Blackstar ID Core new amps - updated now with NAD celebrations!

Adam_MD

Why did you sell the thr @Chuffola? I'm very tempted to buy one.

Grumpyrocker

Chuffola said:

And two days later, after the initial fun, it's gone back.

Stereo field was superb but too much and no option to turn off. And I didn't really like the amp models - very compressed or something. Anyway, not for me and not as nice as the THR, but great value for money and obviously many love it.

The search continues...

You can turn the stereo field off. You just attach the amp to a computer via USB and fire up the Insider software. You can then disable the wide stereo. You can also use that software to change the EQ of the amp models too - with full bass, mid and treble controls.

Chuffola

@Adam_MD The THR was sold to fund some other GAS purchase. Can't even remember what. Bad decision coz it was great and I'd highly recommend one.

@Grumpyrocker I kind of suspected that but an incident with my son, a glass of coke and my laptop means that it's in for repair so I couldn't check. Overall though, I didn't think the ID Core was as good as the THR (only my opinion!) so I reckon I'll keep an eye out for a used one. No rush though. And, just to stress, the IDC is excellent for the price. Just wasn't the sound I was looking for. The THR is more than double the price, after all.

It's like many things I've bought. Hard to tell in a shop environment whether it will sound as you want at home. Maybe the "Blackstar" sound just isn't for me.

kossofffan

Been playing my ID Core 10 now for a couple of days and still don't know how to get the other patches. Could someone explain in plain English please? 

Plus that bloody background hiss is really getting on my tits, any way to stop that?

thanks in advance for your help!

DartmoorHedgehog

@kossofffan, you need to load patches into the user memories using the Insider software.  You can either create a patch manually and load it into the amp, or download them from the web (there's a section in Insider called "online community" or something).  If you download them they need to be saved in documents\blackstar\saved patches (I think from memory) on a Windows machine - not sure where it is if you're an iPerson.  Then they appear on the list (after restarting the Insider - very annoying!) and you can load them into the amp.  You can only store one patch at a time per preamp model.  Once you've got the patches stored in the amp, you access them by turning off the "manual" button on the amp and selecting the relevant amp model.  If you've got the amp connected to the computer, you can use a patch without storing it on the amp by just selecting it from the list (double-click I think).

And my Core10 hisses a bit as well, more than most other amps I've had, but it doesn't really bother me that much.  Wouldn't be so good if I wanted to record from it (is the hiss on the emulated out and USB recording output or is it just the power amp bit?), but for practice it's not a big deal for me.

LooseMoose

If anyone wants an ID Core 10 I have one here, mine

Sadly I've just hurt my back and have Osteopath bills to pay for.

£65 delivered, barely been used and with the original box (no inserts) and PSU.  Fully working!

kossofffan

Thanks Mr D. Hog, I had got as far as saving a patch from the community like you said, but don't have it appear in my insider file!
That hiss is spoiling an other wise great little midnight amp!

DartmoorHedgehog

When you save the patch file you have to put it in the right place to make the Insider see it.  The default location on a Windows machine is My Documents\Blackstar\Saved Patches I think - anyway it's pretty easy to find if you look in My Documents.  On a mac I don't know, but probably something similar.  When the patch file is in that folder you need to restart Insider or it doesn't update its list, which I consider a bit of a bug - although there may be a refresh function somewhere I haven't found yet.

Ever since updating my Insider to 1.5 and the amp firmware to 1.0.2 I can't open Insider while the amp is connected - it just hangs on "getting patches from amp" or something.  If I run insider then plug the amp in it seems fine.  Not such a problem for a techy fiddler type like me, but B* aren't doing themselves any favours with the general user perception - people just expect things to work.  Same with the patch downloads - why doesn't it just download them automatically to the right place when you select it, rather than asking the user where to put it?  Anyway, rant over - I really do like my Core10, honest!

kossofffan

cheers bud, cracked it!

thomasross20

What's the difference between these and the previous ID series? [practice amp only?]

There appears to be an ID:Core Power - which looks like it could replace the likes of the ID260?  [looks the same plus some extra features]

Same question for the ID:Core Beam. [bluetooth ]

And has anybody tried their 5W and 1W HT series amps? 
They've got quite a range now!

longi

thomasross20 said:

What's the difference between these and the previous ID series? [practice amp only?]

There appears to be an ID:Core Power - which looks like it could replace the likes of the ID260?  [looks the same plus some extra features]

Same question for the ID:Core Beam. [bluetooth ]

And has anybody tried their 5W and 1W HT series amps? 
They've got quite a range now!

I have an HT-5 and it's ok for what it is. The clean channel could do with having some mids taken out to make it useable, it sounds ok once you've done that with a graphic. The drive channel is ok, sterile sounding but it's useable. It has some nice features like the effects loop and ISF and speaker sim. It's an ok amp at best. The ID15TVP smokes it completely imo just wish it had an effects loop. The ID15 sounds massive through an extention speaker (I modded mine to be able to do this, very easy job),  the HT-5 sounds boxy.

thomasross20

Initially I wasn't keen on all this Bluetooth stuff but if I can stream music on my phone through my amp and play along at the same time, that'd be awesome.

Still think the ID series is the sh!t, in a good way.