Blackstar ID:X 50

In the fierce modelling combo amp market, can Blackstar deliver?

- BY MATT OWEN

IT TAKES A brave soul to take on Boss in the modeling-amp arms race, and an even braver one to do so explicitly. After all, the Japanese firm’s Katana range — now on its third iteration, following a mass overhaul last year — is undoubtedly the market's biggest player and has comfortably cemented itself as the amp to beat in the near-decade since its release.

Dubbed “a bold step forward in modern amp design,” the ID:X - available in 50- and 100-watt iterations - is Blackstar's stake for conquering the modeling-amp space, building on the beloved Blackstar ID range and elevating it to all-new heights, thanks to newly engineered tech and some proprietary features. These include Blackstar's CabRig functionality, a companion Architect app, the firm's Infinite Shape Feature (ISF) control, tube response options, wattage-scaling, loads of presets, expansive connectivity and its new “In the Room" tech.