Blackstar HT-5RH MkIII 5w Valve Head Overview
Blackstar HT-5RH MkIII 5W Valve Head
The Blackstar HT-5RH MkIII is a compact yet powerful 5-watt valve amplifier head designed for guitarists who crave classic valve tone in a portable form. Part of the acclaimed HT MkIII series, this head offers a mix of vintage and modern tones, enhanced with the latest features such as CabRig DSP speaker simulation and power reduction, all housed in a rugged, professional-grade package.
Perfect for small gigs, home studios, or rehearsals, the HT-5RH MkIII is packed with versatility, offering everything from rich cleans to tight high-gain overdrive sounds, while maintaining the warmth and dynamic response of tube amplification.
Key Features
1. Classic Valve Tone
- 5W All-Valve Head: Delivers that rich, organic valve tone with touch sensitivity and responsiveness, ideal for both recording and live performance in smaller venues or home studios.
2. Clean and Overdrive Channels
- Clean Channel: Offers pristine clean tones, with a Voice Switch for toggling between American Clean and British Clean, giving you two distinctive tonal flavors to suit different styles.
- Overdrive Channel: A Voice Switch provides options between Classic Overdrive for vintage, creamy tones and Modern Overdrive for tighter, high-gain distortion. The overdrive channel is designed for responsive, high-gain playing without sacrificing clarity.
3. Infinite Shape Feature (ISF)
- Patented ISF Control: The Infinite Shape Feature (ISF) allows you to fine-tune your tone from a classic American amp sound to a more traditional British tone, and everything in between. This provides unmatched tonal flexibility.
4. CabRig DSP Speaker Simulation
- CabRig DSP Technology: Offers world-class IR-based speaker simulation for recording, direct output, or silent practice. Choose from hundreds of cabinet, mic, mic placement, and room settings, and store 3 presets directly on the amp for quick recall during gigs or sessions.
5. Power Reduction
- Power Reduction Circuit: A built-in power reduction circuit allows you to reduce the amp’s output down to 0.5W (10% of the rated 5W), so you can get full valve saturation and character at lower volumes, ideal for bedroom or late-night practice.
6. Footswitch Compatibility
- FS-22/FS-16 2-Way Footswitch Compatibility: The HT-5RH MkIII supports Blackstar’s FS-22 and FS-16 footswitches, providing footswitchable channels and voices for on-the-fly tone changes during live performances.
Specifications
- Power Output: 5W (All Valve)
- Channels: 2 (Clean, Overdrive)
- Voice Switches: Clean Voice (American/British), Overdrive Voice (Classic/Modern)
- Infinite Shape Feature (ISF): Yes
- CabRig DSP Speaker Simulation: Yes (Store 3 presets)
- Power Reduction: Yes (down to 0.5W)
- Footswitch Compatibility: FS-22/FS-16 (2-way footswitch)
- Impedance: 16 Ohms
- Outputs: 1 x Speaker Out (16 Ohm)
