Founded in 2007, Blackstar opened the market with high-end pedals and tube amps in its early years, and in recent years has shifted its production focus to digital circuit speakers for practice, covering the low- and mid-price guitar amp market. It is reported that Blackstar has now ranked second in market share, second only to Fender.
Several of Blackstar's founders had a Marshall background, so early Blackstar loudspeakers were often dubbed "cheap Marshall". In fact, Blackstar's valve amps improve the loose bass of Marshall, while maintaining the Dirty character in the distortion, but there are many differences from Marshall in terms of compression and graininess, and the Clean Tone is not as appealing. The Blackstar's tone is characteristically featureless, and its neutral nature makes it more compatible with EQ adjustments and external effects. That's good for players who like to play with effects, but for those who love Marshall's tone, the Blackstar amps do have a bit of a runny "ruffian" flavor.
HT is currently Blackstar's main tube series. The series is available in 1W, 5W, and 20W versions, with all models featuring a dual-channel design that switches between a tight and intense American style and a tough but relatively peaceful British style. 20W amp HT0 priced at 4800 yuan, with its own cabinet simulation function, musicians can simulate 112 (1 12-inch speaker) or 412 (4 12-inch speakers) two kinds of cabinet sound, and then output to headphones or computers, very suitable for home recording. At the 2019 NAMM (North American Music Show), Blackstar announced that it will iterate on the HT20, and those interested in getting their hands on it may wish to wait until the new version is launched. For the 1W and 5W versions that don't have update news at the moment, it's okay to buy them right away.
The HT1R (1W version) priced at 2200 yuan can be said to be the cheapest tube speaker on the market at present. Among Blackstar's product lines, the more popular ones are the transistor series ID Core, LT-Echo and Fly3. Available in 10W, 20W and 40W versions, the ID Series is equipped with two original Blackstar speakers with 6 channels and 12 stereo effects. The function and timbre are quite eye-catching in transistor speakers below 1700 yuan. As for the series below 1,000 yuan, the LT-Echo, which has an average price of about 800 yuan, has strengthened the delay and tone adjustment functions compared with the Fly3, which costs 500 yuan, and also has an extra channel, which can realize the switching between overdrive and Clean Tone tones. Both the LT-Echo and Fly3 have Bluetooth connectivity, which gives players more ways to practice.
Overall, the Blackstar is an affordable, easy-to-use transistor speaker that is a great practice product for entry-level guitarists.
