Real sound of HT1R?

[aocana]

Hi,

I've seen a lot of videos of the surely amazing HT1-R for home practice. But I'm very frustrated watching them because it's a lot of difference in sound in some of them (in full gain sounds)

Great sound:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AE7iARebUug
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ns4RtSW0Zqo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USZC7dfN6RU

Garbage?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dz-H4rwDTs

It's not only that the guy plays awful. The sound is terrible. Where is the trick in the firsts ones or the amp in the last is not the same?????


Regards,
Alberto

[Classicplayer]

All of those sounds in the videos you posted can be achieved with the HT1. Most were not recorded too well.
Search YouTube for Bartek Beben doing a comparison on the new speaker he put in his HT1R combo to get an idea of what it can really sound like and in good quality audio. He features some Metal playing. On his channel is another composition done in high gain Metal that he demo'd

Classicplayer

[aocana]

The problem is that I got only sounds that are like the last video.

Distorted sound is too fuzzy. The more defined sound is very few distorted and seems that it's only volumed up, without real distortion.

In the first videos you can see that when you enable the overdrive channel you can get a nice distorted sound, Very defined and fat. I can't get it in any possible configuration with 2 completely different guitars (Les Paul Standard and Ibanez).

I don't know if my unit has something wrong because the sound is quite terrible

[Classicplayer]

Before making a judgement on whether the amp has any problems.....try this:

Roll the volumes down all the way on your guitar and roll the guitar tone controls all the way up,
On the amp's gain channel put the gain on 9 to 10:00 o'clock and the volume around 9:00 o'clock.
Have the ISF at around 10:00 o'clock. Select the neck pickup and slowly roll up the volume and you should
have a fairly clean tone with a a bit of distortion to it. You don't need to have your volumes all the way up. Then switch to the bridge pickups and do the same.

Do you get an acceptable distortion doing all of the above?

Don't go by the chart of the top of the amp.

I usually am on the gain channel for my clean tones and distorted tones.....only certain occasions do I
switch to the amp's clean channel and I know owners say it's kind of dry and lifeless, but I like that kind
of clean sound.

Classicplayer

[bharris22]

I think many of the YouTube videos don't accurately reflect the sound of this amp, as well, because in most of the ones I have seen they are actually miking the amp and then running the audio through a mixing board. It is not the pure sound of the amp's speakers, which is hard to convey directly and accurately, IMHO, in a YouTube video. So, many of the videos sound great, but I have also found it hard to replicate some of those sounds in the house. I bet if you miked your HT-1R (or ran a direct line out from the emulated output) and then ran the audio to a mixer, you would get closer to the good sounds of those videos.

[RiF]

To be honest, I don't like the gain switch on at all. It sounds weak compared to the awesome "clean/crunch" channel. For higher gain, I get a fatter and more defined tone with an overdrive pedal in front of the clean channel with the preamp gain all the way up, guitar volume all the way up, ISF to taste.

[sjj]

Hi aocana

Bit late but just noticed your post !

My HT1 RH sounded similar to your description when I first got it, I tried an overdrive pedal and a speaker upgrade, neither solved the issue.

As a final act before exchanging it I changed the Sovtek preamp valve to a Tungsol from the excellent team at 'Hotrox'. I didn't have much confidence in it working but was amazed at the difference, the gain is now clear, defined, deep and aggressive at low volumes and the clean channel now gives a useable 'crunchy' rock tone.

I've read a lot of posts about valve changes and have come to the conclusion that different valve makes are fitted from new by Blackstar and maybe some are 'better than others. The Tungsol has been used by others with good but not outstanding reports, I think the Sovtek valve in my amp was dull or defective as the change was huge, it made me keep the amp instead of exchanging.

Got to be worth a try for £14 or so.

sjj