Anyone tried the new "Son" of Black Spirit yet, the HK Black Spirit Nano amps?

You know how we always say that the H&K amps aren't so good at classic vintage tones?  Have you seen this?  H&K Nano Spirit Of Vintage

This is a sub-miniature 50W SS amp using the same unique H&K Spirit Tone Generator technology as the original Black Spirit 200.  At that size it looks like it has to be a Class-D amp to me.  This is usually used for bass amps as it is super clean, super efficient and tiny, but there is no reason why it shouldn't be applied to guitar too if the tone is generated fully elsewhere.  It's pitched at a different price point in the market and the one I like is aimed to plug the Vintage gap in their product line.  This really sounds like it could get me back into the H&K fold again.  At around £185 it seems a steal - if it does what they claim!

That link shows the amps in use played properly not just reviewed.  All of the guitar sounds in it are using the Spirit of Vintage model throughout.  It's one of a series of three apparently similar design of amps, voiced differently for different styles.  There is the "Spirit of Rock, "Spirit of Metal" or "Spirit of Vintage".  I'd be interested to hear anyone else's thoughts on it if you have heard or even played one.

I think this is cool idea, but I have a few concerns. It's the same power, and same pricepoint as the Vox MV50 series. Both come in three different "flavors." The Vox uses the Korg NuTube. Is that the "Spirit Tone Generator?" Both are about the same size. I can't help but wonder if this is just the H&K version of the Chinese MV50.

That, in and of itself, wouldn't be a problem, except that I have the Vox MV50, and it just doesn't sound good. I'd love to be able to audition the H&K version to hear if it's better or different.

I think that you have hit on the key point Artie.  It is essential to audition an amp like this before making any sweeping statements about "how it will sound".

(Here we go again with my historical stuff. )  I have at home a Vox AD120VT.  That's the Vox AC30 lookalike modelling amp in blue grille cloth.  (It looks much better in blue grille than the original Vox "worn out brown blechhhh".)  That's the first model of Valvetronix that Vox came up with when they partnered up with Korg.  It was basically a no holds barred project to see how well the two companies could add their own areas of expertise, Vox with guitar amplification/valve sound and Korg with digital modelling, to produce a convincing modeller.  Now everyone "knows" that modelling amps sound $#!£ don't they?  Yeah, we hear it online all the time, usually by people who have never used one but have it on good authority from their uncle's flatmate's barber's milkman's son who is a "bit of a guitar guru".  Vox came up with a great system which was brand new at the time.  They designed the power amp so there was a full independent miniature MOSFET and valve amp inside, including its own output transformer and dummy load.  They then added a high power ultra clean transistor amp with a new configuration from the usual.  The neat trick was that the valve amp from input to load was then put into the feedback loop of the transistor amp.  Doing this makes the feedback network (the valve amp) impose its characteristics and responses on the overall amp so in effect, the transistor amp became a very convincing valve amp.  And it works brilliantly!

Korg then added a large number of preset amp models as starter patches, a full set of selectable effects based on existing pedals, the ability to power it down in steps to 1W, the ability to use its own dedicated MIDI style footswitch to select individual components or full amp patches from a store, in fact - - - are you sensing a great similarity to the H&K philosophy?  The Valvetronix started out in 2001 and the GM36 I'm sure came in a few years after that.  H&K has always been open to outside influences in their designs, (I, myself, even pointed them at the unique distortion of the Direct Coupled Cathode Follower stage in an online discussion I had with them which they then immediately included in their advertising literature. ).  In many ways to do with the offered functionality the original Valvetronix looks very like the "GM36 Mk0.1" to me.  Of course, H&K added their own unique valve/SS mixed circuit configurations to it.

I bought mine when I went with a friend to audition small valve amps from Fender and other makes.  None of them got to me in any way and I was underwhelmed and about to give up when the guy suggested I just try modelling amps.  Again, all of the available mainstream designs of the day sounded rough as a dead bear's backside in their own right.  After a long afternoon he finally gave up and, as a last resort, brought in an overspec AD120VT which he only had as a used unit and set it on 5W.  We were both grabbed immediately by the sound and, after another couple of hours of playing the amp, I went away and sourced it brand new and even cheaper from France.  As you can see, I've never fallen out of love with it.

The original amps came out as 1x60W or 2x60W combos, (AD60/120VT), or heads (AD60/120VTH), and a little later as gigging versions with an added "X", all in "Blueface".  I was very very lucky.  I got mine brand new just at the right time as they became old models and the later very inferior "Metalface" models replaced these Bluefaces.  I got it at a ridiculous "dump it" price and it was a steal.  These models are absolutely incredible!  They have a huge range of models they can emulate.  Are they exact clones of every one of those models?  Of course not, and that is where the guitar fraternity will not take a minute and think.  They should not be clones!  The point is to give a wider range of sounds than any of those amps not an exact replica of any one of them.  Can your Fender sound like a Marshall?  Not on your life.  Can your Marshall sound like a Fender?  Again never in a million years.  But my AD120VT can sound "like" many models from both ranges and even more, it can give a Dumble sound too for example.  The concept was so well implemented that it became a wide range of other models but...  By that time the bean counters and accountants had been brought in and the cost cutting had begun.  I wouldn't give you tuppence for any of the "Metalface" types which came out afterwards.  They were very much a reduced quality product and they sound it.  But if you ever get the chance to get one of the original Bluefaces I would urge anyone to give it a try and judge it on its own sound, not on the basis of "how close to the original models does it get"?  No emulator of any description will get the exact sound of another amp without being an exact copy of that amp in circuitry, materials and build.  If you want that original sound you will have to stump up and buy that original sound, no alternative.  And maybe, just maybe one of those emulators would give you an even better sound closer to your own dream.  No one even considers that.  My Vox can certainly sound better than my JVM250H and even my JCM800 2210 in some circumstances, and is infinitely more versatile than my JMP SL100 (yes, it's original 1960s) or my SC20H.  When did you last see an audience walk out because the guitarist was using the "wrong" amp as long as his sound is good?

The point is that the Vox MV50 and H&K Nano are unlikely to sound exactly the same or even necessarily close.  It isn't the devices used in it, the technology, that counts, it's the overall circuit configuration in which those devices are used which dictates the sound you get out.  Do all valve amps using 12AX7s and EL34s sound the same?  Of course not.  From what I've heard the Nano Vintage seems to produce the sounds I'm after which I can't get from my GM36 (sadly).  I'm certainly going to try out one of these little amps with a serious view of using it as a "backup/small gig" alternative to my current Marshall SC20H or 2210 setup.  Owning a valve amp, especially a "Classic" model, is nice.  But it has also been pulled down to the level of just "membership of a club".  All of the "Common Knowledge" and "Valvespeak" that associates with it is designed to pull people into that exclusive club without having any real benefit or basis in truth.  If you just want club membership it's easy to just accept all of the "wisdom" from the gurus who "know" and repeat without thinking all of the right things so you are accepted.  It's nowadays more like a priesthood with its own creed and commandments at times.  If you want something that genuinely sounds great and what you are looking for then you only have to open your ears, take ABSOLUTELY NO NOTICE of anyone's advice including mine without questioning it and testing it to see if it stacks up in the real world, and LISTEN OBJECTIVELY without knowing what you are going to find before you even hear it.  If you can be honest and not judge based on absurdities like the technology used and the utterly wrong technical info bandied about by people who have no technical experience, you will never make a bad buy!  How many guitarists can genuinely say they have achieved that?