Blackstar AMPED 1 - amp in a pedal

TTBZ

ecc83 said:

I have also read (not from Bs) that the St James amp was named for a 'posh' part of Northampton where the company started? They didn't and it ain't. I live there!

That must have came from someone who has clearly never been to Northampton  

ecc83

ecc83 said:

I have listened to all the demo vids posted here so far but one important piece of information is lacking...WTF is the speaker we are listening to in each case? Make of mic and its placing would also be nice. FSS. This morning was listening to a B&W YT of Earl Hines and his B&D guys telling us his musical story. That recording was better balanced than ANY of those demos!

Dave.

bugger

ecc83

So, I assume Cab rig is direct into the desk but what speaker is being miked up?

I will admit that was the best balanced video of the lot.

relic245

mark_jwedge said:

@relic245 I’m really interested in one of these but I’m not able to get out and try one at the mo. The demos sound fantastic but would be really welcome to hear your feedback when you get hands on with one if you don’t mind doing a bit of a review here? 

Will do Mark.

relic245

ecc83 said:

So, I assume Cab rig is direct into the desk but what speaker is being miked up?

I will admit that was the best balanced video of the lot.

It's a Mesa cab, he doesn't specify the actual speakers but I'm sure a mesa fan could make a guess.

He said that he's using a Lewit 440 pure condenser mike.

ecc83

relic245 said:

ecc83 said:

So, I assume Cab rig is direct into the desk but what speaker is being miked up?

I will admit that was the best balanced video of the lot.

It's a Mesa cab, he doesn't specify the actual speakers but I'm sure a mesa fan could make a guess.

He said that he's using a Lewit 440 pure condenser mike.

Thanks Relic. Odd to use an LDC on guitar cab but it sounds fine!

Dave.

TheBigDipper

I've just been listening to someone demoing an Amped-1 into a Blackstar 2x12 cab. Sounded pretty good for a modeller amp and the 100w setting would probably fill a small pub from just the back line. Most of the drive sounds were coming from pedals, though, not the amp itself. He just set that to a very mild gain (50%?) and played. The different valve voicings  do sound different and the 20w setting was also pleasing. The low setting not so much but the speakers were hardly being tickled, so…. 

The cleans and breakup sounds were nicer than the AMP1 Silver I owned for 5 years (and they weren't bad, either). Didn't hear anything quite as nice as the AMP1 Vintage channel, but it wasn't my demo, it was the Blackstar guys choices. 

Looks an impressive thing that will sell in bucketloads. 

Also treated to a demo of a St. James.  Tempting. 

relic245

Well I've just brought one home.

I'll do more of a review once I've played with it more.

Trier it through a blackstar 1x12 speaker was badged as celestion 80, so 70/80 perhaps.

Also tried it through a Yamaha dxr10.

The eq needed tweaking quite differently. Also eq does seem to be quite key.

Anyway I liked it enough to buy it. Am expecting it to replace my Artisan 30.

Just had 15 mins at home through my blackstar cab with v30s. Much better but guessing it's not the best for the clean sounds.

Initial impressions.

Very valve like and tough responsive.

Reacts well to volume control.

Very loud.

Heavier than I expected, feels very well built.

Like a real amp it sounds better on 100w with the volume down. Somehow more authoritative.

I really like the USA sounds even through a v30

British sound is also good,  I prefer it on a lower gain setting.

Doesn't do metal but has plenty of gain for me. Although I may want to hit it with a tube screamer at some point.

No idea how I'm going to use it yet . Will be good to find out how well it takes pedals 

TheBigDipper

relic245 said:

<snip>
Doesn't do metal but has plenty of gain for me. Although I may want to hit it with a tube screamer at some point.

No idea how I'm going to use it yet . Will be good to find out how well it takes pedals 

The Blackstar demonstrator man today was using a Chinese Klon copy in front of the amp and a Blackstar Dept. 10 boost in the FX loop. It was pretty decent and totally usable. 

TimmyO

Thomas Blug had one of these on his most recent Tone Academy livestream (I don't often watch it, even after the fact, because they are always really long and they never add any chapter markers to find the interesting stuff - but I sometimes randomly click through and catch the odd interesting segment)

Anyway, I think it's safe to say that Thomas is peeved - apparently the custom-designed power supply section of Amp1 that he designed 10 years ago is copied identically in Amped 1 - he used the word "stolen" a handful of times. 

ecc83

TimmyO said:

Thomas Blug had one of these on his most recent Tone Academy livestream (I don't often watch it, even after the fact, because they are always really long and they never add any chapter markers to find the interesting stuff - but I sometimes randomly click through and catch the odd interesting segment)

Anyway, I think it's safe to say that Thomas is peeved - apparently the custom-designed power supply section of Amp1 that he designed 10 years ago is copied identically in Amped 1 - he used the word "stolen" a handful of times. 

Do you really "power SUPPLY" and not power amplifier? SMP supplies are pretty generic and usually follow closely a device manufacturers application notes*

The power amplifier might have been ripped off but I cannot see Blackstar using a decade old class D circuit? Class D technology has become very sophisticated in the last few years.

*There is a very clever SMPSU that is part of a class G power amp in some very high end monitors. The supply rail tracks with programme level (must be 'feedforward'?) but I cannot see that being used in this class of device.

Dave.

TimmyO

ecc83 said:

TimmyO said:

Thomas Blug had one of these on his most recent Tone Academy livestream (I don't often watch it, even after the fact, because they are always really long and they never add any chapter markers to find the interesting stuff - but I sometimes randomly click through and catch the odd interesting segment)

Anyway, I think it's safe to say that Thomas is peeved - apparently the custom-designed power supply section of Amp1 that he designed 10 years ago is copied identically in Amped 1 - he used the word "stolen" a handful of times. 

Do you really "power SUPPLY" and not power amplifier? SMP supplies are pretty generic and usually follow closely a device manufacturers application notes*

The power amplifier might have been ripped off but I cannot see Blackstar using a decade old class D circuit? Class D technology has become very sophisticated in the last few years.

*There is a very clever SMPSU that is part of a class G power amp in some very high end monitors. The supply rail tracks with programme level (must be 'feedforward'?) but I cannot see that being used in this class of device.

Dave.

yes he was specifically talking about the power supply - something along the lines that at the time switchmode stuff had limited applications and what there was wasn't resulting on what he wanted, so he designed and had manufactured something custom, which, he reckons, appears identically replicated in the newer product. 

ecc83

TimmyO said:

ecc83 said:

TimmyO said:

Thomas Blug had one of these on his most recent Tone Academy livestream (I don't often watch it, even after the fact, because they are always really long and they never add any chapter markers to find the interesting stuff - but I sometimes randomly click through and catch the odd interesting segment)

Anyway, I think it's safe to say that Thomas is peeved - apparently the custom-designed power supply section of Amp1 that he designed 10 years ago is copied identically in Amped 1 - he used the word "stolen" a handful of times. 

Do you really "power SUPPLY" and not power amplifier? SMP supplies are pretty generic and usually follow closely a device manufacturers application notes*

The power amplifier might have been ripped off but I cannot see Blackstar using a decade old class D circuit? Class D technology has become very sophisticated in the last few years.

*There is a very clever SMPSU that is part of a class G power amp in some very high end monitors. The supply rail tracks with programme level (must be 'feedforward'?) but I cannot see that being used in this class of device.

Dave.

yes he was specifically talking about the power supply - something along the lines that at the time switchmode stuff had limited applications and what there was wasn't resulting on what he wanted, so he designed and had manufactured something custom, which, he reckons, appears identically replicated in the newer product. 

O...K well, switch mode supplies had been in TVs decades before that producing 80-110 volts at a couple of amps. I still have a 24V SMPSU rated at 5A still working that must be 20 years old. Of course PCs have used extremely reliable SMPSUs for a very long time producing 5V at a lot of amps and 12V. Different voltages are just a resistor ratio.

I think he needs to put up or STF up!  ACTUALLY!! Philips produced what was essentially a 'switching' supply at least 50 years ago. It delivered 12V at about an amp and was made to power car radios where the radio did not match the polarity of the car as many early cars were positive earth.

Dave.

relic245

I don't know anything about electronics but copied and stolen are very different things.

It's it's been stolen that implies there is some legal protection. A patent maybe?

If it has been stolen in the legal sense then surely he has some recourse.

kennedydream1980

If anyone is interested this is the Youtube clip where Thomas Blug talks about the power supply similarities.



It's around 50 minutes and 40 seconds he starts to talk about it.

TimmyO

ecc83 said:

TimmyO said:

ecc83 said:

TimmyO said:

Thomas Blug had one of these on his most recent Tone Academy livestream (I don't often watch it, even after the fact, because they are always really long and they never add any chapter markers to find the interesting stuff - but I sometimes randomly click through and catch the odd interesting segment)

Anyway, I think it's safe to say that Thomas is peeved - apparently the custom-designed power supply section of Amp1 that he designed 10 years ago is copied identically in Amped 1 - he used the word "stolen" a handful of times. 

Do you really "power SUPPLY" and not power amplifier? SMP supplies are pretty generic and usually follow closely a device manufacturers application notes*

The power amplifier might have been ripped off but I cannot see Blackstar using a decade old class D circuit? Class D technology has become very sophisticated in the last few years.

*There is a very clever SMPSU that is part of a class G power amp in some very high end monitors. The supply rail tracks with programme level (must be 'feedforward'?) but I cannot see that being used in this class of device.

Dave.

yes he was specifically talking about the power supply - something along the lines that at the time switchmode stuff had limited applications and what there was wasn't resulting on what he wanted, so he designed and had manufactured something custom, which, he reckons, appears identically replicated in the newer product. 

O...K well, switch mode supplies had been in TVs decades before that producing 80-110 volts at a couple of amps. I still have a 24V SMPSU rated at 5A still working that must be 20 years old. Of course PCs have used extremely reliable SMPSUs for a very long time producing 5V at a lot of amps and 12V. Different voltages are just a resistor ratio.

I think he needs to put up or STF up!  ACTUALLY!! Philips produced what was essentially a 'switching' supply at least 50 years ago. It delivered 12V at about an amp and was made to power car radios where the radio did not match the polarity of the car as many early cars were positive earth.

Dave.

I don’t doubt any of that. Nor do I doubt that he had a custom supply designed and made. One doesn’t undermine the other. 

TimmyO

relic245 said:

I don't know anything about electronics but copied and stolen are very different things.

.

Yes it sounded a bit inflammatory when he said it. 

I suspect it leans towards peeved rather than litigious 

TheBigDipper

I thought the name "Amped-1" was a bit cheeky, but the products are far enough apart that I don't think too many informed people will misunderstand which is the analogue amp and which one is the modeller. 

 I challenged a Blackstar demonstrator about it and he said it was because it had one preset footswitch and maybe there was an "Amped-2” coming next with two preset switches… 

I'm not sure TB has any right to feel aggrieved, but the free publicity within a small marketplace won't hurt. 

It's not called "the bleeding edge" for nothing. Every marketplace is full of innovators who can't convert their idea into market penetration and the next one in cleans up. A second product moving into your space validates your own product and shows there is a need that more than one company recognises exists and can provide solutions for. 

TimmyO

I saw a leaked pic (well I assumed leaked rather than faked) with an Amped 1, 2 and 3 a little while back 

Danny1969

I was chatting with Paul Stevens, chief engineer at Blackstar a few weeks ago. My company 2020Studios looks after a local venue PA wise and his U2 tribute band were playing there. We provided all the necessary mics, cables, monitors, stands and did monitors and FOH sound for the band. 
I asked him about the Amped 1 and mentioned this thread. He said it was designed completely in house at Blackstar, as was the SMPS in the new St James amp. I also mentioned the DI level of the Amped 1 going up with speaker level. He said that's what would happen when turning up a mic'ed amp, plus the DI isn't just tapped of the driver stage, it's post power amp behaviour. 
He was using 2 St james amps in stereo, DI'ed straight into the desk. and a largish pedal board. He had the U2 tones and effects completely nailed. At the end of the gig he showed me how light those St James amps are. Quite impressive. 

It's good to see a UK company coming out with new and interesting designs. I just hope the reliability holds up.