Hughes&Kettner BlackSpirit 200 vs. Kemper (as backup solution)

  • Hi there, just if you are interested in the Hughes&Kettner BlackSpirit 200 ...


    I tested for some days this little beast what is basically a 4 channel analog (transistor) amp running at 2, 20 or 200 Watts. It also has a red box providing 8 different cab types. In a nutshell, very natural sounding in direct to cab mode and also when used as recording amp via red box. I have also some other good amps in the room (Mesa Express 5:50Plus, Fender Deluxe Reverb) and .... I can mimic most of the sounds quite well with the Black Spirit - in terms of feel (very direct / no latency) and also sound quality wise.


    Comparing to some of the M Britt profiles in the KPA: I was able to dial in very close if not identical sounds (sometimes may be even more "open") with the H&K amp. I focussed on clean and crunch and typical Fender clean, Fender on the edge, Marshall type of sound came out with ease and by using a cab you can achieve kind of sick level of power. It is not exactly cheap with around 790 Euro but I would say it provides all what most of the players would need and this at very high quality.


    Has also some basic effects (reverb, delay, modulations) and a nice booster. It can be controlled via an IPad app or midi. Presets can be saved on the Ipad. So in my opinion this is very good a) alternative for a KPA (for gigging and recording if you do not need the effects and more sound / profile variations) and/or b) a light-weight backup for the KPA able to cover a lot of different music styles. I play now for 46 years and would easily say that this little thing is certainly the best transistor based amp as it can beat some of the tube amps in a way as you can enjoy the power amp sagging at much lower volumes. No artificially sounding fizz - just "real" tube sound. Great to have these possibilities nowadays. (PS I have no relationship at all to H&K :-))

    Rock on

    Sacapuntas

  • I recently had the chance to play the Spirit 200 . It's very light weight, has a sturdy plastic housIng.

    I tried the unit in FR/FR mode and through a few traditional cabs. I had mixed feelings. The cleans are great but the distorted sounds seemed a little thin and buzzy. It did modern metal very well, but not a classic rock or pop sound. FRFR mode was ok and the cab models were just ok. Playing through a real cab dished up better sounds. Still left me wanting something more.

    Overall I was disappointed with the amp, especially for the price.

  • Some time ago I thought that a Grandmeister could be a nice backup amp. I did not like the Tubemeister 18 too much (Tubemeister 38 as far as I remember I did like better). Last year I hat the change to check the Spirit 200 (headphones only). Was not too bad. But as well felt that I would prefer the Grandmeister DLX. As a very basic Backup I got a Bluguitar Amp 1 (tiny little Amp wit 100W power for pedalboard use - only reverb as an effect). And some time later I did buy a toaster as a backup and tool for small gigs and rehersals....