My new ID:260 ..first thoughts

[AscottAudio]

Hi all.

I'm in Australia and ordered a Blackstar ID260 from Germany..it just arrived this morning.

Just for the record I also have a HT60 and a HT5th and 2 Gus G blackfire pedals.

Though that I would give my initial thoughts after my first half hour or so of having a play.

In a nutshell Bloody fantastic!

I am very impressed by this amp indeed. I vowed to never go back to digital after years of "tweaking" modelers..so it is quite ironic that after "finding" my Blackstar HT60 a couple of years ago...and vowing not to ever again comprimise on tone..that the ID series may be the amp to change my mind.

I loved my other blackstar gear so much that I did think it possible that the boys could do such a thing...and to my mind it looks like they have.

Yes its early days..and I've only just scratched the surface..the ID series may turn out to have some "issues"...who knows...but as we all know..first impressions mean a lot..I plugged in my 1990 LP custom..set the ID controls to mid position..went through the presets..

It is awesome!..thanks Blackstar you've done it again!

[GERRYGTR62]

very cool, that's good to know, dude---I'm very curious about the ID Series [like how they stack up against the digital modeling stuff like Line 6, which failed me at a gig one time---just couldn't match clean and distorted master volumes properly, no matter how much editing I've done, LOL!!]--I take it the editing is very user-friendly, does it come with a footswitch?

[AscottAudio]

Well I have already had my first "issue" with the ID.

After my first little play I thought that I had better download the "insIDer" software and get things started.

Once downloaded the first thing it did was popup with a "Firmware upgrade" message..I was reluctant but thought it the right thing to do...BAD MOVE..

I basically spent the next 2 hours desperately trying to get the firmware update to upload to the amp.

It wouldn't have bee so bad if the amp would just revert back to it earlier state..but it was "stuck" in limbo..with only one button flashing..it was dead and a door nail!!

I was sweating and loaded the software on my audio computer only to find it would not run!(got some client 34 error messgae)...I then loaded it onto a third machine..the software ran but the firmware upgrade failed again..I tried a different USB slot and what do you know.. although it took ages..it eventually loaded the firmware upgrade..the amp booted up as it should and she is a goer again...http://www.blackstaramps.com/forum/post ... f=2&t=2858#

I could really have done without the grief...and perhaps I've already found the ID's weakspot. As someone who has spent a great deal of time using computers for audio.. I'm really not surprised that this is an area that can cause problems..

Any new ID user's beware of the firmware upgrade! I am no expert but not too bad on computer audio..and cant for the life of me understand why this would happen.

Cheers,

[AscottAudio]

No it doesn't come with the foot switch.

The FS10 was not available..but soon will be.

[kartes]

Thanks for the update. I am anxiously awaiting for the ID:260 to arrive here in the US. Supposedly, they will be available in the next week or so.

I have a couple of questions, if you don't mind answering:

1) What types of speakers are in the 260 combo? Brand and model please.
2) Is the back of the cabinet open or closed?

I haven't been able to see any pictures or get any info on the speakers or the back of the cabinet.

I'm torn on getting the 260 combo or going with the 60 head and then getting a 2x12 cab.

Thanks for your help.

[mhat]

I had a go with a 1x12 version and I think it was a closed back cab, will take a look at that and the 2x12 next time I'm in the shop as I want have another go with it (wasnt convinced by it last time). Would be nice to know what speakers are in the 1x12 version too.

[AscottAudio]

The cab is closed on the 260.

I am pretty sure it comes with the Celestion NEO speakers.

I tried to see inside to confirm and could see they had Blackstar 07 or suchlike on them so I am guessing they are built for Blackstar by Celestion.

[AscottAudio]

After a couple of more plays with the ID260 I am happy to report all is well and I am enjoying the amp.

The big test for me will be how it performs once I rehears with the band. Every other modeller or digital unit I have used has sounded lacking once cranked up..but I am expecting the ID260 to perform well.

I have also now spent a brief amount of time using the "insIDer" program.

I think its very good. It is very nifty the way you can adjust the amp and the dials on the computer move in synch. It seems like they have not overcomplicated things ..which is good.

There is a noise gate that seems only to be accessable through the insider program. It works well but seems to only activate on the 2 highest gain modes..would be nice to be able to use it on all modes to keep everything nice and quiet...
Again with the insider software..its early days but it seems great after my first couple of sessions.

The way that only 4 banks of patches are accessible from the amp is a little odd.. Hopefully using the FS10 footswitch will make things easier..(once I can find one)

The blackstar guys are getting rather good at making me "hang out" for one of their toys!
cheers.

[AscottAudio]

Just on the topic of the 260 V's other ID amps.

I decided to go for the 260 as I figured being a stereo amp it would take advantage of the FX more than a mono amp.

Also ..it didn't seem to be much more price wise.. so seemed the best choice for me

[mhat]

I decided to go for the 60 watt head in the end as I don't have much space in the practice room and figured I may as well save a bit of space since I'll be using it with headphones mostly. Also, I wasn't blown away by the sound coming out of the 1x12 version. It sounded harsh and very trebley to my ears.

Last night I plugged the head into the speakers of my Marshall jvm205 and, even though I still haven't had a lot of time to play with it, first impressions are good. So much so that I'm thinking about getting rid of the jvm... Question is, what speaker cab would be a good match?