New Hughes&Kettner era 1 - some opinions?

Limpias · #1 09-23-2017, 06:24 AM

Has somebody already tried the new era 1 from H&K? Looks like some promising amp.... ???!?

troggg · #2 09-23-2017, 09:34 AM

Huh, I'm sensing another one of the "Italian amps" as in the wood cab, the knobs, and the general sound remind me a lot of Acus, Schertler, and Godin amps which are all made in Italy (or at least many of the components are) and are all sort of descended from the original Schertler, which became SR Technology, which went back to Schlertler again or something like that.

The fact so many demos are by Italians is another giveaway; that one dude Petteri Sariola is pretty monstrous.

It has the same natural hi fi sound as the amps listed above. This one includes way more effects, though I don't care for the youtube demo of them so much, I'm sure these are more useful than shown in that quick and dirty setting.

Thanks for the heads up. I am very attracted to Acus but not so much to their USA presence with a distributor that can't really answer questions about them and dealers like Sam Ash and Guitar Center who don't carry them in brick and mortar stores.

Kinda wild that Italy has become a leader in acoustic amplification.

troggg · #3 09-23-2017, 09:48 AM

Looks like it's more slanted toward a personal amp than a small PA, as in only 2 inputs vs 3 for Acus One 8 for instance.

And really seems to feature verbs which are nice but still somewhat overused in their demos. Then again, I may not be as curious about the sound of acoustic guitars played in caves than other folks. The other amps I mentioned in the previous post have verb/delays but they're not so much of a selling point.

But I gotta give 'em credit for a classy, natural, hifi sound. And if you're a player who loves lots of verb, you may be in heaven.

sdelsolray · #4 09-23-2017, 10:29 AM

Interesting amp. It has some clever features, such as automatic 24v phantom power or 9v bias power selection, two different banks of eq center frequencies per channel (although they don't mention what those center frequencies are) and auto sleep. In addition, the feature set is quite nice overall and the user manual provides more specifications than usual for amps like this.

This is a German product, so I doubt there is much Schertler/SR Technology DNA in the design.

Here's a link to the user manual:

http://hughes-and-kettner.com/wp-con...l_6Spr_1_1.pdf

troggg · #5 09-23-2017, 10:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sdelsolray

This is a German product, so I doubt there is much Schertler/SR Technology DNA in the design.

You're welcome to doubt it, but look at the wood, the knobs, and listen to the sound. Would you say it has more in common with a Schertler Jam200 or any Boss amp?

I also think the Hughes and Kettner has some of that impedance detection common to Schertler/Acus/Godin that mellows out quackiness to a certain extent.

I do agree with you about the manual being more informative.

troggg · #6 09-23-2017, 11:37 AM

Ah, maybe it does borrow from AER too (it's made in Germany, not Italy):

http://www.musicradar.com/news/hughe...amp-with-era-1

"the 250W combo was designed with renowned acoustic amp guru and AER man Michael Eisenmann."

It's almost like it's kinda in between AER and Acus/Schlerter/Godin with the innovation of including more effects than those manufacturers.

Seems particularly well suited for modern percussive fingerpicking. I like the included cover and tilt thingamajiggy.

Vancebo · #7 09-24-2017, 07:41 AM

I am sure it's a fine amp. It might yield a beeefierblow end than the AER amps with its added power. I thought 48 v phantom was pretty standard. What would only having 24v phantom accomplish? Would that still run my microphone and phantom powered preamps?

KevWind · #8 09-24-2017, 08:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vancebo

I am sure it's a fine amp. It might yield a beeefierblow end than the AER amps with its added power. I thought 48 v phantom was pretty standard. What would only having 24v phantom accomplish? Would that still run my microphone and phantom powered preamps?

Most condenser mics will run on 24 or 48 volts just fine in fact the IEC recommended new standard is 24 v

The International Electrotechnical Commission Standards Committee's "Multimedia systems - Guide to the recommended characteristics of analogue interfaces to achieve interoperability" (IEC 61938:2013) specifies parameters for microphone phantom power delivery[2]. Three variants are defined by the document: P12, P24 and P48. In addition, Two additional variants (P12L and SP48) are also mentioned for specialized applications. Most microphones now use the P48 standard (maximum available power is 240 mW). Although 12 and 48 volt systems are still in use, the standard recommends 24 volt supply for new systems.[3]

The amp looks interesting. Would have to try in the flesh to get an accurate feel for the sound, Youtube vids being what are, or more correctly what they aren't .

Limpias · #9 09-24-2017, 09:51 AM

... interesting....

ordered the amp and just got it for trying out. Compared it next to an old Fender Frontman 25R with 10" Ragin Cajun speaker and my 2016 Taylor 814CE.

Expected some major difference and a big step up in sound using the era 1. However, found the Frontman with a bigger bottom end and overall pretty competitive.

The era 1 has clearly better dynamics, the mids and highs are very linear and clear, and overall it is the better amp. But the step up from the frontman is not as big as expected.

Dont know yet if I will keep the era 1 or just send it back.....

troggg · #10 09-24-2017, 11:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KevWind

Most condenser mics will run on 24 or 48 volts just fine in fact the IEC recommended new standard is 24 v

The International Electrotechnical Commission Standards Committee's "Multimedia systems - Guide to the recommended characteristics of analogue interfaces to achieve interoperability" (IEC 61938:2013) specifies parameters for microphone phantom power delivery[2]. Three variants are defined by the document: P12, P24 and P48. In addition, Two additional variants (P12L and SP48) are also mentioned for specialized applications. Most microphones now use the P48 standard (maximum available power is 240 mW). Although 12 and 48 volt systems are still in use, the standard recommends 24 volt supply for new systems.[3]

The amp looks interesting. Would have to try in the flesh to get an accurate feel for the sound, Youtube vids being what are, or more correctly what they aren't .

That said, I'd stay away from 12 volt. 24 should be fine.

troggg · #11 09-24-2017, 11:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Limpias

... interesting....

ordered the amp and just got it for trying out. Compared it next to an old Fender Frontman 25R with 10" Ragin Cajun speaker and my 2016 Taylor 814CE.

Expected some major difference and a big step up in sound using the era 1. However, found the Frontman with a bigger bottom end and overall pretty competitive.

The era 1 has clearly better dynamics, the mids and highs are very linear and clear, and overall it is the better amp. But the step up from the frontman is not as big as expected.

Dont know yet if I will keep the era 1 or just send it back.....

Can you share your experiences with the effects?