Het geheim achter het geluid van de BlackSpirit 200 is een volledig nieuw ontwikkelde geluidsgeneratietechnologie: "Bionic Tone Generating". De complexe-dynamische processen van een klassieke buizen-circuit worden gesimuleerd en geoptimaliseerd in een nieuw analoog principe. Zo ontstaat het speelgevoel van de BlackSpirit 200 en het geluid in buizenversterkerkwaliteit.
The Hughes & Kettner Black Spirit 200 Floor is a happy marriage between the rightfully successful Black Spirit top section and the FSM-432 MK III baseboard, squeezing plenty of technological innovation into a compact and robust floorboard format. The range of functions has been expanded to include additional features for live performances. The beating heart of the Black Spirit is the Bionic Tone Generator, which gives its four channels the sound characteristics and dynamics of a tube amp, delivering a sound spectrum that ranges from transparent clean leads to juicy crunch rhythms and high-gain metal riffs. In addition to an extensive effects section, the 200 Floor has two pre-loops with true bypass and a serial effects path, while the 200W output stage provides sufficient power for even the largest venues. Hughes & Kettner have also added a number of connections for greater flexibility, including the built-in Red Box AE+, as well as MIDI, Bluetooth, AUX-in, and headphone connections.
Starting out with the four presets Clean, Crunch, Lead, and Ultra, the Hughes & Kettner Black Spirit 200 Floor is already capable of a wide range of sounds. Generated by the analogue circuitry of the entirely new Bionic Tone Generator, the Black Spirit sounds and feels much like a tube amp. A three-band EQ is also included to further fine-tune the sound. In addition, the Dual Breakpoint Noise Gate helps to suppress background noise during breaks in play. Another neat feature is the sagging control, which keeps the power amp saturated even at low volumes. Equally, the output can also be reduced from 200W to 20W or even 2W. Thanks to its MIDI connection, the Black Spirit can easily be connected to professional MIDI equipment – it can be fully controlled via MIDI. The device also has Bluetooth, which can be used to pipe in backing tracks and to control the device itself using the H&K app.
With a reverb, a 1400 millisecond delay, and chorus, flanger, phaser, and tremolo effects, the Hughes & Kettner Black Spirit 200 Floor is more than just well-equipped. For integrating external effects devices, there's also a serial effects path, as well as two pre-loops that are routed upstream of the amp section and thus suitable for patching in an overdrive, compressor, or wah-wah, for example. To carry the signal directly into a mixer or the recording interface on the computer, Hughes & Kettner have also included their Red Box circuit with a balanced XLR output, with eight different speaker types for a variety of natural sounds. The Black Spirit can store up to 128 presets, with the Direct 7 mode allowing direct access to seven favourites without the need to flip through its memory bank.
Equipped as it is with a whole host of features, the Hughes & Kettner Black Spirit 200 is a sound machine for demanding professionals who aren't willing to make any compromises, be it live or in the studio. The true analogue Bionic Tone Generator provides an outstanding basis for the four amp models, which range from crystal-clear clean sounds to aggressive metal sounds, and can also be perfected with high-class effects. In addition, there's the outstanding set of connections, the integrated Red Box AE+ with its eight different cabinet emulations, and the ability to manage the Black Spirit using either a MIDI controller or the proprietary app, which enables users both to make massive alterations to the underlying sound architecture and to conveniently edit their settings. And there's no need to lug around additional power amps when you've got a Black Spirit 200, because its whopping 200W output stage – run through any decent cabinet – is guaranteed to provide sufficient power in even the biggest venues.
Hughes & Kettner is one of the largest German suppliers of guitar and bass amplifiers. Founded in 1984 by Hans and Lothar Stamer under the name Stamer Musikanlagen GmbH, the manufacturer from St. Wendel in the Saarland can boast of its numerous innovations. For example, its first venture into the field of guitar amplifiers, the ASR64 from 1986, was the first programmable amplifier in the world. Thanks to its compact format, the Cream Machine of 1987 can be counted among the very first mini tube amplifiers. Equally influential were the Red Box analogue speaker simulation, the first six-channel amplifier (the Triamp), and the ZenTera, which used modelling technology in an integrated amplifier even before Line 6.
The Hughes & Kettner Black Spirit 200 Floor can be used in the studio, either with a cabinet or with the integrated Red Box AE+. Equally, the pedal might end up taking pride of place on stage. Wherever it's used, its range of applications is virtually limitless: The jet-black pedal can effectively replace both a tube amp and an effects rack, while impressing beginners and pros alike with its simple, intuitive operation and its many well-implemented features. There's quite simply nothing missing here – this Black Spirit is a thoroughbred workhorse, and its competitors will find it hard to beat.