We pit two 1 watt heads against each other and find out how they compare. Which one wins? YOU DECIDE! Marshall DSL 1 - bit.ly/3KyiLGa Blackstar HT-1 - bit.ly/32lzb3s
Thanks for a great review, taking us through what the amps are actually musically and inspirationally capable of. Nice playing - lyrical would be the word!
So I had both and decided to keep the marshall. There was certain darkness/muddiness in the backstar. You can roll the highs off of the marshall, but you cant add chime to the black star. I like the marshall clean way better. When it comes to distortion, Blackstar has a very well balanced modern distortion, and marshall has that tone that we all know. and I like it.
Hi Antonio, I am trying to decide between both (combo version). I need an amp the sounds good with very low volume for my bedroom. I have a Fender Mustang GTX that I like but I can barely use it. Marshal DLS1 has the power reduced mode what is a plus to me. Blackstar HT1 seems not to have this power reduced mode, right? But it has a smaller size and I am finding good deals. What would you recommend? Thank you in advance.
Marcio Carvalho hi! So I live in a wood frame building surrounded by people, play with the 0.1 watt option at a somewhat loud volume and no complain from the neighbours, and you get true tube tone. The only thing you need to keep in mind is that an 8 inch speaker will never sound as well rounded, so I always push the bass eq to the max. I’m sure you can buy a dsl1 try it for a couple of days and if you don’t like it return it. I’m happy with mine. I have a fender deluxe reverb and a 5150 but I don’t play them at home anymore.
Nice review--they both sound great and your playing brought out a lot of sounds. I'm looking for a really quiet amp with which I can record and I keep vacillating between the HT1 and Bugera T5...but that Marshall sounds great!
Nice review. Good tonal comparisons. Just depends on your ears and what your musical intentions are. I think each has it's place and have strong and weak points. Both offer bang for the buck as they are affordable.
I got an HT-1 specifically for high gain stuff. I just love Blackstars overdrive. I think the Marshall does have a better, chimney clean sound. But that's what I have Fender tube amps for. Also, you can pickup a HT-1 used for right under $200. For $200, I'm content with using it as a glorified overdrive pedal.
@@marinUtube man im in exactly the same spot right now that you where when you wrote your comment 6 months ago! Can't make up my mind. Which did you end up going for and how do you feel about it now?
Bought the HT1 for headphone practice, digital amps always feel “sticky” and forgiving to play so wanted that tube “glass” with headphones. Very impressive, no loss of feel. I swap from playing the HT1 into the wee night hours to my jubilee during the day, no bad habits to be seen. Also I wasn’t expecting much build quality wise with the HT1, but wow, solid, the tolex feels like soft leather (not), the handle is super chunky and even the black star logo is well made with a real 3D look. Impressive.
I'm in the same situation. Thanks for your comment! I'm still considering one of these (DSL1 vs. HT1), and I think the deal breaker will be how the emulated out sounds through the headphones (cause like you, I usually play late at night in a very, very small apt). I heard that the e-OUT on the HT1 is WAY superior, but hard to find videos about it. On the other hand, I know that the DSL1 e-out sucks ... can you confirm that? have any demos?
I think both are speaker emulated outputs. So if you like the Marshall speaker sound, believe you also like the sound from the emulated output. I can't think somthing different to make the Amp sounds terrible from headphone.
I wish you were wrong. I just had the ht1 and bought the Marshall based on how good it sounds through the speaker, was going to sell the blackstar, but it turns out the Marshall is horrific through headphones.
I would say : Marshall sounds better for Clean and Crunch. For High Gain : Blackstar is darker and more compressed, I personaly prefer the Marshall but I like both. The reverb of the Blackstar sounds fine, the the one of the Marshall sounds cheap.
I had an original ht1 and I thought it was an great little amp. However I found its tones pretty limited. All sounded good but not a wide range of options. The clean channel wasn’t up to much. For the money though great amp.
Marshall has full tube classic schematic, Celestion GBC speaker and full-featured EQ like it's bigger brothers, just lower wattage. And it has even lower 0.1w switch. HT-1 has bells and whistles inside which coloring the sound and Blackbird 15 "noname" speaker. Marshall has loop and convenient 1/8 ins outs (but why on back side?). HT-1 has 1/4 i/o on top panel. In terms of functionality Marshall wins. HT-1 is more simple as a practice amp. If I will have a choise i will choose cheaper one, if the price will differ a lot.
For me, there is no contest here. The DSL-1 SMOKES!!!! It has that cutting Marshall upper mid that sounds so good. The HT-1 sounded dark and dull in every example. Of course, one man's bright is another man's ice pick!!! So it's good that both options exist.
I have a Blackstar Studio 10 KT88 so I'm generally a fan of their lower cost all-tube amps. In this comparison, it's the Marshall DSL1 all the way. It may be $100 more but it sounded worth it to me. Not that the HT1 was bad. It seems like a great am for the price. I have an Alnico Blue in a 1x12 cab that I've been thinking about getting some low wattage heads for. I use the Blue with the Studio 10 KT88 and it sounds magical. But NOTE, the Celestion Alnico Blue did not fit in the Blackstar Studio cabinet. I ended up getting a VHT empty cab to put the Blue in. Off topic I know but I wish I had known the Blue wouldn't fit in the combo cab. The KT88 power tube jutted well into the space consumed by the massive alnico magnet.
I have both of these and I’m telling you the blackstar is much better . The Marshall seems to have all sorts of issues . Electrical pops as I think the build quality is really bad . Also the Marshall is much louder . Even on the 0.1 watt setting . On the 1 watt for bedroom guitarists or those that live in an apartment , it’s overkill ! Blackstar is great at all volumes , opens up louder it is but still very useable quiet . Marshall is fun for old school rock / metal , but definitely sounds thinner with the 8 inch speaker comparably to the blackstar . Marshall clean on this amp is pretty lifeless as well . Blackstar clean on the HT-1 is much better . Overall I’d say the better amp for Consistency of tone and functionality
well i use the marshall dsl 1 watt as my main amp voor rock (zztop and acdc) with a celestion 12" neo creamback and the blackstar ht5R combo as my pedalboard amp. the blackstar is more a all purpose sound and the marshall, well, definitely the marshall sound you want. both amps are great to use at home and small gigs i can recommend these amps The marshall does not even need pedals for the best sound
First of all thank you for your efforts, well done. To me, the Marshall sounds like a Marshall, as it should. If one finds it's too bright, turn down treble. The Blackstar doesn't sound like a Marshall, it shouldn't. It has the Blackstar sound which is very good as well. Kind of sounds more refined all around. I guess it all depends on what one needs.
Two lovely sounding heads ..each have the individual tone so Carn’t say witch is best ..The HT1 is warmer and the DLS 1 is brighter more like a Bassman ..I’ve got a HT1 Combo HT1 ( mk1 ) lovely little combo ..so would have the Marshall ..Don’t forget the guys that started Blackstar worked for Marshall great video ..well done mate ..
I liked aspects of both. Maybe blended, each with its own greenback, run with an A/B/Y amp switcher, and stereo effects for ping pong delay, rotary swish, moving chorus, phaser, and flanger, etc. Man O' Man...I better start saving up !!
I recently bought an early 90's yamaha fx550 effects processor that has all those effects on it for abour £45 including postage and it's a really nice old bit of kit. I specifically wanted something from that time period.
Great run-down. I have purchased both. The Blackstar works w pedals,and I like it better overall. Actually,I despise my Marshall 1w head,only good for one sound...full blast Marshall.
I have HT1 and DSL100........I like Blackstar for practice and getting FULL sound.......but DSL100 is for Serious jam time.....those Marshalls open up REALLY good......it's just alive.
can u...output at same time,,, 3 mono tracks/sounds... a=the spkr... b=on back, connect to ext.passive spkr / or/ active spkr??? and c=usb to win10 pc... all 3 at once... also.. is the back wood panel,, open-able or not
Thanks for this, it was amazing. I'm really considering one of them, and I think the deal breaker will be how the emulated out sounds through the headphones (cause I usually play late at night in a very, very small apt). I heard that the e-OUT on the Blackstar is way superior, but hard to find videos about it. Have you tested them?
I had HT1 MkI for years. It has been my only Blackstar amp. I sold it on eBay about five years ago and got a DSL1 (MkII?) instead. I prefer the Marshall. It could be purchase validation on my part, but I think it was the Marshall sound I wanted all along as I've had Marshalls before.
@@johndolores315 Yeah, the Blackstar sounded great with my Strat but got pretty muddy on overdrive with my Les Paul. I'm still confused over which one to get.
I have both, you cant really lose with either one in my opinion, it just depends on what I feel like hearing on that day is the one ill use , both have there own great sound. Got both on Reverb the DSL1 was 250, HT1 MKII was around 275. I couldn't make up my mind so I ended up with both
I’ve had the blackstar for a few years now. It has its own voice and the bass is much bigger than its size. It’s just too bass heavy and you can’t get any chime or brightness when you want it. I may keep it, but I’m getting the Marshall as it just has the tone I like better. As someone else said, you can roll off the brightness, but you can’t roll it on! Or some such. Should have played through a Gibson too here. Cheers!
I have them both, each one great in their own way. I am playing through a VHT 1x12 cab with Celestion XC-35 Limited. The Blackstar does tight high gain better, the Marshall has a better overall organic tube sound both clean and classic rock....
this was helpful, but would have more helpful if you played some "regular" crunch-type tones to compare, say like AC/DC, or other "classic" or 80's type rock. But thank you!
I had the mk 1 ht1which was great, but the dsl 1 has more tonal range, i am running the DSL1 into a Marshall 1 x 12 with the seventy-80 and its a nice sound, great revue Bud
I went with the Blackstar head through a Vox 1x12 speaker cab loaded with a 30W Celestion vintage 30. Came about this combination by chance trying out different cabs. It's a match made in heaven because it sounds unbelievably good using this configuration. From clean to gritty to heavy, every setting possible sounds great.
I have a Blackstar HT1 combo and run it thru a Celestion 2x12 V30 cabinet. I thought it was too dark. However after watching this video, it's the sound I was looking to achieve.
I like the crisp cleans on the DSL compared to the HT1(I own the old combo). Phil McKnight said it was too bright. I suppose you could roll down the tone knob on the guitar. Blackstar sounded better dirty.
thorinbane I must be hearing things because the punch and the clarity and buzz was stronger on Marshall. I’ll give it to blackstar on clean but go figure most Marshalls clean tone isn’t the best. But this is super cheap
To be fair, IMO the DSL range has always been a really bright amp, even all the way back to the old JCM2000 range. Bought my first one way back in '01, I always had to run it with the presence off and the treble rolled way back. I was always looking for pedals to help darken the tone and help tame it. Which is funny because I hated the TSL range because I thought it sounded too muddy and lacked definition.
@@donnysarian The Blackstar clean channel is complete crap, unusable. The gain channel is barely usable at apartment volumes because you can only adjust the gain to about like 2 out of 10.
Well the price range today as of 2022 is $250.00 difference with the Marshall being the higher price! And is it really worth it, since it' just 1 freaking watt?
Hey man, if you don't mind me asking, how did things go with the 1 watt dsl? How do you feel about it now 5 months later? Any regrets or are you happy with it? Trying to decide between dsl 1 or ht 1, im leaning towards the marshall. Any opinions, recommendations, advice or whatever would be most welcome bro
@@richardburton4625 I like it but my setup is with a loadbox into an interface so I can't comment on it through a speaker. Build quality could be better imo, but it sounds good overall. Could do with more clean headroom so I'd probs save your pennies and try get a HT-5.
When you're listening to a recording through a microphone, you're essentially listening to a 112. Only one speaker is mic'd (unless you've got two microphones).
I had the DSl for a bit. Really liked the classic rock and punk rock sounds out of it.. I thought it was it’s best sounds.. cleans were not the best. The EQ was very touchy. Spent bit of time to dial in. Sold it because the emulated put was so terrible and the low power mode made it sound like a totally different amp. So to mic it I had to have on 1 watt mode and to try and record in a track home at 11pm even with 1 watt was too loud.
Yeah the di is absolute crap on ths marshall but love it otherwiae. Even on 0.1 its plenty loud enough. I didnt noticed a difference between 1 and 0.1 thought they were very similar in tone.
Ironically, Blackstar has perfected that old 70s style famous "rock n roll" sound/tone. Undoubtedly, sadly , Marshall has lost its way , the newer amps have no crunch / bottom. They've almost successfully managed to finally figure out how to make Marshall amplifiers sound as if there inside a Coca-Cola can . I hate it , because I grew up on jcm800s and plexis back in the 80s and it's sad to see where the company has went. They're totally living off there name / logo. Society today thinks more expensive ? Then it's better ..
Your definitely the most qualified to be trusted here… I feel like every other video of a Marshall amp, a persons like “yeah it’s got that Marshall tone” But what does that even mean nowadays? People definitely say some things based off of a name. I have the HT5RH head, and I love it.
I have the HT1, I love it, the lack of gain control on the HT5 clean channel was the reason I got the HT1 instead, otherwise it would have been the 5. It would be the perfect bedroom amp, if it wasn’t for that.
Thanks! Difficult one, both are ticking the boxes. Size of these little powerhouses is quite nice. Where the DSL1 looks impressive (even for noobs the black and gold is recognizable) and has a bit more options and a footswitch to dial in your tonal flavor, and you can cut it down to 0.1W (which is a bonus for me) , downside for me with the Marshall, (as mentioned) the output is 16 Ohm, meaning not many (budget) options for a 1x12 cab. The HT1 on the other side, sounds and looks also great (subjective opinion 😉). Not many buttons to get lost in dialing in your sound. You can hook it up to every cabinet from 4 to 16 Ohm. No footswitch included (not a big turn off) . But there is no button or switch to cut the output down to anything lower than 1W, as from what I understand 1W tube output can be freaking loud in a livingroom (ours is about 50sq mtrs). Have to go to a shop that has both amps and figure out myself.
That’s my problem; Looking at purchase of Blackstar HT-1, Randall Diavlo 1w, or Marshall DSL1 but my local shops out of stock and watched all the videos I could possibly watch so any advice or opinions “Welcomed!” I have played the Ibanez RG series guitars since 89’(570,550,& 370DX) looking for ultimate metal experience with small tube heads stepping up from a micro Peavey Piranha w/6505 1x8” cab. I got a steal on a Marshall 2x12” slant cab so now trying to figure out which one of these 3 heads would be best for my bedroom?#HeadHelp#🎸🤘🏻🔥
If you can afford it, get a ht5rh. You can lower it to 0.5 if you want, and it's really loud if you want it to be. It'll scratch every itch you've got.
For recording purposes for me HT-1 hands down. I prefer bringing in higher frequencies into a recording rather than having to eliminate them . That's my theory and i"m sticking to it..lol
The Blackstar sounds more muffled to me, but that may be because he has the EQ set around 3-4, while on the Marshall he has the treble at around 6. Maybe if the Blackstar had the EQ a little higher it would sound less muddy in comparison.
For me the Marshall sound more "alive" and has some sparkling, which seems to be s little bit more "musical". The Blackstar sounds more "precise" and for me "dry". Would be interesting what sound is more present within a mix, as this also very important if you record music at home. Anyway: Thanks a lot for the video!
Well the price range today as of 2022 is $250.00 difference with the Marshall being the higher price! And is it really worth it, since it' just 1 freaking watt?
@@minsang6704 I wouldn't say so, I think the clean on the HT1 is terrible. The DSL1 clean channel can be brought to a good crunch, plus is a good pedal platform, which the HT1 clean channel simply isn't (it's just crap).
@@tomwhittaker9461 I've changed my mind now. Two years ago, I didn't have a chance to turn up the volume on the clean channel, but when I turned up the volume, I got a beautiful crunch tone. When I lowered the guitar volume there, a vintage clean tone came out
Overall, I believe that the DSL1 has a much more open and natural tone. The Blackstar sorta got there in the reverb demo, but sounded like it was in an otherwise empty closet. The Marshall sounded bigger and more articulate, more genuine and less synthetic.
