Cabs about with the option to plug in extension speakers galore. The Reverb is smooth, Roomy to Arena and the ISF gives you tonal variation that allows great contrast. If you want a negative… well the sockets on the back are all hidden under the edge of the back panel making them hard to find in the Dark and the foot switch cant be dropped into the back of the Amp for storage…but thats about it! small price to pay for a great piece of Kit.daveperrym2

Sorry, prior review title contained a date error. Original review written 11/7/11. I guess the 7 stuck in my head stronger than the 11 did, hence the title "Update to the July 2011 Review." I should practice what I preach and proof what I write. Sorry for any confusion. Still mean every word I say though. Would of written more, but it was very early in the morning when the notion to update the review hit me. Oh well. Still, though, would someone out there that makes these decisions, decide to give the guitar-playing market (that's quite a large market) a fractional-wattage amp head, or combo, with all the bells and whistles given to their top-of-the-line 100-wt. stadium-rocking machines. I sound like a broken record, but ANYONE giving us the dream rig we've been dying for, and can play at home, will draw an awful lot of attention to their whole line of products. I bet you would see an increase in sales across the board by showing that you understand, and care, what the guitar-playing population needs. After all, after the tour, doesn't everyone go home? Make a "home" amp that doesn't leave anyone wanting for anything, and the world will beat a path to your door. It's the age-old adage of, "build a better mousetrap…" So, give us a feature-laden, fractional-wattage amp, with power settings for each of at least three channels (0.1-wt. to 5-wts. would be about perfect, and doable,) with at least a 12" speaker of top quality, or preferably, a head so we can use whatever cabinet combination we want, and you will satisfy a very hungry crowd of guitar players dying for that sound only a fully overdriven preamp and power amp can lend to any quality guitar, and player, or up-and-coming determined player, and we will pay a fair market price for it, regardless of what that has to be to satisfy the needs of countless thousands of players out there, from home recorders to headliners. Can't you see the light, and find your way home to us, the consumers of the full-range of your products. As of now, no one cares enough to give us enough in a low-wattage amp. Seems that low-wattage means low everything across the board on the amp. Give us the Caddy Elvis, and we'll be playing Elvis amps regardless of what we need. We just need a manufacturer to care about the little needs of the little guys to the rock stars. We all live in houses and play in those houses. Don't we all deserve a flagship amp for where we lay our heads each night. Just try, more than half heartedly, and you'll realize a return of benefits equal to what you give. That's the way of the world. Just DO IT! Blackstar, you gave it a good shot, but fell just outside the infield. We need a grand slam homerun. You already do it, just tone it down to manageable volume levels, even for the same price, and I'll buy at least two right out of the gate. Then I'm going to take a good, long look at the rest of your lineup for my needs in other areas. Charity starts at home, right?aj0206

I just received this amp today and I've got to say I'm amazed. It's surprisingly loud for just 10 watts, but that's not why it got it. I wanted something to record with and wanted rich British tone and gain. It delivers that, but so much more. This amp is rich and full sounding at all levels! It gives warm cleans, crisp crunch, and the best sounds are with the gain about 1 o'clock and the Master maxed out…it's loud, but oh so good! Thick, rich tone. The real bonus is that it sounds so good with pedals, as well. You have to play with the relationship of the gain and the master if you turn down low and put an overdrive pedal to make it sound natural, but it's well worth the effort. I also put a delay in the loop to try that. I don't think I've ever been happier with an amp right out of the box. I've got some vintage and boutique amps (and I love them), but they are TOO loud to record with to crank to get saturated tube tone. THIS amp solves that problem. I may get the 6L6 version as well…these amps are that good!Lloyd W

Back again for a few more words on the Blackstar HT-1, 1-wt. amp head. Well, it's three years later, and I'm getting ready to turn 56 early next year. I don't know how much longer I'll be playing. I'm not having any problems other than a trigger-finger release procedure done on my fretting hand, middle finger, which has caused me to incorporate my pinky into playing more than I ever cared to in the past. Too bad really because some longer-reach pull offs sound cleaner, and the triplet timing, cleanness, and sound are better than I remember them being doing the three-finger, traditional, lazy, blues player's way we've all seen and done before–that includes all the rockers out there too. Still have the HT-1, and use it and its sister head quite a bit. I play every day, and use these a lot of the time. I enjoy the sound I get out of them using whatever I front them with, which is always something different or new. I NEVER just plug into these amps and find a sound I want to lay a track down to on just about anything except something really clean; and again, the main culprit stopping that is the weak reverb, which hasn't been changed or updated in three years that I can tell. Blackstar actually came out with a new 1-wt amp head for Metal players, and I've yet to get my hands on one of them. It just doesn't seem all that attractive to me feature wise. The reviews, as well, seem to not be the best. It basically seems to be the same head with a different voicing to coax more gain, hence noise, out of an already too-noisy preamp architecture. No one has really answered my call to action to provide a top-of-the-line fractional wattage amp, save a couple of exceptions, for the home-recording, buddy jamming, solo-screaming crowd out there that surely has more residents than just me. The "Appetite for Destruction" 100-wt. down to 0.1-wt. head with Slash's signature on it from across the pond seems to be the leading contender out there so far, and it's been discontinued for a few years. Right before or after this came out, if I remember correctly. The ne AFD amp is a combo from 5- or 1-wt. that is still weigh too light on features, but not pounds, as in weight or the currency of its maker's country. The demise of the original, full-sized head might of had something to do with its two grand entry fee. I don't mind the size really, but it just seems someone could put out an amp that doesn't have to be "lunchbox-sized," but could pack in all the features without the huge transformers and big power soaks to actually tame a monster down to a teacup. I've tried the Special Ultra 6 that seemed promising, but I've had problems and problems with them until I'm about to give up. Alone, they sound more like the amps I watched guys play through when I got all jazzed about playing while in the sixth grade. Still, if you can get a good clean sound out of an amp, you can doctor the front-end with whatever you want. This practice seems to be what we're stuck with to get nice "simulated" overdriven power sections. All the major brands still think a low-wattage amp is in the ballpark of 5-wts, to maybe 1-wt. Too loud most of the time! Ever read the specs on speaker efficiency ratings? The dB sensitivity rating is measured at 1-wt 1 meter away, and you get sound level ratings hovering around 100dB. Definitely not a neighbor-friendly, let alone apartment-friendly sound level. C'mon guys, SOMEONE out there has got to get it into their heads that there is a whole untapped market out there waiting for a masterpiece to be released that is rated from .01 to 1-wt., or even up to 5. Ten is fine, but give me the option of turning it down to a normal level to jam with your friends and still carry on a conversation without a noise hangover from screaming at each other, or stopping playing every time you want to make a point. Across the pond they have a revived 1-wt. mini head or combo, for nearly a grand, that has a low-power switch down to 0.1-wt.. It lacks all the features you want and need to do what you really want an amp to do, plus it's paired with an 8" speaker. I don't care if it is a Celestion, you have to have a 10- or 12-in. speaker to move the air you need to emulate the sounds you want to emulate at a lower volume. Why is it that low wattage means low features and the ashcan end of everything else? Why can't someone bring out a feature-rich amp at a fractional wattage rating that will make half the guitar-playing population grin from ear to ear. After all, how many of you can really say you need, or can commonly utilize, a 100- to 120-wt. stadium sized stack, or even combo. Even the rock stars are at home sometime, and I'd bet they'd love to have an amp capable of reproducing the sound, harmonics, and all else that comes from their stage setup at a reasonable volume at home. I don't drink, but I betaj0206

I was skeptical of trying this 5 watt head out, but it really does perform. With the ISF and EQ, you can really dial in the sound you are looking for, it may take some time…but it is there. How loud is this thing? I'm running it through my Mesa 2×12 cab and I rarely put it past halfway on the volume. Perhaps the most shocking thing to me about this head is how well the low notes sound, especially when palm muting. The clean channel isn't to be overlooked, it sounds amazing, and the Reverb does as well. If you are into playing virtually any genre of Metal, I'd highly recommend this 5 watt amp. I'm actually thinking of selling my 50 watt EVH head because this thing surpassed my expectations.Craig

I am a gear hog and I love trying out amps and pedals. I am a big fan of Blackstar, especially my HT-50. I've been pondering getting the Metal head for some time, but the larger version was just too much for home studio use (my intended purpose) – when I saw the price on these, I went for it and I love it. The flexibility and range of the EQ is generous and lets you dial in precise tones. Working the gain and volume together offers such a spectrum of sounds and feels (crystal clean to super metal), and when you add in the OD select, you have a real powerhouse of options. My only concern was, how much could a 1 watt amp really push? Not to be worried! I played this through both a Marshall 1960A and a Blackstar HTV412 and it sounded great. You are not going to be able to rock an arena (maybe a 20 seat arena!) but for practice, home studio, or small gig purposes, it is plenty enough. Besides, it's metal, it's Blackstar and it's cute! Wait, can you say it's cute 'and' metal? If you are considering getting one, get it before they are gone, gone, gone.egwanaboy

Perfect for metal all any kind of music, Brutal,nice crispy tube sound on both channel( clean and overdrive). Five star product and excellent value and price.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

Sorry, prior review title contained a date error. Original review written 11/7/11. I guess the 7 stuck in my head stronger than the 11 did, hence the title "Update to the July 2011 Review." I should practice what I preach and proof what I write. Sorry for any confusion. Still mean every word I say though. Would of written more, but it was very early in the morning when the notion to update the review hit me. Oh well. Still, though, would someone out there that makes these decisions, decide to give the guitar-playing market (that's quite a large market) a fractional-wattage amp head, or combo, with all the bells and whistles given to their top-of-the-line 100-wt. stadium-rocking machines. I sound like a broken record, but ANYONE giving us the dream rig we've been dying for, and can play at home, will draw an awful lot of attention to their whole line of products. I bet you would see an increase in sales across the board by showing that you understand, and care, what the guitar-playing population needs. After all, after the tour, doesn't everyone go home? Make a "home" amp that doesn't leave anyone wanting for anything, and the world will beat a path to your door. It's the age-old adage of, "build a better mousetrap…" So, give us a feature-laden, fractional-wattage amp, with power settings for each of at least three channels (0.1-wt. to 5-wts. would be about perfect, and doable,) with at least a 12" speaker of top quality, or preferably, a head so we can use whatever cabinet combination we want, and you will satisfy a very hungry crowd of guitar players dying for that sound only a fully overdriven preamp and power amp can lend to any quality guitar, and player, or up-and-coming determined player, and we will pay a fair market price for it, regardless of what that has to be to satisfy the needs of countless thousands of players out there, from home recorders to headliners. Can't you see the light, and find your way home to us, the consumers of the full-range of your products. As of now, no one cares enough to give us enough in a low-wattage amp. Seems that low-wattage means low everything across the board on the amp. Give us the Caddy Elvis, and we'll be playing Elvis amps regardless of what we need. We just need a manufacturer to care about the little needs of the little guys to the rock stars. We all live in houses and play in those houses. Don't we all deserve a flagship amp for where we lay our heads each night. Just try, more than half heartedly, and you'll realize a return of benefits equal to what you give. That's the way of the world. Just DO IT! Blackstar, you gave it a good shot, but fell just outside the infield. We need a grand slam homerun. You already do it, just tone it down to manageable volume levels, even for the same price, and I'll buy at least two right out of the gate. Then I'm going to take a good, long look at the rest of your lineup for my needs in other areas. Charity starts at home, right?aj0206

I just received this amp today and I've got to say I'm amazed. It's surprisingly loud for just 10 watts, but that's not why it got it. I wanted something to record with and wanted rich British tone and gain. It delivers that, but so much more. This amp is rich and full sounding at all levels! It gives warm cleans, crisp crunch, and the best sounds are with the gain about 1 o'clock and the Master maxed out…it's loud, but oh so good! Thick, rich tone. The real bonus is that it sounds so good with pedals, as well. You have to play with the relationship of the gain and the master if you turn down low and put an overdrive pedal to make it sound natural, but it's well worth the effort. I also put a delay in the loop to try that. I don't think I've ever been happier with an amp right out of the box. I've got some vintage and boutique amps (and I love them), but they are TOO loud to record with to crank to get saturated tube tone. THIS amp solves that problem. I may get the 6L6 version as well…these amps are that good!Lloyd W

Back again for a few more words on the Blackstar HT-1, 1-wt. amp head. Well, it's three years later, and I'm getting ready to turn 56 early next year. I don't know how much longer I'll be playing. I'm not having any problems other than a trigger-finger release procedure done on my fretting hand, middle finger, which has caused me to incorporate my pinky into playing more than I ever cared to in the past. Too bad really because some longer-reach pull offs sound cleaner, and the triplet timing, cleanness, and sound are better than I remember them being doing the three-finger, traditional, lazy, blues player's way we've all seen and done before–that includes all the rockers out there too. Still have the HT-1, and use it and its sister head quite a bit. I play every day, and use these a lot of the time. I enjoy the sound I get out of them using whatever I front them with, which is always something different or new. I NEVER just plug into these amps and find a sound I want to lay a track down to on just about anything except something really clean; and again, the main culprit stopping that is the weak reverb, which hasn't been changed or updated in three years that I can tell. Blackstar actually came out with a new 1-wt amp head for Metal players, and I've yet to get my hands on one of them. It just doesn't seem all that attractive to me feature wise. The reviews, as well, seem to not be the best. It basically seems to be the same head with a different voicing to coax more gain, hence noise, out of an already too-noisy preamp architecture. No one has really answered my call to action to provide a top-of-the-line fractional wattage amp, save a couple of exceptions, for the home-recording, buddy jamming, solo-screaming crowd out there that surely has more residents than just me. The "Appetite for Destruction" 100-wt. down to 0.1-wt. head with Slash's signature on it from across the pond seems to be the leading contender out there so far, and it's been discontinued for a few years. Right before or after this came out, if I remember correctly. The ne AFD amp is a combo from 5- or 1-wt. that is still weigh too light on features, but not pounds, as in weight or the currency of its maker's country. The demise of the original, full-sized head might of had something to do with its two grand entry fee. I don't mind the size really, but it just seems someone could put out an amp that doesn't have to be "lunchbox-sized," but could pack in all the features without the huge transformers and big power soaks to actually tame a monster down to a teacup. I've tried the Special Ultra 6 that seemed promising, but I've had problems and problems with them until I'm about to give up. Alone, they sound more like the amps I watched guys play through when I got all jazzed about playing while in the sixth grade. Still, if you can get a good clean sound out of an amp, you can doctor the front-end with whatever you want. This practice seems to be what we're stuck with to get nice "simulated" overdriven power sections. All the major brands still think a low-wattage amp is in the ballpark of 5-wts, to maybe 1-wt. Too loud most of the time! Ever read the specs on speaker efficiency ratings? The dB sensitivity rating is measured at 1-wt 1 meter away, and you get sound level ratings hovering around 100dB. Definitely not a neighbor-friendly, let alone apartment-friendly sound level. C'mon guys, SOMEONE out there has got to get it into their heads that there is a whole untapped market out there waiting for a masterpiece to be released that is rated from .01 to 1-wt., or even up to 5. Ten is fine, but give me the option of turning it down to a normal level to jam with your friends and still carry on a conversation without a noise hangover from screaming at each other, or stopping playing every time you want to make a point. Across the pond they have a revived 1-wt. mini head or combo, for nearly a grand, that has a low-power switch down to 0.1-wt.. It lacks all the features you want and need to do what you really want an amp to do, plus it's paired with an 8" speaker. I don't care if it is a Celestion, you have to have a 10- or 12-in. speaker to move the air you need to emulate the sounds you want to emulate at a lower volume. Why is it that low wattage means low features and the ashcan end of everything else? Why can't someone bring out a feature-rich amp at a fractional wattage rating that will make half the guitar-playing population grin from ear to ear. After all, how many of you can really say you need, or can commonly utilize, a 100- to 120-wt. stadium sized stack, or even combo. Even the rock stars are at home sometime, and I'd bet they'd love to have an amp capable of reproducing the sound, harmonics, and all else that comes from their stage setup at a reasonable volume at home. I don't drink, but I betaj0206

Sorry, prior review title contained a date error. Original review written 11/7/11. I guess the 7 stuck in my head stronger than the 11 did, hence the title "Update to the July 2011 Review." I should practice what I preach and proof what I write. Sorry for any confusion. Still mean every word I say though. Would of written more, but it was very early in the morning when the notion to update the review hit me. Oh well. Still, though, would someone out there that makes these decisions, decide to give the guitar-playing market (that's quite a large market) a fractional-wattage amp head, or combo, with all the bells and whistles given to their top-of-the-line 100-wt. stadium-rocking machines. I sound like a broken record, but ANYONE giving us the dream rig we've been dying for, and can play at home, will draw an awful lot of attention to their whole line of products. I bet you would see an increase in sales across the board by showing that you understand, and care, what the guitar-playing population needs. After all, after the tour, doesn't everyone go home? Make a "home" amp that doesn't leave anyone wanting for anything, and the world will beat a path to your door. It's the age-old adage of, "build a better mousetrap…" So, give us a feature-laden, fractional-wattage amp, with power settings for each of at least three channels (0.1-wt. to 5-wts. would be about perfect, and doable,) with at least a 12" speaker of top quality, or preferably, a head so we can use whatever cabinet combination we want, and you will satisfy a very hungry crowd of guitar players dying for that sound only a fully overdriven preamp and power amp can lend to any quality guitar, and player, or up-and-coming determined player, and we will pay a fair market price for it, regardless of what that has to be to satisfy the needs of countless thousands of players out there, from home recorders to headliners. Can't you see the light, and find your way home to us, the consumers of the full-range of your products. As of now, no one cares enough to give us enough in a low-wattage amp. Seems that low-wattage means low everything across the board on the amp. Give us the Caddy Elvis, and we'll be playing Elvis amps regardless of what we need. We just need a manufacturer to care about the little needs of the little guys to the rock stars. We all live in houses and play in those houses. Don't we all deserve a flagship amp for where we lay our heads each night. Just try, more than half heartedly, and you'll realize a return of benefits equal to what you give. That's the way of the world. Just DO IT! Blackstar, you gave it a good shot, but fell just outside the infield. We need a grand slam homerun. You already do it, just tone it down to manageable volume levels, even for the same price, and I'll buy at least two right out of the gate. Then I'm going to take a good, long look at the rest of your lineup for my needs in other areas. Charity starts at home, right?aj0206

I just received this amp today and I've got to say I'm amazed. It's surprisingly loud for just 10 watts, but that's not why it got it. I wanted something to record with and wanted rich British tone and gain. It delivers that, but so much more. This amp is rich and full sounding at all levels! It gives warm cleans, crisp crunch, and the best sounds are with the gain about 1 o'clock and the Master maxed out…it's loud, but oh so good! Thick, rich tone. The real bonus is that it sounds so good with pedals, as well. You have to play with the relationship of the gain and the master if you turn down low and put an overdrive pedal to make it sound natural, but it's well worth the effort. I also put a delay in the loop to try that. I don't think I've ever been happier with an amp right out of the box. I've got some vintage and boutique amps (and I love them), but they are TOO loud to record with to crank to get saturated tube tone. THIS amp solves that problem. I may get the 6L6 version as well…these amps are that good!Lloyd W

Back again for a few more words on the Blackstar HT-1, 1-wt. amp head. Well, it's three years later, and I'm getting ready to turn 56 early next year. I don't know how much longer I'll be playing. I'm not having any problems other than a trigger-finger release procedure done on my fretting hand, middle finger, which has caused me to incorporate my pinky into playing more than I ever cared to in the past. Too bad really because some longer-reach pull offs sound cleaner, and the triplet timing, cleanness, and sound are better than I remember them being doing the three-finger, traditional, lazy, blues player's way we've all seen and done before–that includes all the rockers out there too. Still have the HT-1, and use it and its sister head quite a bit. I play every day, and use these a lot of the time. I enjoy the sound I get out of them using whatever I front them with, which is always something different or new. I NEVER just plug into these amps and find a sound I want to lay a track down to on just about anything except something really clean; and again, the main culprit stopping that is the weak reverb, which hasn't been changed or updated in three years that I can tell. Blackstar actually came out with a new 1-wt amp head for Metal players, and I've yet to get my hands on one of them. It just doesn't seem all that attractive to me feature wise. The reviews, as well, seem to not be the best. It basically seems to be the same head with a different voicing to coax more gain, hence noise, out of an already too-noisy preamp architecture. No one has really answered my call to action to provide a top-of-the-line fractional wattage amp, save a couple of exceptions, for the home-recording, buddy jamming, solo-screaming crowd out there that surely has more residents than just me. The "Appetite for Destruction" 100-wt. down to 0.1-wt. head with Slash's signature on it from across the pond seems to be the leading contender out there so far, and it's been discontinued for a few years. Right before or after this came out, if I remember correctly. The ne AFD amp is a combo from 5- or 1-wt. that is still weigh too light on features, but not pounds, as in weight or the currency of its maker's country. The demise of the original, full-sized head might of had something to do with its two grand entry fee. I don't mind the size really, but it just seems someone could put out an amp that doesn't have to be "lunchbox-sized," but could pack in all the features without the huge transformers and big power soaks to actually tame a monster down to a teacup. I've tried the Special Ultra 6 that seemed promising, but I've had problems and problems with them until I'm about to give up. Alone, they sound more like the amps I watched guys play through when I got all jazzed about playing while in the sixth grade. Still, if you can get a good clean sound out of an amp, you can doctor the front-end with whatever you want. This practice seems to be what we're stuck with to get nice "simulated" overdriven power sections. All the major brands still think a low-wattage amp is in the ballpark of 5-wts, to maybe 1-wt. Too loud most of the time! Ever read the specs on speaker efficiency ratings? The dB sensitivity rating is measured at 1-wt 1 meter away, and you get sound level ratings hovering around 100dB. Definitely not a neighbor-friendly, let alone apartment-friendly sound level. C'mon guys, SOMEONE out there has got to get it into their heads that there is a whole untapped market out there waiting for a masterpiece to be released that is rated from .01 to 1-wt., or even up to 5. Ten is fine, but give me the option of turning it down to a normal level to jam with your friends and still carry on a conversation without a noise hangover from screaming at each other, or stopping playing every time you want to make a point. Across the pond they have a revived 1-wt. mini head or combo, for nearly a grand, that has a low-power switch down to 0.1-wt.. It lacks all the features you want and need to do what you really want an amp to do, plus it's paired with an 8" speaker. I don't care if it is a Celestion, you have to have a 10- or 12-in. speaker to move the air you need to emulate the sounds you want to emulate at a lower volume. Why is it that low wattage means low features and the ashcan end of everything else? Why can't someone bring out a feature-rich amp at a fractional wattage rating that will make half the guitar-playing population grin from ear to ear. After all, how many of you can really say you need, or can commonly utilize, a 100- to 120-wt. stadium sized stack, or even combo. Even the rock stars are at home sometime, and I'd bet they'd love to have an amp capable of reproducing the sound, harmonics, and all else that comes from their stage setup at a reasonable volume at home. I don't drink, but I betaj0206

Sorry, prior review title contained a date error. Original review written 11/7/11. I guess the 7 stuck in my head stronger than the 11 did, hence the title "Update to the July 2011 Review." I should practice what I preach and proof what I write. Sorry for any confusion. Still mean every word I say though. Would of written more, but it was very early in the morning when the notion to update the review hit me. Oh well. Still, though, would someone out there that makes these decisions, decide to give the guitar-playing market (that's quite a large market) a fractional-wattage amp head, or combo, with all the bells and whistles given to their top-of-the-line 100-wt. stadium-rocking machines. I sound like a broken record, but ANYONE giving us the dream rig we've been dying for, and can play at home, will draw an awful lot of attention to their whole line of products. I bet you would see an increase in sales across the board by showing that you understand, and care, what the guitar-playing population needs. After all, after the tour, doesn't everyone go home? Make a "home" amp that doesn't leave anyone wanting for anything, and the world will beat a path to your door. It's the age-old adage of, "build a better mousetrap…" So, give us a feature-laden, fractional-wattage amp, with power settings for each of at least three channels (0.1-wt. to 5-wts. would be about perfect, and doable,) with at least a 12" speaker of top quality, or preferably, a head so we can use whatever cabinet combination we want, and you will satisfy a very hungry crowd of guitar players dying for that sound only a fully overdriven preamp and power amp can lend to any quality guitar, and player, or up-and-coming determined player, and we will pay a fair market price for it, regardless of what that has to be to satisfy the needs of countless thousands of players out there, from home recorders to headliners. Can't you see the light, and find your way home to us, the consumers of the full-range of your products. As of now, no one cares enough to give us enough in a low-wattage amp. Seems that low-wattage means low everything across the board on the amp. Give us the Caddy Elvis, and we'll be playing Elvis amps regardless of what we need. We just need a manufacturer to care about the little needs of the little guys to the rock stars. We all live in houses and play in those houses. Don't we all deserve a flagship amp for where we lay our heads each night. Just try, more than half heartedly, and you'll realize a return of benefits equal to what you give. That's the way of the world. Just DO IT! Blackstar, you gave it a good shot, but fell just outside the infield. We need a grand slam homerun. You already do it, just tone it down to manageable volume levels, even for the same price, and I'll buy at least two right out of the gate. Then I'm going to take a good, long look at the rest of your lineup for my needs in other areas. Charity starts at home, right?aj0206

I just received this amp today and I've got to say I'm amazed. It's surprisingly loud for just 10 watts, but that's not why it got it. I wanted something to record with and wanted rich British tone and gain. It delivers that, but so much more. This amp is rich and full sounding at all levels! It gives warm cleans, crisp crunch, and the best sounds are with the gain about 1 o'clock and the Master maxed out…it's loud, but oh so good! Thick, rich tone. The real bonus is that it sounds so good with pedals, as well. You have to play with the relationship of the gain and the master if you turn down low and put an overdrive pedal to make it sound natural, but it's well worth the effort. I also put a delay in the loop to try that. I don't think I've ever been happier with an amp right out of the box. I've got some vintage and boutique amps (and I love them), but they are TOO loud to record with to crank to get saturated tube tone. THIS amp solves that problem. I may get the 6L6 version as well…these amps are that good!Lloyd W

Back again for a few more words on the Blackstar HT-1, 1-wt. amp head. Well, it's three years later, and I'm getting ready to turn 56 early next year. I don't know how much longer I'll be playing. I'm not having any problems other than a trigger-finger release procedure done on my fretting hand, middle finger, which has caused me to incorporate my pinky into playing more than I ever cared to in the past. Too bad really because some longer-reach pull offs sound cleaner, and the triplet timing, cleanness, and sound are better than I remember them being doing the three-finger, traditional, lazy, blues player's way we've all seen and done before–that includes all the rockers out there too. Still have the HT-1, and use it and its sister head quite a bit. I play every day, and use these a lot of the time. I enjoy the sound I get out of them using whatever I front them with, which is always something different or new. I NEVER just plug into these amps and find a sound I want to lay a track down to on just about anything except something really clean; and again, the main culprit stopping that is the weak reverb, which hasn't been changed or updated in three years that I can tell. Blackstar actually came out with a new 1-wt amp head for Metal players, and I've yet to get my hands on one of them. It just doesn't seem all that attractive to me feature wise. The reviews, as well, seem to not be the best. It basically seems to be the same head with a different voicing to coax more gain, hence noise, out of an already too-noisy preamp architecture. No one has really answered my call to action to provide a top-of-the-line fractional wattage amp, save a couple of exceptions, for the home-recording, buddy jamming, solo-screaming crowd out there that surely has more residents than just me. The "Appetite for Destruction" 100-wt. down to 0.1-wt. head with Slash's signature on it from across the pond seems to be the leading contender out there so far, and it's been discontinued for a few years. Right before or after this came out, if I remember correctly. The ne AFD amp is a combo from 5- or 1-wt. that is still weigh too light on features, but not pounds, as in weight or the currency of its maker's country. The demise of the original, full-sized head might of had something to do with its two grand entry fee. I don't mind the size really, but it just seems someone could put out an amp that doesn't have to be "lunchbox-sized," but could pack in all the features without the huge transformers and big power soaks to actually tame a monster down to a teacup. I've tried the Special Ultra 6 that seemed promising, but I've had problems and problems with them until I'm about to give up. Alone, they sound more like the amps I watched guys play through when I got all jazzed about playing while in the sixth grade. Still, if you can get a good clean sound out of an amp, you can doctor the front-end with whatever you want. This practice seems to be what we're stuck with to get nice "simulated" overdriven power sections. All the major brands still think a low-wattage amp is in the ballpark of 5-wts, to maybe 1-wt. Too loud most of the time! Ever read the specs on speaker efficiency ratings? The dB sensitivity rating is measured at 1-wt 1 meter away, and you get sound level ratings hovering around 100dB. Definitely not a neighbor-friendly, let alone apartment-friendly sound level. C'mon guys, SOMEONE out there has got to get it into their heads that there is a whole untapped market out there waiting for a masterpiece to be released that is rated from .01 to 1-wt., or even up to 5. Ten is fine, but give me the option of turning it down to a normal level to jam with your friends and still carry on a conversation without a noise hangover from screaming at each other, or stopping playing every time you want to make a point. Across the pond they have a revived 1-wt. mini head or combo, for nearly a grand, that has a low-power switch down to 0.1-wt.. It lacks all the features you want and need to do what you really want an amp to do, plus it's paired with an 8" speaker. I don't care if it is a Celestion, you have to have a 10- or 12-in. speaker to move the air you need to emulate the sounds you want to emulate at a lower volume. Why is it that low wattage means low features and the ashcan end of everything else? Why can't someone bring out a feature-rich amp at a fractional wattage rating that will make half the guitar-playing population grin from ear to ear. After all, how many of you can really say you need, or can commonly utilize, a 100- to 120-wt. stadium sized stack, or even combo. Even the rock stars are at home sometime, and I'd bet they'd love to have an amp capable of reproducing the sound, harmonics, and all else that comes from their stage setup at a reasonable volume at home. I don't drink, but I betaj0206

Great sounding clean tones for playing at home, which is why i bought it – my beloved Mustang 1.1 started having issues and I MUST have a great clean tone to relax. Wanted a tube amp and did my research. Decided on the Blackstar. I must say I'm extremely happy with it. The reverb is KILLER to my ear and does a great job at adding shimmer without destroying the tone. No external effects are needed to get a gorgeous clean tone – I use my Zoom G3Xn into the front end to get univibe and compression. The effects loop is very functional. The amp can be very bass heavy, depending on your instrument, but if you run a 10 band EQ (go with MXR) in the loop you amp can achieve any tonal result you want. My best sound comes with everything at 12, with some of the bass rolled off with the MXR EQ – but its just a matter of taste i guess. This amp moves a lot of air when you use the drive channel, and if your not pleased with the amps distortion it does respond really well to distortion pedals. I'm mostly in the clean blues zone but must brag on the amps darker side: it can get very loud and stay rich. I haven't tried any of the direct recording features. The 2 selectable characters of clean that the amp offers thrill me and ,again, the reverb is classy and a bit different from other amps ( I read that is a room reverb). Highly recommended.Tim H.

This amp out of the box sounds fantastic. Crystal clear clean tones and a snarly gain channel that lets you choose between a more American gain tone and a British gain tone. I would say ‘cater for everyone’. But, I received my first amp and within an hour of playing I’d noticed a loud ‘POP’ when changing channels. This pop occurred if a note was being played at the same time as the channel change. (Footswitch and Amp buttons) So, of course I returned the Amp to PMT. they arranged DPD next working day collection for me, completely hassle free. I awaited my next amp, as a direct replacement. A few days later the next Blackstar HT-5R mkii arrived, box fresh like the last. I plugged the amp in, let the tubes warm and away I went. Within minutes of found a great tone again, but the loud ‘POP’ I heard from the first unit was there again on this amp. I tried 4 sockets in the house in case there was any kind of interference/static, but to no avail. Absolutely gutted, I called PMT again. The amp was returned for the second time. Apparently this hasn’t happened to anyone else, I may just be unlucky or the amp may not get along with the electrics in my home. Just check this out as soon as you buy one. I’ve tried two other valve amps on my house since, including a Blackstar Artist 10 AE and an Orange terror with cab, and there’s absolutely zero noise with these. Very important to note here, this is not a slam of PMT, they’ve been absolutely brilliant throughout this whole thing. Customer service is second to none and they are very easy to contact. Used these for a very long time and I will be returning once stores open to try out a new amp.Jack H.

Great sounding clean tones for playing at home, which is why i bought it – my beloved Mustang 1.1 started having issues and I MUST have a great clean tone to relax. Wanted a tube amp and did my research. Decided on the Blackstar. I must say I'm extremely happy with it. The reverb is KILLER to my ear and does a great job at adding shimmer without destroying the tone. No external effects are needed to get a gorgeous clean tone – I use my Zoom G3Xn into the front end to get univibe and compression. The effects loop is very functional. The amp can be very bass heavy, depending on your instrument, but if you run a 10 band EQ (go with MXR) in the loop you amp can achieve any tonal result you want. My best sound comes with everything at 12, with some of the bass rolled off with the MXR EQ – but its just a matter of taste i guess. This amp moves a lot of air when you use the drive channel, and if your not pleased with the amps distortion it does respond really well to distortion pedals. I'm mostly in the clean blues zone but must brag on the amps darker side: it can get very loud and stay rich. I haven't tried any of the direct recording features. The 2 selectable characters of clean that the amp offers thrill me and ,again, the reverb is classy and a bit different from other amps ( I read that is a room reverb). Highly recommended.Tim H.

This amp out of the box sounds fantastic. Crystal clear clean tones and a snarly gain channel that lets you choose between a more American gain tone and a British gain tone. I would say ‘cater for everyone’. But, I received my first amp and within an hour of playing I’d noticed a loud ‘POP’ when changing channels. This pop occurred if a note was being played at the same time as the channel change. (Footswitch and Amp buttons) So, of course I returned the Amp to PMT. they arranged DPD next working day collection for me, completely hassle free. I awaited my next amp, as a direct replacement. A few days later the next Blackstar HT-5R mkii arrived, box fresh like the last. I plugged the amp in, let the tubes warm and away I went. Within minutes of found a great tone again, but the loud ‘POP’ I heard from the first unit was there again on this amp. I tried 4 sockets in the house in case there was any kind of interference/static, but to no avail. Absolutely gutted, I called PMT again. The amp was returned for the second time. Apparently this hasn’t happened to anyone else, I may just be unlucky or the amp may not get along with the electrics in my home. Just check this out as soon as you buy one. I’ve tried two other valve amps on my house since, including a Blackstar Artist 10 AE and an Orange terror with cab, and there’s absolutely zero noise with these. Very important to note here, this is not a slam of PMT, they’ve been absolutely brilliant throughout this whole thing. Customer service is second to none and they are very easy to contact. Used these for a very long time and I will be returning once stores open to try out a new amp.Jack H.

One of the best combo amps I have ever played or heard. Playing for 55 yrs and have owned or played almost every American and Brit amp in that time from Marshall Matchless and Orange, to Hiwatt to Fender and Two Rock. This amp is right up there in the top 10. The cleans are beautiful and full of nuance the distortion goes from tweed- like to almost full on metal. I have read the reviews from detractors of this amp claiming the cleans are dull or the distortion is fizzy. I don't get it. Perhaps they need their hearing checked? These are the same people that claim a pure hand wired amp has the best tone ever and then slam the front end with pedals containing op amps and digital components and claim the distortion is fantastic! Go figure… I have replaced the speaker with a WGS ET90 (cream back clone) and the tubes with nos: V1:RCA, V2: RFT, Power: Siemens EL34. It is simply STUNNING.Keith Morrison

I've owned a Peavey 5150 212 combo back in the day, a H&K 20 watt tube, and used everything from Marshall to Mesa, Vox and Fender, and everything in between. This amp is simply the best tone I've ever heard out of an amp, period. I originally owned the first rendition of the HT series, with the smaller 20 watt amp, which was great but lacked the "super saturated lead" voicing on the HT40. I exchanged the 20 for the 40, and enjoyed the power, incredible tones, and durability of the original HT40 for years. Fast forward to recent times, when I was trying to go smaller, and tried out many modeling amps, as I didn't think I needed the full blown power of a 40 watt valve amp anymore. Needless to say, modelling amps still sound weak, harsh, and digital to my ears, and probably always will. I ended up buying the MK2, and they actually managed to improve my favorite amp of all time. This amp has stunning clean tones, and wonderful options for a modern or more boutique voicing, and two different reverb styles. Really, the cleans I get from this Blackstar from my tele are simply incredible, maybe not Fender level, but darn close. This is the one amp I've tried that has absolutely stunning clean tones AND brutal crunch and overdrive. This amp can play ANYTHING you throw at it, from metal to country, jazz and punk, and everything you can imagine. There an emulated out for recording, a switch that outputs only 10% of the wattage and turns it into a 4watt amp, giving you incredible saturation and warmth even at low volumes. I truly cannot say enough good things about it, I am a Blackstar customer for life after my first HT40, as they truly blew me away with the tone and features. The ISF is essential to me, and can transform the tone of this amp significantly. IMO, the high gain of this amp is miles ahead of even the Peavey 6505.B. Free Productions

As many have stated, if any amp could be a "swiss army knife" of tone, this would be it. The clean channel is fantastic, and has a lot of tone shaping ability between eq settings and changing between bright and dark reverb. The drive channel has a lot of variance as well, and can cover tons of ground – anything from blues, classic rock, to flat out metal.

Where it falls flat is the PCB assembly. Flux was still all over the board, and solder joints had voids in areas and were very poorly done. I believe many of the reliability issues others have reported are due to the poor PCB assembly. It's a fairly easy fix that shouldn't cost much more than $100 by a local reputable amp guy to redo bad/cold solder joints and strip the flux off the board. Despite this handicap, it is undoubtedly worth every penny. If you play through one and love it, don't let this scare you away.David Moore

Great sounding clean tones for playing at home, which is why i bought it – my beloved Mustang 1.1 started having issues and I MUST have a great clean tone to relax. Wanted a tube amp and did my research. Decided on the Blackstar. I must say I'm extremely happy with it. The reverb is KILLER to my ear and does a great job at adding shimmer without destroying the tone. No external effects are needed to get a gorgeous clean tone – I use my Zoom G3Xn into the front end to get univibe and compression. The effects loop is very functional. The amp can be very bass heavy, depending on your instrument, but if you run a 10 band EQ (go with MXR) in the loop you amp can achieve any tonal result you want. My best sound comes with everything at 12, with some of the bass rolled off with the MXR EQ – but its just a matter of taste i guess. This amp moves a lot of air when you use the drive channel, and if your not pleased with the amps distortion it does respond really well to distortion pedals. I'm mostly in the clean blues zone but must brag on the amps darker side: it can get very loud and stay rich. I haven't tried any of the direct recording features. The 2 selectable characters of clean that the amp offers thrill me and ,again, the reverb is classy and a bit different from other amps ( I read that is a room reverb). Highly recommended.Tim H.

This amp out of the box sounds fantastic. Crystal clear clean tones and a snarly gain channel that lets you choose between a more American gain tone and a British gain tone. I would say ‘cater for everyone’. But, I received my first amp and within an hour of playing I’d noticed a loud ‘POP’ when changing channels. This pop occurred if a note was being played at the same time as the channel change. (Footswitch and Amp buttons) So, of course I returned the Amp to PMT. they arranged DPD next working day collection for me, completely hassle free. I awaited my next amp, as a direct replacement. A few days later the next Blackstar HT-5R mkii arrived, box fresh like the last. I plugged the amp in, let the tubes warm and away I went. Within minutes of found a great tone again, but the loud ‘POP’ I heard from the first unit was there again on this amp. I tried 4 sockets in the house in case there was any kind of interference/static, but to no avail. Absolutely gutted, I called PMT again. The amp was returned for the second time. Apparently this hasn’t happened to anyone else, I may just be unlucky or the amp may not get along with the electrics in my home. Just check this out as soon as you buy one. I’ve tried two other valve amps on my house since, including a Blackstar Artist 10 AE and an Orange terror with cab, and there’s absolutely zero noise with these. Very important to note here, this is not a slam of PMT, they’ve been absolutely brilliant throughout this whole thing. Customer service is second to none and they are very easy to contact. Used these for a very long time and I will be returning once stores open to try out a new amp.Jack H.

I recently bought a Fender Blues Jr NOS and was quite happy, good natural clean and grind. Takes both pedals and my X3 Live outboard gear very well, but I was hoping for an amp that had the clean and the hard rock tones without needing to schlep a distortion pedal or my X3 Live. I bought an HT-5R used at MF's sister company hoping it would meet my needs. First, the HT-5R can be very loud. It also has a decent clean, pure for my EMG 60 and a nice blues edge with my EMG 85. The test of any amp is how it handles the hard rock or metal tones tho and the HT-5R falls sort of short… until you add the required Decimator G String Noise Reduction and BBE Sonic Max thru the effects loop. Those two outboards save this amp without running pedalboard effects. Just know, the BBE and G String are not needed nor are they compatible with the X3 Live, the thing buzzes like crazy when I run the X3L thru it with the BBE and G String. The X3 Live sounds great without them tho. I don't have any other modeling/multi-effects systems so I do not know if the Boss ME-70 or similar items are compatible with the BBE or Decimator thru the HT-5R effects loop. I also tried hooking up my Haze 112 straight cab as an external along with the internal speaker, sounds very fine. These two brands of speakers probably play better together than the two companies. Bottom line… I can run this amp without a distortion pedal on the clean channel unless I want crunch (I do). The OD channel doesn't need a distortion pedal but only sounds real when I use BBE and Decimator. I can also use the X3 Live. Both setups can produce awesome results. By itself? Not so much… but I'm still keeping mine for grab and go and gigs with small stages, but I'm keeping my Fender Blues Jr NOS too for when I'm willing to bring my pedal board or X3 Live along.Travisty7

Kind of puzzled by the negative reviews of this bad boy but to each his (or her) own I guess. The Blackstar HT-5R to me is a fantastic little amp. It is solidly built and delivers tube warmth & punch that digital amps can't touch. It's simple layout allows for a versatile array of quality tones without slamming the user with option overload. There are lot of well-thought out features one doesn't usually find on affordable small tube amps such as the excellent emulated output and an FX loop. The clean channel is very serviceable. It's not a mind-blowing Fendery clean but it is very clear and is very responsive to difference guitars and pickups. If you are a country guy, don't bother. If you like gain, keep reading. The star here is the Overdrive channel. There is lots of gain on tap, plenty for most rockers and classic metallers. The tone is a little more rock than pure metal – the palm mutes are reasonably chunky but you won't get Pantera chug without a boost pedal. This is true for most high gain tube amps though, that's why so many bands and producers rely on Tubescreamers to tighten things up. I get a killer warm tone straight onto the amp at any gain level. After setting the gain anywhere above 5 and flicking on my TS-9 (set to zero gain and a just a slight level boost), this thing turns into a fire-breathing crunch machine! Tasty metal riffs abound. The HT-5R is highly recommended for anyone looking for a punchy, rockin' amp for home use or in the studio.Juice Maloose

This amp is a little gem. It pretty much covers all angles from Bedroom practice to Studio, Rehearsal and Live Gigging. With many sound setups in venues using monitored sound systems the requirement for loud backline Amps is a thing of the past and gigging with one means basically not being able to play it at any volume above number 2. A small , but powerful amp with both the monitoring capability and the Emulated MIC capability to go straight into a Desk means that you can have the best of both worlds if needed. You can play it on stage a reasonable volume or you can play through the monitoring if needed. The channel switch and Cab / Speaker options mean you can setup the whole for bigger things if you want to carry the Cabs about with the option to plug in extension speakers galore. The Reverb is smooth, Roomy to Arena and the ISF gives you tonal variation that allows great contrast. If you want a negative… well the sockets on the back are all hidden under the edge of the back panel making them hard to find in the Dark and the foot switch cant be dropped into the back of the Amp for storage…but thats about it! small price to pay for a great piece of Kit.daveperrym2

One of the best combo amps I have ever played or heard. Playing for 55 yrs and have owned or played almost every American and Brit amp in that time from Marshall Matchless and Orange, to Hiwatt to Fender and Two Rock. This amp is right up there in the top 10. The cleans are beautiful and full of nuance the distortion goes from tweed- like to almost full on metal. I have read the reviews from detractors of this amp claiming the cleans are dull or the distortion is fizzy. I don't get it. Perhaps they need their hearing checked? These are the same people that claim a pure hand wired amp has the best tone ever and then slam the front end with pedals containing op amps and digital components and claim the distortion is fantastic! Go figure… I have replaced the speaker with a WGS ET90 (cream back clone) and the tubes with nos: V1:RCA, V2: RFT, Power: Siemens EL34. It is simply STUNNING.Keith Morrison

I've owned a Peavey 5150 212 combo back in the day, a H&K 20 watt tube, and used everything from Marshall to Mesa, Vox and Fender, and everything in between. This amp is simply the best tone I've ever heard out of an amp, period. I originally owned the first rendition of the HT series, with the smaller 20 watt amp, which was great but lacked the "super saturated lead" voicing on the HT40. I exchanged the 20 for the 40, and enjoyed the power, incredible tones, and durability of the original HT40 for years. Fast forward to recent times, when I was trying to go smaller, and tried out many modeling amps, as I didn't think I needed the full blown power of a 40 watt valve amp anymore. Needless to say, modelling amps still sound weak, harsh, and digital to my ears, and probably always will. I ended up buying the MK2, and they actually managed to improve my favorite amp of all time. This amp has stunning clean tones, and wonderful options for a modern or more boutique voicing, and two different reverb styles. Really, the cleans I get from this Blackstar from my tele are simply incredible, maybe not Fender level, but darn close. This is the one amp I've tried that has absolutely stunning clean tones AND brutal crunch and overdrive. This amp can play ANYTHING you throw at it, from metal to country, jazz and punk, and everything you can imagine. There an emulated out for recording, a switch that outputs only 10% of the wattage and turns it into a 4watt amp, giving you incredible saturation and warmth even at low volumes. I truly cannot say enough good things about it, I am a Blackstar customer for life after my first HT40, as they truly blew me away with the tone and features. The ISF is essential to me, and can transform the tone of this amp significantly. IMO, the high gain of this amp is miles ahead of even the Peavey 6505.B. Free Productions

As many have stated, if any amp could be a "swiss army knife" of tone, this would be it. The clean channel is fantastic, and has a lot of tone shaping ability between eq settings and changing between bright and dark reverb. The drive channel has a lot of variance as well, and can cover tons of ground – anything from blues, classic rock, to flat out metal.

Where it falls flat is the PCB assembly. Flux was still all over the board, and solder joints had voids in areas and were very poorly done. I believe many of the reliability issues others have reported are due to the poor PCB assembly. It's a fairly easy fix that shouldn't cost much more than $100 by a local reputable amp guy to redo bad/cold solder joints and strip the flux off the board. Despite this handicap, it is undoubtedly worth every penny. If you play through one and love it, don't let this scare you away.David Moore

The clean channel has a gain and a tone control. I found that it sounds fine with humbuckers, but I could not find a sweet spot with any of my single coil-equipped guitars. The sound lacked definition and pop, and tended towards muddy or shrill, with little in-between. This channel did not take to high-gain OD/distortion pedals well, as it has insufficient bass response and the pedals I tried caused significant breakup from the speaker and possibly the amp itself. The overdrive channel has treble, mids, base and ISF controls. So, it's possible to tweak your sound much more. While this channel sounded better than the clean and there a plenty of usable tones with humbuckers, I again found playing with single coils to be disappointing. The amp comes with a Celestion Rocket speaker. I've never changed (or had the desire to) an amp speaker in over 20 years of playing, but I tried using it with a Celestion Vintage 30, and it significantly improved the sound. For the money, this isn't a bad amp. It is certainly fine for gigging (as long as you're mic'd up) and rehearsals. It's also pretty light and looks great. Though there are certainly other options you should seriously consider before committing to this one. I returned the amp.LK

This thing rocks. I have never been more happy with an amp purchase. The clean is WAY more than I was expecting. I read reviews saying this amp has great overdrive but is lacking in the clean department. I disagree. I've owned a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe for comparison. While the Deluxe has a better overall clean channel, I would trade it in for this amp any day (if I had the option I would trade it in for a Blackstar HT 60 Soloist, but let's put dreaming aside). The drive is pretty high gain, but that does not mean it "only does heavy" overdrive. I normally have it at 9:00-10:00 which is plenty for me. If you desire heavier, more saturated overdrive then you've got plenty of room left on the dial to use. The dials are fantastic in that they are very gradual in their changes. Often times an amp going from 0 – 1.5 will see little change (in volume, drive, tone..) and then at 2 BOOM there it is. This amps dials are nice in that you won't find yourself struggling to move it back and forth a half a millimeter to get the right level. The ISF is nice. I lean towards the British sounds, but if I'm feeling some American high gain, I can turn the knob. This amp really gives you the ability to choose the sound of your overdrive which I like. Some people may ignore this feature, but remember: when you choose an amp with a drive channel, chances are its going to have just one sound with varying levels of drive. This lets you choose the tone you want. I don't want to overstate the ISF functions capabilities, but I definitely appreciate the feature. This thing's pretty loud. I was impressed in that department. Visually, looks great. If I could choose two features to add to it they would be: 1. More control over clean sound; and 2. A standby switch. Probably not a big deal, but would be nice. Happy customer right here.McGurk

I got mine at a great price. Otherwise I wouldn't have been so content initially. It's nowhere near 20 watts. Build was fair. Tone was fair. I liked it. But not all it was hyped out to be. Mine did regrettably go back. Only over a what may have been a faulty Led which faded in out on and off. I didn't want to mess with it or take chances… If u can get it at a gooood price it's ok. Unless miked your not gigging or keeping up with a drummer. And it will get u most places you need to go for any style. May want a pedal for some things. But it's fairly versitle. Give it a better build all around and it would be awesome. Things happen. Mine could have been an easy fix. Don't know. My rating was my price based. Full price or near. No. Even if my led didn't bug out after 3 days.DrRockso

Sorry, prior review title contained a date error. Original review written 11/7/11. I guess the 7 stuck in my head stronger than the 11 did, hence the title "Update to the July 2011 Review." I should practice what I preach and proof what I write. Sorry for any confusion. Still mean every word I say though. Would of written more, but it was very early in the morning when the notion to update the review hit me. Oh well. Still, though, would someone out there that makes these decisions, decide to give the guitar-playing market (that's quite a large market) a fractional-wattage amp head, or combo, with all the bells and whistles given to their top-of-the-line 100-wt. stadium-rocking machines. I sound like a broken record, but ANYONE giving us the dream rig we've been dying for, and can play at home, will draw an awful lot of attention to their whole line of products. I bet you would see an increase in sales across the board by showing that you understand, and care, what the guitar-playing population needs. After all, after the tour, doesn't everyone go home? Make a "home" amp that doesn't leave anyone wanting for anything, and the world will beat a path to your door. It's the age-old adage of, "build a better mousetrap…" So, give us a feature-laden, fractional-wattage amp, with power settings for each of at least three channels (0.1-wt. to 5-wts. would be about perfect, and doable,) with at least a 12" speaker of top quality, or preferably, a head so we can use whatever cabinet combination we want, and you will satisfy a very hungry crowd of guitar players dying for that sound only a fully overdriven preamp and power amp can lend to any quality guitar, and player, or up-and-coming determined player, and we will pay a fair market price for it, regardless of what that has to be to satisfy the needs of countless thousands of players out there, from home recorders to headliners. Can't you see the light, and find your way home to us, the consumers of the full-range of your products. As of now, no one cares enough to give us enough in a low-wattage amp. Seems that low-wattage means low everything across the board on the amp. Give us the Caddy Elvis, and we'll be playing Elvis amps regardless of what we need. We just need a manufacturer to care about the little needs of the little guys to the rock stars. We all live in houses and play in those houses. Don't we all deserve a flagship amp for where we lay our heads each night. Just try, more than half heartedly, and you'll realize a return of benefits equal to what you give. That's the way of the world. Just DO IT! Blackstar, you gave it a good shot, but fell just outside the infield. We need a grand slam homerun. You already do it, just tone it down to manageable volume levels, even for the same price, and I'll buy at least two right out of the gate. Then I'm going to take a good, long look at the rest of your lineup for my needs in other areas. Charity starts at home, right?aj0206

I just received this amp today and I've got to say I'm amazed. It's surprisingly loud for just 10 watts, but that's not why it got it. I wanted something to record with and wanted rich British tone and gain. It delivers that, but so much more. This amp is rich and full sounding at all levels! It gives warm cleans, crisp crunch, and the best sounds are with the gain about 1 o'clock and the Master maxed out…it's loud, but oh so good! Thick, rich tone. The real bonus is that it sounds so good with pedals, as well. You have to play with the relationship of the gain and the master if you turn down low and put an overdrive pedal to make it sound natural, but it's well worth the effort. I also put a delay in the loop to try that. I don't think I've ever been happier with an amp right out of the box. I've got some vintage and boutique amps (and I love them), but they are TOO loud to record with to crank to get saturated tube tone. THIS amp solves that problem. I may get the 6L6 version as well…these amps are that good!Lloyd W

Back again for a few more words on the Blackstar HT-1, 1-wt. amp head. Well, it's three years later, and I'm getting ready to turn 56 early next year. I don't know how much longer I'll be playing. I'm not having any problems other than a trigger-finger release procedure done on my fretting hand, middle finger, which has caused me to incorporate my pinky into playing more than I ever cared to in the past. Too bad really because some longer-reach pull offs sound cleaner, and the triplet timing, cleanness, and sound are better than I remember them being doing the three-finger, traditional, lazy, blues player's way we've all seen and done before–that includes all the rockers out there too. Still have the HT-1, and use it and its sister head quite a bit. I play every day, and use these a lot of the time. I enjoy the sound I get out of them using whatever I front them with, which is always something different or new. I NEVER just plug into these amps and find a sound I want to lay a track down to on just about anything except something really clean; and again, the main culprit stopping that is the weak reverb, which hasn't been changed or updated in three years that I can tell. Blackstar actually came out with a new 1-wt amp head for Metal players, and I've yet to get my hands on one of them. It just doesn't seem all that attractive to me feature wise. The reviews, as well, seem to not be the best. It basically seems to be the same head with a different voicing to coax more gain, hence noise, out of an already too-noisy preamp architecture. No one has really answered my call to action to provide a top-of-the-line fractional wattage amp, save a couple of exceptions, for the home-recording, buddy jamming, solo-screaming crowd out there that surely has more residents than just me. The "Appetite for Destruction" 100-wt. down to 0.1-wt. head with Slash's signature on it from across the pond seems to be the leading contender out there so far, and it's been discontinued for a few years. Right before or after this came out, if I remember correctly. The ne AFD amp is a combo from 5- or 1-wt. that is still weigh too light on features, but not pounds, as in weight or the currency of its maker's country. The demise of the original, full-sized head might of had something to do with its two grand entry fee. I don't mind the size really, but it just seems someone could put out an amp that doesn't have to be "lunchbox-sized," but could pack in all the features without the huge transformers and big power soaks to actually tame a monster down to a teacup. I've tried the Special Ultra 6 that seemed promising, but I've had problems and problems with them until I'm about to give up. Alone, they sound more like the amps I watched guys play through when I got all jazzed about playing while in the sixth grade. Still, if you can get a good clean sound out of an amp, you can doctor the front-end with whatever you want. This practice seems to be what we're stuck with to get nice "simulated" overdriven power sections. All the major brands still think a low-wattage amp is in the ballpark of 5-wts, to maybe 1-wt. Too loud most of the time! Ever read the specs on speaker efficiency ratings? The dB sensitivity rating is measured at 1-wt 1 meter away, and you get sound level ratings hovering around 100dB. Definitely not a neighbor-friendly, let alone apartment-friendly sound level. C'mon guys, SOMEONE out there has got to get it into their heads that there is a whole untapped market out there waiting for a masterpiece to be released that is rated from .01 to 1-wt., or even up to 5. Ten is fine, but give me the option of turning it down to a normal level to jam with your friends and still carry on a conversation without a noise hangover from screaming at each other, or stopping playing every time you want to make a point. Across the pond they have a revived 1-wt. mini head or combo, for nearly a grand, that has a low-power switch down to 0.1-wt.. It lacks all the features you want and need to do what you really want an amp to do, plus it's paired with an 8" speaker. I don't care if it is a Celestion, you have to have a 10- or 12-in. speaker to move the air you need to emulate the sounds you want to emulate at a lower volume. Why is it that low wattage means low features and the ashcan end of everything else? Why can't someone bring out a feature-rich amp at a fractional wattage rating that will make half the guitar-playing population grin from ear to ear. After all, how many of you can really say you need, or can commonly utilize, a 100- to 120-wt. stadium sized stack, or even combo. Even the rock stars are at home sometime, and I'd bet they'd love to have an amp capable of reproducing the sound, harmonics, and all else that comes from their stage setup at a reasonable volume at home. I don't drink, but I betaj0206

One of the best combo amps I have ever played or heard. Playing for 55 yrs and have owned or played almost every American and Brit amp in that time from Marshall Matchless and Orange, to Hiwatt to Fender and Two Rock. This amp is right up there in the top 10. The cleans are beautiful and full of nuance the distortion goes from tweed- like to almost full on metal. I have read the reviews from detractors of this amp claiming the cleans are dull or the distortion is fizzy. I don't get it. Perhaps they need their hearing checked? These are the same people that claim a pure hand wired amp has the best tone ever and then slam the front end with pedals containing op amps and digital components and claim the distortion is fantastic! Go figure… I have replaced the speaker with a WGS ET90 (cream back clone) and the tubes with nos: V1:RCA, V2: RFT, Power: Siemens EL34. It is simply STUNNING.Keith Morrison

I've owned a Peavey 5150 212 combo back in the day, a H&K 20 watt tube, and used everything from Marshall to Mesa, Vox and Fender, and everything in between. This amp is simply the best tone I've ever heard out of an amp, period. I originally owned the first rendition of the HT series, with the smaller 20 watt amp, which was great but lacked the "super saturated lead" voicing on the HT40. I exchanged the 20 for the 40, and enjoyed the power, incredible tones, and durability of the original HT40 for years. Fast forward to recent times, when I was trying to go smaller, and tried out many modeling amps, as I didn't think I needed the full blown power of a 40 watt valve amp anymore. Needless to say, modelling amps still sound weak, harsh, and digital to my ears, and probably always will. I ended up buying the MK2, and they actually managed to improve my favorite amp of all time. This amp has stunning clean tones, and wonderful options for a modern or more boutique voicing, and two different reverb styles. Really, the cleans I get from this Blackstar from my tele are simply incredible, maybe not Fender level, but darn close. This is the one amp I've tried that has absolutely stunning clean tones AND brutal crunch and overdrive. This amp can play ANYTHING you throw at it, from metal to country, jazz and punk, and everything you can imagine. There an emulated out for recording, a switch that outputs only 10% of the wattage and turns it into a 4watt amp, giving you incredible saturation and warmth even at low volumes. I truly cannot say enough good things about it, I am a Blackstar customer for life after my first HT40, as they truly blew me away with the tone and features. The ISF is essential to me, and can transform the tone of this amp significantly. IMO, the high gain of this amp is miles ahead of even the Peavey 6505.B. Free Productions

As many have stated, if any amp could be a "swiss army knife" of tone, this would be it. The clean channel is fantastic, and has a lot of tone shaping ability between eq settings and changing between bright and dark reverb. The drive channel has a lot of variance as well, and can cover tons of ground – anything from blues, classic rock, to flat out metal.

Where it falls flat is the PCB assembly. Flux was still all over the board, and solder joints had voids in areas and were very poorly done. I believe many of the reliability issues others have reported are due to the poor PCB assembly. It's a fairly easy fix that shouldn't cost much more than $100 by a local reputable amp guy to redo bad/cold solder joints and strip the flux off the board. Despite this handicap, it is undoubtedly worth every penny. If you play through one and love it, don't let this scare you away.David Moore

Excellent build quality, brilliant sound. Separate tone controls would be better but "ISF" works OK. Only niggle is the OD and Voice buttons are too close to the rotary controls which makes it easy to nudge them accidentally. Encouragement to buy a footswitch I guess! Overall it does the job it was bought for – producing a range of big sounds quietly enough to keep the rest of the house and neighbours happy – very well.thegreens3

What a cracking little amp! Great clean channel, takes pedals well and the overdrive channel with voicings is superb. I’m glad I went for the combo and not the head. I now have a portable amp that I can take around with me or plug in to a 1×12 cab when I want to crank it. Put an Xotic preamp in front and enjoy some amazing tones!!Glen H.

this is mostly a great little amp. however, there are some unwanted artefacts in the sound when playing clean and so it's not perfect and not good enough for my needs when recording. that said it's still a great little practice ampReviewed by Absolute Music custo