The Blackstar ID:Core Stereo 20 V4 is a 20-watt stereo amp for practice at home, jamming and recording. Two 5-inch speakers play in Super Wide Stereo, six voices cover everything from clean to high gain, and a footswitch jack lets you change patches and switch effects without touching the panel.

Voices and Effects

The Voice knob chooses Clean Warm, Clean Bright, Crunch, Super Crunch, OD1 or OD2, and Gain, Volume and Blackstar's patented ISF control shape the sound from there. ISF moves the EQ from a tight American character with an aggressive midrange to a woodier, less aggressive British one. Modulation, delay and reverb run together, with four types each and a Tap button for tempo. The amp stores one patch per voice, holding the reverb button opens a built-in tuner, and the power reduction button drops the output to 1 watt for quiet playing.

Recording and Streaming

Over USB-C the amp sends four channels to a computer: the processed sound in stereo with speaker emulation, the preamp on its own and the dry guitar for reamping later. The Line In/Streaming jack takes a TRRS cable, so one lead plays backing tracks from a phone and sends the amp back to it for live streaming. The CabRig & Phones output carries a speaker-emulated signal to headphones or a mixer and mutes the speakers. Blackstar's free Architect software adds CabRig Lite speaker simulation, deeper editing and patch management.

Features

• 20 W Super Wide Stereo (2 x 10 W) through two 5-inch Blackstar speakers
• Six voices: Clean Warm, Clean Bright, Crunch, Super Crunch, OD1 and OD2
• Gain, Volume and patented ISF controls
• Stereo modulation, delay and reverb, four types of each, with tap tempo
• Six storable patches, one per voice, plus Manual mode
• Built-in tuner
• Power reduction to 1 W
• USB-C audio with four recording channels and reamping
• Line In/Streaming jack for playing along and live streaming over a TRRS cable
• CabRig & Phones output with speaker emulation
• Footswitch jack for the Blackstar FS-11 or FS-18 (sold separately) to change patches and switch effects
• Free Architect software with CabRig Lite
• Can run from the Blackstar PB-1 PowerBank (sold separately) for 4 to 8 hours, depending on use

Specifications

• Power: 20 W (2 x 10 W), switchable to 1 W
• Speakers: 2 x 5" Blackstar
• Voices: Clean Warm, Clean Bright, Crunch, Super Crunch, OD1, OD2
• Modulation: Phaser, chorus/flanger, envelope, tremolo
• Delay: Linear, analog, tape, multi
• Reverb: Room, hall, spring, plate
• Patches: 6, one per voice
• Connections: Guitar input, Line In/Streaming (3.5 mm TRRS), CabRig & Phones output, USB-C
• Footswitch: FS-11 or FS-18, sold separately
• Power supply: External DC power supply, included
• Dimensions (W x H x D): 375 x 292 x 185 mm (14.8 x 11.5 x 7.3 in)
• Weight: 5.2 kg (11.5 lbs)