Cabinet choices for the HT-5

[atl123]

I bought the Blackstar HT-110 "default" cabinet when I bought the HT-5 amp. I have not tried the amp out with another cabinet as the other amps I am around are all combos and have different impedences than what the HT-5 requires.

But I feel like the HT-110 is by far the weak link in the chain. It makes the amp sound real "boxy" and there is no low end. I have to turn the bass up pretty much all the way to get any low and that can't be right. I noticed when looking at the HT-5 settings thread that most people had the bass closer to 12 o'clock.

Does anybody else out there have the HT-110 cabinet and some other cabinets that you have A/B'd the amp with?

I would think that a solid 2x12 cabinet with V30's or possibly even a 1x12 would be best for a lot of things, but then again my knowledge of guitar cabinets and how they effect sound is probably my weak link of my guitar knowledge due to playing combo amps so much.


(BTW, here is some bands that kind of represent the music I am playing through this amp - Alice in Chains, Godsmack, Dream Theater, Guns N Roses, Anthrax, Pearl Jam, Rage ATM, Zeppelin, Cream, and Hendrix. So there is a combo of Mesa rectifier sounds and Marshall sounds in there.)



- Really glad Blackstar got a forum going.

[gt_jumper]

GT-75's dude, the HT-5 loves em. I have a 1960a cabinet and this thing smokes through it.

[LonePhantom]

I use a 1x12 speaker cabinet (my old Kustom KGA65 combo amp), and it sounds great. I'm dropping in a V30 as soon as it arrives (ordered back before Christmas ) to give myself some stronger mids and tighter low end.

[6StringBender]

My avatar is my current HT-5H cab. I just couldn't justify spending $199 USD for a 1x10 cab, so,I converted an old shorted out Fender solid-state (tubeless) bass amp with a white Birch cab into a 1x12 cab by removing the power chassis, making an extended grille cover frame (2.5" taller to cover the chassis slot) installing a 1/4" input socket into the back, and "porting" the speaker baffle plate w/4x1" holes to allow the cone to move freely. I covered the grille-frame with vintage Fender cloth I ordered online.
Presently, I use full treble, mids at 9 oclock, and bass at 7 oclock(barely cracked open), and this actually gives me a really good tone with the generic Fender/Jensen Bass speaker in the cab........I play mostly Electric Blues & Hard Rock.
I'm soon getting a "proper" guitar speaker though, so i'll have "GREAT" tone, instead of "really good".
I'm currently evaluating some speakers from Eminence, MojoTone, and Weber , as i'm not really thrilled with ANY of the new Celestions, when comparing tone/lifespan/price.

[sleepeatplay]

I'm running my Ht-5h into a cheap Marshall MC 2-12 cabinet loaded with Eminence private jacks. Sounds great and it is super loud. You'll be way happier with 12" speakers for sure. Avatar makes nice cabinets also. http://www.avatarspeakers.com/

[6StringBender]

I've just ordered a 35w Jensen "Vintage Ceramic" 12" spkr. to drop into the Fender cab i'm using w/my HT-5H head.
I almost went with the 25w, but the lower "breakup" made it sound too raspy, the 35w sounded perfect for my personal applications.
The "VC" series are made in Italy, not China, and are supposed to be "drop in" replacements for the old "Chicago Jensens" used in mid to late 60's Fender amps. I'll post a new thread with results after i've installed it, and given it a month or 2 to break in.
I've got to call my Godson and inquire about an old-old Fender cab I gave him a few years ago, and ask for it back if he's not using it.......its also a Fender cab, with a genuine 15" Chicago ceramic Jensen spkr. I never used the cab. because all I had at the time was a full stack with 8x10 Celestions.

I'm hoping this choice will give me the "bite" that i'm currently missing.

[6StringBender]

Forget letting it break in.........the difference is already night and the surface of the sun !!!
I actually had to use the EQ instead of maxing the treble and bottoming the mids & bass..........i've had great stage amps before, but this is my 1st truly groovy practice & recording setup......i'm up much too late because I had a hard time shutting it down !!
I'm already "pumped" about the new tones........I can only imagine the sound after it's broken in & loosened up a bit..........
If any of y'all play Delta, or "Crunchy"Chicago Blues........the Jensen "Vintage Ceramic" C12Q is a FINE mate for the HT-5H head.

Enough of this babbling........i'm gonna play some more !!!

[Jerome]

Hello guys, I'm not sure bout the impedence and ohm. But can anyone tell me wheather Blackstar HT-5 Head can connect to a marshall MG102 fx and use it as cabinet by unplug the MG power section and connet HT-5 Head to it? Because i have a MG102 fx but i wanted to try some tube tone and notice HT-5, but i notice that MG102fx wrtitten 4ohms(if im not mistaken) and HT-5 is competible of 8 and 16ohms. So if i connect them will them work or damage them?
Another question is i saw some coment bout this amp state that the volume is not loud enough for live performence, so i wonder if i use pedal to boost the volume, will it be enough to do the work?

[sleepeatplay]

Hello guys, I'm not sure bout the impedence and ohm. But can anyone tell me wheather Blackstar HT-5 Head can connect to a marshall MG102 fx and use it as cabinet by unplug the MG power section and connet HT-5 Head to it? Because i have a MG102 fx but i wanted to try some tube tone and notice HT-5, but i notice that MG102fx wrtitten 4ohms(if im not mistaken) and HT-5 is competible of 8 and 16ohms. So if i connect them will them work or damage them?
Another question is i saw some coment bout this amp state that the volume is not loud enough for live performence, so i wonder if i use pedal to boost the volume, will it be enough to do the work?

You want to match ohms. The MG at 4 ohms is a mismatch and can burn up your transformer. You want to get speakers that match ohms. The Ht-5 head is pretty loud, but I'm not sure you could cut it with a drummer. Some guys do mic their amps though. IMO, you would be better off with 20+ watts.

[Jerome]

Hello guys, I'm not sure bout the impedence and ohm. But can anyone tell me wheather Blackstar HT-5 Head can connect to a marshall MG102 fx and use it as cabinet by unplug the MG power section and connet HT-5 Head to it? Because i have a MG102 fx but i wanted to try some tube tone and notice HT-5, but i notice that MG102fx wrtitten 4ohms(if im not mistaken) and HT-5 is competible of 8 and 16ohms. So if i connect them will them work or damage them?
Another question is i saw some coment bout this amp state that the volume is not loud enough for live performence, so i wonder if i use pedal to boost the volume, will it be enough to do the work?

You want to match ohms. The MG at 4 ohms is a mismatch and can burn up your transformer. You want to get speakers that match ohms. The Ht-5 head is pretty loud, but I'm not sure you could cut it with a drummer. Some guys do mic their amps though. IMO, you would be better off with 20+ watts.

Thanks for the information. I understand that the 2x12 cabinet i was talking about is using parallel wiring which is 4 ohm, if I rewire the cabinet to series which is 16 ohm, will it match? For Headphones & Speaker Emulated Output, can i use headphone without plug in the amp to the cabinet? When the headphone is plug in, will it mute the cabinet sound?