Blackstar’s HT-20R is a highly-regarded Britishvalve amp that doesn’t break the bank. The HT line has been a popular one at Andertons Music Co. for several years, withthelatest MkII modelunveiled at the 2019 NAMM Showimpressing us yet again. It’s now available in a limited editionsurf green!
The bigger brother of Blackstar’s portable HT-1 and HT-5 combos, the HT-20R MkII is theperfect gigging workhorse with 20W of headroom. Still compact and easy to transport, the MkII edition boasts a raft of new updated features.
Packing USB connectivity, balanced XLR outputs and a power reduction switch, the HT-20R has all of the appointments to meet the demands of modern guitarists.
British Valve Tones
The Blackstar HT-20R is a pure and authentic valve-powered amplifier. It housesa single ECC83 preamp valve and two EL84 power amp tubesforits British voicing. Delivering pristine-sounding cleans, warm overdrive tones and saturated high-gain, this versatile little combo is suitable for both contemporary players and traditionalists alike.
Switchable Voices
The HT-20R has a clever trick up its sleeve. Both of its channels havetwo footswitchable voices to provide evenmore tonal options.
The clean channel lets you access “American” and “British” voices. The latter has a stronger mid-range, while the US-style mode has a more scooped, bright and focused character. Flick to the overdrive channel, and you can choose between “Classic” and “High-Gain” voices. So, whether you want those rich, old-school British rock tones, or aggressive American metal sounds – the choice is yours.
Modern Features
Sporting a USB port and balanced emulated XLR outputs, direct recording has never been easier. With the ability to switch between 1×12″ and 4×12″ cab emulations, you can also take advantage of the HT-20R’s headphone output for silent practice.
There’s also the option to power down the HT-20R to 2W. This means that you can get glorious cranked valve sounds without blowing your ears off! Another great feature is the newly-voiced studio quality reverb, which you can use to really spruce up your clean tones, for example.
Last but not least, the Blackstar HT-20R boasts an essential effects loop. Letting you seamlessly run modulation and time-based stompboxes between the the preamp and power amp sections, the HT-20R can become the perfect platform for your pedals.
Key Features
- Footswitchable Voices for Clean and Overdrive
- Power reduction to 2 Watts
- USB audio out
- XLR D.I. out
- Newly-voiced studio quality reverb
- Boutique styling
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