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Post by Deleted on Mar 24, 2019 15:43:42 GMT
You need full range speakers (i.e. hi fi speakers) rather than standard guitar amp speakers, as this is a modelling amp which is already simulating the low grade effect and colouration of guitar amps and speakers. This way you can get a great sound for acoustic guitars as well. At 20 watts each these tend to be 4" speakers. Because the ID:Core has good on board stereo effects I would be very tempted to have two little separate little speaker cabs so I could spread them wide for a fantastic experience. Otherwise you may as well have the combo with its speakers side by side. By the way, I'll be interested to see if you find this hissy. I had a 40watt combo version and sent it back because it was hissing even with nothing plugged in and the volume/gain turned right down, making it hopeless for recording. In the end I got the 10 watt version because I liked the portability but it hisses too. Blackstar tells me it's just a feature of these amps. If I was Blackstar I'd remove the feature.  |
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ttmax
Harley Benton Expert
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Post by ttmax on Mar 24, 2019 21:11:57 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Mar 24, 2019 23:18:25 GMT
The ones in the link seem a bit over rated at a passive 80 watts each when you only have 20 watts per channel on the Blackstar. Mind you if you were going down the PA speaker route you could go for a pair of active speakers with their own amplifier in them to boost the signal. They also have SPK sockets so you'd need an adapter to plug the other end into a standard jack socket.
The hiss is just there no matter what settings I use. You could turn the gain and volume right down and it would make no difference. If I left the amp on and walked away, the next time I entered the room I used think I had left a gas ring on on my cooker till I got used to the sound. Strangely Blackstar think it's normal and totally acceptable. The total opposite to my Katana amp which I have accidentally left on for days without noticing. I notice you have the V2. Maybe Blackstar changed their mind and decided to not offer the hissing feature any more. I wonder what else they changed?
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Post by Deleted on Mar 25, 2019 10:09:24 GMT
I didn't keep the ID:Core40 for longer than a couple of days because the hiss annoyed me so much, so I cannot directly compare it to the Katana 50. However I did swap to the ID:Core 10 which I now keep at my office. It's ideal for that, having some adjustable on board effects and that lovely stereo sound. Also I don't hear the hiss so much because of other background sounds (computers whirring away and so on). I lost the footswitch option but have the parts and instructions to add one should I feel the need to bother. I never have. The Katana is a different sort of thing, having no stereo speakers and really needing to be hooked up to a computer to tinker with the incredibly complex amount of software options inside. I do like that the Katana has a proper eq section rather than the ID Cores which need you to hook up a computer just to boost or cut a frequency. The ISF control not being a lot of help. But, to be honest, I don't really rate either of them as a serious amp. They serve a different purpose. The ID Cores are very much a practice toy that I have never successfully recorded, either with mics or the usb connection. I did use it for very processed electric guitar noises for a student movie soundtrack where that was the sort of character I wanted; sort of eighties Ultravox sounds. The Katana has not allowed me to record very well either using the USB, and its speaker is not good, lacking in sparkle and bass (it is a full range, hi fi speaker). It does sound better through another speaker but still does not have the character of a decent tube amp no matter what the reviews say. No tubey warmth and subtlety. And still no deep bottom end. I have tinkered and tinkered with the software to try to improve that but, for whatever reason, it just cannot seem to find that clear bottom end. The Katana's onboard effects are very impressive though. I just don't have the patience to get the best out of them and don't really enjoy USB or DI recording anyway. It may suit those folks who do like that stuff. At least the speaker would be bypassed. I suspect it is pretty good at doing that. I tried using the Katana at a band rehearsal and it was quickly decided that it was horrible for that. I haven't used it that way since. It's handy to carry out into the garden though, along with the ID Core if I have guests who just want to come around and jam. At those sort of low volumes and with a few on board effects being used they are both a lot of fun. One thing I did find was that the Katana speaker was terribly 'beamy'. It really focused a toppy sound in a very narrow band in one direction, rather than spreading its sound out. If you stood off to one side or above it, the sound was VERY much woolier than directly in front. Not something the ID Core does. This caused issues. I could not balance a sound that was OK for the audience and for me on stage. If I wanted to hear some treble, the audience would hear far too much. I found a very cheap solution using a sponge donut in front of the speaker but behind the grille. My project is documented here.  I have since become a very committed fan of the anti-beam donut. |
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ttmax
Harley Benton Expert
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Post by ttmax on Mar 25, 2019 12:30:35 GMT
Thanks you for the valuable information, and above all for the time you are dedicating to me. If I can offer it, I would ask you, since you surely know more than me, which I consider more a collector than a guitar player, if you think there is another alternative to blackstar id core 40H. In fact I understand that these amplifiers are a bit of a toy, and they cannot be compared to anything serious. My requirement is to have something decent, but not so sophisticated, that I can use at home, without disturbing the neighbors too much and having a good clean mainly. In fact I don't pretend sophisticated things since I am satisfied with a simple marshall avt-100. Its sound suits me well, but it's too powerful for home use, and it doesn't have an aux input that I absolutely need. The blackstar I have could be fine if it didn't have the speakers so small, so much so that in the end I use him for backtracks and marshalls for the guitar. At this point I didn't solve my problem. That's why I thought of a 40H id core and something like subzero g212 www.gear4music.it/it/Chitarra-e-basso/SubZero-G212-2x12-Celestion-Speaker-Cab/NE4or Harley benton g212 m.thomann.de/it/harley_benton_g212.htm?o=0&search=1553516861Of course can choice also another head with aux in but wich cheap ? Do you think about? |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 25, 2019 12:59:22 GMT
What strikes me is that these are very much overpowered speaker cabinets for the 20 watts the ID:Core will be putting out to each speaker. Plus they are not full range speakers so may not handle the modelling that the Blackstar is doing. HOWEVER, having said that, I played my modelling Katana 50 into my Champ 25SE's 65 watt speaker and it sounded BETTER than the full range one in the Katana. So you never know. I also tend to play cleans and I have heard folks use the Champ 25SE as an acoustic guitar amp and love it, so the speaker can't be all that bad!
So, what I'm saying is, you may not find that a full range speaker is what you need. A good pair of guitar speakers with lovely cleans may suit you too. I would just tend to go for something more similarly matched to the ID:Core 40's 20 + 20 watt output. Anything up to 50w should be ideal.
If I still had the ID:Core 40 I would try it through my pair of 12" 65 watt speakers for you to see how it sounds. Using my 10 watt version may be interesting but rather mismatched. I can try that if you like just to see what happens!
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ttmax
Harley Benton Expert
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Post by ttmax on Mar 25, 2019 13:56:46 GMT
I don't found any power lower cheap cabinet. I presume t'hat It could go well also 2x10" and how you say 30/50w for channel, but if sensitivity is 95/98db i believe that they could also be driven by the few watts of the Blackstar if impedance is 8 ohm, do you think e about ? If it is not too much trouble for you, I would be really grateful to avoid another purchase in the dark. I could just do this test with the only speaker I have, but I don't think it's a good idea being the id core stereo while my marshall only has a 12 "! Upg Thomann suggest m.thomann.de/it/palmer_cab_212_v30_ob_reviews.htmI don't know wich power have at 16ohm i presume that 20x2 are only at 8ohm it is right ? While 4 ohm cannot be used ? On id core 40, 20 or 10 each speakers is 4 or 8 ohm ? Found info : are 4 ohm each  So if understand id core 40 (2x20) have 2x20 4ohm speakers while id core 40h must be connect 2x20 8ohm than 40 and 40h are different amplifier ? I am confused  |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 25, 2019 23:12:09 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Mar 26, 2019 9:08:42 GMT
Ah yes, a very different way to go! I must say my ID:Cores never went into protection mode...unless they hiss to make me stop playing them?  |
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